In conversation with Damian Thompson, Benedict Kiely discusses the plight of Christian minorities in countries around the world. Best known may be the violence against Christians committed by Muslims from Iraq to Nigeria. But these are not the only cases: Christians have been victims of deadly attacks in Burma, Sri Lanka, and India, as well as brutal suppression by the Chinese and North Korean governments. Kiely argues that Western indifference is sometimes a product of anti-Christian and anti-religious prejudice. In contrast to this indifference, Kiely and Thompson point to the heroic efforts made by Jews to save their brethren around the world, both through philanthropic organizations and by the Israeli government—and, moreover, the leading role Jews have played in condemning the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere. (Audio, 31 minutes. The discussion of Jewish attitudes begins around the 16-minute mark.)

On Tuesday, the Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz came to Washington and met with his American counterpart Mark Esper to discuss the possibility that the U.S. will sell its top-of-the-line F-35 jets to the United Arab Emirates. Despite the breakthrough in relations between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi, many Israelis fear that selling the aircraft to the UAE would erode the Jewish state’s qualitive military edge over its neighbors—which the U.S. is required to by an act of Congress to uphold. Shimon Arad explains these concerns: