(shofar blaring)

- [Chris] This week on Jerusalem Dateline,

CBN News' exclusive interview

with U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

- We stand for religious freedom

every place American diplomacy is at work.

- [Chris] And Pompeo's speech in Cairo.

- We learned that when America retreats,

chaos often follows, whenwe neglect our friends,

resentment builds, and whenwe partner with our enemies,

they advance.

- Plus, Egypt dedicates the largest church

in the Middle East.

All this and more thisweek on Jerusalem Dateline.

Hello, and welcome to thisedition of Jerusalem Dateline.

I'm Chris Mitchell,

coming to you this week from Cairo, Egypt,

where U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo

delivered a majoraddress to tell the world

the role America willplay in the Middle East.

He did it just beforereports of U.S. troops

pulling out of Syria.

After his speech, Pompeo gave CBN News

an exclusive interview toexplain why America is back

and that it's a force forgood in the Middle East.

We interviewed Pompeo ata newly dedicated church

built by Egypt for Coptic Christians.

You just had a major speechabout the Middle East

and 10 years ago, another major speech

was given here in Cairo.

Would it be fair to saythat your speech was

America is back and it's a force for good?

- Absolutely.

I want people throughout the Middle East

and the world to knowthat America's involvement

in the Middle East isabsolutely a force for good.

We come here with no intentionto impress or to dominate,

but rather to free, tocreate opportunities

for every individualthroughout the Middle East

to live their life andto have the freedoms

that we are all so blessedto have in the United States.

- [Chris] Pompeo's speech came 10 years

after then-President Obamadelivered his blueprint

for the Middle East in Cairo.

- He told you that the United States

and the Muslim world needed, quote,

a new beginning, end of quote.

The results of thesemisjudgments have been dire.

- [Chris] The Secretary of State

said that PresidentObama's timid, hesitant,

and apologetic policy allowed ISIS, Iran,

and other terrorists to thrive.

- We learned that when America retreats,

chaos often follows, whenwe neglect our friends,

resentment builds, and whenwe partner with our enemies,

they advance.

- [Chris] Pompeo said that all changed

as the Trump administrationpushed to decimate ISIS,

confront Iran, and stand upto Syria's President Assad.

- The good news is this.

The age of self-inflictedAmerican shame is over

and so are the policies that produced

so much needless suffering.

Now comes the real new beginning.

- Part of that new beginning

is forging a global alliance against Iran.

One of your themes ofthe trip is about Iran

and the danger to the Middle East.

You say nations are liningup with the United States

against the influence of Iran?

- So our team has done good work.

We built an enormous coalition

that ranges from Asia to North Africa,

certainly to the Middle East,

countries from all across the world

understanding that the threat

from the Islamic Republic of Iran is real

and continuing and not to be tolerated.

- Another issue is in Syria

as Turkey's President Erdoganis threatening U.S. allies.

A few hours ago,

you met with leaders inErbil about the Kurds,

and yet there's dangeroustalk coming out of Turkey.

What's your message to Erdogan,

if he goes ahead and invades the Kurds?

- Well, our message is straightforward.

The work that the Kurdishforces did with us

alongside in Syria has been important.

It took down a caliphate,

99% of the real estatethat was held by ISIS.

We remember people sittingin cages being burned.

Seems like a long time ago, but frankly,

it's the good work thatthe United States did

with a big coalition andwe'll work with the Turks

to make sure that's theresecurity for them as well

and that the Kurdish peoplein Syria are indeed protected.

- What about the Christians in the region?

They have an appeal thatthey won't be eradicated,

that Christianity won't be eradicated.

What's your message to those Christians?

- That America is with them.

Christianity is at the heartof the history of this place

here in the Middle East.

All you gotta do is grab a Bible

and read the places and the names.

Christians have beencentral to the Middle East.

We want to make sure

that they continue to haveopportunities and freedom

and for Christian churches to grow

alongside churches ofother faiths as well.

Our message is simple,

is that we stand for religious freedom

every place American diplomacy is at work.

