Skip to content 12/24/2025 On This Christmas Eve Special, We Take a Look at Modern-Day Israel, the Birthplace of Our Savior Dec 24 · 59 min ...more
12/24/2025 On This Christmas Eve Special, We Take a Look at Modern-Day Israel, the Birthplace of Our Savior
December 24, 2025 · 59 min
Tony welcomes three special guests to discuss the state of Israel, their quest for stability, how Christians can pray for them, and concerns over replacement theology.
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December 24, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
Tony welcomes three special guests to discuss the state of Israel, their quest for stability, how Christians can pray for them, and concerns over replacement theology. ...more Show the full description Show less Tony welcomes three special guests to discuss the state of Israel, their quest for stability, how Christians can pray for them, and concerns over replacement theology.
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In this video 0:00 Spreading Christmas Joy Through Operation Christmas Child4:40 Reflecting on Peace in the Middle East: A Conversation with Ambassador Huckabee18:52 Christmas in the Holy Land and Uncertainties in Syria38:52 Biblical Mandate to Stand with Israel: Insights from Pastor Hopper
Spreading Christmas Joy Through Operation Christmas Child 0:00 Hello. I'm Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council and host of Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Every day, we offer a biblical perspective on the news as well as insightful interviews with elected0:11 leaders, newsmakers, and culture experts. We have a great program planned for you today, but first, get up to speed on the top headlines with Washington Stan's news brief.0:26 Welcome to the Washington Stan news brief. I'm Casey Harper, and Merry Christmas Eve. I have some good news for you this Christmas. Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child, plans to reach0:38 millions of kids for Christ this year with their signature shoe boxes filled with school supplies, toys, and more. They also come with a gospel message for children around the world. Each year, this0:50 organization sends more than 10000000 shoe boxes to kids, and now they will have a new facility to help. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, spoke at an1:02 event earlier this month to thank volunteers and officially dedicate a new ministry center in Windsor, Maryland near Baltimore. The 80000 square foot warehouse creates a space where volunteers1:14 can work all year long. I sat down with Franklin Graham for an interview after the dedication, and I wanna share it with you. Here's what he had to say.1:24
1:36 till you separate them. And you you have to it's labor intensive. Right. If you had to pay somebody, you have never you couldn't do it. Yeah. So it's just something again, God God touches the hearts of these people. We
1:47 come and work and we're thankful.
1:49 Well, I'm glad you mentioned the heart because I wanted to ask you, what is the heart behind it? You mentioned the gospel, the children. What is why do such a big undertaking? Why do you do that?
1:58 Yeah. If we want to reach, another generation Mhmm. Of children around the world. And, we pray that out of this, 1 day maybe, our God will raise up an army of young men and women who know how
2:10 to share their faith, who take the gospel to their country, to their generation. So it's about passing the torch.
2:17 And these boxes, where do they go?
2:19 Hundred and 70 different countries in Canada.
2:21 Hundred and 70? No. Oh, that's the ends of the earth. No. It is. And that includes Ukraine. Right?
2:27 No. We are.
2:27 Oh, yeah.
2:28 We work in Ukraine. There's some countries like China won't let us in. Russia used to let us in, but not but, so sometimes countries open, sometimes they close it, sometimes they open back
2:40 up again. So we we just keep Pujimavelos.
2:43 And that's something to pray about
2:44 Yeah.
2:44 Too. You mentioned you mentioned in your you just spoke to, all the volunteers and gave, a really powerful message about how this all got started. Yeah. And, you know, I think too many, leaders in organization, this
2:56 is an overwhelmingly daunting logistical challenge. But you said something you said was that god was in it from the very beginning.
3:03 Very beginning, Phil. I forgot all about it. That guy was asking me was going to help them to mingle him, and I forgot about it. And then he said, well, my secretary said, you know that guy mingle what guy? Well, he's on
3:15 the phone. Oh, no. So, you know, I think you just you forgot about it. Then that that year, we got 11000 boxes open for 2.
3:23 Yeah.
3:24 And God gave us 11000. And next year, we thought, well, maybe we can do it again. Well, we we lose like 24000 next year. So every year it's grown, you just have seen God's hand.
