American and Israeli reports revealed the increasing pressures exerted by Christians in the United States to support the complete control of the Israeli occupation over the West Bank.

The New York Times reported that evangelicals who voted for Donald Trump during his presidency intensified their efforts to persuade him to allow "Israel" to exercise sovereignty over the West Bank, based on what they believe to be a "divine covenant" with the Jews. The newspaper added that prominent Christian figures, such as Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, and Mario Bramnick, recently visited Jerusalem to express their public support for the occupation's control over the West Bank. Moreover, Trump's evangelical allies launched extensive lobbying campaigns, which included submitting petitions to the White House and rallying support within Congress.

The organization "American Christian Leaders for Israel" (ACLI) issued a statement directed at Trump during the National Religious Broadcasters Conference in Dallas, Texas. The statement affirmed that the Jewish people have a continuous historical and scriptural connection to Judea and Samaria. The statement, signed by about 200 senior American Christian leaders, added that the Jewish presence in the West Bank has brought tangible blessings to the region, ignoring the crimes and violations committed by the occupation against the Palestinians.

Read also: The West Bank: The Dispersive Annexation of Sovereignty

Friends of Zion" ... the evangelical arm to support the occupation.

In this context, the organization "Friends of Zion," which is an influential group of American Christians founded by evangelical journalist Mike Evans, plays a pivotal role in promoting Christian support for Zionism. The organization is based in Jerusalem and promotes Christian Zionism through a museum that showcases stories of non-Jewish figures who supported "Israel." It receives official support from prominent "Israeli" politicians, including prime ministers, and its membership is expected to reach around 30 million by 2025, according to a report by Al Jazeera Net.

In statements reflecting the extent of blind support for the Zionist project, Pastor Mario Bramanik, president of the "Latin Alliance for Israel," said, "I literally feel that God is giving 'Israel' a blank check."

This statement came during his recent visit to Jerusalem, as part of a prominent evangelical delegation that publicly calls for the takeover of the West Bank, which they refer to as "Judea and Samaria.

The New York Times noted that evangelical groups see the imposition of "Israeli" sovereignty over the West Bank as a reinforcement of the fulfillment of biblical promises that, according to their beliefs, encompass the end of the world and the second coming of Christ.

In the same context, Terry Copeland Pearsons, the president of Texas Bible College, urged the Trump administration to remove all obstacles to Israel's complete control over the West Bank during the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Texas.

Just before the American Christian Leaders for Israel officially announced their position, Republican Representative Claudia Tenney, along with five other members of the "Friends of Judea and Samaria" caucus in Congress, sent a message to Trump urging him to recognize Israel's right to assert its sovereignty over the region. She considered this part of defending the Judeo-Christian heritage upon which America was built.

A report by the Hebrew newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" stated that hundreds of American Christian leaders directly urged Trump to acknowledge the rights of Jews in the West Bank.

The newspaper quoted David Parsons, Vice President of the "International Christian Embassy" in Jerusalem, saying: "It is time for a new approach, where we, as Christians, join the people of 'Israel' and encourage them to reclaim their sovereignty and rights over Judea and Samaria.

See : How does the occupation accelerate the annexation of the West Bank?

Divergence within the entity regarding evangelical support.

On his part, Meir Ouziel wrote in "Yedioth Ahronoth," commenting: How should we, as "Israelis," respond to this explicit evangelical support? He pointed out that there are "Israelis" who fear the repercussions of annexing the West Bank, while settlers welcome it.

He added: We must get used to this love towards us and realize that there are hundreds of millions around the world who support the success of the Zionist project in our homeland.

This increasing American Christian support comes at a time when the chances of establishing a Palestinian state are diminishing, especially after the Zionist aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023, and the rising tension in the West Bank.

Thus, American evangelicals continue to play their role as one of the most radical supporters of "Israeli" policies, surpassing even some of the Zionist political circles themselves.

Read also : 7 steps taken by the occupation to annex the West Bank

_______________________________

Read the article in Arabic