Is this Noah's ark? Clues emerge at mysterious remote site



An independent researcher who has devoted his time to exploring a location near Mount Ararat that is believed by some to be the remains of Noah’s ark is speaking out.

Andrew Jones, who runs Noah’s Ark Scans, a group he described as “a loose organization of individuals interested in pursuing scientific work and promoting [the ark site],” said he became interested in the Genesis flood story when he was a child.

'We have the shape, we have the location matching, we have the length matching exactly in the Bible.'

Years later, in college, this intrigue expanded when he visited Turkey and saw the location for himself.

“I’ve been going back and forth ever since,” he said.

Jones said Noah’s Ark Scans works with scientists to explore the Mount Ararat site in an effort to take steps toward discerning whether it truly is the resting place of the massive biblical vessel.

“This last year, we had an Australian soil scientist come out there, and he suggested a soil test that we could do because we noticed, for example, that the grass growing in this boat formation was a different color than right outside the boat object,” he said. “So [he] and the local Turkish geologists designed a test, and they got the samples, and we got some ... really interesting results.”

One of the central questions surrounding the ark site is why, if it’s believed to potentially hold these remains, it has taken so long to do discernible and definitive research.

Jones said a series of issues have held up that process.

“We are just as interested as anyone else in either proving or disproving what this site is,” he said. “There’s many factors involved — some are politics. So this is Eastern Turkey. You do have issues out there that could affect doing scientific work. Then, you have religious issues.”

 

From Christian claims to Islamic ones, there’s a “competition” of sorts surrounding the story. Mixing that in with a lack of interest in some quarters, among other factors, has created barriers.

“If you’re going to pursue a scientific investigation to this site, you have to work with a local university, which means you need to find a university and professors who are willing to put their career on the line looking for Noah’s ark, which, even for Islamic scholars, that could be a problem,” Jones said. “People think you’re crazy looking for something like this. And so, yeah, it’s very difficult.”

But Jones said he and others continue pushing on, working with local authorities and international partners to analyze and explore the area where they believe the vessel might be located.

As for the location, Jones said the Bible gives a “very brief description” in Genesis. In fact, Genesis 8:4 reads, “And on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.”

Moses’ description, Jones said, isn’t GPS-specific.

“That’d be like me saying today, ‘Noah's ark landed in the mountains of Colorado or the mountains of Canada,'” he said. “It is a general area.”

The site where Jones and others are exploring is in this area, he said. The shape of the site reportedly first caught the attention of a Turkish military official decades ago.

“In a remote corner of Turkey, a unique geological formation, unearthed on September 11, 1959, by Turkish Army Captain Ilhan Durupinar, is raising eyebrows and piquing the interest of biblical scholars and geologists alike,” Noah’s Ark Scans writes in a description. “This boat-shaped geological curiosity, commonly referred to as the Durupinar formation, is considered by some to be the final resting place of Noah’s Ark.”

At the time, the discovery made a media splash, and people immediately began heading out to see for themselves. Eventually, though, Jones said the location was almost “forgotten about” until an American named Ron Wyatt started exploring and promoting it in the 1980s and 1990s before his death.

Jones and others have since picked up that mantle, working with experts to collect evidence. He explained the specific components that lead some to believe this is a good contender for the location of the ark.

“Number one, we have a ship shape,” Jones said, noting that the biblical size also lines up. “We have the shape, we have the location matching, we have the length matching exactly in the Bible.”

He continued, “Right now, the only tests that we can do are non-destructive-type of tests, like geophysical scans. ... GPR, which is ... ground-penetrating radar, ERT, which uses electricity and measures the resistive nature [of] what’s below the ground.”

This data is used to create models and to explore what might be inside the soil. So far, he and other researchers believe there are “angular structures” underground and even a “central tunnel” inside the structure that seems to point to something more than a mere mound of dirt.

Eventually, they hope to excavate when the conditions and parameters allow. Right now, using non-destructive means is important. Jones hopes to continue collecting samples and forging on with a plan to better discern what might be underneath the area.