3:36 But what really had been making a made the same cake off is we we decided as a team, we were gonna make this an evangelical project. We we were gonna make sure that we made an effort to tell every child
3:48 that gets a boss about the true meaning of Christmas and it's Jesus Christ. Not Santa Claus, it's Jesus Christ. God gave the first gift. God gave his son. That's
4:00 what this is about, coach. And when we did that, God addressed it. Yeah. So I can't I can't you know, people will say, well, Franklin, how did you come up with the idea? I'm not that smart. I can't come up with an idea.
4:10 I just God did it.
4:13 Samaritan's Purse said more than 11000 volunteers will help process over 1000000 shoeboxes at this new facility this year. Kids all around the world, including in Africa, Asia, and Ukraine,
4:25 are among those receiving a shoebox this year. And that is today's news brief. I'm Casey Harper. Merry Christmas. You can dive deeper with the Washington Stand, which is Family Research Council's
4:37 outlet for news and commentary for a biblical worldview. We're back next time with more stories that matter.
Reflecting on Peace in the Middle East: A Conversation with Ambassador Huckabee
4:53 From the heart of
4:53 our nation's capital in Washington DC, bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation's leaders and newsmakers, all
5:05 from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
5:11 Well, Merry Christmas, and welcome to a special Christmas Eve edition of Washington Watch. I'm Tony Perkins, your host. Well, tonight on this Christmas Eve edition of Washington Watch, a year marked by conflict ends with
5:23 unexpected glimpses of peace. Ambassador Mike Huckabee joins me to look back at 20 25 and ahead to what 20 26 may hold for Israel and the Middle East. Then we turn to Jerusalem
5:36 and beyond with CBN's Chris Mitchell for a firsthand look at Christmas in the Holy Land. And later, pastor Phil Hopper reflects on why this season calls for believers to stand strong with
5:47 Israel. Well, again, merry Christmas from our studio here in Washington DC on a night when believers around the world
5:59 pause to remember that in the fullness of time, God broke into human history. In a world often marked by upheaval, uncertainty, and conflict, Christmas reminds us that heaven
6:11 is not distant. The prince of peace has come to Earth. And this year, that message feels especially poignant. As we close out 20 25, the Middle East, so often the epicenter of global tension,
6:24 looks a little different than it did when this year began. Israel's long war has eased. Hostages who were once only names on a list are back with their families, and a pathway toward peace,
6:35 however fragile, is beginning to take shape. On the eve of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, there is a renewed longing for peace on earth and goodwill toward men.
6:47 Tonight, we'll look back at the year that is ending and ahead to the year that awaits us. Ambassador Mike Huckabee joins us to begin the program with a wide angle view of what changed in 20
6:59 25 and what we may expect in 20 26 and how US leadership continues to shape stability in the region. Then we'll turn directly to the holy land. Chris Mitchell of CBN News
7:11 brings us sights and sounds of Christmas in Israel, a Christmas unlike the last 2 years, as joy returns to many households even while the ceasefire remains delicate. We'll also talk with
7:23 him about neighboring Syria and where the fall of the Assad regime has sparked both hope and new uncertainty for Christians and other vulnerable communities. And later, pastor Phil Hopper, who
7:35 traveled with me to Israel earlier this year, will join the program to reflect on Christmas and what he witnessed firsthand and on why the church must continue to stand with Israel, especially
7:46 now. So on this Christmas Eve, as we revisit the places where the story of salvation first began, May our hearts be fixed once again on the 1 who came to bring
7:58 peace, not only to nations, but to every soul willing to receive him. So stay with us this Christmas Eve edition of Washington Watch begins right now. When we entered the year 20
8:10 25, Israel was engaged in a multi front war with no clear end in sight. Now now as we prepare to close out the year, the the Middle East looks much different. Peace looks possible.
8:22 And what might we see in the year 20 26? Well, here to join us and unpack this for us is US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. Ambassador Huckabee, welcome back to to Washington
8:34 Watch. It's always great to see you, my friend.
8:36 Well, thank you, and Merry Christmas to you and all your viewers. It's, a pleasure to be with you, and I'll say greetings on this Christmas from the Holy Land.
