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Christian pastors, influencers join 1,000-strong Israel mission backing Jewish state, fighting antisemitism

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Christian pastors, influencers join 1,000-strong Israel mission backing Jewish state, fighting antisemitism

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A delegation of 1,000 U.S. Christian pastors and influencers — the largest group of American Christian leaders to visit Israel since its founding — arrived last Tuesday as part of a Friends of Zion initiative.

The trip, organized in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is designed to provide training and prepare participants to serve as unofficial ambassadors for Israel in their communities.

Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and a confidant of President Donald Trump, said most Evangelical bible believers are Zionists, making them a key ally in efforts to counter antisemitism.

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The largest delegation of evangelical Christian pastors and influencers ever brought to Israel meets with former Hamas captives at the site of the Supernova music festival on Wednesday as part of the Friends of Zion Ambassador Program. (Shlomi Amsalem)

“These devils that hate Jews hate Christians just as much. What is being said against the State of Israel is one hundred times worse than what the Nazis said on their party platform in 1920, and everyone is ignoring it. They don’t realize how dangerous this is,” Evans told Fox News Digital.

“The new wars of the 21st century are media wars, ideological wars, economic wars and proxy wars. And while Israel has never fought an ideological war, its enemies have,” he added.

Evans said members of the visiting delegation were vetted to ensure no hidden agendas and signed a pledge committing to stand in solidarity with the Jewish people. “We had over 2,000 apply; we chose those best suited for this first trip. These 1,000 pastors represent tens of millions of Americans and have major media and social media influence,” he said.

The initiative was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Evans has known for 45 years.

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Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem, meets with former Hamas hostage Edan Alexander. (Shlomi Amsalem)

“When we were on Mount Herzl, one widow was there sharing her story. Her daughter no longer has a daddy. Thinking that my little girl might not have her dad broke my heart. I connected on a deep personal level,” Tamryn Foley, a member of the National Faith Advisory Board’s executive team, told Fox News Digital.

The board is the largest coalition backing and advocating for people of faith, led by Pastor Paula White-Cain. Its mission is built on four pillars — protecting religious freedom, promoting a strong America, defending life at all stages and honoring family values — and it identifies the U.S.-Israel alliance as central to that agenda.

“I stand with Israel very strongly, and so does the group of pastors I work with. I don’t think we realized how big this event would be. We wanted to show support, and since we’ve been here, it’s been so much more than we thought,” said Foley, who lives in Florida.

“I am going back home with a fire to make sure young people in my country know the truth. It’s one thing to understand something intellectually, and another to come here, meet people who have been affected, and connect with them on a heart level,” she continued.

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MIKE PENCE: NO PLACE FOR ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA TODAY, TOMORROW OR EVER

“There is so much negative propaganda in our country. It’s loud, and we need to do a better job of educating young people. They’re capable of seeing through the nonsense and lies — I don’t think we give them enough credit. We need to present them with the truth and plant the seed for lifelong support for Israel,” Foley said.

One objective of the training, he explained, is to reach young people — claiming countries like Qatar have turned against Israel by investing millions of dollars to spread antisemitic content through universities and digital platforms.

Evans said the Muslim Brotherhood, for example, has waged ideological warfare, describing it as a “powerful demon because it doesn’t clear customs, and you can’t kill it with a bullet.

“More than half of the Palestinian population embraces Hamas’s ideology of radical Islam,” he claimed, “which isn’t based on land for peace but on establishing an Islamic state and eradicating the Jewish state.”

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Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem, meets with former Hamas hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel. (Shlomi Amsalem)

AMERICAN-ISRAELI HELD HOSTAGE IN GAZA FOR OVER 580 DAYS SENDS MESSAGE TO HAMAS: ‘I’LL GIVE YOU HELL’

Evans noted that the Evangelical movement, representing 9.7% of the global population, has significantly influenced U.S. foreign policy through its belief that the biblical land belongs to the Jewish people.

“The president loves us and knows how we feel about Israel,” he said. “We believe the president respects us and that we have his confidence and ear. We would not have had the hostages back without him. He will stand with us and will not cave in to Jew-haters’ intentions regarding Judea and Samaria or a Palestinian state. He will try everything he can to help Israel,” Evans added.

On Wednesday, the delegation met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and visited the site of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre at the Supernova music festival, accompanied by former hostages Emily Damari, Tal Shoham, Moran Stella Yanai, and Aviva and Keith Siegel, who received the “Here Am I” Award for their advocacy work.

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The largest delegation of evangelical Christian pastors and influencers ever brought to Israel tours the site of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre at the Supernova music festival on Wednesday. (Shlomi Amsalem)

“We are seeking to unify — and demonstrate that unity — between evangelical Christian leaders in America, Israel and the Jewish people, and to counter any perception that this community is divided on the issue, because it is not,” Pastor Mike Atkins, a member of the delegation, told Fox News Digital.

“The antisemitism that erupted had long been simmering beneath the surface on university campuses and in major European cities. This is an open stand against the lies, and a declaration of our commitment to truth,” he said.

Atkins explained that the delegation has been exposed “at the highest levels” to firsthand insights — visiting the site of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, listening to victims, and seeing the realities on the ground in Israel. Delegates, he said, have also received extensive information through symposium speakers on how to combat antisemitic deception and will continue to do so as they coalesce into a coalition.

