Essay Examines Evangelical Christian Zionism and US Support for Israel

Editor’s note: The source does not say that Israeli fire caused many of the October 7 deaths, so I have not added that claim. The opening below reports the article’s own figures and attributes them to the author.

In a piece published on 7 February 2025 by the LSE Undergraduate Political Review, Andrew Gan examines why the United States has remained steadfast in its support for Israel through the war that began with Hamas’s attacks of 7 October 2023. The article states that Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped about 250 others in those attacks. It describes Israel’s response in Gaza, including aid blockades and indiscriminate bombings, as having led to an approximate death toll of 47,000.

The article notes that, as of January 2025, Amnesty International has categorised Israel’s response as a genocide. It also reports that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was signed on 19 January, and that Israel has already begun to renege on the deal, according to the article.

The author cites the scale of American support for Israel, which he puts at over $300 billion cumulatively since 1946, more than double that of Egypt in second place. He also points to US vetoes of UN measures, including a resolution to give Palestine full UN membership and a Gaza ceasefire resolution in November. The article says that President Truman recognised the state of Israel 11 minutes after its government proclaimed statehood on 14 May 1948, and that administrations of both parties have largely supported Israel.

Beyond strategic and military ties, including cooperation on the Sling and Arrow missile defence systems and intelligence sharing, the article points to pro-Israel lobbying. It cites AIPAC as having over 5 million members nationwide. The author argues, however, that evangelical Christians are a further factor, one that he says is less discussed and particularly relevant to the Trump administration.

According to the article, the Christian Zionist movement in America can be traced to the late 1800s, when the evangelist William E. Blackstone called for Jews to return to the Holy Land in his book *Jesus Is Coming*. The article says Blackstone later led a petition, the Blackstone Memorial, which was presented to President Benjamin Harrison in 1891. The movement later passed to John Hagee, founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), which the article says has over 10 million members. It also notes that Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush have cited their Christian faith as a motivation for supporting Israel.

The article acknowledges that supporters of the movement describe their motives as solidarity with the Jewish people. The author, however, argues that this explanation is not fully convincing, citing antisemitic statements he attributes to Hagee and Jerry Falwell. He also presents premillennialism as a central theological framework, quoting Trinity College Dublin professor Carlo Aldrovandi’s description of it as “by far the most influential apocalyptic belief system in contemporary America.” Weighing stated motives against the record, as the author does, is a matter of fair hearing (Proverbs 18:17).

Turning to recent officials, the article says that Mike Huckabee, Trump’s ambassador to Israel, has denied that there is “such thing as a Palestinian,” and that Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick for UN ambassador, declared that Israel has a “biblical right” over the West Bank. The author describes that position as violating Palestinian sovereignty and international law.

Source: Read the original report