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EXCLUSIVE: Meet the man Israel chose to be its first-ever ambassador to the Christian world

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JERUSALEM, Israel: In a move being praised by many Christian leaders, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced the appointment of a new position of envoy to the Christian world — with the goal of better and smoother relations with the Christian world.
In an exclusive interview in Jerusalem, Ambassador George Deek told Fox News Digital the importance the Netanyahu government has put on his position.
«We see the ethnic cleansing of the region from its Christians, who have been diminished from 20% of the population of the Middle East to less than 2% of the population today,» Deek said. «All those places that used to have thriving Christian communities today have been reduced to nothing.»
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Ambassador George Deek is Israel’s first envoy to the Christian world. (Yoav Dudkevich/TPS-IL)
Israel counts 300 churches, double the number in 1948, while its Christian population has grown from 34,000 in 1948 to more than 180,000 today.
Deek said of his role. «My hope is to also be able to build strong bridges between the State of Israel and Christian leaders… by telling a fuller story of the State of Israel, which I think is missed in most of the narratives we hear today in the world,» he said.
According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, as of December 2025, Israel’s Christian population stood at approximately 184,200, representing 1.9% of the country’s total population. The community grew by 0.7% over the previous year.
Deek, who served for six years as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan before assuming his current role, said most people know Israel only through its Jewish identity and are unaware of the complexity and diversity of Israeli society.
Deek said the decision announced by the Foreign Ministry in April to appoint him to the role stems from three factors: first, the special connection between Christians and the land of Israel as the birthplace of Christianity.

Christian pilgrims carrying wooden crosses walk through Jerusalem’s Old City toward the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the Orthodox Good Friday procession on May 3, 2024. (Ahamd Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)
Second is the deep historical bond reflected in the churches of the Holy Land and in Christians and Jews living under shared biblical values, from which they derive societal principles including democracy, individualism, and freedom of conscience and thought.
Third is the importance Israel places on relations with people of all denominations and religions.
CHRISTMAS RETURNS TO HOLY LAND CITIES AS BETHLEHEM’S CHRISTIAN POPULATION DWINDLES, NAZARETH REMAINS STRONG
«It has a special relationship with the Christian people abroad and the Christian community in Israel, which is the only Christian community in the entire Middle East that is actually growing in numbers and basically thriving as part of Israeli society,» Deek said.
«As the only nation to appoint a special envoy to the Christian world, Israel has indicated its deep appreciation for Christian support and its long-term interest in guarding Christian-Jewish relations. This is especially vital in this time of resurgent antisemitism spreading like wildfire in the poorly regulated digital sphere,» International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) ‘s President Dr. Jürgen Bühler told Fox News Digital.

Israel’s northern city of Nazareth and its Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation on Dec. 18, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)
The organization has operated from Jerusalem for 46 years and maintains branch offices and representatives in 95 countries, with a presence spanning approximately 185 nations worldwide.
It recently organized an emergency summit on antisemitism that brought together more than 200 theologians, pastors and ministry leaders from over 30 countries in person, alongside approximately 3,000 participants attending online.
CHRISTIAN PASTORS, INFLUENCERS JOIN 1,000-STRONG ISRAEL MISSION BACKING JEWISH STATE, FIGHTING ANTISEMITISM
He says Israel has the potential to serve as both an inspiration and a partner across the region and beyond, helping ensure that people can practice their faith freely and remain in the lands of their forefathers.

The annual Christmas parade in Nazareth, Israel on Dec. 24, 2025. (Eitan Elhadez-Barak/TPS-IL)
Still, Deek noted that in recent months there have been several isolated incidents involving attacks on Christian symbols and, in one case, an assault on a Christian nun.
«More than anything, this was an attack on the values on which this country is established—values of tolerance and acceptance — where no one has the right to attack anyone or use violence against anyone for any reason whatsoever, especially not attack a symbol of Christianity, Islam or Judaism,» he said.
DISPUTED FIRE BY ANCIENT CHURCH IN HOLY LAND SPARKS DIPLOMATIC, RELIGIOUS FALLOUT
«That is absolutely unacceptable and that is why the leadership of the State of Israel, from the prime minister to the foreign minister and others, have all condemned it unequivocally and unanimously,» he added.

