R.T Kendall with President Arafat on a visit he made with Dr Michael Youssef in September this year. PICTURE: Courtesy of R.T. Kendall "If Christians had spent as much time praying for President Arafat and Palestinians as they do for Prime Minister Sharon and Israel I think things would be a lot different at the moment. We must pray for the blindness upon the minds of Israel to be lifted; equally we must pray for an entry point to reach Palestinians. I know one thing for sure; it will not come through theological argument as much as it will come by showing unconditional love for them. That is the key: they need to feel loved. Both sides. Equally."

10th November, 2004

Amid news reports that Yasser Arafat lies gravely ill, DAVID ADAMS spoke with Dr R.T. Kendall, an American Christian writer and preacher who has been praying daily for the Palestinian leader since 1982...

You first began praying for Yasser Arafat on a daily basis more than 22 years ago. What spurred you to do so and why have you continued to do so for such a long period of time?
“When Arthur Blessitt (a Christian who made the record books by carrying a cross to every nation in the world) visited Westminster Chapel in 1982 (where Kendall was minister for 25 years) he told me about his meeting with Arafat. There were things he said that so gripped me that I started praying for Yasser Arafat daily. When I first met Arafat on July 3rd, 2002, I said to him that I had prayed for him perhaps more than any church leader in the world, although I could not prove this, that I had prayed for him thousands of times. My reason for continuing to do so is Luke 18:1-8.”

Under what circustances did you first meet with President Arafat and what were your initial thoughts?
“Canon Andrew White, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Envoy to the Middle East, took me in. I was a little nervous as first, but when I saw tears in Arafat's eyes as I continued to speak I was at ease.”

How many times have you met with him since then and when was the last?
“I have met with him five times, the last being in September of this year - a little over two months ago. I went to see him two weeks ago at his invitation but he was too sick to see me.”

I understand you were able to watch The Passion of the Christ with him recently?
“In March of this year he invited me to bring in the film and he, as well as many members of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) watched the entire film. President Arafat asked me to sit next to him. We wept throughout the film.”

Do any of the trips stand out as particularly special in your mind?
“Each one became more exciting than the previous one. It is almost impossible to say which was the best or most important. It may have been in November 2003 when I openly confronted him with the Gospel with many members of the PLO present. At one stage I feared an international situation because I was warned twice by the translator (who was not needed for Arafat to understand but for others present) to stop trying to convert him. Arafat told him to let me continue and then sent a warm signal to me that let me know he was not angry with me. In fact, he sent word to me through Dr Saeb Erekat two months later that he wanted me to have lunch with him - which happened in February 2004 (my third visit).”

Many Christians may balk at your meeting with President Arafat - I think you've said yourself that many people regard him as a terrorist and enemy of Israel. What's your answer to them?
“I see him as an old man who wants to be loved. Long before I began seeing him God was dealing with him. I am not the first to present the Gospel to him. My premise all along was that (if John Wesley is right) God does nothing but in answer to prayer which, if true, meant that someone prayed for a terrorist named Saul of Tarsus - and look at what happened. I have gone in there time after time believing God can do it again. God dealt with King Agrippa - who apparently was never converted, and God has dealt with President Arafat - this much I know. I have wishfully compared him to Zaccheus, a short man in Jericho, whom Jesus gave special attention to. I have prayed to have the same outcome with Arafat. Only God knows if I have succeeded.”

Looking back, can you see God's purpose in your visits to President Arafat?
“I have thought about this a lot. You tell me! I think, just maybe, it was to open doors for me to talk to other people. For example, I have developed a friendship with the Palestinian statesman, Dr Saeb Erekat. Also, which could turn out to be very significant, through the Alexandria Peace Process (led by Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, and Canon Andrew White), I have developed a warm relationship with one of the most influential orthodox rabbis in Israel, David Rosen. He and I are working on a book together!”

How would you describe your role in his life?
“I can't be sure. I think he loves me because he felt love from me. I have told him a number of times that I love him. It always brings him to tears. He thinks everybody in the West hates him. I don't. He knows that. I have made it abundantly clear that I do not visit him as a politician but as a follower of Jesus Christ.”

What do you believe Christians in Australia should be particularly praying for regarding Palestinian-Israeli relations at the moment?
“Thank you for that question. Pray hard for both sides; do not take political sides; pray for God's overruling mercy in the Middle East generally and Jerusalem particularly. If Christians had spent as much time praying for President Arafat and Palestinians as they do for Prime Minister Sharon and Israel I think things would be a lot different at the moment. We must pray for the blindness upon the minds of Israel to be lifted; equally we must pray for an entry point to reach Palestinians. I know one thing for sure; it will not come through theological argument as much as it will come by showing unconditional love for them. That is the key: they need to feel loved. Both sides. Equally. One more thing. Paul the Apostle used the word 'jealousy' or 'envy' twice (Rom.11:11, 14) as a motive to arouse Israel, namely, seeing Gentiles saved. Why should such a motivation be irrelevant today? Can you imagine what it would mean if Palestinians in massive numbers came to Christ?”

For more information on R.T. Kendall, visit www.rtkendallministries.com