Why Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Loves Israel
JERUSALEM,
Israel (ANS) – No American Secretary of State or CIA Director has done more to
advance the U.S.-Israeli strategic alliance, strengthen Israeli security and
advance history-making Arab-Israeli peace deals than Mike Pompeo.
While the Middle East was not the only region
in his portfolio in either job during the Trump-Pence administration – witness the
challenges he confronted with Russia, China, North Korea, and Turkey, just to
name a few – it became clear to critics and allies alike that Pompeo had a deep
love and affection for Israel and the Jewish people, says Author Joel Rosenberg
at https://www.allisrael.com
Where does that love come from?
Rosenberg asked Pompeo that very question in
an exclusive interview for a new series ALL ISRAEL NEWS is doing with
prominent Christian and Jewish leaders on “Why I Love Israel.”
Without hesitation, Pompeo told Rosenberg it
comes first and foremost from his devout Evangelical Christian faith and love
of the Bible.
Here’s the transcript of part one of their
two-part interview https://www.allisrael.com/former-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-tells-all-israel-news-why-he-loves-israel-about-the-first-visit-he-ever-made-here-and-why-he-wants-to-come-back-soon
ROSENBERG: It’s great to have you. So, you’re
an Evangelical Christian. You’re very open about that. You and your wife taught
fifth grade Sunday school until life got a little too busy working for the CIA
as director, and then, of course, as secretary. Talk to me about where your
love for Israel comes from. I’m just intrigued with both from your personal
background, from your faith – what animates that?
POMPEO: Well, they are a very special country
in a very special place. Those of us who take seriously the words of the Bible,
and whose faith has a central understanding of the places that Jesus worked and
lived, can’t help but have a special love and a special understanding of how special
this place is. It’s also, as a geopolitical matter, as a global matter, it’s a
place where these three Abrahamic faiths all come together in Jerusalem. The
history there – the scores of people who were faithful servants of the Lord who
have walked in that place – makes it a unique and special location. And it was
truly a privilege to serve as America’s secretary of state and to work to build
out the important relationship between our two sovereign states to make each of
our peoples more secure and to get the opportunity to work for a president who
made the decision, the right decision, to allow Jerusalem to be designated as
the capital by the United States and to move our embassy there was truly
glorious.
ROSENBERG: It was amazing. And so your experience just as secretary of state – if we just
limited it to that – has had a historic impact on U.S. relations with Israel.
Again, recognizing Jerusalem as our capital. It hasn’t been done by almost any
other country in the world. Moving the U.S. embassy here was a big deal. But
let’s go back a little bit more. I actually don’t know – I’ve never asked you
in all the years we’ve known each other – when you first came to Israel. Was
that in a private capacity, or in the House of Representatives? What was your first
trip here?
POMPEO: Joel, the first time I came here was
when our son was 15 years old. I was a civilian. I was running a manufacturing
company in Kansas. And I wanted to go visit Israel first to see obviously the
historic important Christian sites. But I also, when I was a cadet at West
Point, had studied these amazing tank battles. I’d been an army officer and I
wanted to go see what it looked like up on the Golan and see where the amazing
armor fights had taken place there in ‘67 and then again in 1973. And so we did all of that. My wife and I and my son took a trip.
We spent about a week. We obviously did the sites in Jerusalem. And then we
went up to Galilee and we had a great time. It was a little bit of a rainy day.
But my son, I had him lay down in what we thought was the tank battle position
so we could see what the fields of fire must’ve looked like. It was a lot of
fun. I was out there with my old cadet maps walking that hallowed terrain, the
important terrain, that allowed Israel to protect itself against the Arabs and
those two big challenges to the rightful Jewish homeland. So that’s the first
time I went. It was a fantastic trip. And my son, to this day, says it’s the
best trip we ever took him on.
ROSENBERG: How fascinating. I can’t believe I
never asked you that question. It’s such a basic question. I ask everybody. But
somehow, you and I got into so many other issues very quickly in our
friendship. So, then, just rounding out this portion of our interview, as
Secretary, what was the most significant trip that you made here and why?
POMPEO: I don’t know that there was a
singular trip that stood out from any other. But the work that we did over the
course of the four years – it wasn’t just that we moved our embassy – there
were so many other important decisions we took. We changed the rules about what
passports could say [Editor’s note: those Americans born in Jerusalem can now
have “Israel” listed in their passport as their birthplace.] The State
Department, under my leadership, made the clear declaration that not every
settlement [in Judea and Samaria, i.e., the “West Bank”] was necessarily
unlawful. We recognized the Golan Heights [as sovereign Israeli territory] as
well. These were these pieces and parts of the work that we did. And then we
began to work to counter Iran. And we worked to try to convince the Palestinian
Authority to come to terms with Israel. When it wouldn’t, we didn’t let that
stand in the way of increasing peace and prosperity and reducing risk for
Israel and reducing risk for the United States of America, as well. And the
Abraham Accords were the result of that.