Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke at Liberty University in Virginia, addressing a crowd of about 10,000 students.
"We are fighting the same war. Your prayers matter. Your love matters. Your speaking up matters," he said.
Bennett added that in the past few weeks, he has been traveling around the US and the world, meeting students on campus, and discovering that many students, both Jews and non-Jews, want to fight for Israel, but need guidance and tools to do so. "I am optimistic," he said.
He also explained Israel's history, which spans thousands of years, and the goals of radical Islam, which "views all of us as enemies.... If you don't fight them in the Middle East, they come to America," Bennett explained.
"We are not asking for America to fight - we never did," he said. "But we do need America to have our back. We do need the support in the crooked international institutions like the United Nations. Do you know who sits on the human rights committee in the United Nations? Iran! Iran's on that committee. Are you kidding?"
"I want to say on behalf of the Israeli people - thank you. You cannot imagine how much it matters - every action, every statement, every prayer - of each of you.
"Come and visit Israel - we want to see you there. And by the way, it's fun. ... Things will calm down. Come and visit the holy land, view the holy sites, but also meet Israelis. You want the ancient and the modern together, because we're the same guys."
"The most important one - and here I ask it from the bottom of my heart: Whenever anyone trashes the State of Israel: Do not remain silent. Stand up. Fight back - not physically... Never be silent... Stand up, never be ashamed for loving the State of Israel! Never apologize for loving the State of Israel."