The US Ambassador to Israel has pushed back against claims by church leaders in Jerusalem that Christian Zionism is sowing confusion and disunity in the Holy Land.
In a statement on social media site X, Mike Huckabee said labels such as “Christian Zionism” are too often used to disparage evangelical and free-church believers.
And he said he found it difficult to understand why everyone who calls themselves “Christian” would not also be a Zionist.
Huckabee was responding to the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem who issued a statement earlier this week claiming outside political and ideological interference was "sowing confusion and misleading the flock." They said some Israeli policies, such as land confiscation and settlement expansion, are accelerating the erosion of one of the world’s oldest continuous Christian communities.
Huckabee said he respected the views of his “brothers and sisters in Christ from traditional, liturgical churches and respect their views, but I do not feel any sect of the Christian faith should claim exclusivity in speaking for Christians worldwide or assume there is only one viewpoint regarding faith in the Holy Land."
He described himself as part of a growing evangelical tradition that believes in the authority of scripture and the faithfulness of God in keeping his covenants, including the covenant with Abraham and the Jewish people.
He added: “Christians are followers of Christ and a Zionist simply accepts that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient, indigenous, and Biblical homeland. It’s hard for me to understand why everyone who takes on the moniker ‘Christian’ would not also be a Zionist.”
In a call for unity, Huckabee said: “In my faith, there is certainly room for those who “butter their bread” differently than me, and I would hope that there would be room in the hearts of other church bodies for me.”
Many evangelicals support Christian Zionism as a religious and political movement supporting the State of Israel. However, other Christians have levelled criticism against Israel's actions. Last year, Fr Bashar Fawadleh, the Roman Catholic parish priest of Taybeh, said his community were alarmed when settlers lit fires near the church and cemetery.
“We were shocked, but more than 20 young people rushed with me to the site and managed to extinguish the fire, while they just stood by and watched,” he told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Responding to Huckerbee’s post, one X user pointed out that the Patriarchs’ statement was not exclusively from non-evangelical churches, as the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan & the Holy Land was a co-signatory.