Spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump, Pastor Paula White-Cain, topped the first annual list of Israel’s Top 50 Christian Allies, released Thursday by the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) in honor of the upcoming Jewish festival of Sukkot.
Coming in at number two is former South Carolina state Representative Alan Clemmons who initiated the first anti-BDS legislation in the U.S. which was since adopted by 26 more states. Spots three and four are filled respectively by Pastor Larry Huch of the Texas-based New Beginnings mega-church and Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and 2016 presidential candidate.
White-Cain, who is chair of the evangelical advisory board to Trump’s administration, was the first female member of the clergy to lead the opening prayer at a presidential inauguration in January 2017.
The list “represents the leaders around the globe supporting Israel through faith-based diplomacy,” IAF president Josh Reinstein told Breitbart News.
The list also honors notable Christian personalities including CEO of Samaritan’s Purse Franklin Graham, religious broadcaster and philanthropist Pat Robertson and former congresswoman Michele Bachman.
Reinstein claimed Christian support for Israel was the engine behind the Trump administration’s many pro-Israel decisions, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
“It was Christian support for Israel that empowered President [Donald] Trump to take such a bold stand for Israel. His resolve is paying off more than anyone could have imagined,” Reinstein, whose recently released book explores these claims, said.
“By strengthening Israel rather than isolating it we are seeing the beginnings of real peace in the Middle East, a truly historic accomplishment,” he added.
The IAF is an umbrella organization that coordinates the work of 44 Israel Allies Caucuses around the world in order to mobilize political support for Israel based on shared Judeo-Christian values, a statement by the group said. The network includes the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus, and the European Union Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucus.
According to the statement, “the moving of the U.S and Guatemalan embassies to Jerusalem as well as the anti-BDS legislation now in 32 U.S states, [are] direct results of the Christian supporters and politicians who have advocated for these issues as well as the Christian voters who have demonstrated that these issues will impact the direction of their vote.”