Written by: Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
Article source: unitedwithisrael.org
“I’m under an obligation as a Christian to love Israel, to pray for [the] peace of Jerusalem, which actually means the peace of Israel,” said South African Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.
South African Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said the Bible obligates him to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and rejected claims by an anti-Israel group accusing him of bias.
“I’m under an obligation as a Christian to love Israel, to pray for [the] peace of Jerusalem, which actually means the peace of Israel, and I cannot, as I Christian, do anything other than love and pray for Israel, because I know, hatred for Israel by me and for my nation, can only attract unprecedented curses upon our nation,” the judge said during a recent webinar discussion with South African Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, hosted by The Jerusalem Post.
The anti-Israel group Africa4Palestine, the South African branch of the BDS movement, filed a complaint with South Africa’s Judicial Service Commission over the chief justice’s comments, accusing him of breaching the judicial code of conduct.
Mogoeng slammed the criticism of his call to pray, saying South Africa’s judges should not be “censored, gagged or muzzled.”
Mogoeng said Africa4Palestine took his remarks out of context to make an example out of anyone who differs with it, the South African news website News24 reported.
“Somehow, Africa4Palestine has, in my view, found a way to build a case by taking these remarks completely out of their obvious context to achieve its goal of making an example of me to any who would ever dare to knowingly or unknowingly differ with them,” Mogoeng wrote in a 19-page affidavit to the Judicial Conduct Committee (JCC) in response to the complaint.
The BDS movement calls for countries and organizations to boycott Israel and Israelis, divest their investments in Israeli companies and put sanctions of the Jewish state. Aside from its anti-Israel messages, the group does not call for peace with Israel. BDS has been branded by countries like Canada and Germany as an anti-Semitic organization.
Mogoeng said that his Bible-based prayers for peace in Jerusalem and his refusal to hate or curse were now being made out to look like a preference of Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“In sum, these are all being weaponized against me, and made to look like conduct so unbecoming of a judge as to justify the imposition of some form of punishment on me. And all this, in the name of human rights,” Mogoeng said.
Mogoeng wrote that judges should not be needlessly “censored, gagged or muzzled” and should “be free to continue to write articles or books, deliver public lectures or participate in radio or television programs to share reflections on human rights, constitutionalism, policies or any other subject of public interest.”
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Date published: 06/08/2020
Feature image: Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng
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Thank you Chief Justice Mogoeng for stepping out where few would dare. You are an insperation to me and Christ following men in our country.
I love the Chief Justice. I have most definitely learned a lot from him.
Yes the scriptures say pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. So pray seems to be a crime now? You know when Moses tried to speak to two brothers, they said who made you our judge. When Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s temple, Tobiah, Sambalat and company said “what is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king? In another place it is said “they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel”, another place they were called ‘feeble jews’, BUT inspite of all that the temple and the walls were completed. Even now Believers know that scripture, “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”. Now having said all that, the word of God says “He permitted no man to do them wrong; Yes He rebuked kings for their sales, Saying ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.'” So if the Chief Justice of our country is committing crime by saying “pray”, then all Believers are guilty according to ‘this BDS and africa4palestine. We SHALL pray and stand with him.
Thank you Chief Justice for standing up for what you believe in. We respect you
I totally agree with the Chief Justice. Everyone can state their beliefs except the Chief Justice! Unbelievable. Its just a pity that Pastors and more Christians did not support him enough and speak out on his behalf. Shame on them! Too many Pastors and Christians are silent on issues like this and do nothing and leave it to the radicals to do their evil speaking! Wake up Christians and Pastors in South Africa and make your voice heard in these matters.
The Chief Justice is a fine Christian and he spoke out boldly on this. We need more outspoken good leaders. The trouble makers of this world brandish human rights, humanism, and political correctness, but all this is done to shut the mouths of those who stand for goodness, truth and justice. They are bullies and are insistent on shoving their skewed policies down the throats of everyone who does not agree. It is time to stand up for that which is good and true, just like our Chief Justice did.