Hope Rising 

     "With the hostages finally home, Israel looks forward to peace."

Travis Kircher in WORLD magazine.

     "Shortly after the hostages were released, in Jerusalem President Trump addressed the Knesset, Israel's parliament. In an upbeat, hourlong speech laced with humor and touting his own foreign policy, Trump promised a new era for the region."

     'Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change and change very much for the better,' Trump said. 'It will be the golden age of Israel and the golden age of the Middle East - it's going to work together.' 

     "The president went on to assure Israelis that they had won over Hamas militarily and said they now needed to pursue peace and prosperity. 'The plan calls for an international body to govern Gaza, with Palestinian bureaucrats running day-to-day affairs.'

     'It also calls for an Arab-led international security force paired with Palestinian police. About 200 U.S. troops traveled to Israel to monitor the cease fire. 

     "Israelis aren't the only ones who have suffered for the past two years," says Yousef AlKhouri, the dean of Bethlehem Bible College. "He was born in Gaza in a family that served in Gaza's Orthodox Church for 900 years. Some of his family still lives there and have suffered during the conflict." 

Tomorrow: One chapter tells us all we must know.

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