"The division and anti-Semitism expressed tonight by some of the crowd is not reflective of the teachings of Christ, and is in fact directly contrary to the tenets of Christianity," Cruz said.
Good for Cruz. Sounds like not everyone was Christian at that conference. Those that claimed the title but participated in the hate prove they are Christian in name only. Shame on them.
Cruz showed real character there.
I think the message is that rather than being a Christian organization, some of these groups operating under the banner of middle-east Christians in the US are really pro-Iranian agit-prop outfits, and to be regarded skeptically.
Middle Eastern Christians have been anti-Israel for a good long time. The founder of the Baath Party, Michel Aflaq was a ME Christian. Bobby Kennedy's assassin, Sirhan Sirhan is a ME Christian. George Habash, the founder of the PFLP terrorist group, was a ME Christian. In general, ME Christians have been Arab nationalists, and that basically means Israelis must be driven into the sea. Maybe your personal experience has been different, but my recollection of the Christian Arabs I have known is pretty much wall-to-wall opposition to the existence of Israel. Christian Arab politicians from John Sununu and Darrell Issa in the GOP to pretty much every Democratic pol have been anti-Israel for as long as I remember. Christian Arabs are allowed to enlist in the IDF, but very few do. A big reason is the Arab animus, regardless of religion, against the state of Israel. It's only now, after Christian communities in the Middle East have been subjected to large scale pogroms and genocidal slaughter, that Christian Arabs in Israel are starting to change their minds about the Jewish state as protector of Christians instead of oppressor of Arabs.