Trump’s Gaza Plan Gets Applause, Praise From Popular Pastor

Pastor Jentezen Franklin of Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia, said he was "moved" by President Donald Trump's comments and plans surrounding the Gaza Strip, calling Trump's plans "brilliant." Franklin was referring to Trump's Tuesday announcement while meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, a proclamation that sent shockwaves throughout the globe and ignited discussion and debate. Regardless of the debate and skepticism among some, Franklin believes Trump's shock announcement could lead to a more fruitful future. "I heard in our president, a healer of nations," Franklin said. "I heard a man who said, 'Don't these people deserve a better life? Don't their children — if we go back to that place, it's a zone of death. It's a zone of destruction.'" He continued, "I thought it was brilliant, personally. I thought if ... you shoot for the moon and if you hit the stars, hey, you've done something that nobody else has ever done." Franklin also spoke about a Monday meeting he attended with fellow evangelical leaders and Netanyahu. Held before the prime minister's meeting with Trump, Franklin said the gathering was "weighty" and "was a tremendous honor to be a part [of]." "He was very warm," he said of Netanyahu. "He was so appreciative of the Christian community, the Christian friends that he felt like had Israel's back when they're facing so much opposition, especially in universities and in the streets of major cities where the protesters are ... screaming 'Death to Israel' and all of that." Franklin, who coalesced with more than a dozen leaders for just over an hour, said Netanyahu expressed his "tremendous appreciation" to those in attendance for the Christian community's help after the Oct. 7 terror attacks. "He said, without the Christian church, he did not believe that Israel would be existing today," Franklin said. "And I thought that was a powerful statement." Watch him share more about the meeting. Listen to him tell his story. Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show each week on CBN News Watch the weekly "Newsmakers" TV show on CBN's YouTube channel Download the free CBN News App