OPINION:
Later this month, liberal leaders and activists will meet in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. While the gathering will aim to replicate the enthusiasm generated by Republicans at their summer convention, Hamas sympathizers threatening to disrupt the Democrats’ Zionism will uncover the striking differences between Republicans and Democrats regarding Israel.
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the anti-Israel protests roiling our nation have exposed the fissures within the Democratic Party over support for Israel.
As sizable swaths of what were once well-meaning liberals indulge in the progressive capture of their party, this month’s conference is sure to depart from the pro-Israel tenor of July’s Republican convention, which opened with a prayer for peace in Jerusalem and a safe return of the hostages Hamas is still holding in the Gaza Strip.
The conference’s philosemitic tone, which included an unprecedented address by the head of the Republican Jewish Coalition and a moving speech by Orthodox Jew and Harvard alum Shabbos Kestenbaum, is thanks to the evangelical platform and its promotion of a U.S.-Israel alliance wedded to the covenantal bond linking Jews and Christians.
Republican attraction to Israel was not always as prominent as it is today, and the party’s cultural drift toward the Jewish state is a testament to the rising influence of Christian Zionism in the conservative movement.
Religious Christians represent Israel’s most ardent advocates in the United States, yet their positions on Israel had yet to emerge as fixtures in Republican policy spaces until recently. Evangelical Zionism tracked in tandem with the growth of pro-Israel Christian groups such as Christians United for Israel.
Wrapping Christian affection for the Jewish nation around both a biblical and strategic narrative, CUFI now boasts a membership of over 10 million people. Its grassroots success was displayed at the institution’s Washington summit last week, which featured an impressive list of Zionist luminaries.
American Christians remain the cornerstone of preserving current and future conservative support for the Jewish homeland. Still, Americans applauding the GOP’s pro-Israel tilt would be wise to reflect on how the Zionist sensibilities that appear instinctive today were a historical uncertainty among a past cohort of Republican voters and lawmakers.
For example, in 1990, as Senate minority leader, Bob Dole pushed for a repeal of a resolution recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. At the time, the Kansas Republican also backed a reduction in U.S. aid to Israel. The senator’s critical posture stirred frustration in some Jewish circles, yet at the time, his positions did not stray far from Republican electoral sentiments.
A 2018 report by the Pew Research Center on the “Partisan Divide in Middle East Sympathies” confirms that in the 1990s, GOP support for Israel hovered around 50%. Nearly 30 years later, that figure jumped over 20 points, with another Pew study showing that over 70% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents hold favorable views toward Israel.
Dole softened his stance before running for president in 1996, and Republican legislators increasingly gravitated toward a Christian-centered alliance with Israel rooted in strategic necessity and spiritual responsibility.
As for George W. Bush, he often referenced his Christian faith and invoked Scripture while speaking to Jewish audiences as president, yet was not immune to criticism from the Christian right over plans for a “road map” to an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Former President Donald Trump also heeded lobbying cues from Christian voters, remarking in a 2020 campaign speech on his decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: “We moved the capital of Israel to Jerusalem. That’s for the evangelicals.”
Having long clutched the minority stake within American Jews, Jewish conservatives observing with pride the patriotic and Zionist currents running through Christian Americans feel that there exists, at last, formidable and dependable allies enveloping the pro-Israel cause in a refreshing clarity that is absent in mainstream Jewish arenas.
As Americans unpack the political tendencies of both parties this election season, it is critical that Christian support for Israel not be taken for granted. Indeed, aging conservatives can recall a time, not long ago, when fealty to Israel was a sidelined Republican touchstone.
Moreover, the secularization of our nation has not spared religious communities, with some surveys illustrating fraying Christian ties to Israel, especially among young Americans. As such, the U.S.-Israel relationship would be best served by Jewish conservatives and Christian Zionists cultivating partnerships to steady the unraveling of America’s Judeo-Christian ethos.
Where foreign interests may shift, the biblical and spiritual endure, and evangelicals merit Jewish gratitude for their role in ensuring that the spiritual character upon which our country exists accommodates a future space in conservative discourse and GOP policy toward Israel.
• Irit Tratt is a writer living in New York. Follow her on X @Irit_Tratt.
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