The queue of people waiting to enter stretched across several small streets. But while the main event in Washington was thousands of miles away, for the attendees, this was also a day of celebration for Israel.

“This is the beginning of a new era. It’s for the State of Israel. This is a new partnership. It’s going to be four amazing years with the President of the United States,” Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Museum, told The Press Service of Israel.

“We evangelicals believe in Genesis, where God says, ‘I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee.’ When America blesses Israel, God blesses America,” he said.

The event attracted ambassadors, Holocaust survivors, members of Israel’s Republican community, and evangelical supporters.

The swearing-in ceremony was broadcast live on screens across the Museum’s campus. The crowd cheered in standing ovations throughout Trump’s speech, particularly when he spoke about the release of Israeli hostages that took place a day before his inauguration.

“Hamas now understands that working with Trump’s terms is the only way forward; otherwise, hell will break loose,” Evans told the gathering.

Evans also predicted significant developments in the region.

“There’s no doubt Trump will support Israel in taking action against Iran, recognizing it as a mutual enemy of Israel and the West. We will soon witness Saudi Arabia coming closer to Israel, and peace will expand, with Egypt contributing to the long-awaited change in the Middle East.”

“This was the most exciting event I’ve attended all year,” Tomer Shlomi, who traveled from northern Israel, told TPS-IL.

Carlos Hernandes Sanchez, a Spanish student at Haifa University came with several other international students “to see the atmosphere and meet the friends of Israel who are not Jewish,” he explained to TPS-IL.

“It’s a new chapter. I am quote optimistic about it for Israel,” he said.

Image - Yonatan Sindel/Flash90