"Those who hate Israel, hate America. My heart weeps that the men and women here will not stand in solidarity with Jews and Christians alike who are persecuted by radicals." -Ted Cruz

(Washington, DC)-A group of Middle Eastern Christians booed Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, off the stage after speaking in support of Israel at an event in Washington, DC.

The event, sponsored by a group called In Defense of Christians, was billed as a gathering of Middle Eastern Christian leaders.

They were trying to raise awareness about the threat to Arab minorities by the Islamic terrorists.

Cruz spoke about Christian solidarity with Israel and standing against terrorist groups like ISIS.

But some in the crowd were Palestinian Christian supporters of the Syrian government and even the terrorist group Hezbollah.

"Those who hate Israel hate America," Cruz began before being interrupted by jeering from the audience.

"My heart weeps that the men and women here will not stand in solidarity with Jews and Christians alike who are persecuted by radicals," he responded.

At one point, the moderator interrupted, saying, "Please, respect for dialogue. Respect. Please, we're in America."

Undeterred, Cruz said "If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you. Thank you and God bless you."

Click here to watch the video.

Link>

Tonight in Washington should have been a night of unity as we came together for the inaugural event for a group that calls itself ‘In Defense of Christians.’ Instead, it unfortunately deteriorated into a shameful display of bigotry and hatred.

When I spoke in strong support of Israel and the Jewish people, who are being persecuted and murdered by the same vicious terrorists who are also slaughtering Christians, many Christians in the audience applauded. But, sadly, a vocal and angry minority of attendees at the conference tried to shout down my expression of solidarity with Israel.

They cannot shout down the truth. And we should not shy away from expressing the truth, even in the face of – especially in the face of – ignorance and bigotry.

I told the attendees that those who hate Israel also hate America, that those who hate Jews also hate Christians, and that anyone who hates Israel and the Jewish people is not following the teachings of Christ.

These statements were met with angry boos. I went on to tell the crowd that Christians in the Middle East have no better friend than Israel. That Christians can practice their faith free of persecution in Israel. And that ISIS, al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah, along with their state sponsors in Syria and Iran, are all part of the same cancer, murdering Christians and Jews alike. Hate is hate, and murder is murder.

I came to this event tonight to help shine a light on the tragic persecution and slaughter of Christians by ISIS and Islamic radicals throughout the Middle East. American leaders have been far too silent as to this horrific evil.

But bigotry and hatred have no place in this discussion. Anti-Semitism is a corrosive evil, and it reared its ugly head tonight.

After just a few minutes, I had no choice. I told them that if you will not stand with Israel, if you will not stand with the Jews, then I will not stand with you. And then I walked off the stage.