"New York Times" reports that alleged Christian Zionists are pushing president Donald Trump. They want him to facilitate Israel's way to the annexation of the West Bank occupied since 1967. A petition of Christian Zionists has already appeared and a counter-petition of Christians who accuse the erstwhile “heresy”.
The fresh York paper recalls that “about 80 percent of white evangelical Christians voted for president Trump”. Currently, "some of them want a policy change that could undermine the creation of a future Palestinian state".
In the West Bank, according to global arrangements, the Palestinian State would be established in the future. However, Israel wants to annex this area – and support this step demands alleged Christian Zionism in America.
The Evangelical-Christian leaders are to press the president of the United States to issue a message that would confirm Israel's “right of ownership” to the West Bank, on the basis of a promise made to the Jews by God documented in the Bible.
Israel has occupied the area for the future Palestinian state since 1967, or since the Six-Day War. In fresh years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has encouraged judaic settlers to build homes there. any prominent Jews with unchangeable surviving conditions in the United States even decided to decision to this area despite uncertainty.
The alleged Christian Zionists took intensified action by petitioning the White House, organizing conferences and supporting the legislature for the thought of the West Bank annexation. Recently, leading evangelicals in America, including Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, and Mario Bramnick, visited Jerusalem to publically support Israel's regulation over the West Bank. They mention to this area utilizing the Biblical names Judea and Samaria. They believe that “Christians who aid to fulfill this biblical oath will be blessed, and the establishment of the State of Israel indicates that the fulfillment of another Biblical prophecies will occur,” says “NYT.”
Over 3,000 leaders of the “Christian Zionists” associated with the American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI) – a task by the extremist global Christian Embassy of Jerusalem (ICEJ) – late issued a message urging president Trump to declare Israel's sovereignty over the full Holy Land.
ACLI's message to the president of the United States states that at the National Convention of spiritual Broadcasters in Dallas, Texas on 25 February 2025, a "historical resolution confirming the right of the judaic people to the Biblical Heart of Israel – Judea and Samaria" was adopted.
"A network of over 3,000 Christian pastors and leaders of organizations from all over the country, including the National spiritual Broadcasters (NRB), united to sign this key document. We represent millions of American Christians who stand firm in support of Israel and its sovereignty over the lands of their ancestors" – you can read in a message signed by Susan Michael, manager of American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI)
The resolution states that there are “the rights of the judaic people to a “biblical heart”. The “biblical heart” is referred to as Judea and Samaria. They pointed to archaeological testimonies, many biblical sites in both lands (Beit El, Hebron, Shiloh, Beit She’an, Bethlehem, Shechem, Jericho, and many others), the activities of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, King David, Solomon, the prophets, and yet Christ and the Apostles themselves. besides indicated for ‘spiritual presence’ Jews in these places besides in subsequent centuries.
Even “throughout the 2,000 years of exile, the judaic nation maintained an unbroken bond with its inheritance through language, religion, and culture, and shared collective longings for returning to the ground” and “because the modern judaic presence and power over Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria have brought tangible blessings to the earth, as foretold in the Scriptures, improving the standard of living, preserving spiritual freedoms and places, preserving the past of the region and improving the lives of all its inhabitants”, it was expressed the anticipation that “it would be decided” that “the signatories below confirm the inalienable right of the judaic nation to the biblical heart of Israel and reject all efforts—both from the United States and the global community—to exert force on the judaic people to renounce their ancestral homeland in Judea and Samaria.”
Counter-petition
In the context of the petition of “Christian Zionists”, another message from Christians appeared: “Christian leaders, activists and consciences opposed to forced displacement and affirming Palestinians' inalienable right to live in freedom and dignity in their ancestral homeland.”
This group indicated that ACLI’s message “is completely contrary to God’s will, as evidenced by the scriptures and moral and ethical responsibilities [signatories] as followers of Jesus and Bible prophets.” It was added that specified efforts must be "rejected publically and it is clear that those associated with ACLI do not talk for Christians or Christianity."
"Moreover, we must categorically reject any poorly masked plan to annex Palestinian land and engage in continued force against innocent civilians on the occupied West Bank, in the Gaza Strip and beyond."
