Lines in the Sand

How did the State of Israel come into being, and why does it continue to enjoy such unwavering political, financial and military support from Western countries, particularly the United States? Written in the aftermath of the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the devastating escalation that followed, Lines in the Sand brings together three penetrating essays that offer rare spiritual perspectives in the context of an historically grounded examination of the seemingly intractable Israel–Palestine conflict.

The opening essay revisits the formation of Israel, focusing on the decisive role played by British and American elites. It studies the democratic legitimacy of international decisions such as the Balfour Declaration and the 1947 UN partition vote, explores contested ideas of a ‘Jewish State’ and a ‘national home’, and traces how imperial strategy, religious ideas and demographic engineering shaped Palestine’s fate.

The second and third essays examine the deeper origins and extraordinary influence of so-called ‘Christian Zionism’. Tracing its roots from medieval proto-Protestant movements through the Reformation to modern American fundamentalism, Terry Boardman shows how apocalyptic theology, millenarian expectations and dispensationalist beliefs evolved into a powerful political force. He explains how this movement has shaped US foreign policy, sustained massive military aid to Israel, and helped determine events in the Middle East for more than seven decades.

Informed by the work of Rudolf Steiner, these essays offer a challenging account of how theology, empire and power converged to shape one of the most enduring struggles of the modern world.