- Here's more of our exclusive interview

with U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

Mr. Secretary, thanks forjoining us on CBN News,

very much so.- It is great to be with you.

- You just had a tour of this cathedral.

It was given as a gift byPresident el-Sisi to the church.

Why is this so important?

- This is a very specialplace, just recently opened.

We're sitting in the heartof Cairo, the heart of Egypt,

and we have this cathedral demonstrating

that every place in the worldcan have religious freedom,

opportunity for individuals to worship

in the way they see fit,

and here, a chance topraise the Lord in Cairo.

It's a pretty special place.

It's an enormous, wonderful,beautiful cathedral.

- Why is religious freedom so important

to the Trump administration?

- Because it's at the heartof all of the freedoms

that every individual should have.

For every human being has the dignity

that comes with their life

and religious freedom isa central element of that.

For individuals to be able to worship

in the way they want or ifthey choose not to worship,

so be it.

To have that, to have that inthis place too is so special,

a place which isn't everywherehere in the Middle East.

For President el-Sisi to havedone this is really special

and I think important to Cairo,to Egypt, and to the world.

- You mentioned him inyour speech as well.

Do you see him as a model of a leader here

in the Middle East?

- He has really taken to heart the ideal

of religious freedom andhe's done so with great power

and great courage and heis to be lauded for that.

- And one final domestic question,

BDS, there's an act proposedright now in the Senate.

It's not being passed

because Democrats arerefusing to vote for it.

It was by Senator Rubio.

What's your position on that?

- You know, the good news isI don't do politics anymore,

U.S. domestic politics, but I'll say this.

Israel too ought to have the respect

and dignity that comeswith that great democracy

here in the Middle East as well.

- Mr. Secretary, thank you

very much.- Great, thank you

very much, sir.- Okay.

- You have a good day.- You too.

- Thank you.

(upbeat music)

- Up next, NationalSecurity Advisor John Bolton

blasted by Turkey, welcomed in Israel.

(upbeat music)

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Did you know there are morethan 148 million orphans

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But it was three little girls

that taught me aboutthe plight of orphans.

My husband and I spent nearly a month

immersed in the daily activitiesof a Ukrainian orphanage

as we waited to adopt three sisters.

I saw firsthand the utterloneliness, the pain of rejection

and the overwhelming desire to be loved.

That experience changedme forever and out of it

grew a ministry from my heartcalled Orphan's Promise.

Today we're helping orphansand vulnerable children

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Thousands of childrenare now in safe homes.

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- Just before Pompeo's visit

to U.S. Arab allies in the region,

National Security Advisor John Bolton

met with two other U.S.allies, Turkey and Israel,

but Turkey's president refused to meet him

and he had two hours of toughtalks with Turkish officials

over arrangements for the U.S.pullout of troops in Syria

and any future involvement there.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

publicly blasted U.S. NationalSecurity Advisor John Bolton

in front of the parliament.

- [Translator] It's notpossible for us to accept,

to swallow the message JohnBolton gave from Israel.

- Bolton is visiting theregion to assure allies

that the U.S. is not abandoning them.

While visiting Jerusalem,he said defending Israel

and other allies who foughtagainst ISIS was guaranteed.

He wanted assurances from Turkey

that they would not harm the Kurds.

- John Bolton.

- [Translator] John Bolton hasmade a very serious mistake.

Whoever thinks like this is also mistaken.

We can't make anyconcessions in this regard

and those involved in a terror quarter

will receive the necessary punishment.

- [Chris] On CBN's Faith Nation program,

Chief InternationalCorrespondent Gary Lane

said everyone is vying for power.

- Everyone is jockeying forposition in Syria at this time

because the war is winding down.

ISIS has pretty much been defeated,

so have other militant groups.

- [Chris] Initially, PresidentTrump said he would pull

2,000 U.S. troops outof Syria within 30 days.

But after strong objectionfrom Middle East allies

and others, he's backed down.

We will be leaving at a proper pace,

while at the same time,continuing to fight ISIS

and doing all else thatis prudent and necessary.

