Some of the most influential evangelical leaders in the U.S. told Fox News Digital that they believe President Donald Trump’s support for Israel is unwavering as the Jewish state finds itself at war with Iran.

Speaking before and after the start of Israel’s military campaign against the regime, the leaders highlighted the millennialong connection of the Jewish people to their historical homeland, while also emphasizing the shared values rooted in biblical teachings.

The evangelical community helped deliver the White House to President Donald Trump and, therefore, believes his administration should support Israel’s biblical rights to its historical heartland of Judea and Samaria, Dr. Mike Evans, founder of Friends of Zion, told Fox News Digital.

«We hold strongly to that stand. President Trump won because of the Evangelical vote. There are 52 million of us in America, and we are Bible believers,» he continued. «Jesus said, ‘You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria,’» he said. His organization claims nearly 30 million members.

TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL AND IRAN ‘HAVE TO FIGHT IT OUT’ BUT BELIEVES DEAL IS POSSIBLE

Evans praised the president’s stance on Iran, saying, «The Trump strategy is brilliant because he’s giving Iran a way out, but he’s not taking it off the table that the U.S. will bomb Iran. Quite the contrary, he’s made it very clear that if Iran does anything to attack U.S. bases in the Middle East or Americans, they will have hell to pay.»

Pastor John Hagee, founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, which numbers 10 million members, told Fox News Digital that Israel has long been a central concern for American evangelicals, a priority that has only intensified since the 9/11 attacks and more recently in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre. For evangelical Christians, he said, support for Israel is rooted in religious conviction rather than political ideology. They view appeasement of Iran or engagement with terrorists not just as flawed policy, but as morally wrong and fundamentally evil.

Just days before Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, and amid isolationist criticism against Israel, Hagee told Fox News Digital, «I do not think President Trump will allow himself to be played by Iranian negotiators or American isolationists. When it’s all said and done, I believe President Trump is willing to do what it takes to ensure Iran is defanged either by enabling our strongest ally, Israel, to defend itself or otherwise.»

Israeli air defenses seen in the skies over northern Israel during an Iranian missile attack. June 16, 2025. (Photos by Anthony Hershko/TPS-IL)

Following Israel’s surprise attack on Iran, Hagee released a recorded message as part of an action alert asking his supporters to contact President Trump, thank him for his support of Israel and urge him to continue.

«We must stand with Israel today and every day. Iran’s future as an evil force in the Middle East is now in question. Only the people of Iran can take the country back. But Israel has opened the door for them and given the world room to breathe. Now the U.S. must take its seat at the head of the international table and stand alongside the only American ally in the free world willing to do what is necessary to protect the free world,» Hagee said.

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Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, posted about the growing threat Iran poses to both Israel and the United States on X.

«Iran has said that they want to wipe Israel off the face of the map. They would also like to destroy America. Iran is a sponsor of terror … Israel has been forced into defending itself and needs our prayers,» he added. «All of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him should ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ (Psalm 122:6). Pray that this can be resolved quickly.»

Graham pointed to the long connection of the Jewish people to their historic homeland, while also emphasizing the shared values rooted in biblical teachings.

From left to right, Franklin Graham, Dr. Mike Evans and Pastor John Hagee are urging President Donald Trump to continue backing Israel as the Jewish state fights a war against Iran. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images | Mike Evans; Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images | John Hagee; CUFI/Cornerstone Church, San Antonio, TX.)

«Most evangelical Christians believe the Bible and, of course, we believe Genesis, we believe God gave the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and that every inch of that land belongs to the Jews,» Graham told Fox News Digital.

He underscored the importance of continued U.S. support for Israel, citing both strategic and democratic considerations.

«The U.S. government has supported Israel since it became a nation, and for that support to continue is extremely important. It’s the only democracy in the Middle East, the only place where elections are held. No one else in that part of the world has the kinds of freedoms that Israelis have,» Graham said.

Evans, also quoting scripture, noted that, «In Genesis chapter 12, God said, ‘I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.’ Evangelicals believe that pressuring Israel to give up land will bring a curse on America. If they have to choose between God’s word and anyone else’s, they will choose God’s word,» he said.

Hagee also cited biblical teachings that promise blessings for those who bless Israel, framing the principle as both a spiritual conviction and a practical truth.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks at a meeting in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 5, 2020. Khamenei said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan will not outlive the president. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

«Consider the tangible results that cannot be denied—whether through intelligence and technology sharing or fighting on the front lines of the global war on terror, America has been blessed by supporting Israel in numerous ways. If we turn our backs on Israel, not only will God turn His back on America, but we will lose freedom’s foothold in the Middle East,» he told Fox News Digital.

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Hagee noted that the issue has become deeply personal for many in the United States, especially in light of recent antisemitic attacks on American soil. These include the terror incident in Boulder, Colorado, where an illegal Egyptian immigrant injured 15 people with Molotov cocktails during a march supporting hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as the fatal shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., which claimed the lives of two staff members from the Israeli Embassy.

«We expect Congress to take up meaningful legislation aimed at combating the scourge of violent antisemitism raging across the country,» Hagee said.

He condemned the political delays surrounding the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the lack of progress on the Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act, which would prohibit federal agencies from engaging with companies that promote a boycott of Israel.

