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Jew for Jesus preached in Palin's church two weeks ago

Monday morning's JPost includes an analysis from Herb Keinon in which he claims that Sarah Palin's nomination to be Vice President will have little effect on the US Presidential votes of Israel's supporters one way or the other.

Some of the same qualities that make Palin so attractive to the Evangelicals and the blue collar workers - her anti-abortion stand, her National Rifle Association credentials, her members in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes - will make many Jews nervous. The question is whether it will make many of those who vote primarily on the Israel issue, a minority of Jewish votes but a significant population in a key state like Florida, nervous enough to take a fresh look at Obama.

Palin's detractors have already floated the little tidbit that she wore a Pat Buchanan button when he made a presidential campaign stop to Wasilla, Alaska, in 1999, where she was mayor, a tidbit that won't make Jews happy, but may seem less toxic than Obama's longtime affiliation and friendship with his own former pastor, Jeremiah Wright.

While US Jews struggle to figure out who exactly Palin is, some may look to Israel for cues, but they will look in vain, because Jerusalem won't oblige; officials are smart enough to realize that it would be extremely counterproductive for Israel to even hint at a favorite in this close and riveting presidential race.

Besides, Jerusalem couldn't give any cues on Palin, because it has little clue itself about the candidate. If Palin was relatively unknown in the US before being plucked from obscurity and placed on the Republican ticket, in Israel she is completely unknown, her name failing to register not only with regular folks who have other things to worry about, but also even Foreign Ministry officials who pay attention to these matters.

But Palin's obscurity, her lack of any record on Israel, or even statements on Israel issues, has not changed the overall sentiment in Jerusalem toward the race, and a lack of public endorsement of a ticket doesn't mean a lack of preference. Privately, the prevalent feeling in Jerusalem's corridors of power is that in the Obama-McCain race, "more of the same," the epithet Obama is throwing at McCain, is not that bad.

When it comes to the Middle East, Jerusalem - or at least the current government - is not only unafraid of more of the same, but would actually embrace it from the next White House. The government likes what has come from the Bush administration over the last number of years and is in no hurry to see any change there.

Almost nothing of Palin is known in Jerusalem beyond what has been written in the press over the last few days. But at least in the initial blush following the stunning announcement, that unfamiliarity has not changed Jerusalem's overall comfort level with the man who has deemed that Palin is indeed of vice-presidential caliber.

Keinon is not exaggerating when he talks about how unknown Palin is in Israel. On Sunday, Israel Radio interviewed Danny Ayalon, until recently our ambassador to the US. Ayalon said he has never been to Alaska, never met Palin and barely heard of her until she was selected. Maybe Danny should read my blog.

But Daled Amos presents visual evidence that Palin is pro-Israel (Hat Tip: Soccer Dad). The evidence consists of a TV broadcast from her office in Anchorage in which an Israeli flag is seen next to her window and another is seen on her lapel. Significantly, the video was shot in February 2008 - long before her name had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the national ticket.

Free Republic points to Palin's church's web site. The church web site has several sermons online.

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