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Speaker 1: Israel is the guardian of the holy places.

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Speaker 2: Israel is the guardian of Jerusalem and of Nazareth and

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Speaker 2: of all the holy sites. So we want every Christian

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Speaker 2: to come and connect to the Bible, to the Scripture

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Speaker 2: by actually visiting the real sites where Jesus walked, where

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Speaker 2: he preached, where he talked, where he made miracles.

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Speaker 3: For the first time in its history, Israel has appointed

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Speaker 3: an ambassador to the Christian world. Who is he and

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Speaker 3: what does his appointment mean for the global church? Hi,

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Speaker 3: and welcome to Inside the Episode with Joel and Lynn Rosenberg,

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Speaker 3: a podcast of the Joshua Fund, a ministry dedicated to

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Speaker 3: blessing Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus.

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Speaker 3: In this episode, Joel sits down with Ambassador George Deeke,

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Speaker 3: Israel's first ever special envoy to the Christian world, for

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Speaker 3: his first interview in this new world. They discuss what

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Speaker 3: this appointment means for Israel's relationship with Christians worldwide, and

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Speaker 3: you'll hear the personal story of Ambassador Deek, an Arab

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Speaker 3: Christian whose family has lived in Jaffa for nearly four

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Speaker 3: hundred years.

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Speaker 4: Anybody that's been watching this show knows that for the

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Speaker 4: last several years, actually for seven years, I've been advocating

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Speaker 4: that Israel point an ambassador to the Christian world, somebody

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Speaker 4: whose portfolio is entirely about responding to questions, concerns, complaints,

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Speaker 4: attacks against Christians that live here in Israel, or against

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Speaker 4: Israel and the Jewish people in general.

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Speaker 5: And I think it's more urgent than ever.

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Speaker 4: And you'll recall that when I did in an interview

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Speaker 4: with Israel's at that point Foreign Minister Guido Sar one

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Speaker 4: of the first questions I asked him when he gave

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Speaker 4: me the first interview of any TV interview that he'd done,

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Speaker 4: I asked him if he would appoint the first ever

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Speaker 4: Israeli ambassador to the Christian world. What's your view of

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Speaker 4: would it make sense to appoint someone who's specifically and

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Speaker 4: it is really to speak specifically to the Christian world,

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Speaker 4: because that's in the America, the US is really ambassador

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Speaker 4: to the US, he's really ambassador to England or Brazil,

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Speaker 4: wherever the Christians are part of their portfolio, but they

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Speaker 4: don't have a specific focus.

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Speaker 5: Is that a good idea or is that sort of

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Speaker 5: a diversion.

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Speaker 6: Of a distraction that it should be considered, and I

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Speaker 6: will consider that. But the most important thing is to

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Speaker 6: understand that Christian believers are a natural allies and supporters

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Speaker 6: of the State of Israel and can be a great

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Speaker 6: asset in a struggle for our rights.

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Speaker 5: And that has now been done.

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Speaker 4: I'm very happy to report to you that just in

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Speaker 4: the last few weeks weeks, Foreign Mister Guidosar has made

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Speaker 4: that appointment in full support and cooperation with Israeli Prime

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Speaker 4: Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This is encouraging because there are a

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Speaker 4: lot of attacks coming from multiple directions against Israel, and

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Speaker 4: there's a lot of confusion in elements of the Christian world.

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Speaker 4: And today we have Ambassador George Deek. He is the

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Speaker 4: man that's been appointed to this job and this is

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Speaker 4: his first television interview in his new role. Ambassador George Deek, welcome,

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Speaker 4: Thank you for having me do now. You and I

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Speaker 4: had not known each other except by Twitter, which maybe

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Speaker 4: is enough in this digital age. You and I had

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Speaker 4: been following each other and I was intrigued with your

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Speaker 4: role eighteen years. You've been a diplomat, last six years

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Speaker 4: in a very challenging environment. Israel's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Israel's

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Speaker 4: only Shia Muslim ally located.

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Speaker 5: In Central Asia.