But Lane said there is a lot of concern

over leaving Turkey in charge.

- The Kurds are wondering,

are you a reliable ally, United States,

if you withdraw these troops

and the training that we'vereceived, that buffer,

that help that we've received over time

in the last couple of years?

Where are we going to be,

and where are the Christians going to be?

- [Chris] But senior Kurdishofficial, Badran Jia Kurd,

said the Kurds haven't hearddirectly from the U.S.,

only through the media.

- [Translator] We'rewaiting for clarification

from the U.S. administrationregarding these statements.

This shows that the U.S. hasa plan in this direction,

but it's not clear to us.

But now, there is a realitythat Bolton acknowledged

that Turkey is killing theKurds and are annihilating them

and Bolton wants guarantees.

- Turkey has fought the Kurds for decades.

Erdogan said it's a lie that Turkey

would target the Kurds in Syria,

but said the military preparations

to attack what he callsKurdish terror groups

are nearly complete.

It's not clear how Erdogan's declaration

will affect the pullout,but for now, it appears

that U.S. troops aren't going anywhere.

National Security Advisor JohnBolton also visited Israel

to calm fears about the U.S.pullout of troops from Syria

and he heard that Iran isIsrael's biggest concern.

CBN News Middle EastCorrespondent Julie Stahl

has that story.

- [Julie] U.S. NationalSecurity Advisor John Bolton

met with Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu.

- Prime Minister, under your leadership

with President Trump, we now have the best

U.S.-Israel relationship in our history,

and on our side, we'recertainly determined

to continue that.

- [Julie] Bolton arrivedagainst the backdrop

of President Trump's decisionto pull 2,000 U.S. troops

out of Syria.

- Right on your border,we have the problem

of the conflict in Syria.

We're gonna be discussingthe President's decision

to withdraw, but to doso from northeast Syria

in a way that makes surethat ISIS is defeated

and is not able to revive itselfand become a threat again.

- [Julie] The announcementcreated concern in Israel

and fear among U.S. ally, the Kurds,

who have fought against ISIS.

But Bolton said the U.S. wouldtake care of its friends.

- And to make sure thatthe defense of Israel

and our other friends in theregion is absolutely assured.

And to take care of thosewho have fought with us

against ISIS and other terrorist groups.

- [Julie] Netanyahu thanked Bolton

for President Trump's support for Israel

and offered to show him Israel'snorthern border with Syria

along the Golan Heights.

- The Golan Heights istremendously important

for our security and I thinkthat, when you're there,

you'll be able to understand perfectly

why we'll never leave the Golan Heights

and why it's important that all countries

recognize Israel's sovereigntyover the Golan Heights.

- [Julie] Israel capturedthe Golan Plateau

during the last two daysof the 1967 Six Day War.

Now, Iran is trying to take uppositions along that border.

- Iran has ambitions to build a huge,

I would call it a highway,across Syria and across Iraq

so that it can move troopsfrom the Iranian border

into Syria, towards Lebanonand the Golan Heights.

- [Julie] Former IsraeliAmbassador to the U.N. Dore Gold

says that's not good for Israel.

- Israel is concerned that this pullout

could open the corridor that the Iranians

so desperately want to build.

- [Julie] For now, thepullout seems to be on hold,

but Israel and theregion are waiting to see

what President Trump's next move will be.

Julie Stahl, CBN News, Jerusalem.

(upbeat music)

- [Chris] Coming up, author Joel Rosenberg

talks about Pompeo's messageand what impact it will have

on the Middle East.

(upbeat music)

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- Best selling author and MiddleEast analyst Joel Rosenberg

was also here in Cairo

to hear U.S. Secretary of StateMike Pompeo's major address.

I talked with Rosenbergabout what this will mean

for the Middle East.

Joel, today was a major speech

by the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

We were there at the church

- Yeah.- as well,

the church that President el-Sisi

built for the Coptic Church.

What is your analysis rightnow of the speech itself?

- I couldn't have asked Secretary Pompeo

to give a more powerful,encouraging statement,

that President Sisi andthe government of Egypt

is doing so much for religious freedom.

