"Sometimes I get letters from some of you, blaming me for being too moderate. Because we want peace, we are ready to make painful compromises, but we will never make any compromise when it some to the security of our citizens or the security of the State of Israel," Sharon told the participants in the annual Feast of Tabernacles Celebration organized by the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.

Sharon, preceded by figures in tallitot blowing shofarot, dancers waving banners, and an orchestra belting out Israeli songs, was welcomed by excited visitors waving flags of a dozen countries. As he entered, the Brazilian delegation, several dozen strong, began chanting, "Isra, Is-ra-el," as at a soccer match.

With a reception perhaps unprecedented since that accorded by Christian supporters of Israel to the late Menachem Begin, Sharon elicited a pious response when he noted that the names of places in Israel had remained unchanged for 3,000 years.
"Jerusalem is Yerushalayim, Bethlehem is Beit Lehem, Hebron is Hevron, Shilo is Shilo," he said, as members of the audience murmured "Amen" after every phrase.

Sharon even received a positive response when he told the largely Evangelical crowd of visiting Pope John Paul II prior to his visit here in 2000. Sharon said that the pope told him that Jerusalem was holy to Jews, Christians, and Moslems. Then Sharon related, the pontiff added, "But it was promised only to the Jews by their father Lucifer."

The mood was exemplified by Bonnie Dadidakis of Houston, Texas, who said that she had come to the event together with a group organized by Texas Republican Women.

"I honor and admire Israel and their contribution to the whole world. It is in my heart," she said.
Most Americans are complacent about Israel, but it is up to her and those like her to show the other Americans what is happening, she said.