Why conservative American evangelicals are among Israel's strongest supporters
WASHINGTON — One of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first meetings in the United States this week was not with American Jewish leaders but with evangelical ones.
The conservative Christians met with Netanyahu on Monday at Blair House, a residence for visiting foreign officials near the White House. The gathering came ahead of the Israeli leader's meeting with President Trump on Tuesday that led to Trump's dramatic proposals about the future of Gaza.
'The fact that our meeting took place before his meetings with President Trump and U.S. elected officials is indicative of the strength of the historic friendship that exists between Israel and Christians in America,' said Pastor Jentezen Franklin, who leads a Georgia megachurch and has served as a Trump spiritual advisor.
Among those in attendance were former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Baptist pastor and Trump's pick to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel, and Tony Perkins, president of the socially conservative Family Research Council.
Many of those in attendance were Christian Zionists, including Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, an evangelical organization that claims 10 million members.
'The Prime Minister is here — as his country begins to conclude its longest war — to effectively reset the U.S.-Israel relationship after the damage done by four years of, at best, lukewarm support for the Jewish state,' Hagee told the Associated Press via email.
Christian Zionism is an ideology among some evangelical Christians, particularly in the United States, that interprets the Bible as promising the land of Israel eternally to the Jews and asserting that God would bless Israel's supporters. Some proponents also interpret the Bible as predicting many Jews' eventual conversion to Christianity.
The meeting was a reminder that evangelical Christian Zionists are among Israel's strongest supporters in the U.S. — and they wield considerable influence as Trump begins his second term. They have also backed controversial sentiments expressed by Republicans and Trump this week over the territories of Gaza and the West Bank.
Trump, during a shocking news conference with Netanyahu on Tuesday, suggested that Palestinians from the Gaza Strip could be removed and resettled elsewhere, with the U.S. taking over the war-torn region.
The president, echoing his real estate developer past, said he envisions a Gaza that could be 'the Riviera of the Middle East.'
'This could be something that could be so valuable. This could be so magnificent,' Trump said, adding that the people who live there would be able to live in peace.
Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a key White House advisor during his first term, has also praised the 'very valuable' potential of Gaza's 'waterfront property.'
'I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up,' Kushner said a year ago.
The national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Nihad Awad, assailed Trump's proposal.
'Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump's call to displace Palestinians from their land either temporarily or permanently is an absolute nonstarter,' Awad said in a statement.
'If President Trump wants to make history with some sort of grand peace deal, he must start by accepting that the way to make permanent peace is to end the Israeli occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people.'
Trump's proposals underscore 'the colonial nature of the Palestinian struggle,' said Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
'Any forced relocation of the Palestinian population will only escalate violence and resistance, leading to more instability in the region,' he said. 'Anti-American sentiment will spike even further than what we have witnessed over the last year.'
Among U.S. Jewish leaders there were mixed views.
The president of an umbrella group representing relatively progressive congregations, Rabbi Rick Jacobs of the Union for Reform Judaism, was skeptical.
'While this moment indeed requires bold thinking to bring safety and autonomy to Israel and the Palestinians, what we heard yesterday will not build that future; it will undermine it,' Jacobs said.
'A peaceful Palestinian state alongside a secure Jewish state of Israel has to be reached through a negotiated agreement between the two parties,' he added. 'Forcibly removing either populace will only perpetuate the conflict.'
The executive vice president of a more conservative group, Rabbi Moshe Hauer of the Orthodox Union, said Trump's pronouncements about Gaza 'were certainly a shock' and might be viewed in some quarters as insane.
Yet he described the policies affecting Gaza for the last two decades as 'utter insanity,″ with Hamas holding control and then invading Israel in 2023.
'There may be in this new proposal something to digest and think about,' he said. 'We have gotten into a very unproductive place, an insanity that keeps repeating itself. Let's take a step back, and think, 'What if this really works, and bodes well for the future of everybody.''
Trump's proposals were praised by Sam Markstein, communications director for the Republican Jewish Coalition.
'President Trump is a disruptor, and after decades of failed policies, we are encouraged that the president is pursuing a bold, new vision for the region. ... As the most pro-Israel president in U.S. history, we are confident in President Trump's ability to bring security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region.'
One longtime goal of Christian Zionists, and their allies, got a boost this last week when Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) reintroduced legislation that would require all official U.S. documents and materials to use the term 'Judea and Samaria' instead of the 'West Bank.' The legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.)
'The Jewish people's legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria goes back thousands of years,' Cotton said. 'The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel.'