It really is a message not just to Egypt,

but to Muslims all over NorthAfrica and the Middle East.

From the beginning of his speech,

he noted that he himselfis an evangelical Christian

and how special it is tobe here in Egypt to honor,

in many ways, the Islamicgovernment of Egypt

to build this church and give it as a gift

to the Christians.

- And you and I werethere at the dedication

just a few days ago andthat really, as you said,

that night was really historicand he was making a point

that he actually visitedthere at the church.

- Absolutely, look, you havePresident Trump tweeting out

congratulations to PresidentSisi and the people of Egypt

for building a more inclusive country.

That was important language.

And for the Secretaryof State to come here,

just a few days after thededication of the church,

and to...

It's one thing to say it ina speech, hey, that was good,

this promotes religious freedom,

but to actually take thetime on a nine-country trip

to go and actually visitthe church and the mosque

I thought sent a very powerful statement

that the Trump administrationand Secretary Pompeo himself

believes this is a big deal.

It's a big deal.

I'm not sure if all the media

is treating it like a bigdeal, but it is a huge deal

and it's about the inclusivenessand peace and cooperation

between Muslims and Christiansthat we have not seen

in this part of the world nearly enough.

- One of the themes in thespeech, and I know on the trip,

is the fact that he'strying to align countries

against what he calls thisnefarious influence of Iran

here in the Middle East.- Right.

- And you see, actually, twokind of axises lining up,

- Right.- meaning those

for and against Iran.

- Right, well, and youknow, in this new novel

that I'm writing that'scoming out in March,

The Persian Gamble, it's aboutthe Iranians secretly trying

to buy nuclear weapons evenwhile they're supposedly

maintaining the Iran nuclear deal

that President Obama completed with them.

Look, you really have asituation where the region

of the Middle East and North Africa

is getting the threat of Iranfar more than Europe does.

This is interesting thatwe are having more trouble

with our European allies than we are

with our Arab Middle Eastern allies.

The Arabs

- They get it.- of the, they get it

because they're close to it.

They see the threatthat Iran wants to build

an Islamic empire.

And they are hell bent onacquiring nuclear weapons

one way or the other.

I thought Pompeo's speechwas particularly good

because he made challengingIran the centerpiece,

which is such a stark contrast

from the previous administration,

which thought that Iranwas somehow some player

that could play well withother children in the sandbox.

They can't.

Not under this current regime in Tehran.

- And what countries doyou see building alliances

here in the Middle Easton one side and the other?

- Yeah, well, on the negativeside, you've got Russia

building an alliancewith Iran, with Turkey.

This is a serious problem,

Turkey being particularly concerning

because it is a NATO ally, and yet,

they are not acting like an ally.

They're building an alliancewith Russia and Iran.

Not good.

On the other side, what do you have?

You have United States buildingan alliance with Israel,

with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia,

the United Arab Emirates,and other Gulf states

against the threat posed by Iran.

These two sides are forming.

I would say they're notfully formed alliances,

but you've got basicallya western alliance

that's the positive one led by the U.S.,

and then you've got the eastern alliance

with Russia, Iran, and Turkey,

which is, I think, really bodes ill,

danger for the UnitedStates and our allies.

- Yeah, and finally, Joel,how can people be praying

about what's going on in the Middle East?

'Cause it affects not only the region,

but it affects the world.

- The Christians here inEgypt are very encouraged.

Yes, they've got huge problems.

It's a country that's tryingto make a lot of changes.

But we met with three dozen

senior Egyptian Christianleaders, Orthodox and Protestant.

They're feeling encouraged.

They're seeing theirpresident fighting terrorism,

fighting extremism, andbuilding the biggest church

in the Middle East,and they're encouraged.

And as we've traveled inthe region, as evangelicals,

we're hearing other Christian communities

feeling encouraged, but there's...

You know, it's the Middle East.

Bad things have happened.

Bad things will continue to happen.

