Overview
- On Jan. 17, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem called Christian Zionism a “damaging ideology” and asserted that the apostolic churches alone represent Christians in the Holy Land.
- The statement warned that activities by local proponents, welcomed by political actors in Israel and abroad, risk harming the region’s Christian presence and constitute interference in church life.
- The timing followed a December visit by roughly 1,000 U.S. evangelical pastors organized by Friends of Zion with Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which the letter appeared to reference without naming.
- U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee publicly rejected any claim of exclusivity, defended Christian Zionism as support for Jewish self-determination grounded in Scripture, and urged respect for diverse Christian views.
- Christian Zionist leaders and groups, including Mike Evans, Christians United for Israel, and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, dismissed the Patriarchs’ critique as the rift widened without any reported policy changes.