Israel's government refers to the West Bank by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria, and considers it the historical heartland of the Jewish people. Palestinians and the U.S. government refer to the occupied territory as the West Bank.
Israel captured the West Bank in 1967 along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem — territory the Palestinians seek for a future state. The U.S., along with most of the international community, has traditionally supported the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines.
American Christian Zionists often use the biblical terms Judea and Samaria as a signal of their support for Israel and its annexation of the West Bank. Speakers at the annual conference of Christians United for Israel frequently invoke the biblical language as an applause line.
Huckabee has repeated that the West Bank belongs to Israel, and recently said 'the title deed was given by God to Abraham and to his heirs.'
Ironically, Judea and Samaria were once part of an ancient two-state scenario. For at least 200 years of Israel's royal history, Judea and Samaria represented separate kingdoms: Judea continued the dynasty of King Solomon while Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom, called Israel.
Stanley writes for the Associated Press. AP journalist Mariam Fam contributed from Egypt. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with the Conversation, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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Forbes
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LA Protests: National Guard Troops Have Detained Protesters (Live Updates)
The National Guard has at times detained protesters in its deployment to Los Angeles, an official said Wednesday, as demonstrations against Immigration and Customs enforcement raids spread to other major cities. Protesters face members of the California National Guard and US Customs and Border Protection agents ... More in Los Angeles. June 11, 4:30 p.m. EDTMaj. Gen. Scott Sherman of the National Guard told reporters federal troops have made brief detainments of protesters in Los Angeles before handing them over to law enforcement for arrests, adding about 500 National Guard troops have been trained to assist immigration operations, the Associated Press reported. 5 a.m. EDTAn LAPD spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times they arrested 25 people for violating the curfew in the city's downtown area on Tuesday night. In a post on X on Tuesday night, the agency said 'multiple groups' were continuing to 'congregate on 1st St between Spring and Alameda' and added 'Those groups are being addressed and mass arrests are being initiated.' 2.30 a.m. EDTTexas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will deploy the Texas National Guard across several parts of his state 'to ensure peace & order,' as protests against ICE are planned in parts of San Antonio on Wednesday. In an X post, Abbott wrote: 'Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest.' June 10, 11.45 p.m. EDTIn a televised address on Tuesday evening, Newsom blasted Trump and described him as 'a president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetuating a unified assault on American traditions.' Newsom said, 'California may be first, but it clearly won't end here,' adding that other states and eventually democracy itself were 'next.' The governor added: 'Democracy is under assault right before our eyes — the moment we've feared has arrived.' Newsom also hit out at Trump for pardoning the perpetrators of the January 6 Capitol riots, saying: 'Trump, he's not opposed to lawlessness and violence as long as it serves him. What more evidence do we need than January 6th.' 11.30 p.m. EDTA significant portion of downtown Los Angeles is under a curfew, which was announced earlier in the evening by the city's Mayor Karen Bass, who said the restriction will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time. Bass said she has introduced to the curfew 'to stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation,' and added: 'Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted.' 4:56 p.m. EDTU.S. District Judge Charles Breyer turned down Newsom's request for an emergency ruling that would have blocked federal troop deployment in Los Angeles, giving Trump until Wednesday at 2 p.m. EDT to file a response to Newsom's lawsuit (Newsom can file his response to Trump by Thursday at 12 p.m. EDT). 4:47 p.m. EDTThe Trump administration asked the judge to reject Newsom's request and allow it to respond by Wednesday, calling Newsom's attempt to block the deployment of federal troops 'legally meritless' and saying it would jeopardize the safety of Homeland Security personnel and interfere with the government's ability to carry out operations. 2:20 p.m. EDTNewsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, in a filing at the U.S. District Court for Northern California, requested the federal judge quickly block the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, arguing the order is 'unlawful' as there 'is no invasion or rebellion' in the city and asking the judge to act by 4 p.m. EDT 'to prevent immediate and irreparable harm.' 11:30 a.m. EDTInterim Defense Department comptroller Bryn MacDonnell told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense the cost of sending federal troops to Los Angeles was estimated at $134 million, 'which is largely just [temporary duty assignment] costs, travel, housing, food, et cetera.' 10:44 a.m. EDTHouse Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Newsom should be 'tarred and feathered' for how he has handled the protests, in response to a question about calls for the governor's arrest, provoking a response from Newsom, who said Johnson gave a 'fitting threat given the GOP want to bring our country back to the 18th Century.' 8:27 a.m. EDTIn a Truth Social post, Trump claimed Los Angeles 'would be burning to the ground right now' if he didn't deploy the National Guard to the city and appeared to reference wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes earlier this year, suggesting city and state permits are 'disastrously bungled up and WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE' to rebuild. 