Sandy Rios, the American Family Association’s director of governmental affairs, said today that criticism of her organization’s role in financing a Republican National Committee trip to Israel is unfounded because Israel “could not have a better ally” than the AFA … despite the fact that God disapproves of the country’s “secular government” and is not “fond of atheist Jews” who live there.

“In terms of our teachings and our biblical understanding there could not be any more strong support for Israel than you find among people who understand and believe in the Bible and believe that God’s hand is on Israel, in spite of what’s happening there, in spite of its government,” she said. She mocked the notion “that God is in favor of a secular government or that God is fond of atheist Jews who occupy the land in Israel.”

“It is His land and I believe He will reclaim it in time,” Rios said.

In an apparent response to pressure from the RNC, the AFA distanced itself from its main spokesman Bryan Fischer yesterday, stripping him of his title while still allowing him to host a daily talk show on the organization’s radio network.

Rios has a history making such statements about American Jews. She has argued that “powerful Jewish forces” use groups like the ACLU to destroy America, claimed “Jewish leftists in this country are eager to embrace Islam,” lamented that “the Jewish vote in this country is so confused, so many of the Jews in this country are atheist and their hearts are with this President,” and warned that “Jewish atheists” are among “the worst enemies of the country.”

AFA president Tim Wildmon has agreed with her assessment: “Most of the Jews in this country, unfortunately, are far-left.”