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Speaker 4: Really challenging assignment in a time of war between Azerbaijan

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Speaker 4: and Armenia. So good job in representing Israel during this Well,

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Speaker 4: let's just get started. Why were you appointed at this

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Speaker 4: particular moment? We say, right in the Jewish calendar, why

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Speaker 4: is this night different from all other nights? After seven

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Speaker 4: years or so of various people, not just me advocating

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Speaker 4: for this role, here we are. You're actually this first

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Speaker 4: ever in the history of Israel, the ambassador to the

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Speaker 4: Christian world.

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Speaker 5: Why now? And why you?

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Speaker 2: Is Weel respects and has good relations with all community

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Speaker 2: and religious communities in it.

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Speaker 1: And outside of it.

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Speaker 2: But we do have a special relationship between us and

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Speaker 2: the Christian world. We share the same value as the

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Speaker 2: same commitment to our civilization and to the core beliefs

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Speaker 2: that we hold. And because of that, and because of

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Speaker 2: the deep friendship that existed always between Christians and the

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Speaker 2: State of Israel, I think it was the right decision

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Speaker 2: right now by Minister Sear to give a special emphasis

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Speaker 2: and to give a special strategy two, building and in

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Speaker 2: many ways reinventing our relations with the Christian world. The

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Speaker 2: first thing I think that I should do in this

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Speaker 2: position is just to say thank you Christians around the world,

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Speaker 2: in the US in particular, but around the world. I've

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Speaker 2: been to Nigeria three years. I've seen the support of

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Speaker 2: Christians there to Israel. Have always supported Israel. They stood

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Speaker 2: with us when we were weak, They stood with us

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Speaker 2: when we needed help, They stood with us when everyone

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Speaker 2: else did not stand with us. And we deeply cherish

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Speaker 2: and are grateful for the support. And with this support,

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Speaker 2: we were able to build a country that is strong,

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Speaker 2: a country that can and is willing to defend itself,

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Speaker 2: a country that is resilient, a country that loves life.

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Speaker 2: You know, Israeli is bring more children to the world

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Speaker 2: than any other country in the OECD above a replacement rate.

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Speaker 2: Our economy is thriving throughout the war. In the past

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Speaker 2: three years, our economy has hit new heights that were

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Speaker 2: never seen before. We are the strongest ever versus the dollar,

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Speaker 2: our currency, the Shehickel, So we're a strong and prosperous nation.

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Speaker 2: So I think the decision to appoint me at this

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Speaker 2: point is because it's time that we upgrade our relations

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Speaker 2: with the Christian world to a new level.

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Speaker 1: What does that mean?

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Speaker 2: First of all, we want Israel, because it is the

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Speaker 2: outpost of the Western world in this region, defending Western

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Speaker 2: deferending our Judeo Christian values, to be the place where

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Speaker 2: Christians can feel safe to come and visit the Holy Land.

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Speaker 1: Israel is the guardian of the holy places.

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Speaker 2: Israel is the guardian of Jerusalem and of Nazareth and

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Speaker 2: of all the holy sites.

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Speaker 1: So we want every Christian to come and connect to the.

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Speaker 2: Bible, to the Scripture by actually visiting the real sites

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Speaker 2: where Jesus walked, where he preached, where he talked, where

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Speaker 2: he made miracles.

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Speaker 1: So we want them all to come here.

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Speaker 5: Amen to that.

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Speaker 4: I just want to say on that note that the

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Speaker 4: Ambassador and I and my wife and several of our

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Speaker 4: team from All A Israel News just had lunch together

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Speaker 4: and I said, listen, we know as we prepare for

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Speaker 4: this Epicenter Summit that All A Israel News TBN and

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Speaker 4: the Joshua Fund will be a hosting on April seventh,

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Speaker 4: twenty twenty seventh. We would love, mister Ambassador, for you

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Speaker 4: to address the audience and the evangelicals and other Christians

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Speaker 4: that come and I want to encourage you to go

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Speaker 4: to Joshua fund dot com and you can learn all

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Speaker 4: about the summit, the Epicenter Summit, and all about the

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Speaker 4: Joshua Fund tour. We'll be bringing Lord Willing hundreds of

