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In implied jab at Trump, evangelical pro-Israel leader John Hagee blasts antisemitism and racism among Republicans
(JTA) — Pastor John Hagee, the influential pro-Israel evangelical leader, blasted Republicans for trafficking in “thinly veiled racism” and a “contagious viral strain of anti-American, anti-Christian, and antisemitic politics.”
Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, has long been associated with the pro-Israel right and has praised and endorsed a series of Republican presidential candidates, including Donald Trump. He gave a benediction at the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in 2018, and the following year, five Trump administration officials — including Vice President Mike Pence — spoke at CUFI’s annual conference.
But this year, Hagee distanced himself from Trump, delivering a prayer at the launch of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign. And on Monday, the eve of the Republican primary in New Hampshire, he published an op-ed in the Christian Post containing implied jabs at Trump, whom he did not mention by name.
“Multiple would-be Republican standard bearers consistently appeal to the worst in their audience by trafficking in thinly veiled racism while cynically trampling on our Constitution,” he wrote. “Likewise, faith is not ornamental, and the Word of God is not a political prop.”
He continued, “It is far from unprecedented for people to be led astray by those promising an unrealistic view of a nostalgic past, but when this nostalgia is rooted in insult, racism and antisemitism, it is fundamentally un-American and most assuredly evil.”
Hagee has long aimed his rhetorical fire at Democrats, and the piece also criticizes that party at length, including President Joe Biden. “Socialists and authoritarians are on the precipice of taking over both of America’s political parties” Hagee wrote. He added, “I fundamentally disagree with most mainstream Democratic policies.”
But even when naming Biden, who Hagee said “failed to save his party from the perils of socialism,” Hagee took a veiled swipe at Trump and his baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged: “President Biden was duly elected,” Hagee wrote.
Trump and his allies have championed the rioters who sought to overturn Biden’s 2021 election, and Trump has recently said immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of the country, language that resembles phrases in “Mein Kampf,” by Adolf Hitler. At a rally in December, Trump denied plagiarizing Hitler and said he had never read the book.
Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, is the last remaining serious challenger to Trump in the primary and has staked her campaign on a strong showing in New Hampshire. She has drawn support from establishment Jewish Republicans who want to see an alternative to Trump and favor her interventionist foreign policy and robust embrace of Israel. Haley spoke last year at CUFI’s annual Washington conference.
In his piece, Hagee singled out the GOP in his home state for condoning antisemitism by rejecting a ban on associating with Nazi sympathizers and Holocaust deniers. Referring to that rejection, Hagee wrote, “To add insult to injury, the vote on this resolution was taken in secret, effectively reserving the party’s right to collaborate with Nazis.”
CUFI is one of the biggest and most influential right-wing pro-Israel lobbies on the federal and state level. It has led efforts to pass state laws targeting the movement to boycott Israel, and on the federal level was one of the first groups to lobby for the successful effort to link funding Palestinian institutions to cutting off payments for families of terrorists.
In addition to leading CUFI, Hagee is the founder of Cornerstone Church and of Hagee Ministries, a charitable organization that directs millions of dollars to Israeli charities, including some in West Bank settlements.
Hagee endorsed the late Republican Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential election but withdrew his endorsement when some of his past remarks drew scrutiny, including comments suggesting Adolf Hitler was fulfilling the words of the Bible, and a reference to the Catholic Church as “the great whore” — remarks for which he later apologized. He has also made anti-Muslim statements.
His statements havre continued to spark controversy. A contingent of dovish pro-Israel groups objected to his having a speaking role at the massive pro-Israel Washington rally in November, in part because of his incendiary rhetoric about LGBTQ people.
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The post In implied jab at Trump, evangelical pro-Israel leader John Hagee blasts antisemitism and racism among Republicans appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.