I have belatedly noticed that anti-Zionists often use the discussion of Christian Zionism to hide their anti-Semitism and distort debate about the nature of Zionism. To understand how this process works it is first necessary to know a little about Christian Zionism itself.

Christian Zionism has come to refer to a coalition of mainly conservative evangelical churches for which support for Israel flows directly from their reading of Christian scripture. Typically they see Jews as the descendants of biblical Israelites with a right to return to the land of Israel. This return is a pre-condition, in their view, for the second coming of Christ. (For more on their doctrine see this lecture by Professor Philip Gorski, a sociologist). Its supporters are often estimated as numbering tens of millions around the world. They are typically seen as part of a broader Christian nationalist movement.

Some of its supporters have significant influence in American politics. Charlie Kirk, the recently assassinated conservative political activist, was a prime example. For him political support for Israel flowed directly from his religious beliefs. “Israel changed my life. Strengthened my faith, made the Bible pop into reality, and gave me the most precious memories with Erika [his wife],” he once said.  Kirk’s death even prompted a tweet on X from Benjamin Netanyahu , the Israeli prime minister, expressing his sadness. 

Before going into more detail on Christian Zionism it is worth saying a little about what it is not. It represents more than Christians who happen to support Israel – although these certainly exist. For Christian Zionists their support for Israel is tied to a particular interpretation of their faith.  

It should also be noted that there are some churches which have aligned with anti-Israel activists. For example, the World Council of Churches, an ecumenical movement, has recently called on Israel “to End Apartheid, Occupation and Impunity in Palestine and Israel”.

Nevertheless, anyone who moves in pro-Israel circles will likely have come across Christian Zionists. They generally have supporters on pro-Israel protests in the West. In Israel they are often seen on tours of what they see as the Holy Land and sometimes participate in voluntary schemes. Often they are significant financial and political backers of Israel.

Christian Zionists first came to the fore in the West with high profile American conservative movements in the early 1980s. At that point the Republican party developed a close relationship with the religious right.

Opinions differ as to when Christian Zionism originated. Some trace its roots back as far as the 17th century. In any event it is generally accepted that it pre-dates political Zionism as a Jewish political movement.

Christian Zionists are of course everything the progressive anti-Zionists hate. Not only do they support Israel but then tend to be socially and politically conservative. They are also often – horror of horror for contemporary progressives – white! This opens the way for anti-Israel activists to deride them as white supremacists. 

There are at least four ways in which anti-Israel thinkers and activists use the existence of Christian Zionism to distort the debate about Israel:

  • Using the historical existence of Christian Zionism to downplay the emergence of (Jewish) political Zionism as a reaction to anti-Semitism. Ilan Pappe, arguably the best-known anti-Zionist Israeli historian, is perhaps the clearest exponent of this approach. Although he formally acknowledges that political Zionism was a reaction against anti-Semitism (A Very Short History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, p6) he often blurs the distinction with his discussion of Christian Zionism. This is clear in his more popular works as well as in his academic writing. For example, in a 2008 article in the South Atlantic Quarterly he writes on “Zionism as Colonialism” which started in his view with a small number of Christian settlers.
  • Playing down the anti-Semitic implications of attributing great power to the pro-Israel lobby in America. Anti-Israel types are often aware that talk of a “Jewish lobby” strongly influencing American politics easily lends itself to anti-Semitism. It echoes the view of Jews as a powerful shadowy conspiracy manipulating the world from behind the scenes. That helps explain why they often focus on Christian Zionism support for Israel as part of the lobby. For example, there is a section on this topic in the classic study by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt on The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (p132-139).
  • Using the alleged racism of Christian Zionists as a way of finding Israel guilty by association. According to Rachel Shabi, a British anti-Zionist writer, “Christian Zionism brings anti-Arab bigotries and Islamophobia into the mix”. Yet those who make such accusations all too often say little or nothing about the centrality of anti-Semitism to Islamist political thinking. On the contrary, they typically use the junk concept of Islamophobia to shut down discussion on this theme.
  • Trying to deflect the charge of anti-Semitism back on to Israel’s supporters. Anti-Zionists often argue that the Christian Zionist support for Jews to return to Israel is parallel to traditional anti-Semitism. They maintain that Christian Zionists are, in effect, saying it would be better if Jews left Europe and America. Anti-Zionists also sometimes blame Christianity for anti-Semitism. This approach fails to differentiate between historical Christian religious animosity to Jews and modern racial anti-Semitism. It also unfairly blames Christian Jew hatred, which did exist at certain times and places, on Christian Zionism.

Anti-Zionists frequently cynically weaponise the phenomenon of Christian Zionism to play down the importance of anti-Semitism as a social force. All too often it is also a way of deflecting from their own anti-Semitism.

PHOTO: "Katamon PC280002" by Deror avi is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.