PCG on Menachem Begin

PCG has a very simple and narrowly dogmatic view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This can be seen in how they discuss Menachem Begin (1913-92), former Prime Minister of Israel. Without getting into too much detail he had a most prominent role in the history of the State of Israel. In 1978 he became the first right wing Prime Minister of Israel. But PCG will say very little about all that can be said about Menachem Begin.

As far as I can tell this is all PCG has to say about Menachem Begin in thetrumpet.com. (A few duplicate passages have been omitted.)

Menachem Begin is only ever mentioned by PCG in connection with two topics.

• His meetings with HWA (which is praised).

• His negotiations and peace treaty with President Sadat (which is condemned).

Astoundingly that is all PCG can be bothered to say about Begin. PCG's leaders portray Menachem Begin as a useful prop instead of a complicated human being.

Seeing how little is mentioned of Begin by PCG one wonders if PCG's leaders choose to be so ignorant about the wider topic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Below is a collection of quotes detailing when PCG mentions Menachem Begin. It includes quotations from articles written by Gerald Flurry, Stephen Flurry, Joel Hilliker, Gareth Fraser, the late Ron Fraser and Mark Jenkins.

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Menachem Begin was elected prime minister in 1977. President Carter persuaded him to give the Sinai back to Egypt in the late 1970s. This was the beginning of the Israeli-Arab peace pact. The Jews gave up land for a piece of paper. (Gerald Flurry, Israel’s Lost Vision, August 2001.)

It was Sharon who actually led the campaign to persuade Israelis to settle there after the Six Day War in 1967. For the last 40 years, it was he who drove the campaign to settle Israelis on land that the Palestinians wanted to claim—working in various ministerial posts building settlements for over 20 years, and as settlements minister under Prime Minister Menachem Begin. (Joel Hilliker, Israel’s Bleeding Wound, November 2005.)

But soon after, something dramatic changed in Israel. Menachem Begin was elected prime minister in 1977. President Carter persuaded him to give the Sinai back to Egypt in the late 1970s. This was the beginning of the Israeli-Arab peace process. The Jews gave up land for a piece of paper. (Gerald Flurry, Jerusalem in Prophecy, Chapter 2, 2001, 2005.)

In 1977, the peace process was conceived when U.S. President Jimmy Carter persuaded Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to give the Sinai back to Egypt based on the philosophy that gifting land to mortal enemies would produce peace. (Mark Jenkins, Middle East Peace Process: R.I.P. 1978-2006, April 2006.)

But soon after, something dramatic changed in Israel. Menachem Begin was elected prime minister in 1977. President Carter persuaded him to give the Sinai back to Egypt in the late 1970s. This was the beginning of the Israeli-Arab peace process. The Jews gave up land for a piece of paper. (Gerald Flurry, The Outcome of the Israeli/German Relationship, September 7, 2006.)

Other heads of state Mr. Armstrong visited include Israeli prime ministers Menachem Begin and Golda Meir, Thai Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. (Stephen Flurry, Legacies (Part 2), October 2006.)

Menachem Begin was elected prime minister in 1977. U.S. President Jimmy Carter persuaded him to give the Sinai back to Egypt in the late 1970s. This was the beginning of the Israeli-Arab peace process. The Jews gave up land for a piece of paper. At this point, the course of their history took a dramatic and dangerous turn. (Gerald Flurry, Jerusalem: Why the Miracles Have Ceased, August 7, 2007.)

Soon after, something dramatic changed in Israel. Menachem Begin was elected prime minister in 1977. President Carter persuaded him to give the Sinai back to Egypt in the late 1970s. This is when the miracles began to fade! And there is President Carter, once again working his destructive magic! This was the beginning of the Israeli-Arab peace process. The Jews gave up land for a piece of paper. This was also the beginning of the Jews’ downward slide—a slide that will end in oblivion unless they wake up! (Gerald Flurry, Jimmy Carter Still Haunting the Peace Process, January 14, 2008.)

