In this episode, Israeli citizen and tour guide Rueben Nevo provides insights about the Israel–Hamas conflict from his perspective as an Israeli living in the country.

Discussions cover the experiences of Israeli soldiers returning from battle, tensions among citizens, the effects of Hamas' actions on Israel and the Palestinians, to potential strategies for peace in the region.

Nevo is joined by Mike Fanning, the founder of MBF Enterprises, a Bible study tour ministry; Dr. Jim Denison, the CEO of Denison Ministries; and Dr. Mark Turman, the Executive Director of Denison Forum.

Topics

(00:00): Introduction and Guest Introductions

(00:25): Guest Backgrounds and Personal Stories

(01:41): Discussing Israel Tours and Experiences

(02:48): Introducing Reuben and His Background

(06:27): Reuben's Personal Experiences and Observations

(06:37): Understanding the Impact of Conflict on Kibbutz Life

(08:54): The Role and Importance of Kibbutzim in Israel

(14:02): Personal Experiences and Impact of the Conflict

(15:42): The Psychological Impact of the Conflict

(21:54): Supporting Soldiers and Their Families

(24:01): Discussion on Relationships with Palestinian Arabs

(24:47): Arab Israelis and the Impact of October 7th

(26:01): Differentiating Palestinian Groups

(26:50): The Impact of October 7th on Israeli Politics

(28:13): Understanding the Complexities of Israeli and Palestinian Identities

(28:36): The Intricacies of Geography, Race, and Religion in Israel

(31:01): The Challenges of Defining Identity in Israel and Palestine

(44:33): The Need for New Leadership in Israel and Palestine

(50:23): The Power of Unity in Israel

(51:17): Closing Thoughts and Prayers for Peace

Resources

• Further resources on the war in Israel
• Transcript (PDF)

About Reuben Nevo

Reuben Nevo is an Israeli citizen and tour guide. Since 1984, he’s guided tours of Israel for many Christian groups, government delegations, educational programs, and Jewish federations. Nevo has spoken at many US churches about Jewish heritage. He served as an officer of combat forces in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), representative of the Jewish Agency and the government of Israel in Chile, as a teacher and director of a guide school in Jewish agency, as developer of the program “Jewish roots in Spain and Europe,” and as an official government tourist guide at the Ministry of Tourism. He holds a masters in History of the Jewish People from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  

About Mike Fanning

Mike Fanning is the founder and president of MBF Enterprises, “a group tour operations company that specializes in organizing, marketing and leading unique, one-of-a-kind trips. These trips include pilgrimage tours to Israel, Jordan and Egypt, as well as "Journeys of Paul" cruise tours to Greece, Turkey and Italy.” He holds a PhD in Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology, Modern Middle East History, Anthropology, and Hebrew/Greek from Baylor University.

About Dr. Jim Denison

Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries. He speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at Denison Forum. He is the chief author of The Daily Article and has written more than 30 books, including The Coming Tsunami, the Biblical Insight to Tough Questions series, and The Fifth Great Awakening.

About Dr. Mark Turman

Dr. Mark Turman is the Executive Director of Denison Forum and Vice President of Denison Ministries. Among his many duties, Turman is most notably the host of The Denison Forum Podcast. He is also the chief strategist for DF Pastors, which equips pastors and church leaders to understand and transform today’s culture.

About Denison Forum

Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, The Denison Forum Podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.