Role of religion in American politics: An analysis of the influence of Evangelical Church in Israeli Palestinian conflict

Fida Muhammad; Muhammad Ayaz Khan; Saif Ul Islam

doi:10.47264/idea.jhsms/2.2.12

Authors

Fida Muhammad Department of Political Science, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5955-046X
Muhammad Ayaz Khan Department of Political Science, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan.
Saif Ul Islam Department of Political Sciences, University of Buner, Sowari, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.jhsms/2.2.12

Keywords:

United States foreign policy, Middle East, Christian Zionism, Christian right, religion and peace, apocalypse, dispensationalism, evangelicals

Abstract

The politics of the Holy land is of crucial importance to the followers of the three Abrahamic religions in terms of religious beliefs, which metamorphosed into military and political significance in the 20^th Century. The United States (U.S) support for Israel is especially visible during the republican presidencies. The U.S had five republican presidents from 1980 to 2020, and their evangelical beliefs shaped American foreign policy toward this region, a policy that may loosely be termed as affected by Christian Zionism, which was originally a 16th Century religious Puritan movement, who latter shaped into Christian political movement. U.S Christian Zionism reiterates favourable images of Jews and is pessimistic about peace in Holy land. Christian Zionists believe Lord has bestowed the land of Palestine to Jews and have held up this claim since the turn of the 20th Century. This paper first describes the fundamental nature of Christian Zionism, their view of the modern Israel and resultant political and military policies. This also focuses Christian Zionists support of republican presidents and specially President Trump relationship with Christian Zionism. The shifting of U.S embassy to Jerusalem, the formal approval to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by President Trump are studied.

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