“We’re hoping that before any excavations are even considered, that we could core drill the site at random locations and at some of these spots that the radar is showing to be like [an] angular structure that ... possibly won’t be considered natural, so maybe man-made-like walls,” he said. “And some of these voids, this tunnel is going down the middle about 4 meters down.”

These samples, Jones said, would give more information and context to better understand what’s happening inside the site. He’s also hoping to do additional soil testing.

Ultimately, based on the size, shape, and data, he believes that this “has to be the remains” of Noah’s ark. He doesn’t expect it will be fully preserved due to the age and time passed, but he sees the site as the “best candidate” at the current time.

This article originally appeared on CBN’s Faithwire.

Russia, Ukraine resume talks for first time in years — all thanks to Trump



Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday, marking the first meeting between the two countries since 2022 due to mounting pressure from President Donald Trump.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed the negotiators at Dolmabahce Palace on Friday, urging the two countries to reach a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.

"There are two paths ahead of us: One road will take us on a process that will lead to peace, while the other will lead to more destruction and death," Fidan said. "The sides will decide on their own, with their own will, which path they choose."

'Although tensions ran high, progress has been made.'

RELATED: Trump earns unlikely praise from House Democrat: 'I got to give him some kudos there'

  (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The war officially began under former President Joe Biden, but there was little movement throughout his term. Now, Trump has taken the lead to resolve the conflict.

Up until Trump's inauguration in January, Ukraine was essentially bankrolled by the United States. That all changed during the infamous Oval Office meeting with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Although tensions ran high, progress has been made with various proposed peace deals, though none have yet been agreed to by all parties involved.

RELATED: Trump pledges to lift 'brutal and crippling' sanctions on Syria, pushes for Middle East peace talks

  Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The Russia-Ukraine War is not the only conflict Trump is trying to resolve. The president spent the week touring the Middle East and meeting with various leaders, like President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

During these meetings, Trump encouraged the leaders to sign onto the Abraham Accords alongside Israel in order to restore peace in the Middle East. Trump also urged the leaders to expel foreign terrorists from Syria, to deport Palestinian terrorists, to aid the United States and prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and to take responsibility for the ISIS detention centers in Syria.

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Trump earns unlikely praise from House Democrat: 'I got to give him some kudos there'



President Donald Trump is no stranger to criticism from the left, but even Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut admits that his foreign policy is praiseworthy.

Trump has spent the last few days meeting with foreign dignitaries in the Middle East, including President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Trump even announced he would be lifting sanctions on Syria, inching closer and closer to a peace deal.

'Himes admits that he is optimistic about Trump's handling of the Middle East this week.'

RELATED: Trump pledges to lift 'brutal and crippling' sanctions on Syria, pushes for Middle East peace talks

  Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Trump's dovish approach to foreign policy has been praised by some political allies in the Republican Party, but Himes chimed in with a rare message of support from across the aisle.

"I'm not in the habit of praising Donald Trump," Himes said in an interview Thursday. "But I got to tell you ... I think the president has, in this last week or so, played the Middle East pretty darn well."

Himes said he went into the week concerned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "hell-bent" on going to war with Iran. He also expressed skepticism about Trump's negotiations with the new Syrian leadership. But so far, Himes admits that he is optimistic about Trump's handling of the Middle East this week.

RELATED: Vance tells Glenn Beck Congress needs to 'get serious' about codifying DOGE cuts

  Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

"My guess is that the prime minister of Israel is cooling his heels a little bit on planning for Iran," Himes said. "My guess is that he's probably thinking through a better situation than he otherwise might want for Gaza, and look, it appears we're going to give al-Sharaa a chance in Syria. That's pretty good stuff."

"Again, not in the habit of praising this president, but I got to give him some kudos there," Himes added.

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Trump pledges to lift 'brutal and crippling' sanctions on Syria, pushes for Middle East peace talks



President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will be lifting sanctions on Syria as he kicks off his tour in the Middle East.