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Speaker 4: Christians to this summit and to tour the land and

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Speaker 4: to meet the Ambassador, and we're encouraging if you want

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Speaker 4: to sign up for that, we'd love All the details

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Speaker 4: are there at Joshua fund dot com. But also if

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Speaker 4: you're a pastor or ministry leader or somebody who wants

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Speaker 4: to bring a tour, we would love for you to

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Speaker 4: do that. And there's information again at Joshua fund dot

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Speaker 4: com about the Epicenter Summit. There's information on how you

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Speaker 4: can organize your own tour, either through the tour agency

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Speaker 4: that we're using or a tour agency that you prefer, whatever,

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Speaker 4: that's fine. The point is you can start to plan,

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Speaker 4: organize and bring people, but you need to make sure

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Speaker 4: you register and get tickets for your group if you

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Speaker 4: want to come, and I want to encourage you to

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Speaker 4: do that. We took a pause on talking about all

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Speaker 4: this during the intensity of this Operation Epic Fury, Operation

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Speaker 4: Roaring Line, but I'm encouraged by your message because it's beautiful,

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Speaker 4: and I think that people are just being able to think,

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Speaker 4: all right, now, we're probably past the worst of the war.

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Speaker 4: Certainly by next April things will be quiet and secure

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Speaker 4: and it will be time for Christians to come back.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, And I look forward to meeting everyone coming to

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Speaker 2: the Epicenter summit, and I think it's going to be

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Speaker 2: a great opportunity to launch that new chapter that we

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Speaker 2: really hope to see come to fruition.

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Speaker 3: Today's versus the Day Romans one, verse sixteen. For I

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Speaker 3: am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the

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Speaker 3: power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. To

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Speaker 3: the jew first, and also to the Greek. Today's prayer

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Speaker 3: requests pray for Ambassador George Deek that God would give

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Speaker 3: him wisdom, boldness, and favor as he builds bridges between

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Speaker 3: Israel and the global Church. Pray for the Christians of

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Speaker 3: the Middle East in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq that their

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Speaker 3: witness would be protected and multiplied even as the Christian

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Speaker 3: presence shrinks across the region. And pray for believers worldwide

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Speaker 3: to stand with Israel and her neighbors in love, truth,

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Speaker 3: and courage.

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Speaker 4: We've got to talk about several issues in these are

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Speaker 4: now the attack lines.

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Speaker 5: We're going to talk about.

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Speaker 4: Is Israel in apartheid state in a moment that's out there,

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Speaker 4: and are talking about the idea that Arabs aren't allowed

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Speaker 4: to live here, that there's no AIRB participation in the country,

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Speaker 4: and so forth.

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Speaker 5: But first, there have been at least.

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Speaker 4: Two incidents that have become particularly noteworthy in which too,

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Speaker 4: let's say, several Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon really

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Speaker 4: did some things that were deeply offensive. One there was

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Speaker 4: a photo taken of a young soldier Israeli soldier chopping

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Speaker 4: off the head of a statue of Jesus that was

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Speaker 4: sort of inverted. And then the second as an Israeli

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Speaker 4: soldier putting a cigarette in the mouth of a statue

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Speaker 4: of Mother Mary. Both went viral, deeply offensive. How do

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Speaker 4: you respond, I mean you suddenly got thrown in the

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Speaker 4: deep end where, Yeah, the Israeli government kind of got

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Speaker 4: put on defense a.

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Speaker 5: Bit over this.

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Speaker 2: The response is very clear, we don't believe in cover up,

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Speaker 2: we don't believe in covering this kind of sidens. This

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Speaker 2: is completely unacceptable, This is abherrent behavior by these soldiers.

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Speaker 2: The incidents were immediately condemned by every level of government,

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Speaker 2: from the Prime Minister to the Foreign Minister and others

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Speaker 2: immediately at that point. So there's no room for any

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Speaker 2: disrespect towards religious symbols of any religion, not just Christianity.

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Speaker 5: We actually was taken against these soldiers.

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Speaker 2: So the soldier, the punitive measures were taken. The soldiers

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Speaker 2: that desecrated the cross has been sentenced for over a

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Speaker 2: month in prison, and he's also taken out of.