It was pointed out that the coalition of Christians “devolented to justice in the Holy Land and beyond to declare the following:
Christian leaders, activists and consciences argue forced displacement and reaffirm the inalienable right of Palestinians to live in freedom and dignity in their ancestral homeland. We, the undersigned, have dedicated ourselves to defending the Bible against false interpretations, especially those that call for persecution, exploitation and elimination of full groups of people. We have seen tragic examples of this over the centuries, for which we must not only repent, but besides actively prevent it from happening again. This is the case in the case of an erroneous, distorted explanation of the Bible that calls for forced displacement of Palestinians and actively encourages this." It is added that “Christian Zionism,” as it is commonly called, is simply a “heretic theology that encourages the brutal ripping of families and full communities from the lands and properties on which they lived, worked and cultivated for generations. The calls for an extension of the borders of modern Israel and the forced removal of indigenous people constitute a profound misreading of the Bible's testimony, the rejection of the Gospel message and the erasure of thousands of years of Palestinian past and culture. For us, specified a policy is profoundly non-Christian, it is simply a complete other of what it means to imitate Jesus, an indigenous Palestinian hebrew born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. In fact, we are convinced that Jesus and the Hebrew prophets would powerfully argue specified destructive acts. We are in union with the Palestinian Christian communities of the Holy Land and respect their evidence erstwhile they inform us that the world's oldest, continuously existing Christian community is at hazard of extinction. Our brothers in Christ are straight threatened by the Israeli authorities and extremist settlers who search to remove and destruct them," he noted.
It was pointed out that “as Christians, we stand together with Palestinians who fight cultural cleansing, erasure of culture and genocide. We are with the Palestinians Muslim (Sunni, Shiite, Druz, etc.), Christian (Arabic, Armenian, Syrian/Aramaic, etc.), judaic (Corn Palestinian Jews, alongside African, Samaritan, Messianic, and many others who argue cultural cleansing and genocide), as well as secular minorities and another spiritual minorities, which constitute an extraordinary historical diversity of Palestine. Mosaics of various religions and cultural communities have lived in the Holy Land for centuries, and the effort to erase any of them or to make exclusive claims for 1 at the expense of all others is simply a crime against God and all mankind. We condemn the request that the occupied West Bank be called Judea and Samaria. Doing so is an act of philosophical erasure, which will then be utilized as a justification for forced displacement of innocent people from their household homes."
It goes on to say, "Let it be proclaimed that, as the signatories below, we reaffirm the inalienable right of the Palestinian people, confirmed by theology, past and global law, to live in freedom and dignity in their homeland; we reject all efforts, from the United States, Israel and others, to deprive the Palestinian people of their property; peace will come only if all the nations of the Holy Land – Palestinians and Israelis, Christians, Jews, Muslims, people of all religions and non-believers – will live together on the common ground; we reject cultural cleansing; we reject the supremacy of 1 nation over another and as Christians we categorically reject the misuse of the Bible in order to justify acts which betray the very core of our religion and the ministry of Jesus."
The message was signed by Christians of various denominations, leaders of Christian organizations and networks.
The Christian Zionists’ action concerns the annexation of land, where about 3 million Palestinians and half a million Israeli settlers now live.
Most countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which have grown in fresh years, to be a violation of global law.
Those petitioning Trump to support the annexation of the West Bank by Israel hope that specified a declaration will end any further discussions on the future Palestinian State.
Petition came after the Netanjah government's decision, which gave "green light" for further expansion of settlements in the West Bank at a faster pace than in the past and among intense military raids on Palestinian cities.
A fewer days before ACLI announced the petition, congresswoman Claudia Tenney, a fresh York Republican, along with 5 another members of the Congressional “Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus”, sent a akin letter to Trump. She called for the “recognition of the right of Israel” to declare sovereignty over the territory, stating that doing so would be an integral part of the defence of the “Judeo-Christian inheritance on which our nation was founded”.
"NYT" suggests that these petitions are attracted to Trump's administration and "probably in the next 4 weeks an announcement will be issued on this peculiar topic".
Who are “Christian Zionists”?
As “Britannica” points out, Christian Zionism is simply a “theological and political Christian movement that supports the return of the judaic diaspora to the judaic homeland in Palestine, based on readings of the Bible texts that the region considers to be God’s sacred land promised to the Jews. The main incentive behind the movement is the belief that the return of the Jews will lead to Jesus ’ Second Coming. Christian Zionists besides believe that blessing and supporting Israel, seen both as a collective judaic nation and a modern state, will themselves be blessed by God."
Since Israel was formed as a judaic state in 1948, American evangelicals have been active in promoting this idea, combining theological beliefs with strong political advocatery.
