Senator Lindsey Graham meets with faith leaders to discuss Israel-Hamas war

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — A group of mostly Baptist and Presbyterian ministers from around the state came together at the Columbia Chamber of Commerce to declare their support for Israel and have an open discussion with Senator Lindsey Graham about the conflict.

“I have a simple message. I have chosen sides. Israel has nothing to apologize for. Israel did not cause this,” says Graham.

At a press conference after the roundtable, Senator Graham outlined how he believes the U.S.  should move forward regarding the Israel-Hamas war, also calling for a statewide day of prayer this Sunday, October 15th.

“Hamas has declared today, Friday, the ‘Day of Rage.’ I am seeking South Carolinians declare this coming Sunday a day of prayer. To all houses of worship in the state of South Carolina, please pray for Israel this Sunday. They want rage, I want prayer. They seek destruction, we seek peace. They seek a one state solution — Hamas — the destruction of Israel. I see a world where Palestinians can live in dignity and in peace with Israel,” says Graham.

Tony Beam, Interim Pastor at Five Forks Baptist Church in Simpsonville, attended the roundtable.

“I definitely will be encouraging the church where I’m Interim Pastor, to enter in to that day of prayer and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, which is what the Bible calls us to do, and to pray that God will protect his people of Israel, and that the evil of Hamas will be destroyed, and that innocent life will be protected as much as humanly possible,” says Beam.

Beam also says, “For me, as a Christian, war means making sure that we’re on the side of those who are right, not the aggressors, and making sure that innocent life is protected as much as humanly possible.”

Should the war continue to escalate, Graham believes America should go after Iran, who he says continues to fund Hamas and provide them with weapons.

“The desire to not engage evil seldom works out well. Iran is evil. I don’t want a war with Iran, but I am tired of Iran financing terrorism all over the globe. We have 24 dead Americans, families destroyed and others held captive because of Iran’s support for Hamas. So to the American people, it is long past time we dealt with the Ayatollah and his henchmen,” says Graham.

On the Palestinian people and hostages, Graham says, “I want to save as many innocent Palestinians as possible. All Palestinians are not the same. If you defeat Hamas, not only do you make Israel safer, you free up a bunch of Palestinians who have known nothing but terror and oppression.”

Graham says he also wants to find ways to protect the Palestinian population, saying, “I would like to find humanitarian corridors. I would like to assist in moving civilians out of target areas. But Hamas is a player here. They’re not going to let the people move. They’re going to use their own people as human shields.”

The Senator also believes this is a critical time for national security and says electing a House Speaker should be done sooner rather than later.

“I know there’s a lot of issues in the house, and I’m just praying and urging our House Republican colleagues to find somebody; get behind them soon so we can protect our country. This is a time to come together. Chaos in America leads to the bad guys being stronger,” says Graham.

The Senator says he plans on traveling to Israel soon, but as of yet has not released when he will go.