After the fall of the Assad regime in December, Syria's new leaders, like President Ahmed al-Sharaa, hoped America would loosen its grip and lift the sanctions. After Trump announced the sanctions would be lifted, he met with al-Sharaa and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, with President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey joining them over the phone.

RELATED: Biblical warnings fulfilled: The rising persecution of Christians foreshadows global instability

'When Syria is contemplating its future under new leadership, we should want a seat at the table.'

  Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

During the meeting, Trump urged the leaders to sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel in an attempt to inch toward peace in the Middle East. Trump also insisted they tell foreign terrorists to leave Syria, to deport Palestinian terrorists, to assist the United States and prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and to take responsibility for the ISIS detention centers in northeastern Syria.

RELATED: Trump rips into reporter for implying Qatar gift is a bribe: 'You should be embarrassed asking that question!'

"Syria, they've had their share of travesty, war, killing in many years," Trump said. "That's why my administration has taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade."

  Photo by Amadeusz Mikolaj Swierk/Anadolu via Getty Images

"The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important, really an important function, nevertheless, at the time," Trump added. "But now it's their time to shine. So I say, 'Good luck, Syria.' Show us something very special."

 RELATED: GOP Rep. Cory Mills explains why he was married by a radical Islamic cleric

The United States has designated Syria as a terrorist state for decades. But under the new leadership, some lawmakers like Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana said Syria is potentially shaping up to become a key ally.

  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

“When Syria is contemplating its future under new leadership, we should want a seat at the table," Stutzman, who met with al-Sharaa in April, told Blaze News. "President al-Sharaa has welcomed the West, allowed women into his Cabinet, and even recognized Israel as a sovereign nation."

"President Trump should be meeting with him not only to help Syria be prosperous, but also to weaken the influence of Russia and China and create another ally and trade partner in the region," Stutzman added.

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Bogged Down

Except for professional historians, I know no one familiar with the Crimean War, which pitted Russia against Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia from 1853-1856. To be sure, a few people recall that during this war Florence Nightingale introduced modern nursing, and Tennyson wrote his thrilling poem about the charge of the Light Brigade. Otherwise, this war seems to have left no trace in Western, and especially American, consciousness.

The post Bogged Down appeared first on .

The strategy behind Trump’s looming NATO withdrawal? A new global order



Recent speculation suggests Donald Trump may withdraw from NATO, while few have explored the reasons he might pursue that path.

Yes, abandoning America's longtime security framework in Europe aligns with promises to cut spending and avoid foreign entanglements — but the motivations run deeper than that.

If the US is moving toward a more transactional foreign policy, then keeping Turkey happy makes sense, especially if it means limiting Russian-Chinese influence in Central Asia.

It's about restructuring the global order.

The U.S. is pivoting toward a more transparently transactional alliance system, one centered on regional powers that can do the heavy lifting while Washington plays arbiter.

The new security and economic bloc forming before our eyes looks like it will involve Russia, Turkey, and Israel.

These are not natural allies in the traditional sense, but they each serve a role in what is shaping up to be a strategic trade-off:

  • Russia gets its Ukraine deal;
  • Turkey gets dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia; and
  • Israel secures its energy routes.

Greece, Armenia, and even Ukraine, meanwhile, are looking more and more like sacrificial pawns in this reshuffling.

Trump has never cared for NATO’s obsession with Ukraine, and he’s likely to cut a deal that brings the war with Russia to an end.

The most probable outcome would be a mineral rights agreement where Russia officially consolidates its control over Eastern Ukraine while the United States walks away with access to key resources and a stabilized energy market.

The war-fatigued West will be sold this as a win ("Trump ended the war!") but in reality, it will be the moment Washington moves past its commitments to Eastern Europe and onto bigger plans.

This wouldn’t just be a settlement on Ukraine. It would also serve as the foundation for a broader U.S.-Russia understanding. Russia’s ultimate goal is to weaken NATO’s grip over its near abroad. If Washington gives signals that it won’t interfere in Armenia, Georgia, or even parts of Eastern Europe, Moscow will have no reason to keep its old hostility toward America.

