Once primarily associated with British thinkers and more recently espoused with enthusiasm by American evangelicals, the idea that Christians should support the return of the Jews to their biblical homeland on theological grounds accounts for a significant portion of the immense popular support for Israel in the U.S. Now, writes Emma Green, American evangelicals are on their way to becoming a minority in an emerging worldwide movement whose adherents were abundantly conspicuous in Jerusalem during the holiday of Sukkot:

European pilgrims wore Star of David jewelry as they swayed among the palm trees of Ein Gedi, an oasis in the Judean desert. Spanish delegates sported matching “España loves Israel” T-shirts. . . . The crowd sang songs from the Psalms, following transliterated Hebrew on giant television screens. As night fell, their chorus of “holy, holy, worthy, worthy” seemed to fill the desert. This was the opening ceremony for the 2017 Feast of the Tabernacles, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s (ICEJ) annual celebration held during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. More than 6,000 Christians from all over the world had come to show their love for Israel. . . .

This year’s Feast drew attendees from nearly 100 countries. . . . ICEJ has expanded in tandem with the rise of global Pentecostal movements. Parsons said the Embassy’s presence has been growing in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, where Pentecostal revivals among the middle class are reshaping the religious landscape. . . .

Many of the delegates came from countries that explicitly oppose Israeli policies. On the day of the Jerusalem March, when thousands of Feast participants parade through the city, a group from [notoriously anti-Israel] South Africa wore T-shirts declaring, “Am Yisrael Chai,” or “the People of Israel lives.” . . .

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.