Netanyahu tells CUFI: Christians are Israel’s greatest friend

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke via satellite at Christians United for Israel’s Washington Summit this week, stating that Israel’s greatest friend is Christian supporters of Israel, including CUFI.

Speaking via satellite uplink from Budapest, Hungary, where he was on an important state visit, the Prime Minister praised CUFI founder Pastor John Hagee as “a longstanding friend”, who is there “through thick or thin”.

He went on to say to those gathered, “You are always there for us. We have no better friends on earth than you.”

He continued, “Jerusalem is the eternal, undivided capital of Israel and the Jewish state and thus it will remain. I want to say something else that I think is important. We have wonderful cities in Israel, we have a great city called Tel Aviv.” he said, “but Tel Aviv is not Jerusalem”.

“The capital of Israel is Jerusalem. And the embassies of the world should be in Jerusalem. I know I believe that, I know you believe that, and I thank you for that support,” he said.

Netanyahu was referring to the fact that CUFI lead the way in calling for President Donal Trump to move the US embassy to Jerusalem earlier this year.

Unfortunately, President Trump chose to postpone moving the embassy, something that left many Christians supporters of Israel feeling let down by the President feeling he had broken his promise. However,Vice President Mike Pence also spoke at the CUFI Washington Summit later in the day where he promised it was “not if, but when” regarding the embassy move.

Netanyahu continued, “50 years ago we liberated Jerusalem and I remember that day. I was 18 years old and I remember the tremendous… human wave. Thousands and thousands streamed to the Western Wall. I was among them and I remember that when we touched those stones we felt that we were connecting with the very core of our history.”

“I know that when you (Christians) visit Israel, when you come to Jerusalem you feel that same connection,” he added. “You feel that connection and we feel that connection with you.”

“Since Israel liberated Jerusalem we have ensured the freedom of access to all faiths,” he said, “If you see what is happening elsewhere in the Middle East, they are blowing up each other’s mosques, they are blowing up churches, they’re decimating Christians and doing horrible things.”

“The only place where you have religious freedom guaranteed is Israel. The only place where Christian communities, throughout the Middle East, where they thrive, they grow… the only place where they have a future, that place is Israel. Because Israel guarantees religious freedom, Israel represents the freedom that we all cherish.”

“Now we’re engaged, as we speak, in a great struggle. It’s a struggle of civilisations. It’s the struggle of free societies against the forces of militant Islam – the militant Sunnis lead by ISIS and the militant Shiites lead by Iran – they want to conquer the Middle East, they want to destroy the State of Israel, and then they want to conquer the world.”

“People often make a mistake in conventional discussions when they used to say that militant Islamists hate the west because of Israel. Its actually the other way around,” he continued. “They hate Israel because of the west – because we represent a free society built on the foundation of Judeo-Christian heritage. This is the society they despise so much.”

“Israel is the bulwark of freedom in heart of the Middle East.”

“Israel represents everything that you represent in the most dangerous and volatile place in the Middle East. There is one society, one government, one army that guarantees our values – your values,” he stressed.

“I want to tell you that we appreciate your support. I want to tell you that when I look around the world, there is real meaning to what I said before. When I say we have no greater friends than the many, many millions of Christian supporters of Israel in the United States and also in other parts of the world – I mean it.”

“I know you’ve always, always stood with us. You stand with us because you stand with yourselves because we represent that common heritage of freedom that goes back thousands of years.”

“I know that when you go to visit the State of Israel when you go to the places mentioned in the Bible you understand the force of that heritage.”

“I want you to know that I believe that America has no greater friend than Israel and Israel has no greater friend than the United States,” Netanyahu continued. “And in the United States, we have no greater friend than you (CUFI).”

“Thank you friends. Thank you for everything that you do for Israel. Thank you for standing up for us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart… thank you.”