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John Hagee. (AP)
Last update - 07:34 14/06/2008
U.S. pastor apologizes to Jews for 'God sent Hitler' comments
By Haaretz Service
Tags: John Hagee, John McCain 

A prominent American televangelist and outspoken supporter of Israel publicly apologized Friday for remarking that the Holocaust was the work of divine providence, and that "God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land."

"In a sermon in 1999, I grappled with the vexing question of why a loving God would allow the evil of the Holocaust to occur," John Hagee, the Texas-based preacher wrote in a letter to Anti-Defamation League director Abe Foxman. "I know how sensitive the issue of the Holocaust is and should be to the Jewish community and I regret if my Jewish friends felt any pain as a result."

Last month, audio of Hagee's remarks surfaced on the internet, prompting Republican presidential hopeful John McCain to disavow the pastor's prior endorsement of his candidacy.
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Foxman issued a statement welcoming the pastor's apology. "Pastor Hagee has devoted his life to combating anti-Semitism and supporting the State of Israel," Foxman said. "We are grateful for his efforts to eradicate anti-Semitism and to rally so many in the Christian community to stand with Israel."

Labor Party MK Colette Avital, a former consul general in Israel's mission in New York, penned an op-ed piece for Haaretz earlier this month in which she called on the Israeli government to follow McCain's example and disassociate itself from Hagee.

"As someone familiar with the evangelicals' views and beliefs on the second coming of Jesus, there is nothing surprising to me about his statements," Avital wrote. "It only causes me to sigh in relief because the truth is coming out."

