WALTERS: The Obama administration does not want Israel to build any more settlements on what they consider Palestinian territory. What is your view on this?Matt Duss and Andrew Sullivan seem to think the take-away from this quote is that Palin supports the expansion of settlements, even beyond what the Bush administration advocated. But what strikes me as odd is the bit about "the days and weeks and months ahead" in which Jewish people will be flocking to Israel. What does she mean by this?! Have you heard about mass movement to make aliyah? I've gotta say, this sounds pretty End-of-Days-y to me. And flags to me why it is important why someone with her beliefs never gets anywhere close to real political power.
PALIN: I disagree with the Obama administration on that. I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is, is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And I don’t think that the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand.
WALTERS: Even if it’s [in] Palestinian areas?
PALIN: I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expand.
UPDATE: Jeffrey Goldberg wonders the same thing.
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Few things scare me as much in the Middle East as Christian Zionists -- folks who want an all-Jewish kingdom, with a temple, because they think Jesus won't come back in triumph and judgement until then. In the meantime, these fundamentalists help fund the settlements, destruction of agriculture and industry and homes that has been driving Christians out of the Holy Land (in 1947, 50% of Palestinians were Christian, many of them in families that were Christian for 2000 years). And of course, they expect that when Jesus comes back he'll throw most of (or all) the Jews into Hell. Charming.
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