Who is Johnnie Moore, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's new chief?

Rev. Johnnie Moore is a deeply divisive and controversial figure whose influence stretches from the evangelical heartlands of America to the volatile frontline of Israel’s ongoing occupation and oppression of Palestine. An American pastor and political strategist closely tied to former President Donald Trump and Israel's far-right leadership, Moore was appointed this week as head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) - a highly contentious group operating with Israeli approval and widely criticised for its complicity in politicising and militarising aid in Gaza.

Moore’s appointment has reignited outrage due to his past endorsements of aggressive plans to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza, as well as his links to organisations promoting Jewish migration to Israel on the basis of biblical prophecy - moves seen by many as supporting the expansion of illegal settlements and the erasure of Palestinian presence.

Palestinian advocates and humanitarian groups sharply condemn Moore’s leadership as another step in the weaponisation of aid, undermining genuine humanitarian efforts and bolstering Israeli settler-colonial objectives.

What are his connections to Trump and Israel?

Moore’s close relationship with Trump began in 2016, when he joined the former president’s evangelical advisory council. He was a regular participant in White House prayer meetings and praised Trump’s staunch backing of religious freedom and conservative Christian values, often aligned with pro-Israel policies.

He also sits on the board of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), a powerful US-based organisation dedicated to promoting Jewish immigration to Israel (aliyah) as the fulfilment of biblical prophecy. The group’s mission explicitly supports "returning the Jewish people to their homeland" and resettlement efforts, making it a major player in religious Zionist activism tied to broader geopolitical aims.

Moore served twice on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom under Trump and has cultivated a career mixing evangelical lobbying with geopolitical manoeuvres.

Influence in the Middle East

His influence extends across the Middle East, where, since 2017, he has championed the Abraham Accords and the Bahrain Declaration on religious rights. Moore has met with key regional figures such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In 2023, Moore visited the Gaza-Israel border during Israel’s brutal assault, publicly lauding Israeli security forces on social media - a stance that drew sharp rebuke from Palestinian and human rights advocates. His "humanitarian" interventions, including evacuations of Christian minorities during ISIS’s rise, have often aligned with US foreign policy interests.

Moore also serves on the Anti-Defamation League’s Middle East advisory board and frequently portrays himself as a defender of minority rights, despite his controversial record.

Close ties to MAGA, support for Palestinian expulsion 

Moore’s ties to Trump and the MAGA movement run deep. Since joining Trump’s evangelical advisory council in 2016, he has been part of a core group of pastors who prayed with the then-candidate and has publicly celebrated his access to the Oval Office.

He has authored 12 books focusing on Christian persecution and global conflicts, frequently cited by right-wing media. Notably, Moore has openly backed Trump’s widely condemned plan to forcibly displace Gaza’s population and transform the territory into a "Middle East Riviera", a vision seen as further entrenching Palestinian dispossession.

In February 2025, Moore tweeted: "President Trump always sees war through the eyes of its human cost… The USA will take full responsibility for the future of Gaza."

He followed with the assertion that "Anti-Zionism is antisemitism", conflating legitimate criticism of Israeli policies with hate speech.