Knesset Christian Allies Caucus relaunches headed by Haskel
Aim is to have caucuses in 50 countries by end of 2020.
By GIL HOFFMANLikud MK Sharren Haskel participating in a panel in Germany(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus relaunched its activities in the Israeli parliament this week under the new leadership of Deputy Knesset Speaker Sharren Haskel (Likud).The caucus will have representatives from seven political parties including Blue and White, Yesh Atid-Telem, Shas, Yamina, Yisrael Beytenu and Derech Eretz. Its members include former ministers Gideon Sa’ar (Likud), Moshe Yaalon (Yesh Atid-Telem) and Bezalel Smotrich (Yamina).An official launch will take place in the Knesset in the presence of local Christian leaders once the coronavirus guidelines allow for larger gatherings.“I am honored to take upon this important role,” Haskel said. “My work with the KCAC in the past has exposed me to the extensive support for Israel that is especially prominent in people of faith. I look forward to helping strengthen our efforts to build bridges with the Christian Zionist community.”The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus was founded in 2004 by the late MK Yuri Shtern (Yisrael Beytenu). Former chairmen in addition to Shtern include the late MKs Benny Elon (National Union) and David Rotem (Yisrael Beytenu), as well as MKs Gila Gamliel (Likud) and Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beytenu).The caucus works to forge direct lines of communication between Knesset members and Christian leaders and political representatives throughout the world. The caucus in Israel works in partnership with 42 Israel Allies Caucuses in governments worldwide, made up of more than a thousand members of parliament, through the coordinating efforts of the Israel Allies Foundation. These sister caucuses include the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus – the only bipartisan pro-Israel caucus in Congress – as well as the European Union Israel Allies Caucus, the largest pro-Israel caucus in the EU.This year, the Israel Allies Foundation launched three new caucuses in Africa – in Nigeria, Congo Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – bringing the number of pro-Israel caucuses in parliaments around the world to 42. Knesset Christian Allies director Josh Reinstein said the next countries would be Mexico, followed by African and Eastern European countries that he hopes will bring the number up to 50 by the end of the year.Israel Allies Caucuses have a proven track record of improving relations between their countries and Israel. For instance, a caucus in Guatemala helped persuade their government to move its embassy to Jerusalem.“Faith-based diplomacy has proven to be the most important factor in international support for Israel,” Reinstein said. “We are confident that under Sharren Haskel’s skilled leadership, our network of Christian leaders and parliamentarians will continue to grow and flourish. We are especially excited about the prominent and talented group of MKs in our newly launched caucus, which aims to continue to be the largest and most influential caucus in the Knesset.”
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