Jewish and Christian identities both under attack, Religious Zionist lawmaker tells Christian group
Jewish and Christian identities are both under attack and the alliance between Christians and the State of Israel should be strengthened, Religious Zionist Member of Knesset Ohad Tal said while addressing the Christian Media Summit organized by the Government Press Office on Wednesday.
“I believe that our greatest challenge today, Jews and Christians, is the defiance of great forces around the globe, movements which seek to wipe out the foundations of our identity, personal self, family values, religious and national fundamentals,” he said.
“We need to stay strong together to combine efforts to make sure these forces will be defeated,” he added. “Judaism and Christianity, both religions that gave birth to Western civilization, should not be silent.”
The Christian Media Summit is organized every year by the Government Press Office to foster better understanding and strengthen the friendship between Christians around the world and the State of Israel. Representatives from over 25 different nations attended the event which took place in Jerusalem from Sunday to Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the participants, who included top-tier Christian news executives and public opinion leaders from around the world, visited the Knesset. The group met with several Israeli lawmakers, including the controversial leader of the far-right Otzmah Yehudit party Itamar Ben Gvir, who took the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to Israel’s democratic values.
Like Tal, also Ben Gvir said that Jews and Christians share a common enemy, whom he defined as the “the jihad, those who want to turn the whole world into a Caliphate and who think that if you are not Muslim you don’t have the right to be here.”
The Religious Zionist MK did not mention Islamic terrorism, but noted that “this great battle is occurring in our backyard in the heart of Western civilization.”
Tal said that in light of these challenges, cooperation between Jews and Christians is more needed than ever and that is time for Israel to focus again on the universal aspect of its mission.
“We did not come back here merely to survive, nor just to be a nation like all nations,” he said. “We came back to discover our essence, but between the religious and national aspects of our identity, we neglected the third element, the universal one.”
“I would like to end with an open call for us,” he concluded. “Let us strengthen the alliance between Christians and the State of Israel. We should all stand together for the values we all believe in.”
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