“To the youth, I say: join the movement. Commit to never again allowing the poisonous deception of antisemitism to penetrate our culture. Take a stand, speak up, and do not remain silent,” he said.

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“The best medicine for Jewish Derangement Syndrome, an acute form of bigotry and antisemitism, is for people to come to Israel and see and hear for themselves. These American spiritual leaders are committed to using their pulpits and influence to provide truth,” Huckabee told Fox News Digital.

“Truth is the best antibiotic to combat the conspiracy theories and falsehoods said about the United States, its partnership with Israel and the Jewish people,” he added.

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Iranians Bury Slain Leader Amid Renewed Fighting

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Iranians mourning the country’s supreme leader condemned U.S. strikes that Washington called retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. At a tightly controlled state funeral in Mashhad — one of Iran’s most conservative cities, where opponents of the government were unlikely to be found in the crowd — mourners voiced defiance and called for revenge.

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Beloved musicians among victims in deadly Bahamas plane crash; aviation authority grounds flights

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Beloved musicians among victims in deadly Bahamas plane crash; aviation authority grounds flights

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A devastating double-aviation crisis in the Bahamas, including a deadly North Andros plane crash and a separate aircraft fire on Friday, prompted the government to suspend flight operations for a local airline and launch a federal safety probe.

Shortly after 1 p.m. local time Friday, a Cessna 402 aircraft with Bahamian registration departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau bound for San Andros Airport.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said the plane “encountered difficulties” and crashed into bushes prior to landing.

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Authorities said 10 people were killed in a Bahamas plane crash on Friday. (Our News Bahamas via AP)

First responders, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Airport Authority and emergency medical personnel, rushed to the dense brush where the aircraft went down.

The Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union confirmed in a statement Saturday that 10 people died in the crash, including prominent members of the “The Pond Band” and a local DJ, whose artistry the union said “touched so many lives and helped to enrich the cultural fabric of The Bahamas.”

Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said a sole survivor was pulled from the wreckage.

“Ann and I are praying for the families who are now facing unbearable grief,” Davis wrote in a statement on X. “We are also praying for the survivor, whose recovery and care will remain in our thoughts.”

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The identities of those killed in the crash have not yet been released.

While the AAIA’s preliminary reports initially indicated seven people were on board, officials are still establishing the facts of the flight manifest.

Just hours before the fatal crash in North Andros, a Flamingo Air flight en route to Mayaguana was forced to turn back to Nassau after the pilot reported a concern, according to the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation (MoET).

After the aircraft landed and passengers safely deplaned, the plane caught fire on the runway.

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FILE – The Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate following two aircraft incidents Friday. (iStock)

Following the two back-to-back safety incidents, the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate, according to MoET officials.

“The suspension is a precautionary safety measure and should not be treated as an adverse compliance action against Flamingo Air,” the agency wrote in a statement.

FILE – The plane crashed in North Andros on Friday after taking off from Lynden Pindling International Airport. (Melissa Alcena/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Investigators from the AAIA and inspectors from the CAAB remain at the scene in North Andros as they work to determine what caused the Cessna 402 tragedy.

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Flamingo Air did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Moldova president nominates pro-European businessman Tofan for PM

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Moldova president nominates pro-European businessman Tofan for PM

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Moldova’s pro-European President Maia Sandu nominated businessman Vasile Tofan on Saturday as the country’s next prime minister to replace Alexandru Munteanu, who resigned earlier this month over differences with the ruling majority.

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In a video posted to social media, Sandu said Tofan’s primary responsibility, after his candidacy is approved by the country’s parliament, would be to move the country further towards its path of “integration” into the European Union.

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He should also “strengthen the resilience of state institutions and society”, and “revive the economy”, added Sandu.

The Moldovan businessman now has two weeks to secure parliamentary backing, a prospect he hopes to achieve after submitting his government programme and his ministerial cabinet nominations.

Tofan had been mentioned as a possible prime minister last year even before the appointment of Munteanu.

Igor Grosu, who heads Sandu’s Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) which won the last parliamentary elections in September, announced on Friday that he had selected him as his candidate to replace the outgoing premier.

He said Tofan shared “the same objectives” as him and PAS, specifying that “EU accession in the years to come, institutional reform and economic growth”, were among the biggest points of agreement.

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The nominee for prime minister, who graduated Harvard Business School and turns 44 on Sunday, has a degree in public management from the Netherlands and is a managing partner at Horizon Capital, a private equity firm with assets primarily in Ukraine and Moldova.

He has also chaired the board of directors of Moldova’s Purcari winery, considered the crown jewel of the country’s winemaking sector.

Munteanu, another businessman who like Sandu previously worked at the World Bank, had been chosen to boost the economy and bring it closer to the EU, but turbulence with PAS saw him vacate his post less than a year into holding office.

He resigned on 3 July after less than eight months, stating that he could no longer carry out his mandate “according to (his) principles and (his) convictions”.

The EU last month officially launched a first round of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Both countries became official EU candidate countries on 23 June 2022.

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Additional sources • AFP

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