WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, walked off the stage Wednesday night, Sept. 10, after hecklers booed his words in support of Jews and Israel at a Washington dinner sponsored by In Defense of Christians, a group that seeks to raise awareness of the persecution of Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East.
In a statement later, Sen. Cruz said:
“When I spoke in strong support of Israel and the Jewish people, who are being persecuted and murdered by the same vicious terrorists who are also slaughtering Christians, many Christians in the audience applauded. But, sadly, a vocal and angry minority of attendees at the conference tried to shout down my expression of solidarity with Israel.
“They cannot shout down the truth. And we should not shy away from expressing the truth, even in the face of – especially in the face of – ignorance and bigotry.
“I told the attendees that those who hate Israel also hate America, that those who hate Jews also hate Christians, and that anyone who hates Israel and the Jewish people is not following the teachings of Christ.
“These statements were met with angry boos. I went on to tell the crowd that Christians in the Middle East have no better friend than Israel. That Christians can practice their faith free of persecution in Israel. And that ISIS, al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah, along with their state sponsors in Syria and Iran, are all part of the same cancer, murdering Christians and Jews alike. Hate is hate, and murder is murder.
We thank Sen. Cruz for his principled and outspoken defense of Jews and Israel in the face of hatred and bigotry. See the video from the dinner here.
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Morton A. Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, issued a statement in reaction: “We strongly applaud Senator Cruz for showing the moral clarity and courage to call out rank anti-Semitism and uncontrolled hatred of the Jewish state of Israel and demonstrating his contempt for it by walking out on the audience that had expressed it.
“It is shocking that a Conference designed to raise awareness of Christian minorities suffering murder and persecution from radical Muslims in the Middle East should have so many hateful anti-Semites who do not want Jews defended from the jihadist violence and terror that threatens their own Christian communities. These anti-Semitic people want Muslims to do to the Jews what they are doing to Christians.
“Unfortunately the very important and moral cause of speaking up and defending Christian minorities in the Middle East is being tarnished by organizations that bring in Israel-haters, including other speakers, who support Israel’s destruction, murdering Jews, while praising terrorists, like Hizballah’s Hasan Nasrallah in Lebanon. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised when one sees that the Israel-hating Arab American Institute president James Zogby was one of the Conference organizers and sits on the In Defense of Christians advisory committee.
“I have personally met with Senator Cruz many times and I can publicly state that he is a sincere, knowledgeable and unabashed supporter of the Jewish state of Israel.
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Preceding provided by the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Zionist Organization of America
The title of this article was a bit confusing. At first I thought it meant that Sen. Cruz walked offstage after some Jews booed him. I knew that was not true, as the article went on to explain. Kudos to Senator Cruz.
Perhaps, those who interrupted Senator Cruz objected, as Christians, to his support for Israel after its most recent murderous assault on Gaza that left over 2100 people dead, 70% of them civilians, and Gaza in ruins.
It should also be pointed out that the largest Christian Party in Lebanon, the Free Patriotic Movement, headed by former president and general, Michel Aoun, has been in alliance with Hezbollah, for more than eight years and their alliance received 55% of the votes in the country’s last national election.
I wonder how the monks and nuns of the Cremisan Valley feel about Israel and those who run Israel. I imagine that they are not happy with them and rightfully so.
This is what happened to these Christians in 2013. Israel seems to giving them the message that Christians, unlike Jews, have no privileges in Israel.
After losing a long legal battle on the route of Israel’s Separation Barrier, the monks and nuns of the Cremisan Valley near Bethlehem will lose access to the school they run together.
On April 24 the Special Appeals Committee of the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court approved the appropriation of land in the Cremisan Valley, located between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, for the construction of the barrier separating Israel from the West Bank. The route of the barrier will pass through land which includes a convent of Salesian sisters, a Salesian monastery and farmland belonging to 58 Palestinian families, all of which would be annexed to Israel.
It will separate the Salesian monastery ― which will be on the Israeli side of the separation barrier ― from the convent and from the school it operates with the Salesian sisters.