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      1.   Good that pastor apologizes for its faults 01:47  |  JP 14/06/08
      2.   Good that pastor apologizes for its faults 01:47  |  JP 14/06/08
      3.   The rapshire 01:48  |  Michael 14/06/08
      4.   hitler divine provadence 01:51  |  shimon 14/06/08
      5.   Hagee is no anti-Semite 02:31  |  Maurice 14/06/08
      6.   I Don`t Feel Isolated 02:33  |  Tex 14/06/08
      7.   shimon, perhaps an explaination 02:43  |  boxley 14/06/08
      8.   Notice he didn`t withdraw... 03:08  |  in time 14/06/08
      9.   He wants to convert not support you... 03:17  |  Gerald Gibson 14/06/08
      10.   Hagee?s Apology 03:18  |  Dror 14/06/08
      11.   I Never Was Angry 03:27  |  Yosemite 14/06/08
      12.   Pastor Hagee Is a Good Man 03:34  |  Tod Zuckerman 14/06/08
      13.   #5 03:42  |  Anthony 14/06/08
      14.   Pastor Hagee`s slip of the tongue 03:52  |  Rozz 14/06/08
      15.   Join his Church and see... 03:59  |  Aphemia 14/06/08
      16.   Hagee Sermon given after August 2005 04:10  |  Ruth 14/06/08
      17.   How Come God Only Gets Credit for the Good Stuff? 04:47  |  MIKE 14/06/08
      18.   #5 Maurice - it took him 9 years to appologize, wow 04:57  |  MR 14/06/08
      19.   Anthony #13 "native" palestinians? 04:59  |  Aussie Michael 14/06/08
      20.   He apologized for the hurt, not the statement 05:41  |  Slibovitz 14/06/08
      21.   As long as he gives support 05:44  |  Don 14/06/08
      22.   Hagee`s Statement is false 05:48  |  Slibovitz 14/06/08
      23.   egnore Hagee, and do yourself a favor 05:58  |  bashar 14/06/08
      24.   Hagee is Israel/Jew aiding anti-Semite 05:59  |  Slibovitz 14/06/08
      25.   Odd that Israelis fear Obama 06:04  |  Steve 14/06/08
      26.   #16 Mike....Lucifer gets the credit for the bad 06:30  |  Pastor Joseph 14/06/08
      27.   Hagee is very harsh against Arabs, Muslims and Fakestinians 06:52  |  Genuine Tosefta 14/06/08
      28.   #Pastor Joseph Were you in Lebanon 1982? 07:07  |  Maureen Ann 14/06/08
      29.   #19 Aussie Michael and the definition of "native" 07:28  |  hala 14/06/08
      30.   Pastor Joseph 26 07:30  |  Anthony 14/06/08
      31.   #28 Maureen Ann.........in 1982 I was ... 07:38  |  Pastor Joseph 14/06/08
      32.   To Hala #19 Native has at least 2 meanings 08:28  |  Aussie Michael 14/06/08
      33.   #31 Pastor Joseph. 08:28  |  Maureen Ann 14/06/08
      34.   Anthony #30 shows his true colours ... 08:35  |  Aussie Michael 14/06/08
      35.   This Pastor Hagee 09:38  |  Esther 14/06/08
      36.   Maureen Ann 10:33  |  MaryJoe 14/06/08
      37.   True Christian 10:59  |  Jeff 14/06/08
      38.   hitler was a jew.. 11:12  |  watcher 14/06/08
      39.   HOW COULD HE STAND THE JEWS FOR 40 YEARS? 11:52  |  indrajaya 14/06/08
      40.   Now what if a leftish preacher had said the same thing 12:55  |  rm 14/06/08
      41.   God Did send Hitler ? 13:12  |  Antony 14/06/08
      42.   The only difference between his opinion and mine 13:22  |  Avi 14/06/08
      43.   Anthony, do you hate Jews? 13:23  |  Antony 14/06/08
      44.   Hagee is a racist, and nothing short of a bigot 13:23  |  Ray 14/06/08
      45.   No Pressure Indrajaya 13:37  |  Yosemite 14/06/08
      46.   # 45, YOSEMITE 14:55  |  indrajaya 14/06/08
      47.   If we like it or not... 15:05  |  Mordechai 14/06/08
      48.   Hagee`s position has bibical support. 15:19  |  Larry 14/06/08
      49.   Religious evi 15:41  |  Ray 14/06/08
      50.   beginning to feel sorry for hagee 15:55  |  hollingsworth 14/06/08
      51.   boxley 15:56  |  shimon 14/06/08
      52.   avi 15:59  |  shimon 14/06/08
      53.   Real glad to hear it. Thank you Pastor Haggee. And now... 16:16  |  Virginia 14/06/08
      54.   #33 Maureen...you need a dose of reality... 16:39  |  Pastor Joseph 14/06/08
      55.   Hala: No Native Jews of "Palestine"? 16:51  |  Tex 14/06/08
      56.   Indrajaya 17:01  |  Sheik Yur Bouti 14/06/08
      57.   Aussie Michael #19 18:02  |  Habakuk 14/06/08
      58.   Antony 43 18:04  |  Anthony 14/06/08
      59.   U.S. pastor apologizes to Jews 18:23  |  Scott Havsy 14/06/08
      60.   #46 18:35  |  POPPY 14/06/08
      61.   aussie michael # 19 "native jews" 20:04  |  AYBODAY 14/06/08
      62.   Pastor Jo 1982 20:08  |  AYBODAY 14/06/08
      63.   # 46, SHEIK YUR BOUTI 20:21  |  indrajaya 14/06/08
      64.   Scott --Part1 20:38  |  denver Hi 14/06/08
      65.   Scott --part 2 20:45  |  denver Hi 14/06/08
      66.   Tooooooooo sensitive! 22:23  |  Webster 14/06/08
      67.   "having lost most of my family in the shoah" 02:27  |  hollingsworth 15/06/08
      68.   hagee/hitler 02:43  |  tsfardaya 15/06/08
      69.   Hagee Apologizes? 05:18  |  Toni 15/06/08
      70.   Hagee sermons and books 07:10  |  Ruth 15/06/08
      71.   Indra Jay 14:59  |  Mukhtar Datuk Dingah 15/06/08
      72.