Recalibrating alliances

Then, we have Turkey. Recent rumors that Trump would shut down a U.S. military base in Greece have yet to come to pass. Still, they reflect the region's anxiety concerning Trump's affinity for Turkish President Recep Erdoğan.

Erdoğan has always wanted a freer hand in the Aegean, where Greece controls a massive exclusive economic zone and the most important shipping lanes in the region. If Washington tacitly allows Turkey to pressure Greece, it clears the way for a major shift in power.

At the same time, Israel is tied up in the energy game with Greece through a pipeline linking the two. If Turkey’s aggressive posturing disrupts that project, Israel may find itself needing to recalibrate its alliances.

That’s where we come in. America can broker an arrangement where Israel and Turkey, which have been exchanging fighting words over Palestine for the last year and a half, find common ground, possibly at Greece’s expense.

This isn’t far-fetched. Turkey has been a problem for NATO for years, and yet Washington keeps it close because of its strategic importance.

If the U.S. is moving toward a more transactional foreign policy, then keeping Turkey happy makes sense, especially if it means limiting Russian-Chinese influence in Central Asia.

A geopolitical earthquake

Meanwhile, the West is playing Armenia much like it played Ukraine: dangling EU integration, offering economic deals, and encouraging a break from Russia.

But just like Ukraine, Armenia is expendable. If war breaks out again with Azerbaijan, Armenia will be on its own, isolated from Russia and surrounded by hostile powers.

Here’s the likely scenario: The war starts, and Armenia holds out for a while, but without serious backing, it eventually loses key territory, most importantly the southern region of Syunik.

Then, as with Ukraine, America steps in as the “peacemaker” and negotiates a deal.

The price? Armenia gives up Syunik, allowing Turkey and Azerbaijan to finally complete the Zangezur corridor, uniting the Turkic world from Anatolia to Central Asia.

This would be a geopolitical earthquake. Turkey and Azerbaijan would gain unprecedented control over trade and energy flows, and a new power bloc would emerge stretching across the Caspian.

At first glance, a U.S.-backed Pan-Turanic expansion sounds counterintuitive, but it actually aligns with Washington’s shift toward an interest-based alliance system. A consolidated Turkic bloc led by Turkey, stretching from Anatolia through Azerbaijan and into Central Asia, would serve as a counterbalance to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It would give the U.S. leverage over key trade routes while keeping both Russia and China in check.

At the same time, this would spell the end for Armenia as we know it. A landlocked state already struggling to maintain relevance would be completely isolated, boxed in by adversaries, and left with little recourse but to accept a diminished future. The EU’s empty promises won’t save Armenia. If anything, they will only push it further into the abyss.

Who wins, who loses?

Winners:

  • The U.S. moves beyond NATO into a more flexible alliance structure.
  • Russia secures its Ukrainian gains and reduces Western influence near its borders.
  • Turkey achieves its long-term goal of regional dominance and direct access to Central Asia.
  • Azerbaijan cements its position as the dominant power in the South Caucasus.
  • Israel secures its energy interests in a new regional balance.

Losers:

  • Ukraine is left with a frozen conflict and a fractured future.
  • Greece faces renewed pressure from Turkey over shipping lanes and energy control.
  • Armenia loses Syunik and is pushed into permanent isolation.

The bottom line

If Trump follows through on withdrawing from NATO, it won’t be the end of U.S. influence. It will simply be the beginning of a new grand strategy.

The post-1945 world order was built on ideological alliances and the “rules-based order." The next era will be about raw, transparently strategic interests. America doesn’t need NATO if it can secure influence through regional power deals.

Armenia, Greece, and Ukraine are all at risk of being left behind in this transformation. The West no longer fights for weak states unless it directly benefits from doing so. The game is changing, and the players who don’t recognize the shift will be the ones who suffer the most.