Britannica recalls that “for most of Christendom’s history, the general view of the Jews was characterized by the doctrine of supercessionism — the thought that Christianity replaced Judaism, and that Christians are the fresh chosen nation and holders of the covenant with God. However, after the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the renewed interest in reading and interpreting the Bible grew, and the reborn millennial ideas saw support for the Jews as a prerequisite for the coming of God’s Kingdom. In the mid-17th century, the shift towards Christian support for Jews occurred mainly in the English-speaking Protestant contexts. In 1656, British statesman Oliver Cromwell, in collaboration with Portuguese student Manasses ben Israel, opened England to Jews whose ancestors were exiled in 1290. Cromwell was partially inspired by the belief that the conversion of Jews to Christianity would velocity up the Second Coming.”
This thought appealed to the Puritans who came to America and viewed it as “Christian town on the hill, which would play a key function in God's plan to reconstruct the kingdom of God, not in America, but in Jerusalem."
In the 19th century, the spread of the concept of dispensationalism, or the reading of the Bible by English-Irish pastor John Nelson Darby, contributed to the popularity of Christian Zionism. "Dispensationalists believe that there was another era of God's interaction with humanity and that the final dispensation, the final time, is near. They believe that the return of the Jews to Palestine is 1 of the prophecies that must be fulfilled in order for the Second Coming of Jesus to occur. alternatively of fostering the conversion of Jews, dispensaries see support for Jews as part of the Christian doctrine.” Dispensationalists are to interpret Genesis (12, 3) as a covenant with Abraham concerning the descendants of the Jews and believe that the support of Israel is essential for their own blessing as Christians.
Dispensationalism influenced many early American evangelical leaders of the early 20th century, e.g. Evangelist and businessman William Blackstone, author of the "Blackstone Memorial", a letter from 1891, addressed to president Benjamin Harrison and another members of the United States Administration, advocating the admission of Palestine to the Jews. It was signed by many crucial leaders of American society. 5 years later, an influential brochure by judaic political leader Theodore Herzl was published: “The judaic State”, while Herzl considered that the future judaic state would emergence in Uganda or Argentina. Blackstone was relentless and claimed that the future judaic homeland had to be in Palestine.
These ideas developed in England in the 19th century due to an interest in Bible archaeology and philosomism. 1 of the hot supporters of the judaic return to Palestine was the British social leader Lord Shaftesbury, who headed the London Jews’ Society from 1848 until his death in 1885. Following the weakening and collapse of the Ottoman Empire during planet War I, Britain gained greater control over the lands in the mediate East. Thanks to the British, the Balfour Declaration appeared in 1917, which declared Palestine a "national home" of Jews. Arthur James Balfour, any say, was to stay influenced by Christian Zionist ideas circulating at that time in England.
Christian Zionism gained a fresh form in the 1960s in America through evangelicals who promoted political support for Israel as a prerequisite for eschatological views. Evangelical leaders, specified as Billy Graham, rejected the conversion of Jews to Christianity, and “they were focused on supporting the judaic people as the 1 who laid the foundation of Christianity and created Israel as an crucial step towards the Second Coming.” Graham, Jerry Falwell and another evangelicals hoped that by engaging in politics and actively supporting the State of Israel would prevent the secularization of society.
Falwell, following the triumph of the Israeli army in the 1967 Six-Day War and the symbolic taking of crucial spiritual sites in the Old City of Jerusalem, promoted the thought of “muscular Christianity manifested through war”.
Graham and Falwell promoted the thought of unconditional U.S. support for Israel and the belief that “Christians should respect Jews as precursors of Christianity and admit their return to Palestine as an component of Christ’s return.”
In 2006, John Hagee created the Christian United for Israel (CUFI), which is described as “the most crucial Christian organization educating and empowering millions of Americans to talk and act with 1 voice in the defence of Israel and the judaic people.” CUFI points out that their support stems from “the gratitude of the judaic people for his contributions which gave emergence to the Christian faith.” CUFI actively lobbies the United States government.
According to a 2013 Pew investigation Center study, "twice as many white evangelical Protestants as Jews claim Israel was given to the judaic nation by God (82% compared to 40%)". CUFI was to concentrate “more than 10 million members” in 2024, surpassing estimated 7.6 million Jews surviving in Israel (according to the 2020 census).
The mediation for Israel translated into a crucial influence on the US's geopolitical strategy, due to the fact that the Evangelists are a 3rd of the Republican Party's members.
