TEHRAN — The term "Christian Zionism" refers to a belief among some Christians that supports the flood of the Jews to Israel and the establishment of a Jewish state as part of biblical prophecy.

While it's difficult to provide an exact number of officials who identify as Christian Zionists, various political leaders, especially in the United States, have expressed support for Christian Zionist beliefs.

Prominent figures include some members of Congress, evangelical leaders, and certain political candidates who align with pro-Israel policies. Organizations like the Christian Coalition and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem advocate for Christian Zionist views and have many supporters among political officials.

Some notable evangelical leaders and politicians within the Republican Party who have identified as Christian Zionists or have expressed strong support for Israel are:

Mike Pence, the former Vice President under Donald Trump. Pence has been a vocal supporter of Israel and has often spoken about the biblical significance of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Hagee is a prominent evangelical pastor known for his strong support of Israel and advocacy for Christian Zionism.

Ted Cruz, the U.S. Senator from Texas. He has openly expressed his support for Israel and has aligned himself with Christian Zionist beliefs, often invoking biblical references in his speeches.

Franklin Graham is the son of evangelist Billy Graham. Graham is a prominent Christian leader who has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has promoted Christian Zionist views.

Robert Jeffress - Pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas. He is a well-known evangelical leader who has been a strong advocate for Israel and has described himself as a Christian Zionist. Called a televangelist, he is a Fox News contributor. 

Jerry Falwell Jr., the former president of Liberty University and son of Jerry Falwell Sr. He has been a vocal supporter of Israel and has promoted the idea of Christian Zionism in his public statements.

Michelle Bachmann, the former U.S. Representative from Minnesota. She has been a strong advocate for Israel and has expressed her support for Christian Zionism in various forums. According to TC Jewfolk, she has said, “I have tremendous love for Israel, and great admiration for the Israeli people. I am a Christian, but I consider my heritage Jewish.

“I am a Zionist” 

Some prominent Democrats have also expressed strong support for Israel, though they may not specifically identify as Christian Zionists. A few notable Democrats who have shown a biased stance toward Israel are: 

Former President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and current Senate Minority Leader 

Chuck Schumer; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House after Pelosi from 2003-2023; Dianne Feinstein, the senator from California from 1992 until her death in 2023.

In the early stages of the genocide in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, Biden, meeting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, said, “I don’t believe you have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and I am a Zionist.” 

Of course, not all Jews are Zionist. There is a considerable percentage of Jews around the world who oppose Israel’s apartheid against the Palestinians. 

Like all people of the faith, Jews should be respected. The problem is that Zionism is synonymous with occupation, injustice, and cruelty.

Biden, in his half-century of public life, was a strident supporter of Israel. Though he expressed support for a two-state solution for the decades-long conflict, his support for Israel fell within political and strategic interests.

Hillary Clinton’s support for Israel was unwavering in her political career, especially as senator and chief diplomat. She stated her support for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital during her presidential campaign in 2016. Also, in a speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in March 2016, Hillary said she would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

However, her sworn enemy, Donald Trump, who called her “crooked” as a presidential rival, recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in his first presidency.

Framed conflicts in biblical terms

The United States joined Israel in launching the war of aggression on Iran in June 2025 and again on Feb. 28.  In the case of Iran, much of that backing is rooted in Washington's long-standing regional and strategic interests.

“But within the administration of President Donald Trump and beyond, prominent Christian Zionists have sometimes framed conflicts in the Middle East in biblical terms, invoking scripture to justify support for Israel,” Daniel Tester wrote in Middle East Eye on May 12.

As a political and religious ideology, Christian Zionism not only facilitates the flow of Jews to occupied Palestine but also backs the annexation of neighboring parts of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. 

Though Trump has not openly said he is a Christian Zionist, he is openly surrounded by people with such ideology. Trump’s recognition of Syria’s Golan Heights as part of Israel in his first term meets this biblical ideology. 

In the UK and elsewhere, many politicians were and still are sympathetic to Christian Zionism. Most notably, they included British foreign minister Arthur Balfour, who in 1917 sent the Balfour Declaration, in which Britain pledged support for a Jewish state in Palestine, to Lord Rothschild, a leading Zionist.

The fire that Balfour ignited in the Middle East is still raging, even with a greater speed and many more flames. For example, since the creation of Israel in 1948, the region has not seen a tragedy as horrific as the Gaza genocide so far.

In the U.S., where Christian Zionism is most widespread and influential, 73 million Americans identified as Evangelical Protestants in 2024, according to polling from the Pew Research Center - around 21 percent of the overall population. There were 5.8 million Jews in the U.S. in 2020, according to Pew’s most recent survey.

Christian Zionist Evangelicals have been influential in U.S. policymaking for more than a century. 

In the 1940s, for example, Evangelicals were a central force within the American Christian Palestine Committee, which lobbied for the founding of the state of Israel in Palestine.

Today, key members of the Trump administration are Evangelical Protestants who identify as Christian Zionists, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the current Washington’s Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. 

It is because of this dangerous Christian Zionist ideology that Hegseth has said the aim is for “maximum lethality, not tepid legality” in the war on Iran. Not showing regret for burying 168 school children and staff under rubble with Tomahawk missiles in Minab in southern Iran on the first day of the war fall within this ideology.

It is also because of this ideology that Huckabee said on Feb. 20 that Israel has a biblical right to take over the entire Middle East.

“It would be fine if they took it all,” Huckabee said to Tucker Carlson. 

The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, another Trump ally, is also an Evangelical supporter of Israel, as is Mike Pence.

Christian Zionist televangelists have also served as advisers during the Trump administration, including Paula White-Cain, Trump’s personal spiritual adviser. 

In July 2024, her website stated: “In this pivotal moment in human history, we are called to STAND with ISRAEL! This isn’t about politics; this is about living in harmony with the WORD of God!”