Austria’s struggle with mass migration holds a lesson for America



The croissant isn’t French — it’s an Austrian culinary rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. Since the 13th century, Austrian bakers have been shaping the croissant’s predecessor, the crescent-shaped kipferl, mimicking the Ottoman moon, which, according to popular lore, was used to celebrate the Habsburgs' final standoff against Turkish invaders after the Battle of Vienna in 1683.

Austria’s long-standing defiance against the Turks is as integral to its national identity as Charlemagne’s victory over the Muslim Moors is to France. As Christendom’s last line of defense against Islamic expansion into Europe, Austria held the line. Yet today, Turkish kebab shops fill nearly every street in central Vienna, competing with bakeries that once symbolized the Ottoman Empire’s defeat. The contrast is striking.

Parallel societies will inevitably form without a clear path for immigrants to adopt a national identity.

The Turkish community has become Austria’s largest minority. As of 2023, approximately 500,000 residents of Turkish origin live in the country, a sharp rise from 39,000 in 2001 — a 1,200% increase.

Does this shift reflect modern-day “tolerance” ending nearly 1,000 years of imperial rivalry, or are deeper forces at work?

Tolerance or dire straits?

Popular explanations of Europe’s recent mass migration credit events like the Syrian war in 2015 or the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, which prompted waves of asylum-seekers. However, mass migration in Austria dates back to the aftermath of World War II, when the country lay in rubble with a diminished male population.

To rebuild, Austria sought foreign workers. With the Iron Curtain blocking labor from Eastern Europe, the former Catholic empire turned to its historical rival across the Bosphorus. Austria actively recruited Turkish workers in the following decades, promising employment and economic opportunities.

One local Turkish resident, Metin, remembers, as a child in the 1980s, seeing Austrian embassy billboards in Istanbul promoting jobs and benefits — a golden ticket. Like tens of thousands of others, his family eagerly accepted the offer. However, both Austrians and Turks miscalculated. Austrians assumed the Turks would return home when the job was over. The Turks believed they would be welcomed in their new land. Neither were correct.

“I quickly realized that I wasn’t wanted,” Metin recounted. “My work was wanted, but I wasn’t.”

What started as a temporary workforce has transformed Austria. Turks have established their own parallel society, which continues to grow in influence and numbers. Today, Muslim immigrants, particularly from Turkey, are surpassing Austrians in birth rates while preserving a strong religious and cultural identity from their home country.

Meanwhile, the once-Catholic imperial stronghold is becoming increasingly secular, stepping away from the faith that once defined its national identity. This demographic shift has profound implications — not just for Austria but for all of Europe.

What America can learn

The United States can learn valuable lessons from countries that have dealt with mass migration for generations. Today, 14.9% of the U.S. population is foreign-born, the highest percentage since the immigration surge of 1910.

While left-leaning arguments favor foreign workers to boost the economy, the long-term challenges cannot be ignored. Postwar Austria may have benefited from such policies, but history shows that immigration requires more than economic justification — it demands integration and assimilation.

As Turkish-born Metin warns, welcoming workers means welcoming people. Parallel societies will inevitably form without a clear path for immigrants to adopt a national identity. At best, they may coexist peacefully, leaving the long-term impact dependent on demographics. At worst, clashing cultural norms could threaten national cohesion for generations.

The United States holds a key advantage over Austria in shaping national identity. Unlike European nations, which often tie identity to ethnic heritage, America, for good or ill, does allow for hyphenated identities, such as African-American or Mexican-American. In Austria, one is either Turkish or Austrian — there is no equivalent of a blended national identity. As a result, Turks and Austrians live as separate cultures rather than uniting around shared ideals. Over time, Austria’s future will not be determined by external threats but by shifting demographics within its borders.

America’s strength lies in its ability to forge a national identity independent of ethnicity. In theory, people from all backgrounds can participate in the American experiment, but assimilation does not happen automatically. If we continue to welcome immigrants, we must also provide the framework for integration — otherwise, we risk facing the same challenges Austria now confronts.

Turkey's Syrian Gambit Pays Off

Bashar al-Assad's regime is the latest casualty of Iran's war on Israel. After keeping his hold on Syria through 13 years of civil war, Assad fled to Russia last weekend just before a new rebel offensive took Damascus. More than two decades of dictatorship ended in less than two weeks of fighting.

