LIers take Fox’s Hegseth on an Israeli fact-finder

FoxNews contributor Pete Hegseth participated in a week-long fact finding mission to Israel organized by American Friends of Ateret Cohanim under Dr. Joe Frager of Jamaica Estates, Dr. Paul Brody of Great Neck, and Odeleya Jacobs of Kew Gardens Hills. The visit gave Hegseth, a rising voice in conservative media, a chance to better understand many of the issues facing the Jewish state.  The delegation was joined by FoxNews political affairs analyst and commentator Lisa Daftari.

Hegseth, who holds the rank of major, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was part of the FoxNews team assigned to both the Democratic and Republic conventions.

Hegseth told a media briefing in Jerusalem that even after just a short time in Israel he understood that mainstream media was failing to provide a realistic picture of the country’s challenges — and of its wonders.

“Seeing is believing and it is therefore critical that people of all backgrounds are encouraged to come to Israel,” Hegseth said, noting that as a native of a small town in Minnesota, he never met a Jew until going to college.

Hegseth is the author of the recently released “In the Arena,” a vision for a new direction for American domestic and foreign policy based on a passage from a famous address by President Theodore Roosevelt: “A world without American leadership is a world set adrift, and the lesson that we have learned from the last seven years is that when America retreats the world becomes a far more chaotic place,” Hegseth said.

Frager, Brody and Jacobs have been responsible for bringing many influential American figures to Israel in recent years, including Gov. Mike Huckabee, Glenn Beck and Washington Rep. Dave Reichert. Frager said that the value of such a visit cannot be overestimated.

Having trained forces in counter-terrorism , Hegseth said America could learn from Israel in how to confront and overcome an enemy.