The pastor of the Home of Jesus the King church in Nazareth says one of the biggest challenges facing Israel’s Christian community is a low birth rate. (Pastor Saleem Shalash)
The Israeli soldier who desecrated a cross in southern Lebanon is in prison, as is the individual who pushed a nun to the ground and attacked her in Jerusalem. These cases, Deek said, demonstrate that the State of Israel takes such incidents very seriously and fully enforces the law.
Amid a surge in antisemitic incidents in Europe and elsewhere following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, Deek said hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews, and that the same hate that drove out Jews from Arab countries in the 20th century has over the past two decades been directed against other minorities in the region.
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«We see it even with Hamas pushing out the Christian population there, which has completely disappeared from Gaza,» he added.
Within this environment, Israel is the only place where such minorities have been able to live safely and practice their faith without fear. In fact, they do not merely survive in the State of Israel, they thrive, Deek said.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, leads a ceremony as part of the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany at the Qasr al-Yahud baptismal site near Jericho on Jan. 18, 2025. (Hazem Bader/AFP Via Getty Images)
He nevertheless pointed to a well-oiled campaign by forces on the woke left and right, along with extremist Islamist groups, that are manipulating the Christian faith and promoting claims of what he says is the so-called mistreatment of Christians in Israel.
«I see it as a personal mission to bring as many Christians as possible to visit the land of Israel, not as a political campaign…. I want them to come here to connect to their Bible. I want them to connect to their Scripture, I want them to connect to the roots of their values by simply going to those places,» Deek said.
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«And, under the protection of Israel as the guardian of the holy sites of Christianity… to reconnect to these values and to remember that these are the biblical values that connect Jews, Christians and all the people of the book in this world,» he added.
israel, christianity religion, benjamin netanyahu, middle east, anti semitism
INTERNACIONAL
Diputados hondureños participan como observadores internacionales en la segunda vuelta presidencial de Colombia

La misión hondureña participa como observadora acreditada en la jornada electoral de Colombia, invitada a seguir el funcionamiento del sistema democrático y el desarrollo de la elección presidencial. La delegación inició sus actividades con el acompañamiento de la Embajada de Honduras en Colombia y mantiene una agenda de reuniones y recorridos.
La delegación está integrada por los diputados Eder Mejía, Roy Cruz, José Jaar, Sandra Colleman, Alejandra Vallecillo, María José Sosa, Iliana Velásquez, Fany Santos, Daisy Andonie, Cinthya Hawit y Sebastián Romero, junto con la asesora Suarmy Torres.
También forman parte de la comitiva el magistrado Mario Flores Urrutia y el exconsejero del Consejo Nacional Electoral Kelvin Aguirre, que aportan una perspectiva técnica vinculada a la organización, supervisión y evaluación de procesos electorales.

Durante sus actividades, los legisladores hondureños mantuvieron encuentros con figuras políticas y representantes de sectores académicos y sociales de Colombia para conocer distintas perspectivas sobre el proceso electoral, el clima político y los desafíos del sistema democrático.
Entre esas reuniones estuvieron la senadora María Fernanda Cabal, el analista Carlos Chacón del Instituto de Ciencia Política y Carlos Alonso Lucio, director programático de la campaña presidencial de Abelardo de la Espriella. Los encuentros forman parte de la agenda de acercamiento desarrollada durante la misión internacional.
De acuerdo con la agenda oficial, los observadores internacionales fueron distribuidos en distintos puntos del proceso electoral colombiano para seguir la instalación de mesas, la apertura de centros de votación, la afluencia de electores, el comportamiento de los actores políticos y el desarrollo general de la jornada.
Los representantes hondureños señalaron que estas visitas permiten observar de primera mano mecanismos de organización electoral y niveles de participación ciudadana en otros países de la región, además de facilitar el intercambio de experiencias legislativas.
La segunda vuelta presidencial en Colombia ha generado atención en la región por su impacto político y por el peso del proceso en la estabilidad institucional del país. En ese contexto, la presencia de delegaciones extranjeras acompaña el seguimiento de la jornada electoral.
Este tipo de misiones también permite a los representantes del Congreso Nacional de Honduras ampliar su visión sobre modelos electorales comparados, mecanismos de control democrático y estrategias de participación ciudadana, con vistas a futuros debates legislativos.

