ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) 鈥 When John McCain was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, he was forced to reject megachurch pastor John Hagee鈥檚 endorsement after a sermon surfaced that was derided as antisemitic.
But as the 2024 campaign for the White House intensifies, Hagee and his organization, Christians United for Israel, are welcome presences within the GOP.
Hagee and CUFI hosted several presidential contenders at their annual summit in suburban Washington this week, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence. They all pledged fierce loyalty to Israel and were unified in criticizing President Joe Biden as weak.
The event 鈥 and Hagee鈥檚 prominent role in it 鈥 was a reminder of how the GOP鈥檚 further embrace of Christian Zionism has been evolving from the fringe to the mainstream for years, especially after Donald Trump鈥檚 presidency reshaped the modus operandi of Republican politics.
CUFI's annual summit has become a regular stop for Republicans wishing to showcase their pro-Israel and conservative Christian bona fides to the mostly white evangelical audience.
As Israel experiences a , support for its government has become key in courting the white evangelical Republican base, many of whom believe the state of Israel and its Jewish people fulfill biblical prophecy.
Former President Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner, was not in attendance. According to CUFI, Trump was not invited to this year鈥檚 summit, though he has been in the past.
While in office, Trump offered policies that were popular among American Christian Zionists and Israeli religious-nationalists, including to Jerusalem and supporting Jewish settlements in occupied territories to the detriment of Palestinian hopes for statehood.
On his Truth Social platform last year, Trump wrote, 鈥淣o President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S.鈥
Most remain staunch Democratic voters and critical of the former president, including his ties to extremists. Amid rising antisemitism, Trump hosted a last fall with two outspoken antisemites.
The partisan rift has extended to Israel 鈥 with Republicans holding far more favorable views of the country than Democrats, according to .
Other GOP candidates have been laying the groundwork to be the Christian Zionist choice in 2024. Senator Tim Scott, who has spoken at previous CUFI summits but did not this year, has pushed measures against antisemitism in Congress.
DeSantis made a repeat visit to Jerusalem in April to speak and meet with Israeli leaders. 鈥淭he Bible comes to life when you鈥檙e in Israel,鈥 he told the 1,200 attendees at this year鈥檚 CUFI summit on Monday
DeSantis noted his work while in Congress to relocate the U.S. embassy. Hagee told attendees he met DeSantis for the first time when it opened in 2018.
and Haley, who both headlined the summit, tout their records on Israel under the Trump administration in which they served. They have highlighted their pro-Israel policies while carefully distancing themselves from Trump, whose name Haley avoided in her CUFI speech and Pence mentioned only briefly in reference to the 鈥渕ost pro-Israel administration鈥 in American history.
They also have cultivated ties with Hagee for years and been regulars at CUFI events. Pence made an appearance at Hagee鈥檚 Cornerstone Church in San Antonio in January. Haley invited Hagee to give the opening prayer at her presidential campaign launch in February.
In 2008, McCain courted Hagee鈥檚 support but faced criticism over the pastor鈥檚 anti-Catholic and anti-LGBTQ statements. The final straw was audio that McCain called 鈥渃razy and unacceptable鈥 in which Hagee described Hitler as a hunter sent by God to get Jewish people 鈥渢o come back to the land of Israel.鈥
鈥淩epublican politics have changed dramatically since 2008 so the boundaries of what gets one disqualified from the conversation are way looser,鈥 said Daniel Hummel, author of 鈥淐ovenant Brothers: Evangelicals, Jews, and U.S.-Israeli Relations,鈥 in an email to The Associated Press. 鈥淢ore to the point, CUFI has close to 20 years of demonstrated effectiveness in DC, and claims 10 million-plus members, which I鈥檓 sure the candidates understand as politically useful.鈥
This year鈥檚 CUFI event comes as have engulfed Israel, and tens of thousands of protesters have been on the streets to push back against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 far-right government. At stake is Netanyahu鈥檚 proposed overhaul of the country鈥檚 judiciary, which critics say would do away with important checks on the prime minister鈥檚 power and push the country toward authoritarianism.
The proposal has also alienated allies overseas. President Joe Biden said in March that he hopes Netanyahu 鈥渨alks away鈥 from the judicial overhaul: 鈥淭hey cannot continue down this road.鈥
Most Republicans have remained unwavering in their support of Netanyahu鈥檚 government.
鈥淛oe Biden needs to stay out of Israel鈥檚 business,鈥 Haley told the CUFI crowd.
Just this week, to meet with him in the U.S. in the fall 鈥 a delay for the traditional visit that would have followed Netanyahu's December election. At the CUFI event, DeSantis called Biden鈥檚 treatment of Netanyahu 鈥渄isgraceful.鈥
Biden is hosting Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House this week during the state of Israel鈥檚 75th anniversary. Herzog is scheduled to speak to a joint session of Congress the day after the CUFI summit ends.
Some progressive Democrats, including Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, have said they will not attend. Pence labeled them and their criticisms of Israel as antisemitic at CUFI: 鈥淭he words by these congresswomen are a disgrace.鈥
鈥淭he problem with CUFI is their understanding of supporting Israel is to back up a right-wing government and back up the occupation 鈥 that鈥檚 not in the best interest of the long-term sustainability of Israel,鈥 said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the CEO of T鈥檙uah, a rabbinic human rights organization based in the U.S.
Jacobs added, 鈥淭hey see Jews as necessary props in their Christian messianic vision. That鈥檚 certainly not being pro-Israel or pro-Jewish.鈥
One of the main criticisms of Christian Zionism is that it鈥檚 predicated on a self-serving theological belief 鈥 that Israel and its Jews are needed for the end times to occur and a Christian messiah to return. CUFI downplays this apocalyptic strand of its movement, even as Hagee鈥檚 own books focus on the end times.
鈥淎s a Jew, that doesn鈥檛 make me uncomfortable at all,鈥 said Josh Reinstein, the Jerusalem-based president of the Israel Allies Foundation. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in Christianity. I don鈥檛 believe the messiah is coming for the second time. Let鈥檚 just focus on what we agree on until the messiah comes and then we鈥檒l decide what happens.鈥
Reinstein鈥檚 organization works to boost ties with pro-Israel politicians around the world, many of them evangelicals. He says faith-based outreach to Christians is 鈥渢he most important weapon Israel has in its diplomatic arsenal.鈥
鈥淭hese are people who are tried and true friends and allies who have shown time and time again that they鈥檙e standing with Israel," Reinstein said. "And I think that Israel has a duty to put their hands out in friendship as well.鈥
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