By J.D. Hester
Copyright antiwar
For many Evangelical Christians in America, support for the state of Israel is a central religious dogma. Dispensationalism, the idea that the Old Testament should be taken literally, is often cited as the reasoning behind why Americans should support the modern state of Israel. As Senator Ted Cruz put it “growing up in Sunday school, I was taught… those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed. And from my perspective, I want to be on the blessing side of things.” Dispensationalist thinking is widespread in the United States with about 70% of Evangelicals stating that “the modern nation of Israel was formed as a result of biblical prophecy” and “God has a special relationship with the modern nation of Israel.” Unfortunately, ideology does not always line up with reality. No one knows this better than Christians in the West Bank.
To put it bluntly, Christianity in Palestine is being erased by Israel. At the start of this current chapter of the Israel-Palestine conflict, there were around 1,100 Christians in Gaza. That number is now around 645. Life for Christians residing in Israel is also getting worse with almost half of Christians under 30 wishing to emigrate. This is largely due to what the State Department describes as “instances of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem harassing or spitting on [Christians]”. The State Department specifically mentioned a Catholic friar being publicly assaulted and spit on by three kippot-wearing men. But these instances are not recent developments as Israel has a history of silencing, assaulting, and assassinating prominent Christians.
Take Kamal Nasser, a Christian poet and non-violent activist, who was a spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization (Fatah) in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Nasser had a peaceful, wholeheartedly-Christian vision for both sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict. In a 1973 article by The New York Times, he stated “We will defeat Zionism to live with Jews in peace. We are cornered as Palestinians. We must fight. Be assured that if we are convinced that Israel can accept Palestinians and live with us, we’d have peace.” Called the “voice of consciousness” by his contemporaries, Nasser condemned Palestinian plane hijackings. The title of the aforementioned 1973 article is truly revealing. “A Victim in Palestine” humanizes Nasser and gives an account of how deeply he cared for his family. Such an article would almost certainly never see the light of day if submitted to most major Western news outlets today. Nevertheless, he was still victimized by Israel because of who he was: a pro-Palestine Christian.
On April 10th, 1973, Nasser was brutally murdered in Lebanon in an Israeli raid led by future Israeli Prime Minister and associate of Jeffery Epstein, Ehud Barak. Israel alleged that Kamal Nasser had operational ties to Black September, but despite these charges, no publicly released declassified documents confirm his personal involvement in the Munich attack’s planning. The international community was horrified. In a declassified CIA file, the Soviets reportedly viewed the attack as state terrorism. Furthermore, the UN security counsel voted to condemn Israel’s raid. The most horrifying aspect of the raid was the brutal manner in which Nasser was killed. The last Fatah official to be killed in the raid, the IDF shot his mouth off with bullets and laid his body out in the shape of a cross. To add insult to injury, the IDF also shot at his books and poems perhaps in a final attempt to posthumously silence him.
Christians in America have been misled. While, Western media constantly describes Israel as a proponent of Judeo-Christian values, in reality, Israel mistreats, degrades, and, sometimes, martyrs those who follow Christ in the land of his birth. American Evangelicals have been gas-lit into supporting the very nation which is erasing their brothers and sisters in Christ. Christian Zionism is not a normal or natural occurrence. That is why Israel pours money into organizations like Proclaiming Justice to the Nations which received $40,000 from the Israeli government. In return, Israel has received more than 65 million dollars from Evangelicals, a 2018 report found. This number has likely drastically increased in recent years. Israel does not care if you are a Christian Zionist, a secular Zionist, or a Jewish Zionist, it only cares that you support the government of Israel. Israel and opportunistic pastors exploit the Bible in order to promote a foreign government which a recent U.N. inquiry described as guilty of genocide. Israel is neither Christian in doctrine nor in action.
Kamal Nasser’s story is just one of countless Christian voices in Palestine that have been erased, silenced, or forgotten by history. Likewise, the media often does not give much coverage for perspectives critical of Israel let alone criticism of Israel’s treatment of Christians within its own country. American Evangelicals, many of whom see Israel as divinely protected, are largely unaware of the suffering their support helps perpetuate. While they shelter Israel with words and funding, Christians in the Holy Land are being driven from their homes, attacked for their beliefs, and sometimes even murdered for advocating peace. True solidarity would mean asking the question: what would Jesus do?
J.D. Hester is an independent writer born and raised in Arizona. He has previously written for Antiwar.com and other websites. You can send him an email at josephdhester@gmail.com. Follow him on X (@JDH3ster).