En medio de una jornada electoral con amplia participación ciudadana, la misión hondureña continúa su agenda de observación para recopilar información técnica y política sobre el desarrollo del proceso, que después será sistematizada en informes institucionales.
Finalmente, la participación de la delegación hondureña en esta misión internacional también se enmarca en los esfuerzos por fortalecer la diplomacia parlamentaria, una herramienta que permite a los poderes legislativos intercambiar experiencias, observar buenas prácticas y promover el respeto a los principios democráticos en distintos contextos políticos de la región.
Con el cierre de la jornada electoral en Colombia, los observadores internacionales procederán a consolidar sus valoraciones preliminares sobre el desarrollo del proceso, mientras la misión hondureña continuará su agenda institucional con miras a contribuir, desde su experiencia, al fortalecimiento de los procesos democráticos y la cooperación entre ambos países.
Corresponsal:Desde Tegucigalpa, Honduras
INTERNACIONAL
Angel Dads face another Father’s Day without children killed by illegal immigrants: ‘She should be graduating’

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FIRST ON FOX: As families across the country celebrate Father’s Day, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is honoring a group of fathers bound together by tragedy: fathers whose children were killed or catastrophically injured in crimes tied to illegal aliens and cartel-linked criminals.
DHS shared the stories of three Angel Dads with Fox News Digital: Marcus Coleman, Joe Abraham and Doug Quets, whose lives were forever changed by the deaths of their children and whose losses now serve as a reminder of the lasting impact illegal immigrant crime can have on American families.
«This Father’s Day, the United States Department of Homeland Security honors fathers, children and spouses forever changed by violent crimes committed by illegal aliens who should have never been in our country,» DHS said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The recognition comes through the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office, known as VOICE, which was relaunched under the Trump administration after being shuttered during the Biden administration. The office provides support, offender custody information, victim services and guidance to families affected by crimes with an immigration nexus.
GRIEVING FATHER SAYS DAUGHTER’S DEATH BY ILLEGAL ALIEN SHOWS COST OF SANCTUARY POLICIES
Father and son Nicholas and Doug Quets pose together in this undated photo. (Courtesy Department of Homeland Security)
The office has fielded nearly 900 calls over the past year, according to DHS and ICE data. Victims and family members accounted for 87% of callers, who collectively reported 815 crimes linked to immigration violations, including homicides, sexual assaults and violent attacks.
As families gather for time with loved ones, fathers like Joe Abraham are instead confronting the painful reality of another Father’s Day without their children.
Katie Abraham was just 20 years old when she was killed in a crash caused by an illegal immigrant who was driving drunk, according to her father.
AFTER LOSING MY DAUGHTER, I LEARNED WHERE THE IMMIGRATION CRISIS REALLY BEGINS

Joe Abraham holds a photograph of himself with his 20-year-old daughter, Katie Abraham, at their family home in Glenview, Ill., on Sept. 10, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, File)
This year, her family should be celebrating her graduation from college. Instead, they are mourning the future she never had.
«This Father’s Day, our family is once again facing the unimaginable reality that Katie is not here,» Abraham told Fox News Digital. «We should be celebrating her graduation from Ohio University and looking forward to all the milestones still ahead of her. Instead, we carry the weight of everything that was taken from her, and from us.»
Abraham described Katie as «intelligent, thoughtful, fiercely loyal, and full of promise.»
GRIEVING ILLINOIS FATHER BLAMES SANCTUARY POLICIES AS ICE ISSUES CRACKDOWN IN DAUGHTER’S HONOR

The Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Midway Blitz to honor Katie Abraham, who was killed in a hit-and-run caused by a criminal illegal alien in Illinois. The department worked with her father, Joe Abraham, during the operation. (Department of Homeland Security)
«Her life mattered, and she deserved the chance to live it,» he said.
Abraham said he is grateful DHS chose to honor Katie through Operation Midway Blitz and believes efforts to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens can help prevent similar tragedies from happening to other American families.
«While no operation can undo the loss our family has endured, meaningful action to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens and prevent future tragedies ensures that Katie’s story is not forgotten,» he said.
ANGEL FATHER SLAMS PRITZKER’S SANCTUARY POLICIES, SAYING THEY LEAD TO ‘PREVENTABLE’ DEATHS

