How exactly do they plan to promote the IAF’s theological agenda? Will they schedule a meeting with the Archbishop and then start organizing Sunday school classes?
The establishment of the Cypriot branch of the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) by members of parliament from ELAM, DISY, and DIKO (Sotiris Ioannou, Marios Pelekanos, Giorgos Karoullas, Charalambos Petridis, Andreas Apostolou, and Chrysoula Pantelidou) has, quite rightly, sparked strong reactions. The questions concern both the commitments made by these members of parliament and the political context of their collaboration, among other things.
The head of the IAF’s Cypriot branch, Chrysis Pantelidis, made public statements in an attempt to clarify the organization’s objectives and activities. The problem is that the explanations he provided regarding the IAF’s purpose do not align with what the organization itself proclaims.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The IAF aims to promote the interests of the State of Israel in the parliaments of other countries by supporting pro-Israel lawmakers who are committed to advancing Zionism. Its activities, however, are also rooted in a specific religious worldview. More specifically, the IAF identifies itself as a “Judeo-Christian” network, while the diplomacy it promotes (faith-based diplomacy) is grounded in religious faith and has a specific theological agenda.
It is, therefore, puzzling how and why the head of the IAF’s Cypriot branch, DIKO MP Chrysis Pantelidis, said absolutely nothing about this aspect. Is this not a matter of public concern? Did he deliberately conceal it? Did he overlook it? Or has he perhaps not fully grasped the nature of the organization he has undertaken to lead?
Since this is a matter of public interest and since the Greek Cypriot members of parliament in question did not present the full picture of the positions of the organization they represent in Cyprus, let us examine what theological perspective those who participate in the IAF are called upon to support.
The IAF seeks to ground the support Israel receives from foreign parliaments on a specific theological basis. That is why the network targets Christian lawmakers, rather than indiscriminately reaching out to representatives of different religious or worldview perspectives.
Its goal, as evident from the theological approach developed by its president himself, is to convince others that the Jews are indeed God’s chosen people and that the land on which the State of Israel was established belongs to them not merely for political or legal reasons, but because the establishment and existence of the state fulfill the promises that, according to this interpretation, God made to the Jews in ancient times.
The IAF therefore promotes a specific Christian interpretation of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments: the former continues to uphold the promises made to the Jewish people, which are neither nullified nor superseded by the latter. In this regard, the book presents a theological approach associated with evangelical Christian Zionism that differs from other Christian traditions, including the Greek Orthodox tradition.
All of this is described in the book published in 2020 by IAF co-founder and president Josh Reinstein, titled *Titus, Trump, and the Triumph of Israel: The Power of Faith-Based Diplomacy* (Gefen Publishing House). Has Mr. Chryssis Pantelidis read it? What about the other members of parliament?
The IAF president’s theological analysis is, in many respects, problematic: it contains inaccuracies, ambiguities, and interpretive leaps. However, it is precisely through these choices that the political and religious agenda of the IAF president is revealed.
First, Reinstein argues that one of the reasons why some people do not support Israel in the Middle East conflict is based on a “mistake” that must be corrected: they do not view the conflict through the lens of the Bible, that is, the Old Testament (p. 21).[1] If one believes in the Bible (meaning the Old Testament), one will realize that contemporary historical events constitute the fulfillment of prophecies (p. 31).
According to this approach, the “traditional” Churches, including the Greek Orthodox Church, are called upon to reevaluate their theological stance. Reinstein presents them as Churches that believe that, through the New Testament, the Church inherits the promises originally given to the Jews. In contrast, Evangelicals, as he describes them, regard the first covenant between God and the Jewish people as absolute and irreplaceable.
This, however, does not mean that Christians are excluded from God’s chosen people. They, too, can be part of it, as a branch of the Jews, provided they perceive themselves as a “graft” (sic) grafted onto the original, authentic trunk: as “grafts” of the Jews (p. 47).
This interpretation, according to Reinstein, allowed Evangelicals to begin convincing other Christians that whatever happens in the land of Israel constitutes signs that the Jews are indeed God’s chosen people, as stated in the Old Testament (p. 48).
The Jewish people represent God’s presence in the world, uphold the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Israel is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Hebrew Bible. Christians who come to realize this, Reinstein argues, will humbly stand by Israel’s side and support it (p. 103).
This raises some pressing questions for the Greek Cypriot members of parliament. How exactly do they intend to advance the IAF’s theological agenda? Will they first schedule a meeting with the Archbishop and then begin organizing Sunday school classes? Or will they do the opposite?
When will they announce to their Christian voters that the Jews are God’s chosen people, but that there is no cause for concern because, as Christians, they can serve as “grafts” onto the original trunk and be nourished by the same root? As “grafts,” they are indeed a different species that was artificially added later to the original trunk; nevertheless, they too will be nourished by the same root. They will thrive, but only if the “graft” takes.
[1] All references to the book’s pages are my own paraphrases of the original English text.
