The Republican Party supports Israel so much because of several reasons, such as the increasing influence of the evangelical Christians, the strategic foreign policy positions of neoconservatism, and partisanship, which increases with time. Due to this coincidence, pro-Israel sentiments have become a crucial conservative belief of the GOP. Republican and Democratic opinions on Israel tended to be similar, yet a massive shift that occurred around 1988 created the contemporary partisan disparity.
Whereas in the late 1990s that number was slightly more than 50 percent, in 2018, eight out of ten Republicans declared they sympathized more with Israel than the Palestinians. The gap is wide: 83 percent of the Republicans view Israel positively, as opposed to 33 percent of the Democrats, and 75 percent of the Republicans back Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as opposed to a mere 21 percent.
The foreign policy prevailing today in the Republican Party, as well as its political identity includes a persistent and strong attitude to support Israel. This alignment used to be not so pronounced though. A mix of strategic thinking, electoral matters, ideological transformation, and religious beliefs has made GOP the most steadfastly pro-Israel party in American politics since the past several decades.
Key drivers of Republican support for Israel
Strong affiliations of evangelical conservatives with Israel are a significant factor in the pro-Israel stand of the Republican Party. Lots of evangelicals believe that they have to be in firm support of Israel as a religious imperative and that Jews are God’s people. At the point revealed by President Donald Trump in his statement to evangelicals, mere love of Israel means that a Jewish individual or a person of Israel to votes Democratic is impossible. The religious affiliation forms a major part of the Republican Party coalition.
- The neoconservative movement is also very important in convincing the Republican leaders that conservatism should rest on the pro-Israel stance. When talking about foreign policy, conservatives tend to defend Israel as being close friend, a democratically legitimate country in the Middle East, and a counter to terrorism. Republicans emphasize that pro-Israel positions will suit the interests of the US and demonstrate support for an important friend.
- Partisan split on what stance to take in support of Israel is another issue that is driven by political forces. Republican candidates tend to attempt to demonstrate to the electorate that they are more sympathetic to Israel than their opponents are. In circumstances such as campaigning to support Israel by sending them aid, voting against resolutions against Israel in the UN, and making Jerusalem the Capital of Israel, this is so. This strong pro-Israel position has been reflected more and more in the Republican Party platform, which has even dropped support for a two-state solution in favor of direct talks. According to some commentators, the Republican Party views this close alliance as advantageous in the political arena.
- Republicans’ support for Israel, according to some theories, is linked to a perceived alignment of ideals. Though frequently presented as support for democracy and human rights, other viewpoints suggest that some Republicans’ sympathy for Israel stems from a common goal for an “ethnic democracy,” in which one religious and ethnic community has structural privileges. According to this perspective, there is a similarity between the Jewish state of Israel and the aspirations of certain Republicans for America to become a white, Judeo-Christian nation. Republicans frequently cite Israel’s democratic qualities and ability to withstand criticism as justifications for their backing.
The biblical connection to Israel
A glimpse of the biblical connection between Israel and evangelical Christians can be found in conservative news outlets. Robert Jeffress, a Fox News contributor and Baptist preacher, recently spoke to the network on the parallels he believes exist between biblical end-times prophecies and the ongoing conflict. “The Bible predicts the final world conflict will happen on the plain of Megiddo in Israel when the superpowers assemble to do battle,” he said. “Well, it’s clear to me now how a local dispute might swiftly turn into a global one. And one day, that will occur.”
A good number of Christians believe that the situation at the end of the world is real and mainly Pentecostals and fundamentalists. Additionally, many of the evangelicals believe in the so-called Abrahamic Covenant with the idea that God promised Abraham and his descendants the territories of what is today Israel and the Palestinian territories. Speaking to Southern Baptist publisher LifeWay, eight in ten evangelicals surveyed in 2017 responded that it was God who made a promise to Abraham and his descendants, which would last forever, and seven in ten that Jewish people had a historic right to the land of Israel.
The conservative Christian group Moral Majority became increasingly active in top Republican politics in the 1980s. Rev. Jerry Falwell, the organization’s founder, had access to Israeli prime ministers and regarded Israel as one of its main concerns. All of this occurred at the same time that the parties kept sorting out their constituents, with white evangelicals eventually becoming a significant portion of the Republican base, which they still are today. When President Trump acknowledged Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocated the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a city claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians, he was playing to evangelical sentiments.
Political back support
Nevertheless, religious differences are not the only factor contributing to party divisions over Israel and the Palestinian territories. Conservative elites in the United States, for instance, would have identified with equally conservative Israeli authorities. “Israel has primarily had right-of-center governments since the victory of [former Prime Minister Menachem] Begin in 1977. According to Elliott Abrams, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who has been in three Republican administrations, including Trump’s, “it does now, until the formation of a national unity government.” Furthermore, neoconservatives, who dominated the Republican Party in the 1970s and beyond, found Israel significant because it was a strong democracy in the Middle East.
One major factor dividing American views on Israel and Palestine is partisanship, but experts also pointed out that there is a clear age gap in the country: younger Americans are typically less pro-Israel than their elders. Young Republicans and even young evangelicals are part of that age gap. Therefore, although Israel and the Republican Party are currently linked, this will not always be the case.
In what ways does the Israel lobby, like AIPAC, sway Republican political support?
AIPAC continues to come after candidates, including those in the Republican Party, who are deemed not supportive of Israel. It has contributed to primary campaigns that target Republicans and Democrats who are thought to be antagonistic or critical of Israel’s interests. AIPAC, for instance, has spent millions to unseat candidates who backed Palestinian causes or opposed strict Israeli policy. This focused political action reinforces party allegiance on this subject by making it abundantly evident to lawmakers that their career chances are dependent on their position toward Israel. To encourage close ties and ongoing participation, AIPAC uses a system of “key contacts” to pair powerful members with members of Congress. Even with more reticent lawmakers, AIPAC can keep direct lines of communication thanks to this network. AIPAC also organizes well-orchestrated, fully paid trips to Israel to cement the bond of lawmakers, opinion leaders, and Israel and restore confidence in their pro-Israel policy. Over 100 members of Congress also visited Israel through such programs in 2005 alone, and repeat visits were made by some members.
End up
The Israel lobby, led by AIPAC, wields its influence by electoral interventions, expensive cash donations, building rapport initiatives, leadership training programs, and covert lobbying in foreign policies, to win Republican political backing. This multifaceted policy will forever compel that the support of Israel will be one of the most essential and inviolable elements of the Republic political identity and legislative agendas.
