Jerusalem of Gold
Chris Mitchell with Khaled Abu Toameh:
Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Middle East Bureau Chief, with Khaled Abu Toameh, TV producer for NBC, journalist for WSJ, Jerusalem Post, US News and recipient of the 2014 Daniel Pearl Award for Journalistic Courage.
Chris Mitchell is a journalist for CBN and has lived in Israel for 15 years. He is the Author of "Destination Jerusalem: Isis, "convert or Die," Christian Persecution and Preparing for the Days Ahead." Khaled Abu Toameh is an award winning journalist and recipient of the 2014 Daniel Pearl Award for Journalistic Courage. In addition, he writes extensively for the Gatestone Institute.
This meeting took place in a Jerusalem hotel, May 2015.
Chris Mitchell spoke from his book, which is now available on Amazon: "A Christian refugee sobs, Jesus, forgive them! after fleeing the deadly rampage of Islamic State fighters. A Yazidi mother tells of the horrific fate her late son suffered at the hands of these marauding Muslim terrorists. An Israeli woman recounts how Hamas jihadists rose like zombies from the beach near her house to launch a terror attack on her kibbutz. Sirens wail over the skies of Jerusalem. Beheadings make global news, shake the leaders of Western powers, and shape public policy and military strategy. Against this precarious backdrop, Irans mullahs quietly prepare their deadly nuclear cocktail. Sounds like a plot from a spy novel, but its all too real!
ISIS stunned the world with its Islamic blitzkrieg that swept through Syria and northern Iraq and declared an Islamic caliphate for the first time in nearly one hundred years. Once again, Christians bore the brunt of this menace. These militants forced tens of thousands of Christians to flee their ancient homes and gave them four grisly choices: pay the Islamic tax for infidels, leave, convert, or die by the sword. Hamas also sparked a fifty-day war demonstrating that their agenda remains the same: End of the Jewish State. Israel found herself once more in the vanguard against radical Islam. Her future is wedded to our own since jihadists see Israel as the little Satan and the U.S. as the big Satan.
CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell landed on the front lines of these conflicts. In Destination Jerusalem, he brings you firsthand accounts of the men, women, and children caught in these fiery trials. Their story lines resound with the grand themes of our age: the rise of radical Islam, the ongoing persecutionsome say ethnic cleansingof Christians in the Middle East, and the centrality of Jerusalem in world history."
Khaled Abu Toameh then spoke. He described himself as of moderate Muslim background, but was very atypical, as is evidenced by what he said. His words were breathtaking in their truthfulness and honesty:
"The next generation [of Muslims] is radicalised because of the messages we are sending our people through mosques and classrooms.
The only people who need to stand up are the moderate Muslims! But if they don't do it they'll get killed too [because in the near future they will be considered moderates by other Muslims]. If they're not killing a Jew they're killing each other. If I spoke up for Israel in a room of Muslims I'd be lucky if I was only shot in the leg as I was running away.
There is a very, very serious problem the way mainstream media report this story. They say, "Khaled, don't confuse us with the facts!" If you write an article critical of Israel it gets you into a little club of western liberals. Other journalists even say, "Are you a Zionist agent?" when I tell the truth!
When five Palestinians get killed by Hamas no one wants to know. I call it, "No Jews, no news." When you are a democracy like Israel you pay a very high price for letting all these so-called journalists come in with their "narrative".
When you bash Israel no masked man is going to knock on your door at night! And that's why Israel looks bad?! The media has committed a huge crime against Israel. When I wrote one story critical of Israel I got eight awards and job offers from the BBC. When I started writing in support of Israel all the doors were closed.
I haven't seen any peace in this process. If you're looking for peace it's not going to happen, let's stop kidding ourselves. But the solution is separation, like a divorce. Except it's like having to still live with each other in a very small house!
Also, how you can help? Hold your government accountable for the money the E.U. is spending here on organisations and N.G.O.s that support jihadists! I feel strong because I'm telling the truth."
Chris Mitchell concluded our discussions that night by asking us to, "Keep praying!"
Comments: Chris Mitchell, a very humble and relaxed gentleman, joined us in the hotel bar for our last night in Israel, which happened to fall on the evening of Jerusalem Day/Yom Yerushalayim that year. Some of the bar talk was of Khaled Abu Toameh, whose clear view of the real dangers and dynamics of the left-leaning media was a very refreshing synchronicity with our views.
If you meet in a Christian group to pray for Israel, please remember both Chris Mitchell at CBN and Khaled Abu Toameh, in the many media outlets through which he tries to bring truth. He does this with both integrity and a level of courage that is hard for myself, based in England, to humbly comprehend.