Christians United For Israel to Hold First-Ever Washington Summit

WASHINGTON, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A new association of 3,000 Christians will converge on Washington July 18 and 19 to urge stronger U.S. support for the State of Israel in light of recent international tensions.

Delegates to the group Christians United For Israel (CUFI) will attend an international banquet July 18 titled "A Night to Honor Israel," featuring leaders from the Christian and Jewish communities. The following day they will meet with members of the House and Senate. It is believed to be the first time that Christian leaders from across the nation have come to Capitol Hill to meet directly with members of Congress to discuss support for Israel.

"Israel has been a longtime friend and ally of the United States, and Christians everywhere have a Biblical responsibility to support the Jewish people," said Pastor John C. Hagee, an internationally known pastor and the organization's founder. He specifically cited threats by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel "should be wiped off the map" as one of the urgent reasons for convening the summit in Washington.

In addition to meetings with members of Congress and the invitation-only banquet, there will be a press conference on Wednesday, July 19 at 9:30 a.m. in the Mansfield Room of the U.S. Capitol. The press conference will feature Pastor Hagee and other CUFI leaders, including Dr. Jerry Falwell, Gary Bauer, Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg, Stephen Strang and David Brog.

In their meetings with members of Congress, the CUFI delegates will express their concerns for Israel's security and urge the United States to fulfill what Pastor Hagee and other Christian leaders call a moral and biblical obligation to defend the Jewish state.

"In light of Iran's increasingly hostility toward Israel and it allies, it is important for the United States to reassert its strong commitment and support to the People of Israel," said Bauer. "I am pleased to join Christians United For Israel in their advocacy for Israel before members of Congress."

Pastor Hagee, like many other Christians United For Israel leaders, has worked for more than 25 years to build solidarity between Christians and Jews. He has deep ties with the State of Israel, has visited that nation taking thousands of pilgrims more than 20 times, and has met with most of its Prime Ministers since Menachem Begin. Pastor Hagee has also helped more than 12,000 Jews from the four corners of the world immigrate to Israel, and his ministry has donated millions of dollars to Israeli hospitals and orphanages.

"We see Christians in the United States as true friends and important supporters on the basis of shared values, and we welcome their efforts to strengthen the ties between Israel and the United States," said Ambassador Ayalon.

Hundreds of Christian leaders formed CUFI in February 2006 as a national association of churches and ministries that will allow Christians to speak with one voice in support of Israel. CUFI also works to increase awareness of Israel and related issues throughout the Christian community. In the months following the Washington summit, CUFI will hold similar events across the country to build a groundswell of American support for the Jewish state.

More information: http://www.cufi.org/ http://www.sacornerstone.org/