At a Thursday prayer event, hosted by Family Research Council at its Baton Rouge facilities, Louisiana formally strengthened its bond to the nation-state of Israel. During FRC’s pastors’ breakfast in the Bayou State on Thursday, attended by Governor Jeff Landry (R), Central Mayor Wade Evans (R), and Yossi Dagon, head of the Shomron Regional Council in Israel, the leaders even signed an agreement making the Louisiana city of Central and the Israeli city of Samaria sister cities.
“We’re going to do something historic here. We’re going to [formalize] a sister city [agreement] between the city of Central and Samaria,” FRC President Tony Perkins announced to a packed room of pastors. “We’re going to sign that proclamation here this morning.”
As Perkins, who resides in Central, continues to remind the church and government leaders, Samaria is “the heart of Israel, literally the heart of Israel.” Speaking to the ministry leaders and elected officials present, Perkins said, “Pick up your Bible. Eighty percent of what we read in there took place in that area. That’s called Judea and Samaria.” And yet, he explained, “The United Nations wants to give it away. This is the conversation that we constantly hear about. A ‘two-state solution’ [would divide] up that land. It is in contradiction to the word of God,” the FRC president insisted, “and it should be something that we adamantly oppose now.”
Obviously, he qualified, “We don’t agree with everything that Israel does. I don’t agree with everything my government does,” Perkins admitted, “but I support their right to have sovereignty over their land. It is their land. God gave it to them.”
What the world has wrongly called the “West Bank,” Yossi and Perkins pointed out, is 24 times larger than Gaza. And since the horrors of October 7, 2023, it’s become a highly dangerous area where “weapons are being smuggled in by Iran,” and “terrorist activity” continues to take a deeper hold. “In fact,” Perkins noted, “when the war started with Iran, … IDF troops had to be dispatched [there].” Giving the Palestinians permanent control, the Samarian leader stressed, would only mean “peace for them.” The Jewish people would not only be under constant oppression, he warned, but in the crosshairs of significant violence. “This is an issue,” Louisiana’s governor cautioned, “that if we do not solve, [it will] continue to cost the lives of so many people.”
That said, the support and educational efforts of Perkins, conservatives, and other U.S. Christians have been monumental to their Judean and Samarian cause, Yossi underscored sincerely. It’s not only brought international attention to the importance of sovereignty, he said, but it’s done so when Israel has a very strong ally in the White House.
Landry touched on that in his own comments, reiterating, “I’ve never seen a president stand [more] squarely on the side of righteousness on this issue than him. And if he moves off of that, it is our job to say, ‘Hey, Mr. President, do not forget the mission. Do not forget that America stands for freedom. Do not forget that if we allow the constant persecution that’s going on [against the Jewish people], if we allow this issue to continue to fester, the world will have no peace. It will have no peace, because the devil will have won, and chaos will continue to reign.’”
The level of religious oppression, he continued, “both on the Jewish side and the Christian side in this world today has not been seen in over 100 years. And you know what the sad part is?” the governor shook his head. “I don’t see us standing up enough, okay? We’re not standing up and saying, ‘What’s going on over there is wrong. What happened in Israel in October of 2023 was an unbelievable act of evil, and the fact that our response — while it might have been tough — was not complete and strong is a failure of America,’” Landry lamented.
For his part, the governor said, “ … I’m hoping to get back around the state and visiting with y’all, but I can tell you, governor, the state of Louisiana absolutely stands with Israel on this issue,” he paused before adding, “and whatever you need … it’s not a problem.”
Perkins pointed to Louisiana State Senator Valerie Hodges (R) in the audience, who’s introducing a bill for the state to formally recognize the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria in the next legislative session. Then, in a symbolic moment, Mayor Evans and Dogan signed a proclamation formally establishing Central, Louisiana as a sister city of Samaria.
The proclamation reads:
“Whereas the city of Central Louisiana and the Shomron Regional Council of Israel share a commitment to freedom, faith, and the flourishing of their communities; and whereas both communities are founded upon values of family, faith, and resilience, and have demonstrated a steadfast dedication to preserving their culture and historical heritage while embracing a future of growth and opportunity; and whereas this sister city relationship seeks to deepen mutual understanding, promote cultural exchange, foster economic cooperation, and strengthen the bond of friendship between the people of Central and the people of Shomron; and whereas we recognize the biblical and historical significance of the Shomron region, the ancient heartland of Israel, and affirm our solidarity with the people of Israel as they pursue peace, security, and prosperity; and whereas this partnership will serve as a foundation for educational collaboration, economic engagement, and civic connection, and will stand as a visible sign of our shared commitment to the enduring values of faith, freedom, and fellowship; now, therefore, we, Wade Evans, mayor of the City of Central, and Yossi Dagan, governor of the Shomron Regional Council, do hereby proclaim the establishment of a sister city relationship between our communities and commit to working together in friendship and purpose, for the good of our people and the strengthening of our common bonds.”
The group took a moment afterward to pray for Governor Landry and all of the efforts across the country to bring true and lasting peace to Israel, as God urges in His word.
“I believe that this state has an opportunity to be a shining light at a very dark time,” Landry concluded. “Why? Because if there’s one thing that the people of Louisiana have, and each one of you in your congregation have, [it’s] faith. And if we continue to have that faith — the faith of a mustard seed — there is no doubt that we will conquer the evil that is causing chaos in this world.”
