World
Trump pick for religious freedom envoy visits Holy Land, cites strong US-Israel bond
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On his visit to Israel this week, Ambassador-Designate for International Religious Freedom Mark Walker said meeting families of hostages and survivors of Hamas captivity left him “overwhelmed,” reaffirming what he called the “spiritual and historic bond” between the United States and Israel.
Walker, a former Republican congressman and Baptist pastor from North Carolina, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the nation’s top global envoy for religious liberty. He will officially assume the post once confirmed by the Senate, becoming the seventh American to hold the role since it was created by Congress in 1998.
His visit to Israel, he explained, was driven by both friendship and timing. “All these other historic landmark agreements are happening the same week we’re here,” Walker said. “It’s been amazing to see the excitement — literally banners hanging from buildings and parks thanking President Trump for his ongoing efforts and the strength he’s shown to drive the region toward peace.”
VANCE WARNS HAMAS AS GAZA PEACE PLAN’S CIVILIAN MILITARY COOPERATION CENTER OPENS
Ambassador-Designate Mark Walker, center, visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, in October 2025. (Warren Cohn)
Walker said he was particularly moved by his meetings with hostage families.
“I was overwhelmed to spend some time with Keith Siegel, who endured 483 days of captivity and torture, and with Ruby Chen, whose son, Itay, was killed by Hamas — his body still not returned,” Walker said. “To hear the passion in Ruby’s voice, to see his perseverance, it’s overwhelming. In America, we’re watching this from a distance. But being here on the ground, seeing how the community has banded together to stand up for these hostages — alive or dead — has impacted me in a different manner.”
The experience, he said, deepened his appreciation for Israel’s resilience. “The people of Israel have stood resiliently in the face of evil,” he said. “Their faith and courage remind the world what strength looks like.”
With U.S. officials visiting Israel to monitor the fragile ceasefire, Walker said he remains confident in the administration’s leadership.
Ambassador-Designate Mark Walker for religious freedom with freed hostage Keith Siegel and Rubi Chen, father of hostage Itay Chen. (Warren Cohn)
ISRAEL IDENTIFIES 2 HOSTAGES RETURNED FROM GAZA AS RESIDENTS OF SAME KIBBUTZ
“I have no confidence in Hamas based on their history,” he said. “But I have great confidence in President Trump and what he’s doing. He’s committed to peace and showing it with his actions — sending Vice President Vance, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff here this week.”
He also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio for advancing the administration’s diplomatic agenda. “This isn’t a photo opportunity,” Walker said. “It’s a real plan for long-term stability.”
When asked how he views Israel’s importance, Walker reflected on his years in Congress.
“I think historically, we’ve had a long-standing relationship of supporting each other through times of peril as well as times of success,” he said. “Certainly, military and business relationships, but from a spiritual standpoint, America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.”
He added, “When you sit in the House chamber where President Trump gives the State of the Union, there are 22 or 23 philosophers — great men of genius — depicted above. But there’s only one historical figure looking directly at the speaker’s rostrum, and that’s Moses. That tells you a lot about the spiritual connection that binds our two countries.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Knesset as President Donald Trump and Amir Ohana, speaker of the Israeli Knesset, look on at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP)
When asked about criticism from some within the evangelical community regarding its close alignment with Israel, Walker said he welcomes open discussion but rejects efforts to undermine the partnership. “I don’t have a problem with anyone questioning — we ought to be able to defend those relationships,” he said. “But when you see some of the talk lately that aims to degrade that relationship, maybe for personal gain or attention, I do have a problem with it, and I think it needs to be condemned.”
He added that such views are far from mainstream. “The evangelical communities that I’m part of — and I happen to be a member of the largest Protestant organization in the United States — don’t have those issues,” he said. “There may be some who are loosely affiliated and use that kind of rhetoric, but the overwhelming majority of evangelicals in America applaud and encourage the relationship we have with Israel.”