Soon after, something dramatic changed in Israel. Menachem Begin was elected prime minister in 1977. President Carter persuaded him to give the Sinai back to Egypt in the late 1970s. This is when the miracles began to fade! That was the great turning point in Israel’s history. And there was President Carter, once again working his destructive magic! This was the beginning of the Israeli-Arab peace process. The Jews gave up land for a piece of paper. This was also the beginning of the Jews’ downward slide—a slide that will end in oblivion unless they wake up! (Gerald Flurry, Israel: When the Miracle Victories Ended, March 2008.)

Herbert W. Armstrong’s reach into the Jewish state extended beyond the archaeological society of Israel. His relationship with Jewish leaders, both in the government and private sector, blossomed from his first meeting in the Knesset in 1968 until just months before his death in 1986, when he met with then Israeli prime minister and current President Shimon Peres. Beginning with Zalman Shazar in 1968, Mr. Armstrong met with every president of Israel until his death, including Ephraim Katzir, Yitzhak Navon and Chaim Herzog. He also conducted friendly personal meetings with Prime Ministers Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres. (Gerald Flurry, Jerusalem's Temples, Chapter 4, 2010.)

[In the following article PCG's Ron Fraser cites two articles by HWA and Stanley Rader's book mentioning HWA meeting with Begin. HWA is quoted saying] " ... Somewhat more than a year ago, in October, I had personal visits with both Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. ...
Stanley Rader, former legal counsel to Herbert Armstrong, recorded in 1980, “At one time, during a four-year period, Mr. Armstrong and I made about 50 trips to Israel, meeting with Prime Ministers Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin, and with Moshe Dyan, Defense Minister Shimon Peres and dozens of cabinet members, legislators, military men and leaders of industry and academia” (Against the Gates of Hell). ...
[Quoting HWA:] “Tuesday was a very busy day. There were several meetings at the Knesset—with Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, chairman of Israel’s leading Labor Party, and the speaker of the Knesset, Itzhak Shamir. Then a visit at the president’s residence, with the president of Israel, Itzhak Navon. (Ron Fraser, Egypt: Israel and a Prophet’s Words, February 7, 2011.)

Mr. Armstrong’s contributions did not go unnoticed by those who sat in the gates of Jerusalem. In fact, following his first meeting in the Knesset in 1968 to his death in 1986, Mr. Armstrong was welcomed by every prime minister and president of Israel for the rest of his life, including prime ministers Golda Meir, Yitzak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres, and presidents Ephraim Katzir, Yitzhak Navon and Chaim Herzog. These meetings and relationships went deeper than a simple handshake and photo opportunity. Israeli leaders valued the work, the counsel and the friendship of Herbert Armstrong.
On Nov. 3, 1980, Prime Minister Menachem Begin was in a meeting with a group of officials in Tel Aviv. An aide passed him a message, and he arose from his chair and recessed the meeting. He walked out and got in his car, and his motorcade drove the hour-long route to Jerusalem. He had learned that Mr. Armstrong was visiting Jerusalem. The prime minister hurried to his executive office, where he received Mr. Armstrong, accompanied by Mayor Kollek and a couple of others. When someone mentioned that he had interrupted his meeting and made the special drive, the prime minister explained, “Mr. Armstrong, I would get out of bed at 2 in the morning to see you.” The meeting ended in an affectionate bear hug. Afterward, Begin drove back to Tel Aviv and resumed his meeting—after a 2½-hour recess. (Joel Hilliker, A Warm Friend of Israel, August 3, 2011.)

[Quoting a 1979 article by HWA:] “Tuesday was a very busy day. There were several meetings at the Knesset, with Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, who was prime minister two different times, chairman of Israel’s leading Labor Party, and the speaker of the Knesset Itzhak Shamir. Then a visit at the president’s residence, with the president of Israel, Itzhak Navon. (Gerald Flurry, The Key of David, Chapter 12, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2011.)

