“God’s love for the Jewish people will be here forever. What CUFI does, or does not do, to bless Israel will be remembered forever. When you try to do the right thing in the right way, God will be with you.”
These were the words of Pastor John Hagee, CUFI founder and chairman, who addressed over 1,200 at the annual CUFI Washington Summit this week. Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Mike Pence were among key speakers at the event.
“Let’s attack antisemitism wherever we find it,” Pastor Hagee said. “Don’t worry what people say about you. We are not here to please the antisemites or to cooperate with them. We are here to please the Almighty and live according to the dictates of God,” including being “defenders of Zion” and comforting Jews.
We praise the Lord for another successful event that also saw CUFI members ascend Capitol Hill, putting their words into action by lobbying their respective representatives.
This year, CUFI announced it will lobby in support of three pieces of legislation during the Summit. The Countering Hate Against Israel (CHAI) by Federal Contractors Act (H.R. 4564), the Fiscal Year 2023 House and Senate State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills and the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act (H.R. 3774/S. 1829).
Pray that CUFI in the United States will be successful in these objectives. The ‘CHAI’ bill itself, introduced last week, is a federal-level anti-BDS bill. Although 37 states have either passed anti-BDS legislation or instituted executive orders to that effect, there is no national bill of this kind on the books.
Meanwhile, the SHIP Act is meant to rectify gaping loopholes in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the JCPOA or Iran nuclear accord, which allows the Islamic Republic access to sell its oil at an estimated 1 million to 1.2 million barrels a day, bringing in some $20 billion to $30 billion annually. The SHIP Act would increase primary and secondary sanctions on those actors assisting Iran in evading sanctions on the books.
It’s important that here in the UK, we remember to keep the US-Israel relationship in our prayers, especially in a climate where there are those that aim to undermine this relationship. For example, as the CUFI Summit was taking place, across the river in Congress, Israel was being branded “a racist state” by Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington and the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, prompting condemnations from leaders of both Republicans and Democrats. The debate unfolded as President Joe Biden welcomed President Isaac Herzog of Israel at the White House, a day before Mr. Herzog was scheduled to address a joint session of Congress. The appalling comments by Jayapal led Republican members to put forward a resolution pledging unfailing support for Israel, condemning antisemitism and declaring that the country is neither racist nor an apartheid state.
Representative Michael McCaul, said the resolution was necessary to combat “small-minded” opinions about Israel and ensure that Congress continues “rejecting false accusations and repulsive anti-Israel statements.”
“Israel’s not a racist country,” he said. “It is deeply disturbing and concerning to me that some in this body have such a profound misunderstanding of Israel and Israeli society.”
The resolution, which also rejected “all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia” was passed by a vote of 412 to 9. Those who voted against it are Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both of New York; Cori Bush of Missouri; Andre Carson of Indiana; Summer Lee of Pennsylvania; Ilhan Omar of Minnesota; Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts; Delia Ramirez of Illinois, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who gave an emotional speech full of biased lies and out-of-context examples in an attempt to brand Israel as an apartheid state.
Pray for the representatives named. May they put aside their antagonism towards Israel and seek to understand the truth. Praise the Lord for the demonstration of support for Israel from both sides of the House during President Herzog’s visit. Praise the Lord that Israel’s president had the opportunity to remind Congress of the close bond between the US and Israel.
Pray for the work of CUFI in the United States. Pray too for the three-fold-relationship of the United Kingdom, United States and Israel. Thank the Lord for the impact CUFI has made for over nearly two decades and the legacy of pro-Israel support in the nation. Pray that in the days ahead, Christians in the USA and the UK will stand firm on the Biblical basis for standing with Israel and have boldness to speak out against antisemitism. Pray too that the next generation of Christians will have a positive influence on their nation’s future relationship with the Jewish state.
Thank you for praying with us today.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This year, we want to do more to bless Israel and the Jewish people.
We know that as we bless Israel this year, God will bless us, just as He promised in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Now is the time to bless Israel and the Jewish people.