8:46 Well, let's talk about that for just a moment before we get into, the the events of this year. This is your first Christmas in Israel. I mean, this has gotta be pretty exciting.
8:57 Well, it is. We've never been here during Christmas. I've been here, as you know, over 100 times before coming as ambassador, but it was always at other parts of the year because I wanted to be home with my family at
9:08 Christmas. And sometimes Christmas can be kinda crowded over here. This This year, I don't think it's gonna be that crowded because so many people have not come back as tourists, but some of my family are coming to,
9:19 celebrate Christmas with us. And most importantly, I think it's, an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate Christmas where it really happened. And so, the midnight service in
9:31 Bethlehem at, the church and the nativity is where my family and I will be, celebrating the birth of Christ in the place where it happens. So that's gonna be a a an incredible experience that I'm
9:43 looking forward to.
9:44 Wow. That sounds fascinating. I was there several years ago and just missed the opportunity to actually flip the switch of of the Christmas lights in Bethlehem at the first of, December.
9:56 I got there, a little bit too late. But, you know, it's this is where it all began. And, again, I just wanna I wanna thank you for the the tremendous work that you've been do been doing there in Israel.
10:08 As US ambassador to Israel, as an evangelical, you understand the importance of this, and you've been articulating that. Let's talk about this year. This year ends much
10:20 different than it began.
10:23 And thank God that it is ending differently. I've been here less than a year, Tony, and I've been through 4 wars and an extraordinary level of tension and stress and hardship for a lot of our embassy
10:34 people. But most of all, real stress on the part of the people of Israel who have been dodging ballistic missiles all year. But thanks to president Trump's peace initiative, his unique ability to bring
10:46 all the Arab nations together to sign the document at Sharm El Sheikh that basically said Hamas has to go, Gaza must enter a new phase. It's created,
10:58 first of all, all the hostages coming back with the exception of just 1. And then the other big thing that's happened is we've been now 8 weeks in a ceasefire. That means no missiles, no rockets,
11:11 few skirmishes here and there, but limited and not disrupting the overall peace agreement.
11:18 Now that's the longest, ceasefire that we've had during this 2 years that that has held. Am I correct?
11:25 Hundred percent correct. I mean, before, this peace process really got, to the ceasefire, we were seeing missiles and or rockets almost every day, certainly every
11:37 other day, and that's a lot of trips to the shelter for everyone in the entire nation of Israel. So it's been, a great sigh of relief for the people who have been through more than I don't well, I
11:49 just don't think people can comprehend, what the people of Israel have been through in terms of the stress, knowing their loved ones were being tortured in the tunnels of Gaza by Hamas that could
12:01 have ended that war 2 years ago, but they chose not to. They continued to hold hostages and starve them and torture them and rape them and beat them. And it's something I just wish more people in the world understood.
12:13 But right now, I think what we have to do is to pray that the ceasefire holes and that there will be a methodical undoing of Hamas, and that ultimately,
12:25 the next phase of the peace deal can happen, which is creating a safer and a more livable environment for people in Gaza.
12:34 Before we move on to talk about how you might anticipate 20 26 unfolding, I I wanna pause for a moment and address something that I think is of concern to both both of us. I know it concerns
12:46 me. I know it concerns you, and I can I know it concerns other Christians? From where you're at there at the embassy, you can I believe, if I recall correctly, you can you can almost see into Bethlehem? You can
12:58 see where Jesus was born. There is a debate going on, in the evangelical community that has arisen
13:10 pretty suddenly. That this idea that, you know what, Israel doesn't matter. You know, what the Bible talks about when it comes to the Jewish people, it's not the same as what we see today. And therefore, we have
13:21 no special allegiance nor should we have a special allegiance to Israel. Tony, the only way
13:29 a person can say Israel doesn't matter is to conclude that the Bible doesn't matter. Because if a person truly believes the word of God, as I do, and I know you do, and I and I believe that that it's our
13:40 authority. It's our, inerrant, infallible, living, spoken word of God himself. And if I believe that, then I'm gonna have to accept that the scripture is pretty clear.