The post Turkey's Syrian Gambit Pays Off appeared first on .

To succeed, Trump's Middle East policy must address Israel's Armenia problem



Now that Donald Trump has successfully mounted his political comeback and is set to become the 47th president of the United States, we can finally look forward to seeing how he’ll handle his long list of agenda items for his upcoming administration: inflation, immigration, energy, crime.

He’s got his hands full.

Both Israel and Turkey are aligned when it comes to sending money and arms to Azerbaijan for the express purpose of whittling the already-tiny Republic of Armenia down to nothing.

But for now, let’s focus on his foreign policy — particularly how he’s going to tackle the increasingly complicated situation developing in Israel and the rest of the Middle East.

Good guys vs. bad guys

Trump has come out firmly in support of Israel in the state’s crusade against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the rest of Iran’s proxy terrorist network. But the rhetoric that’s come from both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu oversimplifies the situation.

America and Israel are the good guys.

Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah are the bad guys.

That’s been the framing of the situation from GOP establishmentarians. Simple, yet effective.

But it’s nowhere near as simple as that, and Trump’s recent moves have actually complicated his commitment to that framing as well.

You see, the Middle East is, in reality, a smorgasbord of shifting, overlapping, crisscrossing alliances. And that’s because there is so much ethnic and religious diversity within this pocket of the world.

No Muslim monolith

Contrary to common Western perception, the Middle East is not one big, brown, Muslim monolith. The Turks are not the Sunni Arabs, who aren’t the Shiite Persians, who aren’t the Christian Armenians, who aren’t the somewhat secular, somewhat Islamic Azeris, who aren’t the Maronite Lebanese, who aren’t the Coptic Egyptians.

Each one of these groups vary drastically from one another in ethnicity, culture, and religion. And therefore, there’s no clear-cut demarcation in the Middle East when it comes to political alliances. Or at least, there’s not a simple “good guys vs. bad guys” heuristic that can be used to assess the situation.

And yet, that’s the framing American foreign policy and media sticks with: "The Middle East is full of Muslim bad guys (who are all the same), and we need to protect the lone Judeo-Christian oasis of democracy in the Middle East."

Our once and future president did something recently that slightly undermined the legitimacy of that framing.

Trump gets Armenia-pilled

In the days leading up to his election, Trump announced his commitment to aiding Christians in the Middle East who had been victims of Islamic persecution. Specifically, he was referring to the 120,000 Armenians who had been ethnically cleansed from their historic homeland of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.

He even went so far as calling the patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, his holiness Aram I, about mobilizing an Armenian restoration of Artsakh.

From where I’m sitting, this is a clear result of Trump having surrounded himself with advisors like Robert F Kennedy Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tulsi Gabbard, all of whom have all made statements signaling their support for Armenia against its various regional antagonists.

But the simple act of signaling a commitment to aiding the Christian Armenians actually creates a flurry of complications for the Trump administration.

And it all has to do with the love triangle between the U.S., Israel, and Turkey.

Aiding Azerbaijan

As the entire world knows, Israel launched a war in Gaza after the brutal October 7 attacks by Hamas.

What much of the world doesn’t know is that at the time of the attacks, Israel was already embroiled in a different conflict, aiding (along with the U.S. State Department) in its ethnic cleansing campaign against the Armenian enclave of Artsakh.

And just one week after the October 7 attacks, a shipment of arms left Tel Aviv headed toward Baku, Azerbaijan.

And Israel has not relented. In the midst of all the bombs Israel has dropped on both Gaza and Lebanon, it (along with Turkey) continues to send state-of-the-art weaponry to Azerbaijan, most recently on  September 24.

If you’ve kept up with the news, you also know that there’s been a fair bit of saber-rattling between Turkey and Israel, as Turkish President Erdogan has been raising tensions with Israel for its offensive against Hamas, recently going so far as hailing the ICC decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders as “courageous” and hosting Hamas in Turkey after the terrorist group was booted from Qatar.

