Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) left an event hosted by a Christian organization mid-speech after he was booed off the stage upon offering his unabashed support for Israel on Wednesday night.
The tea party icon was a keynote speaker at a Washington summit hosted by the nonprofit, In Defense of Christians, a group that focuses on persecuted Christian and minority communities in the Middle East, Politico reported.
"Tonight, we are all united in defense of Christians. Tonight, we are all united in defense of Jews. Tonight, we are all united in defense of people of good faith ... Christians have no greater ally than Israel," Cruz told dinner guests, upsetting many in the crowd.
The remark instantly sparked booing and calls from the crowd to "stop it" and to get "out, out, leave the stage!" according to several reports and a video taken by EWTN News and obtained by The Daily Caller,
However, Cruz refused to back down, instead interrupting his address to confront the unruly crowd directly, according to a video flagged by The Blaze, featuring the final part of Cruz's speech.
"Those who hate Israel hate America. Those who hate Jews hate Christians. If those in this room will not recognize that, then my heart weeps."
Toufic Baaklini, In Defense of Christians' president, came onstage to try and pacify the crowd, but to no avail, New York Daily News reported.
"I will say this: I'm saddened to see that some here, not everyone, are so consumed with hate," he said at the outset of the video, his comments prompting continued booing and yelling out from some members of the crowd. "I will say this: If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you. Thank you, and God bless you," he said, walking off stage to scattered applause and boos.
In a statement, Baaklini blamed "a few politically motivated opportunists" who crashed the event to push their agenda.
"Tonight's injection of politics when the focus should have been on unity and faith momentarily played into the hands of a few who do not adhere to IDC's principles. They were made no longer welcome," he added.
The crowd showed "a shameful display of bigotry and hatred," the potential 2016 presidential contender said in a subsequent statement to Breitbart News, adding that he was attempting to show how the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as well as other terrorist groups, are threatening both Jews and Christians in the region.
"I told the attendees that those who hate Israel also hate America," he said. "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."
Meanwhile, Cruz released a lengthy statement after the event condemning the "ignorance and bigotry" present at the Wednesday gathering, Business Insider reported.
"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," Cruz said.
The Republican went on to directly accuse at least some of those who booed him of anti-Semitism.
"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," he continued. "But bigotry and hatred have no place in this discussion. Anti-Semitism is a corrosive evil, and it reared its ugly head tonight."
