Hurricane Katrina Is God’s Punishment For The Gaza Pullout?

01 Sep, 2005 by John Hawkins

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Here’s a fascinatingly nutty take on hurricane Katrina: it’s God’s revenge for America’s support of Sharon’s plan to remove the Jews from Gaza. No, seriously!

Here’s an explanation from a kook named Stan Goodenough at a website called Jerusalem Newswire (which incidentally, I’ve never heard of):

“Yesterday, we in Israel watched as American officials, including President George W. Bush, ordered the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans and its surrounds. That small depression had turned into a frightening fiend. Now we are seeing on our television screens up to a million people being forced to leave their homes. People are weeping on camera, mourning that they are going to lose “everything we own; everything we have worked for.”

As today unfolds we are bracing to see wind and water pounding homes, whole communities, into the ground.

Is this some sort of bizarre coincidence? Not for those who believe in the God of the Bible and the immutability of His Word.

What America is about to experience is the lifting of God’s hand of protection; the implementation of His judgment on the nation most responsible for endangering the land and people of Israel.

The Bible talks about Him shaking His fist over bodies of water, and striking them.

While the “disengagement” plan was purportedly the brainchild of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the United States of America has for more than a decade been the chief sponsor and propeller of a diplomatic process that has dangerously weakened Israel in the face of an overwhelming, growing threat to annihilate her.

In the context of the last 12 years of peace-process history, and not withstanding the desire of many on Israel’s left to go ahead with this process, the Sharon disengagement plan was something that was forced on Israel, primarily by the United States.

…Many in America couldn’t have cared less about Jews being forced out of their homes and losing everything they have built. Here in Israel, many Jews will be feeling for the Americans who are now facing similar tragedies, tragedies brought about by the forces of heaven rather than through the political power of men.

Can’t you see the link, America? Won’t you see the link?”

No, I’ll be missing that link. But, Rabbi Lazer Brody from a blog called Lazer Beams? Oh, he is feeling that link baby! Yeah baby yeah!

“Katrina is hitting just as the bulldozers are completing the destruction of Gush Katif. The Talmud teaches that Hashem administers the world according to the “ATFAT” principle, in other words, “a turn for a turn” (for an elaboration of the ATFAT principle, see Chapter Six of The Trail to Tranquility). My heart tells me that there’s a link between the forced expulsion of 8500 people from their blood, sweat, and tear-soaked homes in Israeli Gaza and between the nearly 850,000 people who are forced to flee from their homes in Louisiana. Sharon, at the prodding of the American government, has destroyed hallowed centers of prayer, Torah learning, and settlement in the Land of Israel. Hashem isn’t wasting much time in showing His wrath. In fact, Katrina has chosen Ms. Rice’s home state as a target; I humbly believe that the unfortunate people of Louisiana can blame Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice for their misfortune. This is a classic ATFAT situation: He who creates exiles in the Holy Land, will have a hundred-fold exiles in his own land.

…Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice, I implore you to repent, to ask Hashem’s forgiveness for destroying a flourishing part of Israel. Cancel all your demands for further territorial concessions in Israel. If by your initiative more Jews are rendered homeless, G-d forbid, I shudder to think of what could happen. Please take Katrina very seriously, for she is a no-nonsense messenger from The Almighty.”

Yes, that’s right, according Rabbi McCrazyLazer, God is targeting Condi Rice’s home state with a hurricane to teach her a lesson. One problem though: Condi Rice was born in Alabama, spent a good portion of her life in California, and currently lives in DC. So if the big guy was actually targeting Condi Rice, I think it was mostly a swing and a miss since Alabama got off comparatively light.

But come on: who really believes God would target the United States of all nations for hassling Israel? Don’t get me wrong, I mean, I’m not wishing anything bad on any nation or people, but if America deserves a hurricane for how we treat Israel, then you’d have to figure there’d be just sizzling black holes where the Palestinians, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran used to be by now. On top of that, you’d have to expect that practically every other country in the worlld would be covered with locusts, frogs, and pools of blood where the fresh water used to be.

Given all the crap we take for sticking up for Israel, you’d figure that even the loons would be willing to give us at least that much credit…

Hat tip to the fine folks at Kesher Talk for the story.