Christian Zionism is now spreading not only in the US, but besides in developing countries around the world, attracting Pentecostals and charismaists counting on the benefits of “the gospel of prosperity”.
As of 2001, a Christian Zionist organization called global Christian Embassy Jerusalem began to organize the celebrations of Sukkot (Feast of the Tents) in Jerusalem, which attract Christians from all over the world.
In addition to Christian Zionism, “Catholic Zionism” is developing, with large controversy, and for which the impetus for improvement was 1965 – as suggested by prof. Gavin D’Costa, a theologian from the University of Bristol, an advisor to the Episcopal Conference of England and Wales and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He is the author of a book published in 2019: “Catholic Doctrines on the judaic People after the Second Vatican Council” (Catholic doctrine concerning Jews after Vatican Council II), which was published by Oxford University Press.
It was Vaticanum II that gave impetus to the creation of “Catholic Zionism”, which “cannot be stopped”. "The fresh impulse of Catholic reasoning about Jews and Judaism became apparent in the early 1960s during the Second Vatican Council in Rome, developed and convened by Pope John XXIII. Like the Vatican Council I, which was held a 100 years earlier, this was an authoritative forum for contemporary Catholic teachings on various subjects. During many sessions, bishops discussed the nature of the Catholic Church, the position of another Christian groups, the importance of planet religion, the issues of atheism and secularism, and the importance of spiritual freedom. The results of these deliberations were included in many teaching documents. For our purposes, the key paper of this kind is the Declaration Nostra Aetate (1965) and the key section number 4, concerning the judaic people," D’Costa wrote.
The proposal, which was yet included in the Nostra Aetate Declaration, was met with serious hostility even before the proposal was made available to the Council to discuss it. Its content “excurded” to the “New York Times” even though each associate of the Council made a solemn oath of confidentiality. The provisions of Section 4 were interpreted as supporting the State of Israel and most mediate East countries, as well as leaders of Christian communities from these countries, rapidly expressed their opposition to the project.
However, “to the rescue” – as the theologian writes – came American bishops. In turn, "Pope Paul VI, who replaced John XXIII in 1963, came up with a solution that the paper cannot talk about politics and all time it says something in Chapter 4 Nostra Aetate about judaic religion, it is something to say about Islam in (a much shorter) part 3," writes the theologian.
The text was yet established and then presented as part of the authoritative teaching of the Catholic Church. Nostra Aetate, according to D’Costa, renounced accusing the judaic people of crucifixing the Lord Jesus.
According to the professor, the theology of Saint Augustine (354–430) is crucial here. Augustine pointed out that the Jews had indeed lost their position as God’s chosen nation, and by fulfilling Bible prophecies they were sentenced to lose their homeland. But it was appropriate for them to roam the planet as witnesses of the fact of Christendom. In D’Costa’s assessment, this teaching in its own way was an unintended bridge to the fresh doctrine of Vaticanum II.
When writing to the Romans, the apostle Paul confirms that the full judaic nation is and remains elected, for "God's gifts and vocation are unreturned" (Rom. 11:29). This verse was to play a key function in the extremist change in Catholic-Jewish relations, starting with the publication of Nostra Aetate in 1965.
One problem, however, was that the declaration made the judaic people “a museum relic” – connected in the text of the council with Judaism from Bible and early Christian times, alternatively than with later modern rabbinic Judaism.
But there was a way. If, first of all, the Jews were not guilty of mass murder, and secondly, the gifts and promises made to them by God were irrevocab, would that not mean a fresh position for the judaic people, not only in ancient times, but for all times later? specified a question was the subject of many debates after and even during the Second Vatican Council.
According to Prof. D’Costa, the Church is moving towards “Catholic Zionism” and this is evidenced not only by the papers of the Council, but besides by later acts, specified as “Notes on the appropriate way of presenting Jews and Judaism in preaching and catechesis in the Roman Catholic Church” (1985), which are the consequence of the work of the Vatican Commission on spiritual Relations with Jews. It was established in 1974 to keep a affirmative relation with the judaic people and to disseminate the teachings of the Catholic Church concerning these relations.
The theologian believes that permanently getting free of the “traditional idea” of the people punished is very crucial for the improvement of “Catholic Zionism”. Therefore, on the anniversary of Nostra Aetate in 2015, the Vatican committee drafted a paper which one more time explicitly criticised this tradition.
Source: nytimes.com, indcatholicnews.com, britannica.com, PCh24.pl
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