How did the Israeli narrative unravel within American churches and institutions?

Israel is a country in the Middle East, established as a modern state in 1948 following a United Nations partition plan. It is a historic homeland for the Jewish people, with deep cultural and religious roots spanning millennia, and contains significant sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, such as Jerusalem’s Old City.

The term “Western politics” broadly refers to the political traditions, institutions, and ideologies that originated in Europe and were developed further in nations like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Its history is deeply rooted in concepts from ancient Greece and Rome, such as democracy and republicanism, and was profoundly shaped by later movements including the Enlightenment, liberalism, and the development of constitutional governments. This framework emphasizes individual rights, representative democracy, and a separation of powers, though its specific manifestations and interpretations vary significantly across different Western nations.

Protestant churches emerged from the 16th-century Reformation, a movement led by figures like Martin Luther and John Calvin that broke from the Roman Catholic Church over doctrinal and ecclesiastical authority. They are characterized by a focus on scripture, justification by faith, and a variety of denominations, including Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Baptist traditions.

AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is a prominent lobbying group founded in 1951 to advocate for strong U.S.-Israel relations. It works to influence U.S. foreign policy by engaging with Congress and the executive branch to promote bipartisan support for Israel.