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Speaker 1: Duty in the military.

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Speaker 2: He will no longer be able to serve in the

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Speaker 2: military in military forms. This is very severe punishment. The

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Speaker 2: other soldier, the incident just happened a few days ago,

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Speaker 2: or it was actually published a few days ago, so

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Speaker 2: it's now being under a judicial review in the military ranks,

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Speaker 2: and he will also be severely punished. And I want

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Speaker 2: to say a lot of people use those incidents to

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Speaker 2: attack Israel as if Israel does not protect Christian sites

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Speaker 2: or Christian people living here.

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Speaker 1: I'll just say very quickly, and first of.

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Speaker 2: All, I'm thankful for all the people who show a

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Speaker 2: lot of empathy and a lot of sympathy to Christian

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Speaker 2: presence here.

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Speaker 1: And if that criticism makes.

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Speaker 2: Us become a better society, and if that criticism brings

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Speaker 2: us to a place where we take more responsibility for

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Speaker 2: these incidents to make sure that they never happen again,

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Speaker 2: that's great.

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Speaker 1: But I have to say, as a Christian.

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Speaker 5: That's an important point.

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Speaker 4: You're the first a Christian I think, ever appointed as

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Speaker 4: an ambassador. Previously, now you're the first ever envoy to

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Speaker 4: the Christian world. But you are a Christian. You were

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Speaker 4: raised in a Christian home here in Israel. You're a

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Speaker 4: native Israeli. Your family goes back like four hundred years.

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Speaker 4: Will get more of your background in a moment, but

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Speaker 4: this is you. It's not just something you're talking about.

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Speaker 2: I grew up here as a Christian. And you know,

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Speaker 2: the Christians in the Middle East are the ancient Christians

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Speaker 2: that lived here since the times of Jesus. And right

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Speaker 2: now Christians in the Middle Least are experiencing ethnic cleansing.

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Speaker 2: The Christians are being driven out from if anywhere from

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Speaker 2: Mosul to Malula, from Baghdad to from Kabul to Istanbul,

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Speaker 2: and from Baghdad all the way to.

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Speaker 5: Affair of Moslim world, and even in Iran.

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Speaker 4: Christians are not tremendous persecution and are being cleansed out

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Speaker 4: as was actually engaged in genocide against Christians in Iraq. Absolutely,

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Speaker 4: But here in Israel it's a totally different story, even

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Speaker 4: though Tucker Carls and others try to say that Christians

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Speaker 4: are worse off here than in the air in Moslim world.

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Speaker 2: So in all those places, Christians are being persecuted throughout

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Speaker 2: the Middle East. Aleppo, which used to have two hundred

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Speaker 2: and fifty thousand Christians is down to less than fifty

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Speaker 2: thousand today, in Mosul, in Iraq, barely any Christians are

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Speaker 2: left today.

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Speaker 1: And we have seen the diminishing, the.

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Speaker 2: Shrinking of the Christian presence throughout the entire Middle East.

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Speaker 4: That's happened in Athlehem as well when under past and

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Speaker 4: in authority control, So the number of Christians plummeted as.

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Speaker 5: Christians just laughed exactly Europe or the goal for America.

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Speaker 2: So as a Christian, I pray that those Christians and

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Speaker 2: the real persecuting, not the desecration of a cross, but

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Speaker 2: the taking of lives and dignity of people, would get

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Speaker 2: the attention that it deserves in comparison to the attention

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Speaker 2: where we're getting to incidents here in Israel. So and

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Speaker 2: I'm not saying that because I want to avert the

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Speaker 2: attention to a different places. I'm saying this because there

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Speaker 2: are real persecution, real people suffering on the ground throughout

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Speaker 2: the entire Middle East, and those Christians deserve the international attention.

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Speaker 2: They deserve people caring about them and raising their voice

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Speaker 2: to defend those Christians.

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Speaker 1: And I call all the Christian.

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Speaker 2: Friends that we have abroad, raise your voice for the

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Speaker 2: Christians of the Middle East. They are disappearing, and it's

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Speaker 2: happening right under our noses. From the places that Jesus walked.

