(JNS) Leaders from South Africa’s Pentecostal Christian community told Israeli officials during a recent visit to Israel that Pretoria’s hostile posture toward the Jewish state does not reflect the views of millions of their countrymen.

Nine pastors from the National Pentecostal Forum, an interdenominational umbrella body representing some five million Pentecostal Christians in a country with more than 60 million people, were hosted in Israel in January by the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI).

The delegation met with Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel and other officials, local Christian leaders and journalists, and visited Christian holy sites, the Knesset and the site of the Supernova music festival massacre.

Pastor Tienie Wessels, a South African Pentecostal church leader known for his involvement in Christian Zionist advocacy, told Haskel at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, “Absolutely assuredly, they [the government and its leaders] are not speaking for all South Africans. We are people of God and we love the people of God. We recognize the people of Israel as the people of God and we are one with them. We serve the same God.”

Wessels then asked for forgiveness for the anti-Israel stance taken by the South African government, saying it did not represent Christian Zionists such as the members of the delegation. “They are not speaking on our behalf,” he asserted.

Haskel thanked the delegation, saying, “It means a lot to us. Your government has chosen corruption and money over truth and freedom.”

She added, “This is a time of testing and they failed that test, but we know the people of South Africa and we know the love and we know the friendship. Major things are happening and unfortunately, the people are paying the price for the choices of their government.”

According to SAFI spokesperson Bafana Modise, the participants emphasized during a roundtable discussion that the African National Congress-led government does not speak for them when it comes to Israel.

“They stated unequivocally that the South African government does not represent their views,” Modise said, adding that the delegates rejected Pretoria’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and said it lacked support from many South Africans.

South Africa has emerged as one of Israel’s most vocal critics since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, presenting a genocide case against Israel at the ICJ and adopting a fiercely anti-Israel diplomatic stance.

Delegates told Israeli officials that relations between South African Christians and Israel are rooted in longstanding religious and biblical ties that predate current political tensions. According to SAFI, church leaders stressed that these connections remain strong across multiple Christian denominations in South Africa.

One Pentecostal leader said he keeps an Israeli flag in his bedroom as a reminder to pray daily for Israel, reflecting what participants described as the spiritual significance the Jewish state holds for many South African Christians.

“The delegation made it clear that they love the people of Israel and reject the notion that Pretoria’s foreign policy reflects all South Africans,” Modise said. “They reaffirmed their personal commitment to standing with Israel.”

According to SAFI, participating church leaders returned home with a message of support for Israel, pledging to educate their congregations about the historical, moral and spiritual bonds between South Africa’s Christian community and the Jewish state.

“The visit reaffirmed the growing disconnect between South Africa’s governing elite and its faith-based communities and highlighted that spiritual ties between ordinary people of various faiths ultimately transcend sinister-based politics,” Modise said.

ICEJ responds to criticism of Christian Zionism

At the end of the visit, a Jan. 17 statement by “the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in the Holy Land” sharply criticized Christian Zionism, describing it as a “damaging ideology.”

“Recent activities undertaken by local individuals who advance damaging ideologies, such as Christian Zionism, mislead the public, sow confusion and harm the unity of our flock,” the statement said. “These undertakings have found favor among certain political actors in Israel and beyond who seek to push a political agenda, which may harm the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East.”

In response, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem strongly rejected the characterization, arguing that Christian Zionism is rooted in biblical faith rather than political ideology.

“As Christians, we adhere to a Zionism that is purely biblical in origin, belief, scope and practice,” ICEJ said in a statement, adding that the Jewish return to the Land of Israel reflects God’s faithfulness to covenant promises affirmed in both the Old and New Testaments.

It noted that belief in the restoration of Israel predates modern political movements and has been embraced by Christian figures throughout church history, from the early apostles to contemporary evangelical communities.

The organization cited Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Catholic archbishop emeritus of Vienna, who said Christians should rejoice in the Jewish return to Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. “We could not agree more,” the ICEJ concluded.

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