What's so special? A good chunk of the US population believes the Israelis were literally chosen by God over 2000 years ago to occupy that piece of land, and they're obligated to do whatever they can to help them.
> A good chunk of the US population believes the Israelis were literally chosen by God
There is more to it, not only that but they believe that the Jewish state of Israel is needed for Jesus to return to earth.
This belief comes from Thessalonians 2:1-4
"1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. 4 He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God."
So the "temple" is required for the anti-Christ to arise, and for Jesus to return.
Now as to if that actually means the physical Third Temple of Solomon... this is up for theological debate. Some Church Fathers held that the anti-Christ would indeed arise from a physical Third Temple. While other Church Fathers held that the 3rd Temple in Christianity was technically the Church, and so the anti-Christ would arise from her.
Either way, if you side with the first view there is no qualification for a state to be present in order to rebuild the physical Third Temple.
Protestant Evangelicals in America by and large take the first stance I mentioned, and are pretty stalwart in their belief the State of Israel is the vehicle through which this will be achieved.
references to a Temple involve a holy Temple that is not possible on this Earth, also coinciding with physical structures that make it possible to emerge?
Evangelical beliefs and others start to be more of a political topic, subject to survey? A basis of the practice is that it is done in the open and lawfully, so Church leaders might be fairly plain about what they actually believe, when asked?
The same chunk of population "should" (??) think that the Israeli ancestors killed Jesus, and that the Jews will go to hell if they don't accept Jesus as their savior - so - people are weird.
Surprisingly, it's internally consistent. Evangelical Christians don't support Israel because they like the people who live there. Instead, they support Israel because, based on their interpretation of Revelation 20, they believe that Israel must be rebuilt or restored as part of God's plan for the end times.
This story does not end well for Israel or the people who live there.
They do; they have other theological reasons for supporting the State of Israel, despite often not being very well inclined toward the Jewish people or Judaism as a religion.
I am not no expert on the American evangelical version of Christianity so happy to hear better explanations, but not all evangelicals believe the same things so I do not think there is a reason to say they "should" believe those things. The argument that God's covenant with the Jews is still in effect implies the opposite, if anything.
Well in that case they "should" also believe that Jesus was Jewish just like the Israelis of today, no?
If Israelis are blamed for killing him they should also be praised for creating him.
There is more to it, not only that but they believe that the Jewish state of Israel is needed for Jesus to return to earth.
This belief comes from Thessalonians 2:1-4
"1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. 4 He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God."
So the "temple" is required for the anti-Christ to arise, and for Jesus to return.
Now as to if that actually means the physical Third Temple of Solomon... this is up for theological debate. Some Church Fathers held that the anti-Christ would indeed arise from a physical Third Temple. While other Church Fathers held that the 3rd Temple in Christianity was technically the Church, and so the anti-Christ would arise from her.
Either way, if you side with the first view there is no qualification for a state to be present in order to rebuild the physical Third Temple.
Protestant Evangelicals in America by and large take the first stance I mentioned, and are pretty stalwart in their belief the State of Israel is the vehicle through which this will be achieved.