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Hegseth was the first Trump administration official to suggest the deployment of active duty Marines to tackle the protests in an X post. 4 a.m. EDTThe Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, on Tuesday addressed the incident involving Australian news reporter Lauren Tomasi, who was struck on her leg by a rubber bullet while covering the protests on Sunday, saying the incident was 'horrific' and claimed footage showed that police had 'targeted' the journalist. Albanese said he has raised the matter with the Trump administration, and added: 'We don't find it acceptable that it occurred, and we think that the role of the media is particularly important.' 3 a.m. EDTThe San Francisco Police Department issued a statement about the demonstrations taking place in the city in support of the Los Angeles protests and said: 'Thousands of people participated in today's demonstrations, which were overwhelmingly peaceful.' However, the police arrested 'multiple individuals' at the end of the night 'two small groups broke off' and allegedly 'committed vandalism and other criminal acts.' 1:30 a.m. EDTAccording to the U.S. Northern Command, the 700 Marines being deployed in Los Angeles are from the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marines Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and they will 'seamlessly integrate' with the 1700 California National Guard unit deployed to protect 'federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area.' 12:40 a.m. EDTThe San Francisco Chronicle reported that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote a letter to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Sunday, asking him to order the military to detain or arrest 'lawbreakers' in Los Angeles. 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June 9, 11.30 p.m. EDTNewsom criticized the move to deploy Marines, saying the 'The Secretary of Defense is illegally deploying them onto American streets so Trump can have a talking point at his parade this weekend.' The governor said the state would sue to stop what he described 'a blatant abuse of power,' as he urged Courts and Congress to 'act.' 4 p.m. EDTUp to 700 Marines from a battalion based out of Twentynine Palms, California, were mobilizing to respond to the protests, according to ABC News, and are expected to deploy to the city within 24 hours. The Marines will aid the more than 2,000 members of the National Guard Trump deployed to Los Angeles, according to CNN. 2 p.m. EDTBonta announced he is filing a lawsuit against Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging Trump's order to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles was 'trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends' while federalizing the National Guard 'is an abuse of the President's authority under the law.' Bonta claims the deployment deprived California of emergency response resources, infringed on Newsom's authority and violates the state's 'sovereign right to control and have available' the National Guard. 9:40 when asked about Newsom daring Homan to arrest him, said he 'would do it if I were Tom—I think it's great,' claiming Newsom is 'grossly incompetent.' Earlier on Monday, Homan told Fox News that while 'no one's above the law,' there was 'no discussion' about arresting Newsom. 9:40 a.m. EDTWaymo removed vehicles from the downtown Los Angeles area and suspended service 'out of an abundance of caution' following guidance from the Los Angeles Police Department, though the robotaxi firm noted it was still operating in the greater Los Angeles region. At least six Waymo vehicles set ablaze Sunday and the company was in touch with the Los Angeles Police Department for an investigation, Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli told Forbes, as law enforcement warned burning lithium-ion batteries used in the cars release toxic gases, posing possible health risks, and to avoid the area. 8:54 a.m. EDTNewsom signaled he would sue Trump over his decision to send the National Guard into the state, alleging Trump 'flamed the fires and illegally acted.' June 9, 5 a.m. EDTAt least 60 people were arrested in San Francisco after police reportedly clashed with a group of protestors who gathered to show solidarity with the Los Angeles protestors and oppose the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and deployment of National Guard troops to quell protests. 4 a.m. EDTIn a post on his Truth Social platform Trump mentioned the LAPD's comments from the press conference about reassessing the situation about bring in the National Guard, and wrote 'He should, RIGHT NOW!!! Don't let these thugs get away with this.' In follow up posts Trump wrote: 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS,' and 'ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW!' 3:30 a.m. EDTThe LAPD told reporters at a late night press conference that it had arrested 10 people on Sunday, bring the day's total tally to 27 after adding to the California Highway Patrol's 17 arrests. 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The LAPD later told the Times that it had detained the van driver, and noted 'multiple charges to follow.' 12:30 a.m. EDTThe Los Angeles Police Department has announced that gatherings at Downtown Los Angeles have 'been declared as an UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY,' as it ordered people to 'leave the Downtown Area immediately.' June 8, 11.45 p.m. EDTIn an interview with MSNBC, Newsom dared the Trump administration to come and arrest him in response to earlier comments by the president's border czar Tom Homan threatened to go after any official who interferes the immigration crackdown. Newsom told MSNBC, 'Come after me, arrest me, let's just get it over with, tough guy...I don't give a damn, but I care about my community.' In his interview, Newsom once again accused Trump of 'putting fuel on the fire,' with his actions and confirmed that his state will file a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday. 11.30 p.m. EDTCalifornia's Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis told CNN that she expects state officials to file a federal lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration's move to federalize and deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles. Kounalakis said the lawsuit will say that the president did not have the 'authority to call in the National Guard for 400 people protesting in a way that local law enforcement could clearly handle it.' 