Really? While everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts this is one of those cases where opinion and fact tend to blur along the edges.
For example...
...is factually true only if Jews and Christians are the same thing.
Guess what? There are plenty of Christians who would say that is essentially the case. Specifically, many Christians hold that their religion is simply Judaism + a true Messiah. Thus, Christianity is the same as Judaism. You don't have to look far to find Christian sects who do more than simply keep kosher; minus a few details and dress, they might as well be Hasidic.
I'm not sure where Cruz gets his comparative religion knowledge but, depending on how you look at it, a statement that Jews and Christians are the same, in the right context, may not be outrageous.
But the Israel:America thing?