Attendees wave Israel and the United States flags at the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) summit on July 17, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. GOP presidential hopefuls for 2024 are making their cases before the pro-Israeli group. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
On his new role, Walker said the mission was deeply personal.
“When President Trump reached out and asked us to serve as the ambassador for International Religious Freedom — that’s a global position — it was humbling,” he said. “The responsibility is to advocate for people of all faiths, especially in places where they’re persecuted or punished by blasphemy laws.”
EVANGELICAL LEADERS PRAISE TRUMP’S CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AMID WAR WITH IRAN
Walker said he is already building relationships with governments and faith leaders to prepare for his official role advising both President Trump and Secretary Rubio.
“Our job is to engage, expose and eradicate atrocities — whether it’s Christians in Nigeria being massacred, Druze in Syria targeted or rising antisemitic behavior worldwide,” he said. “The United States must remain the beacon of hope for religious freedom. We’re the only country that has it written into law.”
He added that Israel’s example of tolerance stands out in the Middle East. “Christians should be able to live peaceably, share their faith and worship without fear,” he said. “The fact that Israel allows that in a region where so many others don’t is meaningful.”
U.S. President Donald Trump holds the signed agreement of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Reuters)
Walker said he plans to “push back wherever persecution exists — whether through diplomacy or by urging governments to repeal blasphemy and anti-conversion laws.”
He concluded, “President Trump is the only president in American history who called a global conference on religious liberty at the United Nations,” Walker said. “That sent a message across the world — that faith matters, that freedom matters. What we see here in Israel is that same spirit of courage, and it reminds us why this partnership, rooted in faith and freedom, must endure.”
World
Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war
World
Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’
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The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.
“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.
Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”
“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”
Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.
As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.
According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.
The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.
TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ
People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.
“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.
“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.
EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME
Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)
Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.
Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.
“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.
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“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.
“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.
World
Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM
Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said Europe “does not have unified position” on what role it should play in Iran as European ministers sought to establish a joint approach Sunday.
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As Israel and the United States conducted a joint military strike on Iran, leading to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Europe was kept on the sidelines.
EU member states did not participate in the operation and, in some cases, they were not informed prior as it is customary among strategic allies.
Asked whether Israel sought to keep Europe on the margins, Sa’ar said internal divisions within EU member states had kept them out of critical exchanges of operational details, unlike the United States, which the minister described as his country’s greatest ally.
“In Europe, you have all kinds of approaches,” he told Euronews. “You have countries like the Czech Republic which is strongly supporting this operation and then you have Spain, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world.”
On Saturday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was among the most critical voices in Europe, suggesting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk plunging the region into total war.
“We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Sánchez said Saturday. The Spanish PM reiterated that message on Sunday.
“We urge for de-escalation and call to respect international law in all conflicts,” Sánchez added. “You can be against a heinous regime, like the Iranian regime, while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous and outside of international law.”
Sa’aar said Israel considers the operation “fully justified” citing the right to self-defense from a regime that “has called for the destruction of Israel” and lashed at the Spanish prime minister for sending an “anti-Israeli, anti-American message.”
“Read the statement, they are standing with Iran!” he added.
When asked if any of his European counterparts had manifested an interest in joining the military operation or provide support on the ground, Sa’ar said he held multiple exchanges with European ministers over the weekend and suggested that “if others want to join, they will know have to convey the message.”
On Sunday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared to back regime change in Iran in line with Israel and the US, saying that the “risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed” in comments on Sunday.
Sa’ar told Euronews said the strategic strikes and the elimination of Khamenei alongside top regime commanders could “create the conditions to weaken the regime enough to allow the Iranians to take their future into their own hands”.
“The future leadership of Iran should be determined by the Iranian people through free elections. Our only requirement is that whoever comes to power in Iran must not pursue the destruction of Israel,” he said.
Watch the full interview on Euronews from 8pm CET
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