Christian Zionism Goes Global

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.” . . .

Read more at Atlantic

More about: Christian Zionism, Evangelical Christianity, Israel & Zionism, Jewish-Christian relations

How America Sowed the Seeds of the Current Middle East Crisis in 2015

Analyzing the recent direct Iranian attack on Israel, and Israel’s security situation more generally, Michael Oren looks to the 2015 agreement to restrain Iran’s nuclear program. That, and President Biden’s efforts to resurrect the deal after Donald Trump left it, are in his view the source of the current crisis:

Of the original motivations for the deal—blocking Iran’s path to the bomb and transforming Iran into a peaceful nation—neither remained. All Biden was left with was the ability to kick the can down the road and to uphold Barack Obama’s singular foreign-policy achievement.

In order to achieve that result, the administration has repeatedly refused to punish Iran for its malign actions:

Historians will survey this inexplicable record and wonder how the United States not only allowed Iran repeatedly to assault its citizens, soldiers, and allies but consistently rewarded it for doing so. They may well conclude that in a desperate effort to avoid getting dragged into a regional Middle Eastern war, the U.S. might well have precipitated one.

While America’s friends in the Middle East, especially Israel, have every reason to feel grateful for the vital assistance they received in intercepting Iran’s missile and drone onslaught, they might also ask what the U.S. can now do differently to deter Iran from further aggression. . . . Tehran will see this weekend’s direct attack on Israel as a victory—their own—for their ability to continue threatening Israel and destabilizing the Middle East with impunity.

Israel, of course, must respond differently. Our target cannot simply be the Iranian proxies that surround our country and that have waged war on us since October 7, but, as the Saudis call it, “the head of the snake.”

Read more at Free Press

More about: Barack Obama, Gaza War 2023, Iran, Iran nuclear deal, U.S. Foreign policy