(There are 2 forms of Zionism, religious & political. Zionist isn't necessarily synonymous w/Israeli or Jewish. In fact, the overwhelming number of Zionists are Christians outside Israel, especially in North America & Europe. Religious Zionism among Christians dates back to the early 1800s, then was expanded & politicized later that century.
Faisal Mohammad of TRT interviewed former vicar of the Church of England, peace activist Stephen Sizer, author of 3 published books on Christian Zionism. Sizer has been banned from serving in the Church until 2030 for his views on Zionism & Israeli policies.
It's a good interview from late 2023, before regime change in Syria, Trump's 2nd term & the worst of what we're seeing now in Gaza. But Sizer's off about Palestinians' being forced into Egypt & distorts Jimmy Carter, falsely lumping him in w/Ronald Reagan & Billy Graham.
After all, Israel helped stop Carter's re-election in 1980 in favor of Reagan out of fear the former would pressure it to accept a sovereign Palestinian state. Sizer's a man of the cloth in the UK & not necessarily an expert on U.S. history or politics.)
from TRT Global
As Israel’s carpet bombing of Gaza has killed thousands of Palestinians and turned the city into a ghost town, the outpouring of global outrage and calls for a ceasefire remains steady.
Yet, the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu continues to employ an unapologetic rhetoric, invoking biblical references to sell his war to the ultra-right not just in Israel but also in the US, where he is enjoying the support of Christian Evangelists, a majority of whom identify with the global Zionist movement for a ‘Jewish homeland’. Their belief comes from the end-of-the-world interpretation of the bible leading to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
This belief is not just theological but also has created significant support for Israel in the political circles of the United States. Under the Donald Trump regime, evangelists took their seats in the power corridors with the likes of Vice President Mike Pence and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In fact, Donald Trump also mentioned in a rally that the move to shift the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was ‘for the evangelicals.’
Even the current US President Joe Biden has publicly identified himself as a ‘Zionist’ and at least 100 members of Congress are avowed evangelicals.
TRT World spoke to Stephen Sizer, the former Vicar of the Church of England. A peace activist authoring three books on the Christian Zionist movement and its support for the state of Israel, Sizer was recently banned from licensed ministry in the Church of England until 2030 for his views on Zionism and Israel’s policies in the Middle East...
read more here
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