Israeli Resilience Amidst International Aggression

An Interview By Roberto Torres-Cedillo, CBN Israel

“Shalom. From Israel, I’m Roberto Torres-Cedillo, greeting you from the old city of Jerusalem. And I’m here with my friend, Dr. AJ Nolte. AJ, it’s such a pleasure to have met you. I have to say, I didn’t expect to meet you under these tumultuous circumstances, but welcome to Israel.”

“Hey, thanks. It’s great to be here. Even if the circumstances are not what we expected,” says AJ.

“I know that this is your first time visiting Israel, but you have an extensive background in studying the Middle East and the politics of this region. You have a Ph.D. in politics. I just want to get your personal take first before we dive into the geopolitics of it. But this is your first time visiting with your wife and you and I were having a nice Shabbat dinner on Friday. Tell us what was going through your mind as this whole war started unfolding,” says Roberto.

“Yeah, let me back up. So, we’ve been in Israel since June 3rd, with a tour group, and then we were coming with CBN Israel. I work with Regent University’s Israel Institute and CBN Israel’s a wonderful partner for us. And so, working with them on looking at some stories and kind of behind the scenes of Israel. I was looking for stories that haven’t been covered as much. And I think we ended up in the most covered story, maybe in the history of the Middle East in the past 20, 25 years,” says AJ.

“So, 3:00 in the morning on Friday the 13th, we’re woken up with an alarm. For Americans, it sounded a lot like a severe weather or an Amber alert or something like that on your phone. We weren’t sure exactly what’s going on, because the alert came in in Hebrew. So, we went to the safe room just to be on the safe side. And then, very shortly after that, we started getting info that Israel was attacking Iran, trying to take out its nuclear facilities. And so then throughout Friday and into Saturday, it was a combination of waiting to see if sirens were coming and normal life, learned in a phrase that often Israelis will say ‘gum for gum, this and that,’ you know, the sorrow and the joy,” says AJ.

“And in the war, I would say maybe ‘gum for gum’ means a little bit, you know, war time in peace time, all mixed up. And so that Shabbat was just a perfect example with you, with the family with Danny, our great partner and head of CBN Israel Field, and we’re up on the rooftop and all of a sudden, we hear the sirens are coming. So yeah, fortunately they waited until after we finished our dinner. And so, then we went down into the safe area. Yeah. And that one didn’t—I mean, we were with a bunch of people, and so you kind of see a little bit of it, you hear a little bit of it, but that’s different,” says AJ.

“The middle of the night, though, you know, sort of being woken up in the middle of the night going to the shelter as we’re going to the shelter that night. I heard it was an interceptor going overhead. You could hear ‘The Iron Dome.’ I’m told that Al Jazeera saying it’s fireworks. I’ve heard a lot of fireworks living in Virginia Beach. You hearing from June 19th to July 4th? Pretty much. And it sounds very different. I can tell you there’s a software boom for the launches and a really loud boom, almost like thunder as the interceptors and the missiles are hitting. Yeah. So that was a little disconcerting, but we’re doing well, and it’s amazing in a sense,” says AJ.

“It’s a little frightening sometimes, but it’s amazing to be in the middle of something that I’ve spent my whole professional career studying the Middle East, political Islam, radical Islamic extremism. And now we’re in what could be a historical pivot moment for all of that. And I’m right here in Jerusalem. Yeah. No, it’s amazing. And I know that with your role as a director of Regent’s Israel Institute, you’re going to have just a crucial way of educating people and educating Christians about the importance of the times and how we can support Israel. And before we talk a little bit about the Israel Institute, as I’m really curious about that, and I’m sure people need to know, is give us like just a panoramic view, a quick, brief panoramic view of the geopolitics of what is happening and what should we be expecting in the next couple of days,” says Roberto.

“Well, since 1979, the current regime in Iran has said that Israel is the ‘little Satan.’ And I’ll give you three guesses who the ‘Great Satan’ is. And the first two don’t count. And the ‘Great Satan’ is America. And they have committed themselves to the destruction of both, beginning with Israel. But from the destruction of Israel that is intended by them, by the regime and by their ideology, to be a pivot point from which they will pivot and destroy America. That’s the first thing that listeners need to understand. Israel’s fight is our fight because they’re fighting against an enemy that wants to destroy Americans, has conspired to kill Americans, was behind the killing of 283 American Marines at the Beirut bombing. That was an Iranian operation, before 9/11. Hezbollah, which is an Iranian proxy, killed more Americans than any other terrorist group,” says AJ.

