ARLINGTON, Va. — When John McCain was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, he was compelled to reject megachurch pastor John Hagee’s endorsement after a sermon surfaced that was derided as antisemitic.
But because the 2024 marketing campaign for the White House intensifies, Hagee and his group, Christians United for Israel, are welcome presences inside the GOP.
Hagee and CUFI hosted a number of presidential contenders at their annual summit in suburban Washington this week, together with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence. They all pledged fierce loyalty to Israel and had been unified in criticizing President Joe Biden as weak.
The occasion – and Hagee’s outstanding function in it – was a reminder of how the GOP’s additional embrace of Christian Zionism has been evolving from the perimeter to the mainstream for years, particularly after Donald Trump’s presidency reshaped the modus operandi of Republican politics.
CUFI’s annual summit has change into a daily cease for Republicans wishing to showcase their pro-Israel and conservative Christian bona fides to the largely white evangelical viewers.
As Israel experiences a tumultuous rightward shift, assist for its authorities has change into key in courting the white evangelical Republican base, lots of whom consider the state of Israel and its Jewish folks fulfill biblical prophecy.
Former President Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner, was not in attendance. According to CUFI, Trump was not invited to this yr’s summit, although he has been previously.
While in workplace, Trump provided insurance policies that had been standard amongst American Christian Zionists and Israeli religious-nationalists, together with shifting the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and supporting Jewish settlements in occupied territories to the detriment of Palestinian hopes for statehood.
On his Truth Social platform final yr, Trump wrote, “No President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S.”
Most American Jews stay staunch Democratic voters and demanding of the previous president, together with his ties to extremists. Amid rising antisemitism, Trump hosted a dinner at Mar-a-Lago final fall with two outspoken antisemites.
The partisan rift has prolonged to Israel – with Republicans holding much more favorable views of the nation than Democrats, in keeping with opinion polls.
Other GOP candidates have been laying the groundwork to be the Christian Zionist alternative in 2024. Senator Tim Scott, who has spoken at earlier CUFI summits however didn’t this yr, has pushed measures towards antisemitism in Congress.
DeSantis made a repeat go to to Jerusalem in April to talk and meet with Israeli leaders. “The Bible comes to life when you’re in Israel,” he informed the 1,200 attendees at this yr’s CUFI summit on Monday
DeSantis famous his work whereas in Congress to relocate the U.S. embassy. Hagee informed attendees he met DeSantis for the primary time when it opened in 2018.
Pence and Haley, who each headlined the summit, tout their information on Israel underneath the Trump administration wherein they served. They have highlighted their pro-Israel insurance policies whereas fastidiously distancing themselves from Trump, whose title Haley averted in her CUFI speech and Pence talked about solely briefly in reference to the “most pro-Israel administration” in American historical past.
They even have cultivated ties with Hagee for years and been regulars at CUFI occasions. Pence made an look at Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio in January. Haley invited Hagee to provide the opening prayer at her presidential marketing campaign launch in February.
In 2008, McCain courted Hagee’s assist however confronted criticism over the pastor’s anti-Catholic and anti-LGBTQ statements. The ultimate straw was audio that McCain referred to as “crazy and unacceptable” wherein Hagee described Hitler as a hunter despatched by God to get Jewish folks “to come back to the land of Israel.”
“Republican politics have changed dramatically since 2008 so the boundaries of what gets one disqualified from the conversation are way looser,” stated Daniel Hummel, creator of “Covenant Brothers: Evangelicals, Jews, and U.S.-Israeli Relations,” in an e mail to The Associated Press. “More to the point, CUFI has close to 20 years of demonstrated effectiveness in DC, and claims 10 million-plus members, which I’m sure the candidates understand as politically useful.”
This yr’s CUFI occasion comes as widespread protests have engulfed Israel, and tens of hundreds of protesters have been on the streets to push again towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right authorities. At stake is Netanyahu’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s judiciary, which critics say would eliminate necessary checks on the prime minister’s energy and push the nation towards authoritarianism.
The proposal has additionally alienated allies abroad. President Joe Biden stated in March that he hopes Netanyahu “walks away” from the judicial overhaul: “They cannot continue down this road.”
Most Republicans have remained unwavering of their assist of Netanyahu’s authorities.
“Joe Biden needs to stay out of Israel’s business,” Haley informed the CUFI crowd.
Just this week, Biden invited Netanyahu to satisfy with him within the U.S. within the fall – a delay for the standard go to that will have adopted Netanyahu’s December election. At the CUFI occasion, DeSantis referred to as Biden’s remedy of Netanyahu “disgraceful.”
Biden is internet hosting Israeli President Isaac Herzog on the White House this week in the course of the state of Israel’s seventy fifth anniversary. Herzog is scheduled to talk to a joint session of Congress the day after the CUFI summit ends.
Some progressive Democrats, together with Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, have stated they won’t attend. Pence labeled them and their criticisms of Israel as antisemitic at CUFI: “The words by these congresswomen are a disgrace.”
“The problem with CUFI is their understanding of supporting Israel is to back up a right-wing government and back up the occupation – that’s not in the best interest of the long-term sustainability of Israel,” stated Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the CEO of T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights group based mostly within the U.S.
Jacobs added, “They see Jews as necessary props in their Christian messianic vision. That’s certainly not being pro-Israel or pro-Jewish.”
One of the principle criticisms of Christian Zionism is that it’s predicated on a self-serving theological perception – that Israel and its Jews are wanted for the top instances to happen and a Christian messiah to return. CUFI downplays this apocalyptic strand of its motion, at the same time as Hagee’s personal books give attention to the top instances.
“As a Jew, that doesn’t make me uncomfortable at all,” stated Josh Reinstein, the Jerusalem-based president of the Israel Allies Foundation. “I don’t believe in Christianity. I don’t believe the messiah is coming for the second time. Let’s just focus on what we agree on until the messiah comes and then we’ll decide what happens.”
Reinstein’s group works to spice up ties with pro-Israel politicians around the globe, lots of them evangelicals. He says faith-based outreach to Christians is “the most important weapon Israel has in its diplomatic arsenal.”
“These are people who are tried and true friends and allies who have shown time and time again that they’re standing with Israel,” Reinstein stated. “And I think that Israel has a duty to put their hands out in friendship as well.”
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