Evangelical Leaders Visiting Israel Back Annexation of Judea and Samaria

March 5, 2025

by: Etgar Lefkovitz ~ JNS

Wednesday, 5 March 2025 | A group of conservative American evangelical leaders visiting Jerusalem on Tuesday voiced support for Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria—the biblical heartland of the Jewish people—in addition to the end of Hamas rule and presence in the Gaza Strip.

The remarks come as US President Donald Trump is expected to make a decision on US policy regarding the annexation of Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank), and after a prominent American conservative group and major Christian group of broadcasters gave their backing to such a move.

Judea and Samaria are the locations where many of the most famous biblical stories take place and are spiritually important to both the Jewish and Christian faiths.

“We strongly support and think it is imperative that Israeli sovereignty be expressed, extended and recognized over Judea and Samaria,” Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom Caucus, told JNS. “Recognizing Israeli sovereignty is indispensable for Israel to provide security to its own people.”

Tony Perkins, a Southern Baptist pastor who serves as president of the Family Research Council, said “we shouldn’t tell Israel what to do about anything.” Still, he affirmed that “we support you in your right to exercise sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”

The faith leaders came for the Israel launch of the Conference of Christian Presidents, a new umbrella organization of pro-Israel faith groups modeled after the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The Conference of Christian Presidents was established in Washington this past September.

The launch event at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem included speeches by Bramnick, Perkins and Reed, as well as Luke Moon, co-chair of the Conference of Christian Presidents and executive director of the Philos Project; and Lance Wellnau, a popular evangelical podcaster.

“Our enemies are united, and it is important that we be as well,” Mario Bramnick, president of the Latino Coalition for Israel and co-chair of the Conference of Christian Presidents, told JNS.

The organizations and leaders of the various organizations associated with the newly-formed Conference of Christian Presidents represent tens of millions of evangelicals in America.

“We want Israelis and Jews in America to know that evangelical Christians are their closest friends and supporters,” Bramnick said.

The Conference seeks to advance pro-Israel policy at the executive, legislative and state levels, as well as mobilize major grassroots efforts to strengthen US–Israel relations.

The group has close ties to many senior members of the current Trump administration and hopes to use its influence to promote policies that directly benefit Israel, particularly in the war against Iran and its terror proxies around the region.

“God has given Israel a blank check with the election of Trump … and Israel needs to stand boldly on Judea and Samaria, and the complete annihilation of Hamas,” Bramnick said.

The Christian leaders also spoke out against growing antisemitism, the isolationist wing of the Republican Party and the need to work together with the traditionally liberal American Jewish community.

‘This Is Our Moment’

During their latest visit to Israel this week, the group also toured the biblical heartland, including the site of ancient Shiloh, where they stressed their support for Israeli sovereignty over the area during a tour with local leaders.

“The application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is a necessary step to ensure the safety of Israel and the future of Jewish communities in the region,” said Yisrael Ganz, governor of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council. “We are grateful to our American leaders for their support and hope during President Trump’s tenure that we can make progress on this crucial issue for Israel’s security and regional stability.”

Last month, Trump said he would likely make an announcement on the issue at some point in the next four weeks when asked whether he would back Israel annexing the territory.

A Mideast plan, titled “Peace to Prosperity,” put forth by the first Trump administration in 2020 envisioned Israel annexing parts of the territory. It was subsequently shelved in favor of the Abraham Accords, signed in September of that year, which saw Israel normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and later, Sudan and Morocco.

The Christian leaders affirmed their steadfast support of Israel and its God-given right to the land.

“The persecution of the Jewish people is the canary in the coal mine that we cannot afford not to address,” Perkins said. “Whether in Israel, at Yale University or in Congress, it is a hatred of God that it is intolerable, and we will not tolerate it.”

He pointed out that “history records that the Christian community has not always gotten it right,” adding that “this is our moment.”

Posted on March 5, 2025

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on March 4, 2025. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Gil Mezuman/jns.org