“And Iran has continued to do that across the Middle East. So why is this so important for Israel? Well, Iran was, from the Israeli assessment, very close to developing nuclear weapons. And it wasn’t just the question of enriched uranium. We hear a lot of talk about that, but also ballistic missiles. These are missiles that have a higher range, that can go, you know, up, very high into the atmosphere and then back down, and can strike anywhere in Israel. And we’ve seen that. Yeah. If you look at a map of where the strikes have been in Israel, it’s been every part of the country from a lots to the south, all the way up to the cities in the north. There have been drones, their missiles that have been something. Now imagine, if you will, those missiles or those drones carrying nuclear payloads and what that would have done to Israel,” says AJ.

“And so, the Israelis felt now was the time Iran’s air defenses were weakened, but also they were getting critically close to enrichment. And also Trump had given Iran a 60-day ultimatum. Israel struck on day 61 of that 60-day ultimatum. And so, they’re Israel is defending our civilization. Yeah. In this fight. And it’s a little frightening. And there’s, you know, for a lot of people, but honestly, Israel is, I think, doing what it needs to do. And what I hear from Israelis is not fear. It is resolve. Yeah. And that’s across the spectrum,” says AJ.

“People that love, people that don’t, what I hear is just resolve, and I hope that Israel will be successful. On the side of what you’re doing on your professional career, especially with Regent’s Israel Institute, what is your hope there to accomplish and to bless Israel and the partnership between CBN Israel, Regent, and the different ministries of CBN?” says Roberto.
“Yeah. So, the partnership there for the Israel Institute, what I want to do is I want to educate the Regent community and the community at large about the history and politics of the modern state of Israel from a biblically faithful perspective,” says AJ.

“And really particularly focusing on that Gen Z that is being flooded with misinformation and disinformation about Israel. And the reality is, we need new answers for Gen Z because they’re asking different questions, for sure. You know, we talk about in the field of apologetics, you can’t use the last generation’s apologetic for this generation because the frame, the question is asked differently. And the question this generation is asking is, ‘Is Israel good for the world?’ I want to tell stories of a country that, while it is not perfect, is striving to fulfill the Judeo-Christian values that we share, a country that is striving for a better future, and many of its enemies that are striving to create a future,” says AJ.

“Before the war started, we were down in Kibbutz Barry. And you could feel the rumble. You could feel I put my fingers, Thomas, doubting Thomas style, I put my fingers in the bullet holes in the walls of houses. I put my hand in the holes where the grenades went, and you could hear the Israeli mortars going off in Gaza. And I know there’s rubble on both sides of the border, but I would say Hamas is responsible for both. And that’s the future they envision. But that’s not the future that I think most Israelis are hoping and praying for. They’re hoping and praying for a future where the peace of Jerusalem will be felt in the land, peace between people, and peace that even may go out from Jerusalem,” says AJ.

“I’ve heard several Israelis tell me they hope that this is a better future for the Iranian people, that they can be freed from their oppression and their regime that’s been so oppressive for such a long time, a freedom that for as Christians, of course, we hope also comes with the gospel. Perhaps. Yes. As many Iranian people are having to hide the fact that they’ve come to know the Lord. And so, it is a time for prayer, for the peace of Jerusalem that will flow out from here, as once the gospel flowed out from Jerusalem to points east to Persia. And my prayer is that the peace of Jerusalem will flow out from here to two points east,” says AJ.

“And so, you know, with the Israel Institute is making those connections for people and really answering the questions that the rising generation is asking. And CBN Israel has been a wonderful funder and partner for us in that. And we’re so I’m so thrilled also to be able to highlight some of the wonderful work that CBN Israel is doing that is really making that prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and for human flourishing here in the land a reality for so many people. We’re so excited to partner with you and the work that you’re doing and to tell the stories. And I say, ‘yes and amen’ to that peace that will flow to all the nations,” says AJ.

“So, AJ, thank you so much for sharing your heart. Thank you for what you’re doing. You’re an inspiration. I admire what God has put in your heart and all that you’re doing. So, just the last thing, where can people find more about the Israel Institute?” says Roberto.

“You can find us on our website. You just do a Google search right now for Regent University’s Israel Institute. You can find us. We also have a podcast that is on your favorite podcast provider. So, search for ‘Israel Institute podcast.’ You’ll find us there. We are on social media. That’s going to be becoming a lot more active as I bring stuff back from the strip. And so those are probably the best ways to find it. You can also email me directly at IsraelInstitute@regent.edu. I will do my best to respond if you have questions or you want to partner with us,” says AJ.

“Thank you AJ. God bless you and God bless you all that you’re doing. Thank you so much,” says Roberto.