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Speaker 2: Barely any Christians are left. And in fact, there's only

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Speaker 2: one exception.

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Speaker 1: To that rule.

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Speaker 2: There's only one place in the entire Middle East or

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Speaker 2: the Christian presence is growing, and that's Israel. In Israel,

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Speaker 2: we had in nineteen fifty thirty four thousand Christians. Today

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Speaker 2: we have one hundred and eighty eight thousand Christians plus

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Speaker 2: in our country. That's four hundred percent increase in eighty years.

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Speaker 2: Christians in this country are not just surviving, they are thriving.

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Speaker 2: We are part of the decision making. There are Christians

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Speaker 2: anywhere from the academia to the military, to diplomacy, to

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Speaker 2: business to government, in every field are innovators. They are

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Speaker 2: part of our high tech nation. We are part of

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Speaker 2: this society. We make this society what it is. And

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Speaker 2: in fact, Christians in Israel. People don't know this fact,

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Speaker 2: but Christians in Israel are the most educated community in

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Speaker 2: the country, more than the Jews. Yeah, we are the

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Speaker 2: most employed. We have the lowest number of unemployment in

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Speaker 2: the country, and we have some of the best schools,

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Speaker 2: with the best the Christian schools, the best grades for

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Speaker 2: the baccalaurea like the graduation from high school. Christians are

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Speaker 2: thriving in this country. We have opportunities like everyone else.

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Speaker 2: We go to the technion, we go to the Televisian verse,

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Speaker 2: the mit of Israel and succeed in innovation and in business.

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Speaker 1: So this is our reality.

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Speaker 2: We must do everything to make sure that those voices

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Speaker 2: who are criticizing Israel do not destroy the only firewall

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Speaker 2: standing between Christian presence in the region and the terrible

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Speaker 2: faith that the rest of the Christians in the region

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Speaker 2: have faced, and that is Israel.

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Speaker 4: Man, your family is from Jaffa. In the English translations

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Speaker 4: of the Bible, it would say Joppa.

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Speaker 5: This is where Jonahs set out to avoid God's call

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Speaker 5: to go to Nineva. Right, he headed towards southern.

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Speaker 4: Spain, Tarshish, Jaffa ja we Allo say Yafo in Hebrew.

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Speaker 5: But this is where Peter was.

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Speaker 4: Taking a nap and saw the vision from Jesus and

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Speaker 4: was sent to go reach the Gentiles with the gospel.

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Speaker 4: So this is your home turf, This is where you

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Speaker 4: were born and raised, where you live now, And how

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Speaker 4: far back can your family trace its roots just to Jaffa,

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Speaker 4: not just to the land of Israel.

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Speaker 2: We have roots in Jaffa that go back almost four

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Speaker 2: hundred years, documented with baptisms and marriages certificates, so we

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Speaker 2: can go all the way back. In Arabic, it's called Saman,

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Speaker 2: which is Simon Dieck in the early days, so it's

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Speaker 2: basically my town. I've been from there for fourth centuries,

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Speaker 2: so I come from an Arab Christian family that has

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Speaker 2: lived there.

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Speaker 1: My family have gone through a lot of difficulty throughout history.

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Speaker 2: You know, as Christians in this land under Ottoman rule

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Speaker 2: and Islamic rule before that, life was not always easy,

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Speaker 2: was not always comfortable. There's a lot of discrimination in persecution,

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Speaker 2: and also in nineteen forty eight, when Israel was established,

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Speaker 2: my family fled all the way to Lebanon with the

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Speaker 2: rest of the Palatine refugees. Grandparents came back with a

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Speaker 2: baby that.

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Speaker 5: Was born in Lebanon back and settled here.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's a long story, but basically my grandfather before

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Speaker 2: the war, he used to work for an electricity company

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Speaker 2: called Ruttenberg, was owned by Jews, and he spoke Yiddish.

