GALILEE, Israel (WordNews.org) Jan. 23, 2018 – The Voice of Hope, the only Christian radio station in Israel, welcomes Vice President Mike Pence in his visit of solidarity with Christians in the Middle East.

And Pence encourage faith leaders in return during a speech at Israel’s Knesset.

“We will also support faith leaders in this region and across the world, as they teach their disciples to practice love, not hate,” Pence said. “And we will help persecuted peoples (Christians and other religious minorities), who have suffered so much at the hands of ISIS and other terrorist groups. To this end, the United States has redirected funding from ineffective relief efforts. And, for the first time, we are providing direct support to Christian and other religious minorities as they rebuild their communities after years of repression and war.”

Voice of Hope officials said persecuted Christians who are struggling under the oppression of ISIS took Pence’s words to heart: they are neither forgotten nor alone.

In a move of strong support for the plight of Mideast Christians, the government of Israel granted its first and only Christian radio license and frequency to international broadcaster, Strategic Communications Group after its president, Rev. John D. Tayloe, appealed on behalf of the persecuted Christians in the region.

The Voice of Hope – 1287 AM, a new 50,000-watt evangelical Christian radio station, began its Arabic broadcast service from the biblical region of Galilee, Israel on March 2017. The radio station is reaching populations of over 40 million living in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel.

“Our strong friendship with Israel, our commitment to encourage Middle East Christians, along with our desire to share the Gospel of Peace with Muslims, makes the Voice of Hope radio station a truly unique partnership for peace in the Middle East,” Tayloe said. “Politics cannot solve a thousand years of conflict. We believe that the answer is in the renewed Hope of God’s word. The message of Hope delivered with love through the intimate and powerful medium of radio.”

Israel’s Minister of Regional Cooporation, Tzachi Hanegbi said: “This radio station exemplifies the deep connection and unique bond that Israel has with the American people and between the Jews and the Christians. We are certain that the message of hope that will be brought by the station will be an uplifting tool and a benefit to our neighbors. The State of Israel supports any message of peace to the people in neighboring countries and this is why we decided to support the establishiment of the Voice of Hope.”

The Voice of Hope is one of the strongest radio signals on the dial and its reach into five Middle East countries is unprecedented in a region where religious freedoms and individual rights are challenged everyday. The stations leaders say the establishment of this Christian broadcast voice is a powerful tool for peace in the hands of Evangelicals who believe that the message and ministry of Jesus is relevant for today’s overwhelming circumstances.

To learn more: www.i24news.tv/en/tv/replay/daily-dose/x6dcz19