Christian, Jewish leaders join forces to lobby congressional support for Israel
WASHINGTON — A diplomat speaking on Israel’s behalf told a gathering of Christian and Jewish leaders that the country need not apologize for its efforts to eradicate Hamas, stressing that the current conflict is not just Israel against terrorism but a “war of the world against terrorism.”
On Wednesday, over 70 Rabbis, pastors and faith leaders met on Capitol Hill to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas and advocate for congressional leaders to support the Jewish State in a time of need.
Gathered at the Rayburn House Office Building, the groups that participated in the event included American Christian Leaders for Israel, the Israel Allies Foundation and the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition.
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The advocacy day comes months after Hamas launched one of the deadliest attacks in Israel’s history on Oct. 7, slaughtering at least 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and abducting around 240 others. In response, Israel declared itself in a state of war and launched an offensive in Gaza to eradicate Hamas, a terror group that has run Gaza since 2007, and secure the release of the hostages.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says over 26,000 people in Gaza have died since the war began but hasn't differentiated between civilians and combatants.
Participants at the event listened to a short briefing before speaking with lawmakers. Eliav Benjamin, deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, is among those who addressed attendees.
During his speech, Benjamin urged participants to remember the atrocities Hamas committed on Oct. 7 and to continue speaking out about what happened to combat skepticism of those who claim the horrors of that day never occurred or have been exaggerated.
“And I do strongly believe it is the interfaith work that you're all doing that we need to expand so much more and so much broader and deeper to send out a very clear message of what can and should be done,” the diplomat said. “It's through the dialog. It's through understanding each other, through learning from each other, that we can get to a better place.”
Benjamin also stated that the Israeli military is working to ensure safety and security for people like his brother and his brother’s family so that they may one day return to their homes. He explained that ground operations in Israel will continue but gradually lower in intensity as the war progresses.
“This is a war of the world against terrorism,” Benjamin stated. “And if we allow Hamas to win now, think of what type of a message that sends to other terrorist organizations that are out there.”
In an interview with The Christian Post, Susan Michael, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem’s USA director, said the coming together of rabbis and pastors before Congress members marks a “historic day.”
“What we want to accomplish is a deeper working relationship that we can continue going before our government with the message that support of Israel is not a Jewish issue; it's an American issue,” Michael told CP.
The ICEJ director also asserted that lawmakers need to pass a bill that focuses exclusively on providing support to Israel. One of the reasons Michael believes there have been challenges in passing such a bill is because other issues that she described as “divisive” are often attached to legislation for Israel.
“We want to see our government focused on Israel's need and get something through,” she added.
A document provided to attendees outlined the agenda the faith leaders planned to present to members of Congress. One of the agenda items included the advancement of $14.3 billion in security aid to Israel and for Congress to provide the aid without preconditions attached, such as requiring Israel to scale back operations in Gaza.
Another of the coalition’s requests for Congress included the complete cessation of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Recent intelligence reports suggest that around 1,200 of UNRWA’s 12,000 employees in Gaza have ties to Hamas and other Islamic terror groups, and some may have participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre.
Amid the recent accusations against UNRWA, the United States is among at least nine countries that have halted funding to the organization, a change that Wednesday’s advocates want to remain permanent.
Regarding the situation with UNRWA, Michael said that reports about the agency’s ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups are not new; only now it’s out in the open. She added that the recent evidence against UNRWA may be the end of the agency as it stands currently, but Michael could not say how it will change going forward.
During his speech, Benjamin addressed the criticism against Israel as it continues its operation to eradicate Hamas.
While the diplomat acknowledged that the figures and images coming out of Gaza are “not pretty,” noting that this is war, Israel is still working to mitigate casualties and facilitate humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Despite the events of Oct. 7, which Benjamin referred to as the “most horrific” day in Jewish history since the Holocaust, the diplomat urged attendees to maintain hope for a better future. Benjamin believes that the opportunity for interfaith people to come closer together is one of the miracles that resulted from that horrible day.
“Working together on this sends such a strong message,” Benjamin said, praising the assembled Christians and Jews for attending, “something which I am grateful for in such a strong way, and something that we are all so grateful for.”
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