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Speaker 2: So when the war was over and everyone understood that

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Speaker 2: the Jews are here to stay, then all the rest

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Speaker 2: of his family tried to seek their future elsewhere. Some

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Speaker 2: stayed in Lebanon, some are now in Jordan, in Syria,

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Speaker 2: in the US, in Canada, Australia and elsewhere. But my

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Speaker 2: grandfather wanted to come back because he knew that the

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Speaker 2: Jews were not his enemies, they could be his friends.

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Speaker 2: So he took the long walk with a wife and

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Speaker 2: a baby alone. All his family was his walk walk

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Speaker 2: from Lebanon absolutely back here. Everyone thought he was completely

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Speaker 2: insane and he came all by himself, just with a

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Speaker 2: wife and a baby. They were in their early twenties

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Speaker 2: and they walked all the way back. My grandfather was

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Speaker 2: even arrested by the Israeli police when he entered the

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Speaker 2: land because he was illegally infiltrating the country. And my

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Speaker 2: grandmother went knocking on the israel Electrician National Israeli Electricity Company,

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Speaker 2: which is the transformation of the Rutenberg Company where he worked.

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Speaker 2: So she knocked on the doors. Who knows George Deek

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Speaker 2: I'm named after him. So finally she found his friends

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Speaker 2: from there, and they not only took him out of jail,

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Speaker 2: but they also gave him his old job back, making

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Speaker 2: him the first Arab to ever work for the Israeli

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Speaker 2: Electricity Company.

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Speaker 5: Wow.

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Speaker 2: And the reason I'm sitting here with you as an

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Speaker 2: Israeli ambassador and not a palacy on refugee from Lebanon,

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Speaker 2: is because my grandfather had the courage to take a

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Speaker 2: decision that was unthinkable to others, to come live among

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Speaker 2: those who are supposed to be his enemies and to

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Speaker 2: make them his friends.

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Speaker 4: It's so encouraging to me that you have this role,

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Speaker 4: especially because you were already an ambassador for eighteen years

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Speaker 4: or a diplomat, and you become an ambassador to a

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Speaker 4: Shia Muslim country representing israel I.

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Speaker 5: Think all that history is good.

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Speaker 4: I would think you probably didn't want during that time

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Speaker 4: to be specifly an Arab Israeler, specifally a Christian is

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Speaker 4: religious in Israeli who was doing the.

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Speaker 5: Job of representing the country.

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Speaker 4: But I think this is an amazing moment for such

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Speaker 4: a time as this, to quote the Book of Esther,

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Speaker 4: and I really appreciate you spending time with us, and

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Speaker 4: we're looking forward to following you, reporting on you, and

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Speaker 4: following up with other interviews. I'd love to interview you

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Speaker 4: in Jaffa, your hometown. You're here in Jerusalem, and we'll

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Speaker 4: walk the cobblestone streets and we wish you well. We

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Speaker 4: are praying for you in this due role. It's a

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Speaker 4: very important role, and I'm encouraged by the seriousness with

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Speaker 4: which is being taken not just by the Foreign Minster,

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Speaker 4: who I know and appreciate, but also by the Prime Minster,

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Speaker 4: who I know and appreciate.

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Speaker 5: This is the right time. Thank you for the opportunity,

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Speaker 5: my pleasure.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to this episode. His story reminds

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Speaker 3: us that God raises up unexpected people in unexpected places

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Speaker 3: for exactly the right moment. If you found this podcast valuable,

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Speaker 3: please click subscribe and share it with someone who needs

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Speaker 3: to hear it. Send us your questions and comments to

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Speaker 3: podcasts at Joshua fund dot net. A's podcast at joshuafund

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Speaker 3: dot net. We'd love to hear from you. Like what

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Speaker 3: you're hearing, visit Joshua fund dot com and become an

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Speaker 3: epicenter ally a monthly giver today. As always, check out

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Speaker 3: our show notes for more details on anything you heard

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Speaker 3: today on behalf of the entire Joshua Fun team. Thank

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Speaker 3: you for joining us as we unpack the headlines, the prophecies,

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Speaker 3: and the hope of Christ rising in the Middle East.

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Speaker 3: Until then, stay watchful, stay prayerful, and keep your eyes

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Speaker 3: on the Epicenter.