Christian Zionism as a New Colonial Project in Africa

Today, Africa’s support for the Palestinian struggle is being steadily undermined by Israel’s efforts to build alliances on the continent and to spread Zionist ideology through Christian denominations.

Roughly 700 million Christians live in Africa. Sadly, a large share of African Christians either back Israel or feel sympathy for Zionism. The theological force behind much of this support is Christian Zionism.

Christian Zionism is a doctrine with roots stretching back to the Protestant Reformation in Britain. According to its theology, Christians should support the existence of a Jewish state because Jews are God’s chosen people. Christian Zionists firmly believe that, according to God’s plan, Jews will return to the Promised Land and—by establishing a “Greater Israel”—ultimately dominate the world.

Palestinian Christian theologian Munteer Isaac argues that Christian Zionism is more than a theological belief about Israel and the Jews: it is “an imperial theology and a political movement.”

Isaac says: “In Genesis 12:1-3, the Lord God vows that He will bless those who bless Israel and the Jewish  people, and curse those who curse them.” What amazes me is that Gen. 12:1-3 does not actually mention Israel. It is about Abraham. This verse comes in the midst of a glorious mandate to Abraham to become a blessing to the nations – a  mandate that was eventually fulfilled in Jesus, who is Abraham’s seed according to Paul, when he died on the cross. How was this glorious promise turned into the recipe of foreign policy today towards a secular state?” He argues the Bible is being misread to justify political aims.

Israel–Africa relations: Zionism seeps into the continent

Soon after Israel’s establishment in 1948, newly independent African states were identified as potential allies, and Jerusalem moved to build closer ties with many of them. Israel opened its first African consulate in Accra in 1956, and by the late 1960s—under the direction of then–foreign minister (and later prime minister) Golda Meir—Israeli–African relations experienced a golden era.

Sharon Bar-Lee, a former Israeli ambassador to Ghana, once put it succinctly: “Israel has two big brands in Ghana: Golda Meir and Jesus.” That remark underlined how important Christianity's influence has been for Israel’s public image in parts of Africa.

Positive public sympathy toward Israel—fueled by Evangelical movements in countries like Ghana—helped restore formal ties between Ghana and Israel in 2011 after a decades-long break. A 2014 BBC World Service poll found that respondents most sympathetic to Israel’s global image included people in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and the United States.

However, following the massacres and wars of 1967 and 1973, many African states severed relations with Israel.

Since then, U.S.-based Christian Zionist organizations cooperating with the Israeli government have poured significant resources into spreading Zionism across Africa. In exchange for diplomatic backing in international forums, Israel has offered security assistance and military and humanitarian aid to a number of African countries.

Christian Zionism now plays an important role in Israel’s public diplomacy in Africa and shapes its relationships with African leaders. Prominent pastors from Nigeria and Ghana visit Israel and urge their congregations to support the state.

Why do Africans embrace Christian Zionism?

Tanzanian academic Samweli S. Mhajida points out an ironic dynamic: many Africans interpret Zionism through their own longing to escape marginalization and colonial domination. For them, Zionism becomes entangled with a theology of liberation: Israel is seen as a religious symbol of hope and deliverance from oppression.

Consequently, supporting Jews and the state of Israel is equated with siding with God; those who bless Israel are believed to be blessed by God. This theology—one that leaves Israel’s existence and policies beyond criticism—provides fertile ground for Israel’s diplomatic outreach in Africa.

Structural drivers: money, missions, and geopolitics

According to Anglican priest and author Stephen Sizer: “Christian Zionism dominates in Africa because many churches depend on funding from the United States. The logic goes: if my church gets money from America, my theology should align with theirs. African denominations financed by U.S. Zionist Christians largely support Israel’s racist and colonial policies toward Palestinians. This is where slavery and racism take hold. You see, Zionism is strong in the southern parts of the U.S., where the legacy of slavery is most entrenched.”

Pentecostalism—because it often teaches that those who bless Israel will be blessed—has been especially receptive to pro-Israel theologies. Israel has benefited from the rapid spread of Pentecostal movements across Africa, even as those movements face criticism from other religious circles.

Marthie Momberg, a researcher at Nelson Mandela University, warns that Zionism “is not limited to the geopolitical concerns of Israel and Palestine. Nor is it simply a matter of systemic racial discrimination against Arabs or an attempt to create a haven for Jews. As a project of neo-colonialism, Zionism transcends the borders of Israel-Palestine into other realms, including Africa and its churches. Many countries may foster ties with others to pursue their agendas on the international stage, but the State of Israel may be the only national entity today to have infiltrated Christian beliefs for more than seven decades to rationalise gross human rights violations. To accept Israel’s development aid, trade deals and military agreements without regard of the cost of doing so, normalises the systematic oppression of the Palestinians. It also violates the continent’s spirituality that seeks authentic interpersonal, communal, religious and material well-being. The gains of partnerships with a state that occupies and oppresses another people return the shackles of slavery and the clamps of colonialism through a religious endorsement of neo-imperialism and apartheid. It is as if Christ is crucified again – this time in Africa.”

Conclusion

The spread of Christian Zionism in Africa reflects Israel’s efforts to strengthen alliances on the continent and to cultivate theological support for Zionist aims. Many African Christian leaders and states inclined to back Israel can still be reached by exposing the weak theological foundations of Christian Zionism and showing how certain biblical passages are being misinterpreted.

If churches and believers recognize that these readings are political appropriations rather than sound theological exegesis, the tide of uncritical support for Israel could be challenged.

Sources & further reading:

This article was orignially published in Independent Türkçe, on January 10, 2024.

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