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Christain Right Waves Flag for Israel

By Ken Fireman
WASHINGTON BUREAU

July 30, 2003

Washington - The Israeli prime minister wasn't due at the White House for another hour, but Richard Hellman and his friends were out early yesterday to show the flag - in fact, two of them, the Star of David side by side with Old Glory.

"We are a Christian group for a strong U.S.-Israeli relationship," Hellman said as he paraded along Pennsylvania Avenue. "We are Christians. We believe in the truth of the Bible. We believe America will be blessed as it blesses Israel, as the Bible says."

The activism of Hellman, a born-again Christian who heads the group Christians' Israel Public Action Campaign, reflects a growing trend in the conservative Christian movement. As its political influence has waxed since the Republican takeover, its agenda has broadened from traditional domestic concerns such as abortion to foreign policy issues like the Middle East.

Many conservative Christians view support for Israel and its right-wing government as an obligation flowing directly from biblical prophecy. ...