CUFI Warns Trump of Failing to Move Embassy to Jerusalem

WASHINGTON – Speaking before a crowded gathering of pro-Israel supporters at the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) annual summit on Monday, former Congressman Allen West warned President Donald Trump of the consequences for failing to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “If you have made this a campaign promise and you have spoken about this and don’t follow through, then there is a loss of credibility.  Then, how are you seen in the eyes of someone like (Palestinian President) Mahmoud Abbas?” explained West. Moving the embassy demonstrates that “we will not be intimidated by the leader of a terrorist gang, which is what Fatah is.”

Trump repeatedly vowed during the 2016 presidential campaign that he would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. However, in June, the President signed a national security waiver, which postponed the relocation of the embassy for another six months, similar to his Democratic and Republican predecessors.

Pastor John Hagee, founder of CUFI, further emphasized the importance of moving the U.S. diplomatic facility. “It will send a message to the Palestinians that they should get over their delusional concept that part of Jerusalem belongs to them. It never has and never will,” he asserted to roaring applause.

Speaking at the summit’s ‘Night to Honor Israel’ later in the evening, Vice President Mike Pence assured the pro-Israel crowd that it’s only a matter of time until President Trump moves the embassy. “I promise you that the day will come when President Donald Trump will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Pence said to loud applause. “It is not a question of if, it is only when.”

During the conference, multiple speakers urged the passing of the Taylor Force Act, legislation introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that would dramatically reduce U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority if payments to terrorists’ families did not end.

Criticizing the United Nations was another recurrent theme. Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, rebuked UNESCO’s recent resolution on Hebron. “They have declared the bible obsolete and irrelevant. You can take an oath on the Bible but you can’t believe those same words. They are rewriting and distorting history,” he emphasized. Assailing the BDS movement, Hoenlein asserted, “It’s time to take the D out of BDS because that is a much better description of this campaign.”

Numerous times speakers noted the shift in U.S. policy under Trump. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton highlighted Trump’s first overseas trip, which included a stop at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Critiquing former President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, West noted, “How could it be that we are giving billions of dollars to the number one state sponsor of Islamic terror in the world to a country that says death to Israel, death to America. The only thing that we should be saying to them is: you first.”