The Christian event included some 15 to 20 pro-Israel evangelical leaders.
By Alex Traiman, JNS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made time during his busy schedule this week in Washington to meet with leaders of the two most important faith community blocs anchoring American support for Israel: the Jewish communal leadership and evangelical Christian faith leaders.
Speaking at two separate events on Wednesday evening, the premier expressed his appreciation to the community heads for their great support for Israel.
The prime minister heard from them about their prayers for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, for the peace of Israeli soldiers, and for the security of the State of Israel.
Netanyahu also thanked the evangelicals for their energetic activity among the youth of their community to encourage continued support for Israel.
The prime minister said he is well aware of their deep commitment to Israel and the strength of their support for the truth and shared values.
The Christian event included some 15 to 20 pro-Israel evangelical leaders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Evangelical Christian leaders in Washington on July 23, 2024. Photo by Amos Ben Gershon/GPO
Among those in attendance were Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Pastor John Hagee, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Philos Project Executive Director Luke Moon, televangelist Paula White, Friends of Zion chairman Mike Evans and Jordanna McMillen, U.S. director of the Israel Allies Caucus Foundation.
A group of Latino evangelical pastors including Carlos Ortiz were also present.
While the two groups share faith in God and are both steadfast in their love and concern for, and defense of, the Jewish state, there are a number of key differences between them.
The Jewish group is divided in its political loyalties, the pro-Israel Christian leaders almost unanimously vote Republican.
And while the Jewish community ranks first in importance for the Jewish state, both as a matter of kinship and responsibility, the considerably larger pro-Israel Christian community arguably does more to anchor America’s political support for Israel.
“Our message today to the prime minister and to the Jewish people of Israel and the United States, [is] that the Christians of America stand solidly with Israel,” said Pastor Hagee.
“We are appalled at the way our government has been treating the Jewish people, and we want the people of Israel to know that we are steadfastly supporting them. We feel that they have every right to be totally victorious in this military conflict and we’re here to tell them [ourselves],” he added.
When asked about whether the Netanyahu has done a good job developing strong ties among pro-Israel Christians, Hagee said, “I think the prime minister has done a good job, period. I think that [he did so] in an atmosphere of hostility in many quarters that he didn’t deserve. He has managed the affairs of the State of Israel magnificently. But specifically with the Christian community. We have been friends since 1985 and we have always just had a great relationship and he always has his hand out in friendship.”
Pastor Tony Perkins said, “I think Israel and the Jewish people have no greater supporter, ally, and friend than evangelical, Bible-believing Christians in this country.”
“We share the Book and the values. And as believers, we believe what Genesis 12 says, that ‘those who bless Israel will be blessed.’ And so while many of the world are turning away, we will not,” he continued.
“Our message to the prime minister is that we’re praying for you and we believe,” he said. “I pray every morning for the prime minister personally by name, and I pray that as God has done in the past, where he has manifested his power on behalf of Israel, he would do it again,” he added.
Perkins explained why nearly most pro-Israel Christians vote Republican and support former president Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
“As evangelicals, we vote for candidates who are most closely aligned with biblical principles and the truths that we live by. And obviously we’ve seen a clear division in the two parties in this country. And the last administration, President Trump, was the one who was most clearly aligned,” he said.
Pastor Mario Bramnick said his message to the prime minister is a simple one: “Stand the line.” He added that the community is “so grateful that he is standing strong as the leader of the nation of Israel should in protecting its sovereignty, in protecting its security.
“Representing millions of Christians, we are praying for him. We stand behind him. We are honored that he’s here and very proud that he will be addressing our Congress.”
For Bramnick, strong relations between Jewish and Christian faith groups is extremely important.
“We do a lot of work with the Jewish community. We do a lot of Christian-Jewish events. I think for the most part, the pro-Israel Christian community has shown its solidarity and its support of Israel. And I think that it’s very important that we stand together in supporting the prime minister and supporting Israel’s right to defend itself,” he said.
Bramnick argued that a key to protecting Israel’s security is not to give in to pressure from the current administration for the creation of a Palestinian state.
“A two-state solution would be very detrimental, would only serve to reward the terrorism that we saw on Oct. 7,” he said.
Evans, who heads the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem and is a long-time friend of Netanyahu, said that “without the support of Christians, there would be hardly any support in the United States for Israel.”
Evangelicals, he said, “are the bedrock foundation of support for the entire State of Israel. Yes, the Jewish community has been strong to some degree, but evangelicals are 100% committed to Israel. And it’s because it’s a biblical thing for us.”
Netanyahu, he continued, “is the leader of the evangelical movement of the world,” Evans said.
“He has more support among the evangelicals globally than even Donald Trump. There’s no person on the planet that is more respected by evangelicals than Benjamin Netanyahu, and part of it’s because he understands us and he’s been an advocate of close relations with us from the very beginning.”
In addition to his address to Congress on Wednesday, Netanyahu has scheduled meetings with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington and with Trump in Florida.