Palestinian-American pastor challenges Christian Zionist support for Israel

Christians United for Israel is ending its annual Washington conference under criticism from a Palestinian-American Christian leader who says the group does not represent all Christians. Rev Dr Fares Abraham, founder and president of Levant Ministries, said CUFI’s support for Israel carries political weight because it frames backing the state as obedience to God.

Abraham, who was born in the West Bank, said CUFI and other Christian Zionist organisations treat support for Israel as more than a US foreign-policy position. He argued that the groups make loyalty to Israel a measure of Christian faithfulness, which in his view discourages scrutiny of military aid, settlements, Gaza and the treatment of Palestinians.

CUFI’s three-day conference focused on continued support for Israel, which Abraham said was justified by appeals to a biblical duty to bless what the group calls God’s chosen people. He said the problem is not love for Jewish people, but the claim that Christian love requires uncritical support for the modern Israeli state or its government.

Abraham argued that Christian Zionist rhetoric often merges Jewish people, biblical Israel, the state founded in 1948 and Israel’s current government into one religious category. He said those are distinct: a people, a biblical concept, a modern state with elections and borders, and a temporary political coalition whose policies can be judged.

He said Christian Zionists often cite Genesis 12, including the line “I will bless those who bless you,” as a mandate to support Israel. Abraham countered that the wider biblical account links Abraham’s promise to blessing “all the families of the earth” and that biblical prophets confronted Israel’s rulers over injustice rather than shielding them from criticism.

Abraham pointed to signs of changing opinion among American Christians. A Pew Research Center survey published in April found that 60 percent of US adults held an unfavourable view of Israel. In the same survey, 48 percent of Protestants and 61 percent of Catholics said they viewed Israel negatively.

White evangelicals remain among Israel’s strongest supporters, according to Abraham, but Pew found 32 percent of white evangelicals held unfavourable views of Israel, up from 26 percent in 2025. Abraham said many evangelicals he has met are questioning whether support for Israel has been confused with faithfulness to Scripture.

He cited conversations after his February appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, saying evangelical pastors and leaders contacted him after hearing a Palestinian Christian describe occupation, settlement growth, military control and daily humiliation in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Jerusalem, Taybeh and Gaza.

Abraham also described Urbana 25, a Christian youth conference in Phoenix attended by 7,000 students and leaders, where he appeared with Aaron Abramson, CEO of Jews for Jesus. Abraham said students later thanked him for speaking about Palestinians and for showing that concern for Israelis and Palestinians need not be in competition.

He argued that Christians can oppose antisemitism, reject anti-Muslim hatred, grieve the October 7 attacks, condemn violence and still refuse to justify the destruction of Gaza or the permanent dispossession of Palestinians.

Abraham said Palestinian Christians are paying a direct price for this theology. He said the Israeli army has killed Christians and bombed churches in Gaza, while church leaders have warned of settler attacks in the West Bank. He also cited the Rossing Center, which documented 155 violent incidents against Christians and Christian property in the Holy Land in 2025.

Abraham said Christians who want to support people in the Holy Land should oppose injustice against all communities and listen to the churches living there.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.