So we've got to stand with our Christian

brothers and sisters, butalso, we've got to pray

that this alliance on the good guys side,

between Israel, Egypt,Jordan, Saudi, the Emirates,

the Gulf states, and theUnited States at the lead,

that this really solidifies.

Because if that happens,lots of good can come of it.

- Well Joel, we'll be prayingand thanks for your analysis

and also what you've been doing here

in the Middle East as well

to bring about some ofthis reconciliation.

(upbeat music)

Still ahead, MuslimEgyptian President el-Sisi

dedicates one of the largestchurches in the Middle East.

(upbeat music)

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- Hello, I'm Terry Meeuwsen.

Did you know there are morethan 148 million orphans

in the world today?

148 million.

But it was three little girls

that taught me aboutthe plight of orphans.

My husband and I spent nearly a month

immersed in the daily activitiesof a Ukrainian orphanage

as we waited to adopt three sisters.

I saw firsthand the utterloneliness, the pain of rejection,

and the overwhelming desire to be loved.

That experience changedme forever, and out if it

grew a ministry from my heartcalled Orphan's Promise.

Today, we're helping orphansand vulnerable children

in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Thousands of childrenare now in safe homes,

they're being educated, andthey're learning life skills.

I'm asking you to join with me

and become family to these children.

Will you call the numberon your screen right now?

Because every child deservesa chance to be happy.

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- Christians in Egypt celebrated

the birth of Jesus Christ in January.

Christmas 2019 will be remembered

for the dedication of the largestchurch in the Middle East.

Take a look.

(singing in foreign language)

At Christmas mass, Egypt's Coptic Pope

inaugurated the Nativityof the Christ Cathedral

with the presidentjoining the celebration.

The building is a gift to the church

from Egypt's President el-Sisi.

He commissioned the constructionof the cathedral in 2017

to be part of the newadministrative capital

outside of Cairo and hesaid he wanted the church,

the new church, to be amessage of peace and love

to the world.

Joel Rosenberg led adelegation of evangelicals here

for the dedication.

- I think what we'veseen here is historic.

I really think it's a game changer

that a Sunni Arab Muslim president

of the world's largest Arab country

has built a church, thelargest in the Middle East,

and given as a gift tothe Christians of Egypt.

We've never seen anythinglike it in all of history

and I think PresidentSisi is sending a message

not just to his ownpeople, but to all Muslims.

Muslims and Christian canlive in unity and coexistence.

That's an extraordinary development.

- [Chris] In a tweet,President Trump praised el-Sisi

for moving his country toa more inclusive future.

Johnnie Moore agrees,

seeing him leading a new spirit movement

in the Middle East.

- You know, there's a verse in the Bible

that says what the enemy meantfor evil, God uses for good.

And the horrific terrorismof the last decade,

at its height in 2014 and 2015 with ISIS,

what it has done is ithas created fertile ground

for a new spirit of toleranceto rise across the region.

And you have leaders whoare facilitating that.

- [Chris] Reverend Andrea Zaki,

President of the Protestant Churches here,

says the Egypt portrayed in the media

is not the whole story.

- I think Egypt is moving.

Changes is not like a computer,

click, you have a new screen in a second.

Culture, customs, nations, economy,

all of these are taking a long time,

but you can feel and seeand touch the changes.

- [Chris] The group alsomet with Pope Tawadros,

the head of the largest Christianchurch in the Middle East,

and with evangelical leaders.

They shared the same story.

- And the answer that they gave us

time and time again, repeatedly,is we have challenges,

but the situation's so much better

than it was under Sadat, under Mubarak,

under the Muslim Brotherhood for sure.

We're encouraged, butwe're gonna keep pressing

for even more change.

- Well, that's all for thisedition of Jerusalem Dateline,

coming to you this week from Cairo.

Remember to pray forleaders in the region,

like U.S. Secretary of StateMike Pompeo, for wisdom,

and for protection formany of the Christians here

in the region at this critical time.

Well thanks for joining us.

Remember, you can followus on Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram, and YouTube.

I'm Chris Mitchell.

We'll see you next timeon Jerusalem Dateline.

(upbeat music)