Marcus Coleman holds his daughter Dalilah, who was catastrophically injured in a car accident caused by an illegal alien.
Hundreds of miles away, Doug Quets is preparing for a Father’s Day marked by another painful anniversary.
«This weekend we will commemorate our second Father’s Day without our beloved son, Nicholas Douglas Quets, who was ambushed in a horrific failed carjacking by Sinaloa affiliated cartel members on October 18, 2024,» Quets said.
Nicholas Quets, a Marine Corps veteran, was 31 years old when he was shot and killed in Mexico while traveling to Rocky Point, according to his father.
FATHER OF MARINE VET MURDERED IN MEXICO PRAISES TRUMP ADMIN SANCTIONS ON SINALOA CARTEL: ‘PALPABLE’ MOMENTUM

Then presidential candidate President Donald Trump holds a portrait of Nicholas Douglas Quets, a 31-year-old Marine veteran killed in Mexico, as Quets’ relatives attend his rally in Henderson, Nev., on Oct. 31, 2024. (Mike Blake/Reuters, File)
Quets says his son’s death demonstrates what he believes are the dangers posed by cartel violence and the consequences of failed border security policies.
«The terrorists, emboldened by failed Biden-era U.S. immigration policies which were weaponized against us, pursued Nick in eleven vehicles stolen from U.S. citizens on both sides of the border,» Quets said.
«After identifying him as a U.S. citizen, they cowardly shot Nick in the back, through the heart, using weapons smuggled south from the U.S. effectively.»
FAMILY OF MARINE VETERAN MURDERED IN MEXICO BACKS TRUMP, VANCE AFTER SILENCE FROM BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN

Nicholas Douglas Quets and his father stand in front of flags. (Courtesy Quets Family)
«Cartels exploited our uncontrolled border and weaponized our unenforced immigration laws against all of us,» he said.
«While nothing will bring Nick back, we are exceptionally grateful President Trump signed Executive Order 14157 designating Sinaloa and other Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs),» he said.
DHS is also honoring Marcus Coleman, whose daughter, Dalilah, suffered catastrophic injuries in a crash involving an illegal immigrant that later fueled advocacy efforts surrounding commercial driver’s license laws.
Unlike Abraham and Quets, Coleman is not mourning the death of a child. Instead, he has spent years caring for and advocating on behalf of his daughter while pushing for reforms he believes could help prevent similar tragedies.
«Dalilah changed my life forever,» Coleman told Fox News Digital. «She taught me that being a father is more than providing—it’s protecting, advocating, and refusing to stay silent when change is needed.»
EXCLUSIVE: NOEM BACKS TRUMP’S ‘DALILAH LAW’ AFTER CRASH LEAVES YOUNG GIRL UNABLE TO WALK, TALK

Marcus Coleman holds his daughter Dalilah Coleman as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 24. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
«This Father’s Day, I honor and stand with every Angel Father who turns his pain into purpose and his love into action.»
Coleman, founder of Stand With Dalilah, has dedicated himself to advocacy efforts in the years since the crash that altered his daughter’s life.
The fathers’ stories sit at the center of the Trump administration’s renewed focus on victims of crimes connected to illegal immigration through the VOICE office.
The agency says the office was created to help victims and surviving family members navigate the aftermath of crimes linked to immigration violations by providing offender custody information, enforcement and removal guidance and referrals to victim-assistance resources.
According to ICE data, callers identified 815 crimes linked to immigration violations over the past year, including violent assaults, sexual assaults, homicides, family violence and stalking cases.
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DHS says many surviving victims and family members face emotional, legal and logistical challenges long after a crime occurs and that the VOICE office was designed to help guide them through those challenges.
For fathers like Abraham, Quets and Coleman, however, no government office can restore what was taken from them.
This Father’s Day, while families across the country celebrate with their children, Angel Dads are remembering the sons and daughters they lost.
homeland security, illegal immigrants, migrant crime, border security, homicide, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Iran’s unprecedented ‘whole-regime’ delegation at US deal talks signals one goal: expert

