Breaking Christian News
By Julie Stahl, CBN
November 5, 2018
“We are living in extraordinary, if not miraculous, times. You see the hand of God bringing together, you know, the forces of a Donald Trump and Israel and the Gulf.” -Rabbi Marc Schneier
(Israel) – [CBN News] He’s been called the rabbi to the Muslim world. New York Rabbi Marc Schneier has been traveling to the Muslim world for a decade, cultivating Jewish-Muslim relationships with royalty and leaders.
Schneier, who is president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, said his first relationship was with the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
“(King Abdullah) convened, in 2008, in Madrid, an inter-religious conference, bringing together global religious leaders, some 215 participants,” Schneier told CBN News.
That conference led to introductions to other Muslim leaders, including eventually the leaders of Azerbaijan and Kazakistan.
“I would say that among the 57 Muslim nations in the world, when it comes to supporting Israel, when it comes to its treatment of its local Jewish community – there are 25,000 Jews living in that Muslim country (Azerbaijan) – I would say Azerbaijan today, among the Muslim world, would be number one,” he said.
Schneier said his conversations usually led to talk about how those Muslim countries could improve relations with Israel.
“So, we are living in extraordinary, if not miraculous, times. You see the hand of God bringing together, you know, the forces of a Donald Trump and Israel and the Gulf,” he said.
According to Schneier, one of the factors bringing these countries together is Iran and another is based on economics.
“I do believe that within the next two years, you will see the establishment of relations between Gulf countries and the State of Israel,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman last month – the first such visit of an Israeli leader. Two days later, an Israeli athlete won a Judo competition in another Gulf State, Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. During the medals ceremony, there was another historic first when Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah, was played.
Just last week, author Joel Rosenberg led a delegation of prominent US evangelical leaders to meet with the crown princes of the UAE and Saudi Arabia. CBN News was in the UAE to cover those historic visits.