A pro-Israel Christian event scheduled to take place in Dallas, Texas, was indefinitely postponed due to threats reportedly made by “radical jihadist” elements in the United States.
The HaYovel Israel Summit, which was initially planned for the Arlington Expo Center and later moved to Eagle Mountain International Church, was canceled on Thursday. According to Tim Miller, CEO of the LionHeart International Services Group, a private security company, security intelligence indicated that “there was active planning to target this event.”
Miller, a veteran Secret Service officer and former member of the Marine Corps, described the security alerts as “extremely concerning.” He referenced the recent murders of a young couple working at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, as well as the firebombing of a group of peaceful Jewish marchers in Boulder, Colorado, last week.
“That tends to inspire like-minded people to physical acts of violence and that was the concern and a foundation for some of the decisions that were made,” Miller told The Media Line.
In a letter to the 700 expected attendees, HaYovel—an organization that brings Christians to Israel to volunteer—wrote, “While we are unsure of where and when the next Israel Summit will take place, we are not giving up. One thing we are certain of is this: the enemies of God’s Kingdom will NOT prevail. Together, we will continue to stand with the land and people of Israel.”
The organization apologized to those who had made travel plans and hotel bookings, saying it would work to issue full refunds for the three-day event, which was set for June 9 through 11.
We are dealing with radical anti-Israel, anti-American groups that are very violent and are willing to threaten and even cause harm to people that won’t align with their agenda. Americans are rightfully scared of them.
“The problem is that people do not understand who they are dealing with,” said HaYovel CEO Joshua Waller. “We are dealing with radical anti-Israel, anti-American groups that are very violent and are willing to threaten and even cause harm to people that won’t align with their agenda. Americans are rightfully scared of them. … This is not how Americans act. This is a jihad-like attack on America.”
Waller, who spends most of his time living on Har Bracha in Samaria—a hilltop settlement in the West Bank—told The Media Line that these radical elements need to be called what they are: “Terrorist groups in America.”
He added that he believes America is made up of “amazing people” and that these radical groups are small but loud.
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“This whole war against Israel and the Jewish people is not supported by the American public,” Waller said. “We need to educate the good people of America to understand the reality we face.”
The organization booked the Arlington Expo Center around nine months ago. However, 10 days before the event, HaYovel was forced to relocate after being alerted that expensive additional security measures would be required. According to Waller and Miller, these included snipers, dog teams, and dozens more police officers.
Miller, who worked directly with the Arlington Police Department, said the unit was “extremely supportive” and “wanted the event to go forward,” but could not allocate the resources needed to secure it. He said the intelligence—specific details of which he could not disclose—pointed to a credible threat of violence. The security costs would have amounted to several hundred thousand dollars, which the organization could not afford.
“In the United States, law enforcement agencies don’t have unlimited budgets,” Miller explained. “The event was so quickly approaching, and the associated costs with officers and overtime required funding that was just not available. The department was willing to move forward but could not supplement the cost associated with it.”
We had no idea an Israel event in Dallas would be treated like this.
Waller said, “This was news to us,” noting that the group had selected a public venue. “We had no idea an Israel event in Dallas would be treated like this.”
The second venue, a church, being private, would have required its own security. While HaYovel attempted to keep the location confidential, once word spread, the church ultimately withdrew out of concern for a violent incident.
“We decided for the safety of everyone not to proceed,” Miller said.
The church could not be reached for comment.
Miller called the situation “double terrorism,” explaining that radical elements were not only threatening to attack the venue but also intimidating it out of existence.
“This is a dark season in America,” Miller said.
HaYovel is made up of conservative Christian Zionists. The organization was founded in 2004 by Waller’s father, Tommy Waller, a Christian farmer from Tennessee. Since then, the group has brought more than 3,000 Christians from 30 countries to plant and harvest in the West Bank—what they call the Biblical heartland of Israel.
The Israel Summit was designed to be a pro-Israel event, aiming to support the country and bring visitors from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Waller said the goal was to “bring the exact truth of what is happening in Israel.”
The event was also expected to include Knesset members, congresspeople, influencers, Israeli veterans, and survivors of the Nova music festival massacre.
This is not the first time the Israel Summit was forced to relocate. Last year, it was scheduled to take place from May 20 to May 22 at the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel, which canceled hosting the event citing “threats.”
Israel365, a cosponsor of last year’s summit, told the Jewish News Syndicate at the time that the hotel consulted with local police, who “were concerned that the hotel, their guests, local businesses, and attendees to the Israel Summit would be in physical danger due to the threatening nature of the calls and messages they received.”
When Christians and Jews no longer feel protected and have lost their freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, our government has failed. The land of the free and home of the brave is being held hostage by Hamas terrorists.
“When Christians and Jews no longer feel protected and have lost their freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, our government has failed,” said Steve Wearp, founder of the Christian Zionist business Blessed Buy Israel, which supports Jewish settlement in the West Bank. “The land of the free and home of the brave is being held hostage by Hamas terrorists.”
He added in a conversation with The Media Line, “I am ashamed of this country and its unwillingness to stand up for truth and freedom. This is a failure of Texas and the Trump administration to guarantee the safety and freedoms of both Christians and Jews.”
Waller echoed the sentiment: “Americans need to wake up to the reality of what they are facing. The war on terror has entered American soil.”