Author: Azad Essa
Affiliation: The Middle East Eye
Organization/Publisher: The Middle East Eye
Date/Place: March 30, 2021/UK
Type of Literature: Analysis
Word Count: 1804
Link:https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-palestine-christian-evangelicals-fuel-chaos
Keywords: Evangelicals, Settler-Colonialism, Christian Zionism, Israeli Right-Wing
Brief:
Relations between the evangelicals and the Israeli right wing are often underestimated and not adequately understood, as the theology of this relation causes further harm to Palestinians and pushes—even erases them— out of their homeland. Evangelical beliefs support Israel in an apocalyptic attempt to accelerate Jesus’ return, and the result is brainwashing many into believing that their life will be better off when they support Israel. Maya Zinshtein, an Israeli filmmaker, delves into the evangelical-Israeli dynamic in her film ‘Til Kingdom Come. However, the story is incomplete as it only focuses on how threatening the evangelicals are to Israel, while never mentioning that Israel was a settler-colonial project long before the Christian Zionist connection. Israel has a history of friendships with right-wing governments, from apartheid South Africa to the current government in India, so the alliance with the evangelicals is not an anomaly but a trend. Palestinians bear the brunt of Israeli policies; the film doesn’t address that the overall Israeli approach erases Palestine regardless of the ruling party. This raises different questions on the myths covering the Israeli state, and that the Trump years was the unveiling of how deep and long-planned is the bond between the Israeli right and Christian Zionism.
By: Omar Fili, CIGA Research Assistant
