References to prophecies, the Bible and the Torah flood the pro-Israel narrative in the Palestine-Israel conflict. Seeking justification for the massacre of civilians in the Palestinian territories, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu often invokes religion. No Abrahamic religion sanctions the atrocities Israel has engaged in the past month but for Netanyahu and his supporters, including those in the United States, this is almost a “holy war.”
In the latest instance of his speech peppered with religious references on Oct. 30, Netanyahu claimed that the Bible says, “There is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war,” as the death toll amid Palestinian civilians slaughtered in the Israeli attacks exceeded 10,000 since Oct. 7.
While European countries do not care much about Netanyahu’s religious references while throwing unwavering support for Israel’s atrocities, some Christian groups and “Zionists” feel they have a like-minded politician in their faith in Armageddon. Evangelicals in the United States, for instance, sided with the Israeli government, almost relishing the bloodshed that would only accelerate Armageddon and thus, the second coming of Jesus Christ in their faith.
One of the first instances of Netanyahu’s reference to religion following the new round of Israel’s attacks on Gaza was when he invoked Isaiah's prophecy. “Violence shall no more be heard in your land, desolation nor destruction within your borders. You shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise,” he said in direct reference to the prophecy.
Although a right-wing leader, Netanyahu has been a representative of a secular ideology in Israeli politics for a long time. But his past statements, long before the Oct. 7 conflict began, indicate he is keen on prophecies. Back in 2018, while addressing a Christian event, he highlighted Biblical prophecies were “happening fast” and referred to a brief history of Israel where “exiles returned to the Promised Land, built Zion and the reunited eternal capital Jerusalem.”
Certainly, a veteran politician like Netanyahu knows how to navigate the murky situation it brought his country into. Unshaken by lengthy protests against his rule before the Palestine-Israel conflict broke out, Netanyahu slowly but surely pushed a false religious agenda to rectify his image at home and abroad as he ordered the indiscriminate killing of civilians. As a matter of fact, they are not the ramblings of an unstable religious fanatic but a PR campaign to gain the support of Christian and Jewish communities all around the world.
As countries like Türkiye and Iran warn that the conflict may spread across the region, this may indeed be the intent of Evangelicals and their ally Netanyahu. Netanyahu found an ally thousands of kilometers away from Israel, in megachurches, in the halls of the House of Representatives and beyond, in the United States.
A few weeks after the Oct. 7 conflict erupted, some 90 prominent pastors and religious leaders of Evangelical groups issued a joint statement to support Israel. Evangelicals have more prominent support among Republicans although U.S. politicians appear united in their fervent endorsement of Israeli aggression. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, evoked his “Jewishness” as he traveled to Israel to voice support against Hamas.
John Hagee, a Texas-based evangelist who founded the advocacy group Christians United For Israel (CUFI), was quick to take advantage of the renewed conflict.
Hagee, who hosted Netanyahu several times in CUFI events, was in the company of Israeli diplomats in the United States and prominent Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz as he took to the pulpit in a church in San Antonio, Texas in October and criticized what he believed was the weak response of the United States to the current situation. His son and co-pastor Matt Hagee pointed out that Israel was besieged by biblical enemies with Magog as Russia and Persia as Iran.
Evangelicals, also known as Christian Zionists, believe a second coming will take place in Israel. Among their members is Mike Johnson, speaker of the United States House of Representatives who told an event of the Republican Jewish Coalition that the Bible “teaches very clearly that we are to stand with Israel.”
“God is not done with America yet, and I know he’s not done with Israel,” he added. For Evangelicals, the foundation of Israel by Jews “returning their home” is the beginning of a process toward a seven-year Armageddon preceding the second coming.
Evangelicals support any action to accelerate the second coming and believe that six of the “seven plagues” that will precede the second coming are already happening and the Earth should be ready for the seventh one, the Armageddon, that will take place in the region covering Israel and Palestine.
Professor Mehmet Şahin, a lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and international relations expert with a focus on the Middle East, says Netanyahu’s frequent religious references are merely a maneuver to garner support as he needed support and justification “both at home and in front of the international community.”
Şahin noted that “The Promised Land” narrative has always been a part of Israel, even in secular segments of the society. He also pointed out that the same faith was shared by Evangelicals in the United States.
On the risk of the conflict spreading to a wider region, Şahin said it may be the case indeed. “Israel is a state founded without a defined border. Indeed, it is the only member of the United Nations without a clear border.”
Şahin recalled that the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 was the result of the Israeli prime minister’s signing of the Oslo Accords and specifically, opposition to defining a border for Israel. Rabin’s act was viewed by some Israelis as a concession to Palestinians or giving away Israeli lands as one prominent rabbi said back in 2005.
