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SAN ANTONIO – On Wednesday, leaders of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, welcomed Pres. Donald Trump’s formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his announcement that the US will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to the Holy City.
CUFI has made moving the embassy to Jerusalem a central focus of its 2017 agenda. The group’s founder and Chairman, Pastor John Hagee, has used White House audiences with Pres. Trump and Vice Pres. Mike Pence to urge them to move the embassy. Days before Pres. Trump’s inauguration, the CUFI Action Fund held a Washington fly-in during which more than 260 leaders representing 49 states urged that the embassy be moved. And CUFI members have sent more than 137,000 emails to the White House in support of moving the embassy to Jerusalem.
When Vice Pres. Pence spoke at CUFI's Washington Summit in July, his unprecedented statement that the embassy move was a question of “when, not if” was received with an extended standing ovation.
“Jerusalem has been the epicenter of the Jewish faith since King David danced into the city with the Ark of the Covenant over 3,000 years ago. It is the capital of the Jewish state, and I am grateful to the President for changing American policy to finally reflect this reality. I look forward to the day we open the doors of the US Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem,” Hagee said.
“In recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and beginning the process of moving the US embassy there, President Trump has shown that he hears the voices of the millions of Americans who stand with Israel and respect the Jewish state’s sovereign rights. This move strengthens America’s international position by making clear that we will stand with our allies, oppose our enemies, and will never be bullied by terrorists,” noted CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Parker.
“Many critics are claiming that this move will do damage to the chances for peace. We disagree. The main obstacle to peace has been the dark Palestinian dream that they can drive the Jewish people from Jerusalem and Israel. Pres. Trump's action helps to shatter this dark dream and brings closer the day when the Palestinians will finally accept Jewish rights in the land and recognize the need to compromise with Israel. This is a long overdue dose of reality,” said CUFI founding executive director David Brog.
With more than 3.8 million members, Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world. CUFI spans all fifty states and reaches millions with its message. Each year CUFI holds hundreds of pro-Israel events in cities around the country. And each July, thousands of pro-Israel Christians gather in Washington, D.C. to participate in the CUFI Washington Summit and make their voices heard in support of Israel and the Jewish people.