It certainly seems like the Islamic Turks are egging on a war with Israel from the outside.

But how much of this is theater?

After all, Israel relies on Turkey and Azerbaijan for 40% of its oil via the BTC Pipeline (which begins in Baku and ends in Ceyhan, Turkey).

And, as I already mentioned, both Israel and Turkey are aligned when it comes to sending money and arms to Azerbaijan for the express purpose of whittling the already-tiny Republic of Armenia down to nothing.

But that still doesn’t cover the total extent of Israel’s antagonistic relationship with Armenians.

Jerusalem land-grab?

You see, the state of Israel isn’t just home to Jews and Muslims. It’s home to about 187,000 Christians, some 5,000 of whom are Armenian. In Jerusalem, the Old City has historically been divided into four quarters: the Christian quarter, Jewish quarter, Muslim quarter, and the Armenian quarter.

While this Armenian community dates back to the 4th century, it has recently found itself under siege by a shadowy Israeli corporation called Xana Capital. In dispute is the "Cow's Garden," the last large, open space in Jerusalem's Old City. In 2021, the Armenian patriarchate agreed to a secret 98-year lease of the land — which comprises 25% of the Armenian quarter, to a Jewish-Australian developer.

Calling the lease illegal, the community has been fighting to invalidate it in court. Meanwhile, the Grayzone reports that Xana Capital has employed Israeli settlers to intimidate Armenians into vacating the land.

The point I’m making is that the framing of the Israel-Palestine conflict since the 10/7 attacks has been that Israel has been in a fight for its survival against the bloodthirsty Muslims and therefore needs as much aid and support from the U.S. as it can muster.

But there's one glaring flaw in that narrative: Israel’s direct involvement in the downfall of the Armenian state and diaspora.

To recap:

Israel has been sending arms to Azerbaijan, before, during, and after October 7.

Israel is currently confiscating the historic Armenian quarter of Jerusalem.

All of this is happening in the midst of its crusade against Hamas and Hezbollah.

My question is: When is the United States going to prioritize Christians in the Middle East priority over the other two Abrahamic faiths? We’re a Christian country, right?

Help wanted

This is why Trump’s pre-election commitments to Christians in the Middle East is a complicated matter. It’s not as simple as “Muslims bad, Israel good.”

As I mentioned, Trump seems to be stacking his cabinet with pro-Armenia advocates (RFK Jr., Vivek, Tulsi, even Marco Rubio). But he’s also got plenty of pro-Israel people (Elise Stefanik, Kristi Noem, Lee Zeldin, Mike Huckabee, Susie Wiles, Pete Hegseth, and, yes, even Marco Rubio) in the mix. Not to mention the pro-Turkey Dr. Oz as head of Medicare and Medicaid.

So for now, it looks like it’ll be a bumpy ride.

In a post-election interview with Tucker Carlson, RFK, Jr. recounted the time he witnessed Trump draw from memory an accurate map of the Middle East, including troop strength of each country. It’s apparent from this one exchange that Trump has a sharp understanding of the geopolitical and strategic military dynamics of the Middle East.

This means he also knows that stability in the region can never be taken for granted. I would urge him to look at the movements happening between Israel, Turkey, and Azerbaijan and take stock of the Pan-Turanic vision being cooked up by these parties.

If he’s serious about helping the Christians of the Middle East, there’s no getting around it.

FACT CHECK: Video Showing Rocket Fire Is Not Related To Recent Syrian Rebel Offensive

A video shared on X claims to show Syrian Arab Army (SAA) heavy rocket fire from the Syrian rebels offensive in Aleppo. ⚡️#BREAKING The Syrian Arab Army is targeting HTS positions in the western Aleppo countryside with MLRS rockets.#Syria #Iran #Israel #Hezbollah #Lebanon #Gaza #Palestine pic.twitter.com/ojsk7ETjNm — Resistance War News (@ResistanceWar1) November 29, 2024 Verdict: Misleading […]