Listen Live on KKFI
Every Friday at 9:30amAbout the Show
Understanding Israel Palestine
This show is inspired by Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, a local group that has advocated for 20 years for a fair and even-handed U.S. foreign policy that recognizes the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis. Our program offers interviews with journalists, scholars, policy experts and activists to offer multiple perspectives, and to clarify the underlying issues that are often obscured by headline news.
The Rev. Dr. Robert Smith joined the program this week to discuss his scholarly work on Christian Zionism and his activism for Palestinian liberation. An enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Smith lived in Palestine for several years working for the University of Notre Dame before returning to the United States, where he is currently Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Texas, specializing in religious history, Indigenous studies, and critical race studies. Our conversation began with a discussion about the intersection between Smith’s work in Palestine and his Indigenous identity before we defined and dissected the phenomenon of Christian Zionism. Smith then articulated the tenets of Palestinian liberation theology, the most substantial critique of Christian Zionism. Finally, we discussed the broader frame of settler colonialism and Indigenous solidarity with Palestinians.
