Jerusalem Post asks Rosenberg – an Israeli Evangelical – why Arab Muslim kings and crown princes confided in him about war, peace and faith

From the palaces of Amman, Cairo, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, bestselling author Joel C. Rosenberg reveals his conversations with Middle Eastern and Gulf royals that would go on to have global ramifications.

“Enemies and Allies: An Unforgettable Journey Inside The Fast-Moving & Immensely Turbulent Modern Middle East” – Rosenberg’s 400-page nonfiction book – will be released tomorrow.

On the cusp of this release, The Jerusalem Post interviewed Rosenberg about the book and why he wrote it.

“What happens in the Middle East – for better or worse – affects the entire world,” Rosenberg said. “I will take you inside royal courts and capitals and introduce you to the most powerful figures in the region. Love them or hate them, these are the players driving the change. These are the leaders to keep an eye on.”

As the Post notes, Rosenberg, whose father is Jewish and mother is Christian, was invited by these top Arab leaders to discuss faith and peace in the region – and precisely because he is an Evangelical Christian who is also a dual Israeli-American citizen.

He was able to use that status to segue into sensitive conversations with these various leaders, including making peace with Israel. Rosenberg brought other Evangelical leaders with him on several of these trips where they emphasized their desire for peace.

In “Enemies and Allies,” Rosenberg quotes from his exclusive conversations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, former U.S. President Donald Trump, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, former U.S. Secretary of State and CIA director Mike Pompeo and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In October 2018, when Rosenberg met with bin Zayed he told him that Christians pray for the peace of Jerusalem, “because we are commanded to do so by the Bible.”

“‘And yet, we are looking to see who the next Arab leader will be to make peace with Israel,’” Rosenberg told the Post. “We were not sure what the answer was going to be. But the crown prince leaned forward and said, ‘Joel, I am ready to make peace. I am going to do it.’”

Of course, that moment came when the UAE announced it was normalizing ties with Israel in what became known as the Abraham Accords, the historic agreement which now includes four Muslim nations in treaties with the Jewish state.

Christians were “given a front row seat for history in the making, which I believe is part of a tectonic change in Arab-Muslim thinking in which they have concluded that their enemy is not Jews or Christians, but radical Islamists,” he said.

Off-the-record conversations such as the one with MBZ are included in the book.

Rosenberg himself has been a bridge between the Muslim world and Israel. He has been able to express to these leaders the sentiment of Evangelicals who pray for Israel and yearn for peace.

“We love Israel, but we also want Israel to be safe and prosperous,” Rosenberg told the Post. “The Arab world does not have anything to fear from the Christian world.”

Rosenberg also discussed the recent U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and other world events with the Post.

“The change underway in the Middle East and North Africa is coming fast and furious – and it is far from over,” Rosenberg said. “My hope is that when readers have finished this book, they will have a better appreciation for how their futures and fortunes are uniquely and inextricably connected to the people in the epicenter.”

Read the full article here.

Order Rosenberg's book, "Enemies and Allies," here.