Why Do Liberal Christians hate Israel?

There's a great article by Margaret Wente in the Canadian Globe And Mail called, "How Israel became South Africa."

It's a bad old world out there. Tens of thousands are being raped in war-torn eastern Congo. In Sudan, a woman faces 40 lashes for daring to wear pants. The Iranians have brutally suppressed a peaceful uprising and shot protesters in the streets. The tyrants who run Burma have sentenced the brave Aung San Suu Kyi to more house arrest. 

So which evil regime finds itself in the crosshairs of Canada's largest church? Israel, of course.

The far left in general despises Israel, and that also applies to many liberal Christian denominations. As Wente notes, they see in Israel their cherished narrative of  "of Western racism, occupation and colonialist oppression." Since Israel is allied with the U.S., that makes it even worse. It's not just an evil Western colonial state oppressing the poor peace-loving Palestinians, it's a tool of the most evil state of all, the U.S. Hatred of Israel is often combined with anti-Americanism.

Along with liberal Christian groups, Wente also notes some other leftist organizations who are obsessed with Israel. One example is pretty funny.

In Montreal, gay and lesbian activists promise that this weekend's Pride Parade will include a protest against Israel's “racist apartheid” policies. (Israel is the only country in the Middle East that believes in civil rights for homosexuals, an irony that seems to have eluded them.)

I wonder what would happen to people holding a gay pride parade in Gaza?