On Sunday, May 18, thousands of members of Johane the 5th of Africa International Church gathered in Bindura, a mining town some 60 miles north of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, for a special service that celebrated the honoring of their leader, Archbishop Dr. Andby Makururu, with the Palestinian Solidarity Award. 

The award, given on May 7 by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, is in recognition of the African religious leader’s unwavering support for the people of Palestine. Bishop Makururu’s mega church, which has over three million followers in more than a dozen African countries, has taken a position to stand with the people of Palestine, which the leader says means standing on the side of the truth.

“I am humbled by the fact that even in these difficult times they are facing as a result of the ongoing genocide by ‘Israel’, the people of Palestine were able to take time to acknowledge the support that we, their friends, have been giving them. It is really encouraging,” Bishop Makururu told Al Mayadeen English in an interview. 

“As Christian leaders in Africa, we are saying Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem and Bethlehem is in Palestine… if ‘Israel’ wants anything in Palestine, there should always be dialogue, not violence like we are seeing at the moment, that is not a Godly way of resolving differences,” Bishop Makururu added. “The fact that ‘Israel’ is resorting to the use of power, money and violence raises questions about their belief in God because God does not allow the slaughter of innocent people like we are seeing there.”

The award plaque, which is inscribed with: “Holy Land of Palestine Solidarity Award Presented to Commander Bishop Andby Makururu of the Republic of Zimbabwe… Issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine on the occasion of the 77th Anniversary of Alnakba," was handed to Bishop Makururu by the Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Dr. Tamer Almassri. This is the highest order of award given to religious leaders and at the order of the president of Palestine. Bishop Makururu is the second religious leader in Africa to receive this award. This is because he is one of the few Christian leaders on the continent to openly come out in full support of the people of Palestine against the Israeli apartheid occupation.

Years of effort bearing fruit

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Bishop Makururu's relationship with the Palestinians is a result of the years-long investment by the Palestine Embassy in Zimbabwe to improve understanding by locals of the nature of this protracted Palestine-"Israel" struggle by reaching out to churches, educational institutions, the media, political parties, civic society organizations and many other influential groups. 

The local understanding of the Palestine-"Israel" struggle has not been helped by the fact that some 90 percent of Zimbabweans are Christians, making them easily susceptible to Israeli propaganda that seeks to equate the modern "Zionist state" to the Biblical Israel, a twisted narrative that Palestine’s man in Harare, Dr. Almassri, is determined to straighten. For him, when the struggle is making global news headlines, it is also time to educate locals on what exactly is taking place. 

“Unfortunately there is a huge misunderstanding of the reality by people in some (local) churches because Israeli propaganda tries to mislead the world on purpose… to give a false impression that the Israel in the Bible is the same as the ‘Israel’ that was created in 1948… actually it’s a myth,” Dr. Almassri told Al Mayadeen English. “We should understand that the founders of ‘Israel’, the founders of Zionism, the first Prime Minister of ‘Israel’ David Ben-Gurion, the first President of ‘Israel’ Chaim Weizmann and even the founder of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, they were atheists, they didn’t believe in God, but they believe that God gave them Palestine… very strange… they don’t believe in God, they don’t think there is any God, yet they believe that God gave them Palestine, the Holy Land as their Promised Land.. It’s totally a myth and we should understand that as a result of this, the people of Palestine are suffering from Israeli apartheid occupation,” added Dr. Almassri, whose mother was killed in Gaza in December 2023, weeks after the start of the current round of violence. 

Most African Christians take the current political "state of Israel" to be the same as the biblical religious nation of Israel, resulting in them siding with the administration in Tel Aviv even in the face of gross injustices against the Palestinian people, believing it to be an expression of their faith.

To counter this and other false narratives pushed by "Israel", Dr. Almassri regularly holds special lectures in local schools, colleges, and other public forums. The Embassy also has a special relationship with local journalists and has established Palestine Press Clubs at some universities and colleges as part of its outreach efforts to improve local understanding of the conflict in the Middle East. 

“I want to thank the churches in Zimbabwe for supporting the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause,” Dr. Almassri said as an increasing number of church leaders start to appreciate the position and plight of the people of Palestine. “You know that Palestine is a Holy Land, is the birth place of Jesus Christ and we are proud of the Christian legacy that Palestine has and we are proud of the peaceful environment between regions in Palestine that is reflected mainly between Muslims and Christians.”

‘No to theological deception’

Mafa Kwanisai Mafa, the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Palestine Solidarity Council, who works closely with the Palestine Embassy in these outreaches, says it is important to expose the Zionist manipulation of Christianity and the Bible to justify their settler-colonial project. 

“Let us be clear: there is no biblical justification for genocide. There is no divine mandate for ethnic cleansing, apartheid walls, or starving children,” Mafa told Al Mayadeen English. “The Zionist regime hijacks sacred texts to validate its inhuman policies, trying to paint the coloniser as the victim and the resistance fighter as the terrorist. This is theological deception—an insult not only to Palestinians but to the true teachings of Christianity, which preach justice, mercy, and liberation for the oppressed. We call on Christian churches across Africa and the world: Where are your voices? The Gospel does not permit neutrality in the face of injustice. Jesus himself stood with the poor, the occupied, and the condemned. You cannot claim to follow Christ while remaining silent as the children of Gaza cry out for bread and life.”