«That Congress continues to dither here is shameful,» Hagee said.

For his part, Evans told Fox News digital that another issue that the Trump administration appears to be confronting aggressively: a French-Saudi-sponsored conference to push for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Pastor John Hagee speaks during «March For Israel» at the National Mall on Nov. 14, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

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«We’re not overly concerned, because we know the president will oppose this move at the U.N. Security Council,» he said. «The United States will not back a Palestinian state at this time, as the entire premise of statehood has been based on land-for-peace—a concept that assumes Israel can secure peace by relinquishing territory. But Israelis have given up land and lost lives in the process, and it hasn’t worked.»

«Israel is facing an existential threat and can no longer capitulate or play the land-for-peace game. Palestinians can lead a better life, as we’ve seen with Israeli Arabs, who have a better quality of life in Israel than anywhere else in the Middle East,» Evans continued. «The only way forward is if they stop resorting to terrorism, and we believe the president supports this position of moral clarity, as do all Evangelicals.»

Críticas a Apple

Eric Trump, Don Hendrickson, Eric Thomas, Patrick O’Brien y Donald Trump Jr., de izquierda a derecha, participan en el anuncio de Trump Mobile, en la Torre Trump de Nueva York. Foto AP

A federal judge in Boston agreed Monday to extend a temporary restraining order blocking President Donald Trump’s attempt to block international students from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard. 

The update is a near-term win for the nation’s oldest university in its months-long fight with the Trump administration.

Lawyers for Harvard had urged U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs on Monday to extend two restraining orders that blocked the Trump administration from revoking its credentials under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, or SEVP, and which temporarily blocked a proclamation Trump signed earlier this month that barred foreign nationals from traveling to the U.S. if they planned to study or research at Harvard. 

«The proclamation is a plain violation of the First Amendment,» Ian Gershengorn, a lawyer for Harvard, told Judge Burroughs in court on Monday in seeking a preliminary injunction, a more lasting form of court-ordered relief. 

CONTINUED COURT FIGHTS COULD PUT HARVARD IN UNWINNABLE POSITION VS TRUMP

Burroughs extended the temporary restraining order through June 23, noting that she needed more time to formally rule on the request for injunctive relief.

«We’ll kick out an opinion as soon as we can,» she told the court Monday afternoon, shortly before proceedings wrapped for the day.

At issue is a push to revoke Harvard’s credentials under its SEVP program, announced by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in May; and a separate proclamation signed by Trump in June, seeking to block foreign nationals from entering the U.S. if they were planning to study or conduct research at Harvard. 

Both actions were temporarily blocked by Burroughs. Now, lawyers for the school are pushing for a more permanent form of relief known as a preliminary injunction.

In the interim, lawyers for Harvard said that the Trump administration’s actions have injected «unnecessary uncertainty for Harvard and its students, who may yet again have their status as lawfully present nonimmigrants in the United States abruptly and categorically rescinded.»

Harvard argued that the Trump administration’s actions would violate the Administrative Procedure Act, the First Amendment, and the Fifth Amendment – injecting «continued chaos and lasting damage on Harvard for no compelling reason,» they said in a filing.

STATE DEPARTMENT NOW SCRUTINIZING ALL VISA HOLDERS ASSOCIATED WITH HARVARD

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump officials have accused Harvard University of «fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,» according to a statement earlier this year, and for failing to account for «known illegal activity» on its campus. 

Lawyers for Harvard told Burroughs in court on Monday that these actions have already injected uncertainty into the lives of their international students. 

They noted that some foreign students were incorrectly denied visas after indicating their plans to study at Harvard, while at least four other students were wrongfully detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials earlier this month upon arriving in the U.S. at Boston’s Logan International Airport. 

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Harvard President Alan Garber acknowledges an extended round of applause during Harvard University’s commencement ceremonies, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass.  (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Harvard is also fighting to retain its SEVP accreditation. The program is run by the Department of Homeland Security and allows universities to sponsor international students for U.S. visas for the duration of their enrollment at a public university.

If it loses that status, experts previously told Fox News, thousands of international students currently enrolled at Harvard will have a narrow window to either transfer to another U.S. university, or risk losing their student visas within 180 days.

Lawyers for Harvard previously told Burroughs that ending their SEVP certification would affect roughly 7,000 international students at Harvard – or some 27% of its total student body. 

Monday’s hearing was the latest in a string of legal dust-ups that have pitted Harvard against the Trump administration – or vice versa – in Trump’s second White House term.

100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT

Cambridge, MA – May 23: Hundreds of graduates walked out of the 2024 Commencement in Harvard Yard to call attention to the plight of Palestinians.  (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Since Trump took office in January, the administration has already frozen more than $2 billion in grants and contracts awarded to the university, and is proposing to end its tax-exempt status, among other things. 

The administration is also targeting Harvard with investigations led by six separate federal agencies. 

Combined, these actions have created a wide degree of uncertainty at Harvard.

Legal experts noted the court is wading into largely uncharted territory. 

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Asked how it might play out, many scholars pointed to a lack of precedent and offered no clear answer.

 «As with many things that Trump does, the answer is unclear, because it hasn’t been done before,» Josh Blackman, a law professor at South Texas College of Law, said last month. «No president has tried to do this before, so I don’t think there’s a clear precedent on the answer.»