Sen. Tim Scott tells Evangelicals, Biden & Harris ‘failing to stand faithfully with Israel’ – warns US must be ‘very careful how we treat God’s chosen people’ or lose God’s favor
Senators Cruz, Rubio also brief members of National Religious Broadcasters
WASHINGTON, DC – Three prominent U.S. Senators met with Evangelical Christian leaders, journalists and media professionals in the nation’s capital to brief them on critical domestic and foreign policy issues facing the country.
The raging war being waged against Israel by the Iranian regime and its terror proxies, and how the U.S. can and should stand by its ally, was one of the major issues discussed.
So was the future of the American economy, religious freedom issues, and the battle over parental rights when it comes to protecting children from local, state, and federal government officials trying to push transgender “rights,” including those attempting to enable teenagers to take puberty blockers and have gender-changing surgery without their parents’ knowledge or permission.
All three senators – Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Tim Scott of South Carolina – were once high-profile presidential contenders, giving them a unique vantage point from which to speak to members of the National Religious Broadcasters “President’s Council.”
Two of them – Rubio and Scott – were recently on former President Donald J. Trump’s short list of possible vice-presidential nominees.
SCOTT TELLS NRB MEMBERS HE BASES HIS APPROACH TOWARDS ISRAEL – AND ALL PUBLIC POLICY – ON THE BIBLE
During a breakfast meeting with NRB members, I asked Senator Scott for his assessment of the multi-front war Israel is engaged in and how he thinks President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are doing when it comes to standing with America’s most important ally in the Middle East.
Scott said he bases his approach to Israel on Genesis 12 – in which God says He will bless those who bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Psalm 122 – in which God commands His people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and promises to bless those who do.
“I’m a big believer in Psalm 122:6, that we should be praying for the peace of Jerusalem,” Scott told me. “And those who do will prosper.”
“I think our success as a nation has been tied to the success and the security of Israel,” he noted.
“I believe God has shined His face upon this nation because we have stood shoulder to shoulder and back-to-back with Israel. And as bad as we think it is in America, I think we should be very careful – very careful – how we treat His chosen people.”
“We do not want to see the favor of God to leave our nation, but I fear it will if we abandon or turn our back on Israel.”
Sen. Scott then added, “But I believe this administration is failing to stand faithfully with Israel.”
Scott, a devout Evangelical Christian, quoted scripture throughout his remarks.
At one point, he cited Romans 13:4, which reads, “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
SCOTT: THE U.S. MUST HELP ISRAEL WIN THIS WAR QUICKLY AND DECISIVELY
Scott said this passage of the Bible makes it clear that the government has been given the responsibility by God to “bear the sword” – use violence – to protect the innocent and punish those who try to bring violence and other evils against the innocent.
Based on this passage, Scott said it is critical that the U.S. provides its ally, Israel, with all the weapons it needs to protect its citizens and destroy Hamas and its other enemies as quickly as possible.
Like Senators Rubio and Cruz, who also strongly support Israel in its multi-front war against Tehran and its terror proxies, Scott blasted the Biden-Harris administration for saying it is “pro-Israel” when its policies are not truly and consistently supportive of Israel.
Here is an excerpt of Senator Tim Scott’s remarks to the NRB “President’s Council,” lightly edited for clarity.
ROSENBERG: Senator, good to see you again. I just flew in from Israel. It was great to have you on THE ROSENBERG REPORT over this summer. And I appreciate you speaking here at the National Religious Broadcasters President’s Council event. So, we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of October 7th and I’d be grateful if you would take a few moments and assess how you think the Biden-Harris administration is doing with regards to handling the U.S.-Israel alliance. It certainly appears to many Israelis that President Biden and Vice President Harris are choosing to “slow-walk” the delivery of ammunition and missile interceptors to Israel, even though Congress has appropriated lots of money to resupply us during this terrible war. We in Israel are burning through ammunition and missile interceptors at a very fast rate when it comes to the Gaza theater. And we’ve got a massive war erupting in the Lebanon theater. Diplomacy hasn’t been successful in defusing the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, so there doesn’t seem to be any other way at the moment than for Israel to take the full fight to the enemy and probably invade southern Lebanon. But for an administration that keeps telling us that they are pro-Israel, they keep tying our hands behind our back. So, I’d be grateful for your assessment. Where do you think we go from here?
SENATOR TIM SCOTT: Well, a couple of things, Joel.
I’m a big believer in Psalm 122:6, that we should be praying for the peace of Jerusalem. And those who do will prosper. I think our success as a nation has been tied to the success and the security of Israel. I believe God has shined His face upon this nation because we have stood shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back with Israel. And as bad as we think it is in America, I think we should be very careful – very careful – how we treat His chosen people. We do not want to see the favor of God to leave our nation, but I fear it will if we abandon or turn our back on Israel.
But I believe this administration is failing to stand faithfully with Israel. And I’ll give you three examples.
Number One, President Biden speaks publicly in one direction and then closes the door and says exactly the opposite when it comes to Israel. A clear example – as you just named, Joel – has been weapons deliveries. We’ve seen the slow-walking of weapons. If you want to save more innocent lives, give Israel all the capability they need to end this conflict as soon as possible.
Number Two, the administration doesn’t seem to realize that Hamas is smart. The more that Hamas drags out negotiations with Israel, the more innocent civilians they can kill. The leaders of Hamas have been very clear that the Palestinians make good human shields. Hamas is using women and the children as human shields. The Biden administration keeps pressuring Israel to make a deal with Hamas. But you cannot make a good deal with a bad actor. Hamas leaders have evil intent in their hearts. They are willing to sacrifice their own people to achieve their objectives. So, we can’t be surprised that they continue to hold hostages and look for ways to plot another attack. Their basic foundational documents – their “constitution,” let’s say – calls for the organization to eliminate Israel. That means Hamas wants to have a Jewish genocide.
And then they, as a proxy force for Iran, plan on turning their attention and their weapons towards the United States of America. Make no mistake, as goes Israel, will go America, as relates to human carnage. But the Biden-Harris team are getting it all wrong. They don’t seem to understand who Hamas really is and what they really want. And the price will be on their hands when Hamas, Iran, and all their proxy forces eventually turn all their terror and evil against America. They have been crystal clear on that.
Number Three, when you see your wives and mothers raped, when you see your babies beheaded and burned, when you see fathers shot and their arms taken off, you understand what evil truly is. But while President Biden and Vice President Harris say they understand this evil, they keep putting pressure on Israel to accept an immediate and permanent ceasefire with these evil forces. I’ve sat down with the family members who have experienced this evil. And I’ve got to tell you, everyone who wonders if evil isn’t real – everyone who wonders if we can just find a way to take our Western philosophy into the Middle East and deal rationally with these evil forces – you’re kidding yourself. I think Romans 13:4 reflects and reinforces the fact that government officials can be ministers for God for justice. Government is given a sword to be the wrath of God against evildoers. The most compassionate thing to protect innocent Israelis and Palestinians is to help Israel eliminate the enemy. And as Israel’s ally, we should do it swiftly, quickly, and completely…
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Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