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Trump said he called Newsom and told him he had to 'take care' of the protests, otherwise he would 'send in the troops,' and he told a reporter who asked whether California officials who obstruct deportations would face federal charges: 'If officials stand in the way of law and order, yeah, they will face charges.' 1:30 p.m. EDTAbout 300 members of the National Guard have been stationed across Los Angeles so far, The New York Times reported, the first soldiers as part of the 2,000 Trump has promised to station across the city as more protests are expected to take place this afternoon. 1 p.m. EDTLos Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told the Los Angeles Times said she tried to talk to the Trump administration to 'tell them that there was absolutely no need to have troops on the ground here in Los Angeles,' stating the protests on Saturday were 'relatively minor' and 'peaceful,' with about 100 protesters. 3:22 a.m. EDTBass appeared to rebuff Trump's claim the National Guard did a 'great job' in the city, stating in a post on X that the National Guard had not yet been deployed at that time in Los Angeles, while praising Newsom and local law enforcement. 2:41 said in a late-night Truth Social post the National Guard did a 'great job' in Los Angeles, while slamming Newsom and Bass and the 'Radical Left' protesters and stating protesters will no longer be allowed to wear masks: 'What do these people have to hide, and why???' 12:14 slammed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for 'threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens' as 'deranged behavior.' June 7The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it had arrested two people Saturday evening for alleged assault on a police officer, stating multiple officers had been injured by a Molotov cocktail, the Los Angeles Times reported. 10:34 exhibited 'violent behavior' toward federal agents and local law enforcement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement, while clarifying it is not involved in federal law enforcement response and is instead focused on crowd and traffic control. 10:22 a post on X, Newsom said the federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying soldiers in Los Angeles solely to create a 'spectacle.' 10:06 announced in a post on X the Department of Defense is 'mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles,' stating Marines are standing by for deployment in case of violence. 9:17 House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Trump would deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to address 'lawlessness,' citing protests targeting immigration officers. Similar protests have spread to other cities across the U.S., including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston, Santa Ana, California, and parts of Texas, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. At least 80 protesters were arrested in New York, while 15 were arrested in Philadelphia, more than a dozen were arrested in Austin and one was detained in Dallas. At least two police officers were injured during protests in Philadelphia. Los Angeles Metro Police officers stand on the road in front of city hall Tuesday night. People take part in an anti-ICE protest in New York City on Tuesday. Protesters walk by the Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago on Tuesday. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday. Protests broke out Friday and Saturday in Paramount and Compton, cities adjacent to Los Angeles, over immigration raids conducted by ICE, during which the agency detained 44 immigrants Friday and 118 immigrants Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Police and protesters clashed over the weekend, according to local reports and videos on social media, with law enforcement using tear gas and flash grenades to break up the crowds while some protesters threw rocks and lit vehicles on fire. Glendale, California, announced Sunday the city had terminated an agreement with Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allowed the agencies to house federal detainees at the city's police facility. Glendale officials said the move was 'a local decision and was not made lightly,' as the city 'recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract—no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good—has become divisive.' Glendale's city manager opted to end the contract after 'careful evaluation of legal, operational and community considerations,' the city said, noting the decision was not 'politically driven.' Trump reportedly said in a memo he is invoking Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services, which allows the federal government to deploy the National Guard if the United States is 'invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation,' or if there is a 'rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' Vice President JD Vance said in a post on X on Saturday night the influx of immigrants, which he called 'Biden's border crisis,' amounts to an 'invasion,' rebuffing critics who have questioned whether Trump had the authority to deploy troops. Trump's move has faced some pushback from constitutional scholars. 'For the federal government to take over the California National Guard, without the request of the governor, to put down protests is truly chilling,' Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, told the Los Angeles Times. The legal issues raised by Trump sending the National Guard to L.A. (Los Angeles Times)
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
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OSU falls victim to budget cuts, putting a damper on scientific research
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Trump is under water on some of his top issues — including immigration, poll shows
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