Faith Leaders Urge Congress To ‘Fund Israel’s Defenses As Soon As Possible’

A coalition of religious leaders is pushing Congress to pass financial support for Israel’s war on Hamas as well as take steps to combat anti-Semitism.

Fifteen leaders of religious organizations and institutions signed a letter sent to Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders on Monday urging legislators to step up support for Israel and the Jewish people.

“We represent many faith traditions and have come together, in one united voice, to defend our shared humanity against barbarism and terror,” the letter says.

Israel declared war on Hamas after an October 7 attack by the terror group left over 1,200 people dead and roughly 240 people taken captive, most of them Israeli civilians. The letter calls the massacre the “most significant massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

The letter, expressing support for Israel’s war against the terrorists, is signed by religious leaders such as Faith & Freedom Coalition chairman Ralph Reed and Israel365 director Rabbi Tuly Weisz.

“As we’ve said many times, we support our Jewish brothers and sisters both here at home and abroad. As Christians and as human beings it is our duty to do so. The nation of Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East and the United States must stand by our ally,” Aaron Gulbransen, executive director of the Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition, told The Daily Wire in a statement.

“Hamas must be defeated and state sponsors of terror like Iran ought to be neutered by the foreign policy of the United States,” Gulbransen added. “Additionally, antisemitism has no place in our society and must be condemned at every turn. We are proud of our national leadership and allies that have presented this letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.”

The religious leaders call on Congress to “fund Israel’s defenses as soon as possible” and pass a series of bills that would aim to combat antisemitism, such as the Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act and Antisemitism Awareness Act. The letter also calls on the “Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and other relevant agencies to take all necessary measures to prevent, prosecute, and punish antisemitic hate crimes in the United States.”

The faith leaders also call on the Biden administration to take stricter approach with Qatar, an Arab nation that has made inroads with the West while maintaining deep connections to the Middle East’s terror groups.

“[F]orce Qatar to choose between remaining a major non-NATO ally of the United States or continuing its support for Hamas leadership and terrorism,” the letter says. Qatar has close ties to Hamas and has granted the terror group’s leadership safe Haven in Doha, where Hamas’ main decision-making body meets.