13:52 It's certainly clear in Genesis 12, those who bless Israel will be blessed. Those who curse Israel will be cursed. But throughout both the Old and the New Testament, there are scripture after after scripture verses that
14:04 clearly indicate that God made a covenant with the Jewish people. And I know there are those who practice or believe what we sometimes hear call replacement theology, which simply says that God
14:16 once had a purpose for the Jews, but he gave up on them. And he broke the covenant with them, and now he's moved on to the Gentiles and to the Christians. Just this 1 glaring problem with accepting
14:27 that. If God can and did break his covenant with the Jews, then what makes me think that God won't break his covenant with me? If it's because the Jews sinned,
14:40 well, I I can pretty well look at my own life and the life of every person I know and say, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And so for us to think that somehow God is gonna spare us who didn't
14:51 spare those that he called his chosen, I think it's not only ludicrous, but it defies the very essence of scripture.
15:00 I
15:00 I think it does. I think you're absolutely right. In fact, I've I've written about that, in a in a ebook that, we just published. It's on Amazon. It is called should a Christian support Israel? And, folks, if you'd like
15:12 to know more about that text Israel to 6 7 7 4 2, I'll send you a link or go to Amazon because I think it's very timely that we talk about this. I was looking at this a a a while back. Didn't write about this in the
15:24 book, but there there are those who are saying, you know, we don't need to be supporting Israel. We we just this is the political Israel. The Bible talks about the spiritual Israel. So I went back through the scripture,
15:36 and Joel talks about this, how nations are judged for dividing up the land. Alright? So, I mean, it's clear clear lines there. But I also went back to look for a nation or a
15:48 people that blessed or showed mercy to Israel even when they were under the judgment of God. Because a lot of people say, well, Israel's been judged by God, therefore, we shouldn't help them. I went back, and nowhere in
15:59 scripture was a nation punished for showing mercy to Israel even when they were under the judgment of God. In fact, it was the opposite. So there's no
16:10 place in scripture where being faithful to Israel or kind to Israel led to punishment, but there is plenty. There are plenty examples of the opposite.
16:21 The scripture is filled with those kind of references and affirmations. I would even go so far as to say this, Tony, that, while I believe it is a biblical issue and therefore, for me, it's non negotiable, let's
16:33 just, for a moment, take that off the table. Let's say there was no scripture. There was no reason to believe that God has a divine, eternal purpose for the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. There is another
16:45 reason that Christians, specifically, but Americans in general, should be supporting Israel, and it's because it's the only democracy in all of this part of the world. It is also the
16:57 foundation upon which the Christian faith was built. Therefore, it is the foundation upon which Western civilization was built. Without Israel, there would be no Christianity, there would be no
17:09 America, there would be no Western civilization, there would be no freedom of speech, freedom of religion. We wouldn't have a constitution or a declaration of independence. You and I wouldn't be celebrating this
17:20 wonderful gift called American citizenship. And the other thing people need to remember is that every enemy of Israel is an enemy of the United States. Everyone who hates Israel and wants to destroy
17:32 them, they also want to destroy the United States. So if people are so naive as to think that, well, Israel doesn't matter to me, it's just a failure to recognize that Israel is seen
17:44 by those who wish to destroy it as an appetizer, but the United States is seen as the entree.
17:50 Alright. So so true. Alright. We'll have less than a minute left. I took us on a longer detour than I anticipated. This coming year, what are your what are your what do you
18:02 anticipate? Tony, I think
18:05 we could see the expansion of the Abraham Accords in a number of nations that could include Syria and Lebanon. It may be slower than that, but there's a real prospect for a realignment of the
18:17 Middle East because more nations recognize that Israel is really not their natural enemy, and Israel doesn't wanna take over their territory, their land, or conquer them. Israel just wants a place where its
18:29 people can live in safety and security. That's it. That's what they want. And let's pray that happens.
18:35 Ambassador Mike Huckabee, we will join you in that prayer. Thanks so much for joining us. Merry Christmas, and look forward to seeing you again real soon.
18:43 Thank you, Tony.
18:44 Folks, stick with us. CBN's Chris Mitchell joins us next, so don't go away. Hello. I'm Tony Perkins, and I wanna invite you to join me for Stand on the Word, aShow more
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