[In 2012 PCG released a booklet by Gerald Flurry that discussed the negotiations between Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat.]

What a sacrifice this man made! Virtually the entire Arab world harbored intense hatred for the Jews. Yet Sadat traveled right to the heart of the Jewish state and spoke to the Knesset in Jerusalem. These nations were at each other’s throats. Then suddenly, this courageous man had a change of heart. President Sadat extended an offer to the Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin, who accepted. (Gerald Flurry, The Way of Peace Momentarily Restored, May-June 2012.)

It would be Dr. Hatem who would later introduce Mr. Armstrong personally to President Anwar Sadat, the two thereafter forming a strong bond developed in seeking peace in the Middle East together in conjunction with another friend of Mr. Armstrong’s, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. (Gareth Fraser, Herbert W. Armstrong’s Cairo Speech, May 17, 2012.)

Mr. Armstrong’s contributions did not go unnoticed by those who sat in the gates of Jerusalem. Beginning with his first meeting in the Knesset in 1968 to his death in 1986, Mr. Armstrong was welcomed by every prime minister and president of Israel, including prime ministers Golda Meir, Yitzak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres. (Stephen Flurry, Their Love For Jerusalem, July 15, 2012.)

Egypt has been at peace with Israel for more than 30 years—since 1978, when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin formalized the 1978 Camp David Accords. Over the last 20 years, I have been explaining the prophecy in Daniel 11 which says that Egypt would fall to radical Islam, ally itself with Iran, trash its peace treaty with Israel, and become a violent enemy of Israel and the United States. (Gerald Flurry, Egypt Unites With Iran 
and Fulfills a Bible Prophecy, October-November 2012.)

[Quoting an speech made to honor HWA in 1983:] “He has met privately with such leaders as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain, Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel, Prime Minister Indira Ghandi of India, presidents Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, King Hussein of Jordan and the king of Thailand, all in an effort to further world peace and religious liberty,” ... (Gareth Fraser, Herbert W. Armstrong Professorship of Constitutional Law, November 21, 2012.)

In the late ’70s there was hope for the peace process when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. (Callum Wood, A Climate for Negotiating Peace, August 4, 2013.)

Between 1967 and his death in 1986, he met with many of Israel’s prime ministers, presidents and other dignitaries, including Zalman Shazar, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Yitzhak Navon, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, Moshe Dayan, Moshe Kol and Teddy Kollek. (Joel Hilliker, Rewarding Partnership, September 9, 2013.)

Mr. Armstrong: “Last time I talked with King Hussein was last March [1983], and I told him that one thing that I would like to do would be to get him and Mr. Begin on my jet aircraft. And I said, ‘I know Mr. Begin would like to do it, and I know you would IF!’ And he began to laugh and said, ‘Yes, I would, IF.’ The if is the other Arab nations and what they would say about it. I find that the Jordanians do not feel as hostile toward Israel now as I think other Arab nations do. I think they would really like to be friends.” (What Secret Did Herbert W. Armstrong Tell Israeli Knesset Speaker Menachem Savidor?, May 25, 2014.)

Next he recalled, “In Israel we have excavated in the area of the ancient throne of King David, preparing the way for Christ’s throne over the Earth. The Mt. Sinai project has resulted from Prime Minister Menachem Begin giving that region back to Egypt, after President Anwar Sadat had, at great personal risk and peril, declared peace by going in person to Israel despite the wrath of the Arab world. (Gareth Fraser, Herbert W. Armstrong and the Foundation for Peace, January 22, 2015.)

While preaching the gospel, Mr. Armstrong became personal friends with many of the world leaders he visited. He met Menachem Begin, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Prince Charles of Britain, Indira Gandhi, King Hussein of Jordan, Leopold III of Belgium, Golda Meir, Anwar Sadat and Margaret Thatcher, to name a few. (Gerald Flurry, The True History of God's True Church, Chapter 9, 2015.)