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The scope of the Iranian delegation at Switzerland’s first round of technical talks with the United States on Sunday underscored what an analyst described as Tehran’s red-line demand for «immediate cash flow» and significant financial concessions from the get-go.
The team’s arrival at Bürgenstock came within days of a breakthrough memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and after follow-up talks were called off, fueling uncertainty across the region.
«These are the most consequential negotiations America has entered in the Middle East in years. Iran knows that, and it is playing it very well,» counterterrorism expert Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News Digital.
«Tehran arrived as if this were the moment to collect,» Mohammed, director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, said.
TRUMP’S IRAN AGREEMENT RAISES A BASIC QUESTION: IS IT ACTUALLY A DEAL?
Tehran sent an unprecedented ‘whole-regime’ team to the U.S. deal talks, which signals one priority, a counterterrorism expert said. (URS FLUEELER/Pool via REUTERS)
Iranian state media also confirmed that Tehran had sent a whole-regime apparatus, led by chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Their team includes top security, legal and financial figures, including Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, leading the economic committee; Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council; Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister handling legal affairs; as well as senior state oil and energy officials.
Mohammed noted that Iran purposely bypassed a narrow, diplomatic-only team to protect its domestic leverage.
«Iran has not only sent diplomats; it has sent the foreign ministry, the security state, the central bank, legal affairs and oil,» he explained. «This is a whole-regime delegation built around implementation, money, leverage and red lines.»
Araghchi, Mohammed said, is the diplomatic face, while Bagheri Kani brings the Supreme National Security Council into the room, meaning the security establishment is overseeing the process and «protecting the regime’s red lines.»
The inclusion of Iran’s top financial and energy officials also sends the clearest signal of Tehran’s primary objective: immediate cash flow, «energy leverage» and control of maritime operations, the expert said.
TRUMP’S ‘ECONOMIC FURY’ SQUEEZES IRAN — BUT CAN TEHRAN OUTLAST THE PRESSURE?

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12, 2026. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff listen during the event. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images)
«Hemmati’s presence on Sunday was one of the clearest signals. You do not send the central bank governor to a symbolic meeting. You send him when the question is money: frozen assets, sanctions relief, banking channels, usable currency and how quickly Iran can turn promises on paper into cash it can actually spend,» Mohammed said.
«The oil official is another major signal. If oil is in the room, Hormuz is in the room. For an American policymaker, that means maritime security and energy leverage.»
Gharibabadi’s presence, Mohammed said, pointed directly to a legal battlefield over verification and language, perhaps designed to ensure Iran can bypass future enforcement.
The U.S. delegation, which includes Vice President JD Vance, is anchored by U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff and former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner.
Vance had indicated that Washington was hopeful it could make progress on both the nuclear issue and the escalating Lebanon ceasefire crisis while in Switzerland.
On Sunday, he said Trump had asked to turn over «a new leaf» to transform the U.S. relationship with Iran and that the talks starting in Switzerland would allow both sides to work to resolve issues.
TRUMP ENVOY WITKOFF AND JARED KUSHNER IN GENEVA FOR CLOSELY WATCHED IRAN NEGOTIATIONS

In this picture obtained from Iran’s ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), son of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks along a street in Tehran on May 31, 2019. (Hamid FOROUTAN / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images)
In contrast, according to Iran International, hardline lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian read excerpts he described as top-secret letters from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Iranian state TV.
He alleged the leader opposed nuclear talks, demanded compensation from Washington and insisted on Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz before the live program was cut.
Now, the differing composition of the two teams underscores the starkly different approaches both nations are bringing to the table, Mohammed said.
«Iran is not only negotiating substance, but negotiating the terms under which it can later avoid pressure,» Mohammed warned. «If the money comes first and the concessions come later, Tehran will not interpret that as compromise. It will interpret it as victory.»
«If Washington gives Iran cash, oil access and legal protection while Iran keeps Hormuz, proxies, missiles and nuclear options alive, then America has not bought peace. It has financed Iran’s next phase,» Mohammed suggested.
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«This delegation is not designed to end Iran’s leverage. It is designed to collect the benefits of the pause, preserve the regime’s pressure points and carry them into the next round.»
On Sunday, talks between Iran and the U.S. were paused but not ended, Reuters reported.
national security, nuclear proliferation, counter terrorism, iran, sanctions
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