Rabbi Tuly Weisz, founder of Israel365, was quoted recently suggesting that the Jewish community must increase outreach to Christian allies during this time of crisis in Israel.

Israel365 is an organization dedicated to building bridges of understanding between Christians and Jews worldwide.

Rabbi Tuly understands the importance of strengthening those ties when Israel is fighting for its survival, and fighting to protect the western world from terrorist attacks.

We echo Rabbi Tuly’s call, and likewise encourage our own Christian community to deepen the connection between us and our Jewish brothers and sisters. As Christians who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we feel compelled to express our support for Israel’s existence as a matter of personal faith and principles.

That includes her right to defend the lives of her citizens. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian church founded in 1830 and headquartered in the American state of Utah, with 17 million members worldwide.

We write at a time when the State of Israel is continuing to fight for its existence on all fronts. Moral and religious clarity demands that we speak our conscience to the world: The State of Israel must decisively defend itself from terrorism. Israel’s war against Hamas is not retaliation or revenge for October 7th. It is a justified endeavor to finally eliminate attacks by removing the bases of terrorist power.

Let’s be clear: Hamas is not a legitimate army fighting for the territorial rights of the Palestinian Arabs; it is a terrorist organization bent on killing Jews the world over. The Hamas Covenant (1988) states, “The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees.”

1841 – a sacred dedication of the Land of Israel for the return of the Jews

The connection between our Church and Israel goes back centuries, to before the founding of the modern state of Israel.

In 1841, the Prophet Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sent Elder Orson Hyde of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to dedicate sacred space in Israel.

Hyde dedicated the Land of Israel for the return of the Jewish people, effective immediately. Elder Hyde prayed that, “it is Thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom unto Israel – raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government.”

Indeed, a distinct Jewish state needed to come into existence. And Hyde did not limit his efforts to prayer alone. He also corresponded with the chief rabbis of several European countries, encouraging them to begin an effort among the Jews of Europe to return to the land of their inheritance, as promised in the Bible. This was over 50 years before Theodor Herzl first spoke of Zionism.

What would be the purpose of such a Jewish state, according to Hyde? He prayed “for the gathering together of Judah’s scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets – for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name.”

Elder Hyde also blessed those who will stand with the Jewish people in this journey. “Let not their enemies prevail against them... but let the power of the Highest protect them.” We believe that the power of the Highest continues to protect His ancient covenant people, the Jewish people, and will continue to bless them in the ancient land of their inheritance.

Israel’s Declaration of Independence

We believe also that Israel’s Declaration of Independence provides wise guidance for the State of Israel and how it must conduct itself in this current war. First, the purpose of the state:

The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel.

 The State of Israel must remain open as a safe and secure Jewish national home. Israel’s primary purpose is to be the gathering point of the Jewish people, while at the same time extending development, freedom, justice, and peace to its citizens and beyond: Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Christian, Baha’i, Armenian, Druze – and all others.

And so the State of Israel must be a country “loving peace but knowing how to defend itself,” as it says in its Declaration. Israel’s Declaration further states it is “the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State.”

When they tell you they will kill you, believe them

Terrorist organizations work to impede this vision. In fact, the Hamas Covenant lamentably states: “There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals, and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.” Governments and diplomats advocating for initiatives, proposals (including unconditional ceasefires), and international conferences should pay attention to that statement.

World leaders should also listen to Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas leader, when he says that Hamas will repeat the attacks of October 7, “again and again until Israel is destroyed.” And when Khaled Mashaal warned Western nations nearly 20 years ago, “Tomorrow, our nation will sit on the throne of the world. This is not a figment of the imagination, but a fact. Tomorrow we will lead the world, Allah willing. Apologize today, before remorse will do you no good. Our nation is moving forward, and it is in your interest to respect a victorious nation… ”

We stand with Israel

We stand with Israel in defending its God-given destiny. We recognize that for Hamas, Israel is only the front line in a war they intend to wage against the entire world. All terrorist attacks from land, air, and sea must be decisively defeated and deterred.

This is a way to the “freedom, justice, and peace” that the prophets of Israel envisaged for the Jewish people. It is also a way to make peace possible for the Palestinian Arabs, who were likewise created in the image of God.

We believe that loving our neighbors as ourselves is the key to peace. This calls us to stand up unequivocally for Israel’s right to self-defense, for its liberty, lands, children, and peace. But we must also not forget the humanity of those innocent Palestinian Arabs who reject Jihadist ideology in this time of war.

While Israel conducts its war on terrorism, we extend our own sense of the sanctity of human life, asking that they allow adequate food, water, and medicine to flow to those who truly have no involvement with the terrorist actions of Hamas and its allies.

Likewise, we call on Arab and Muslim leaders to use their influence on Hamas to immediately surrender and release the remaining Israeli hostages. This solution will allow humanitarian aid to reach innocent Palestinian civilians and allow displaced Israeli civilians to return to their homes.

We stand with Israel and say “Am Yisrael chai” (the Jewish people live) – may the people of Israel live – in peace.

Jason Olson received his PhD from Brandeis University in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies in 2016 and is the coauthor of the award-winning The Burning Book: A Jewish-Mormon Memoir (BCC Press).

Bart Marcois is a former US diplomat and the former principal deputy assistant secretary of energy for international affairs. He served 10 years in the Arab Middle East, and now heads a private consulting practice in Washington, DC. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.

Alan Clemmons is founder of American Patriots for Israel and served for 18 years in the South Carolina House of Representatives where he authored the first law establishing penalties for those businesses that engage in any discriminatory boycott of Israel; his state-based template has now been employed in 37 US states. He is also the author of the Israel plank in the Republican Party platform.