“And that’s the way it is.”

If you are under fifty years of age, you may be thinking, That’s odd. Why is Joel starting out his article quoting a Céline Dion song? However, if you are over that age (I’m fifty-three), you will likely know exactly to whom you should attribute those words. You’ll probably even be able to hear it in your head as I can, because it was spoken in our living rooms night after night. When Walter Cronkite, the longtime anchor of CBS Evening News and a person once voted the most trusted man in America, would sign off his newscast with that phrase, people believed it. If Cronkite said it, then that’s truly the way it was.

Cronkite left anchoring in 1981 and passed away in 2009. Is there any reporter or anchor today whom we could believe 100 percent if they told us, “That’s the way it is”? In this culture of fake news and agenda-driven media, the public’s trust in journalists is plummeting. Many make their news choices according to their own political leanings. Many have given up entirely on TV and print and are now depending on the Internet for their news. But we all know the risks. While there are still a lot of excellent, hardworking, trustworthy journalists out there, they are getting harder and harder to find.

“Joel, where do you get your news on Israel and the Middle East?” This is a question that I hear over and over. People are hungry for solid news and information, but they don’t know where to turn. They want to know what is happening in the Holy Land and the rest of the region, some because they know it’s geopolitically important, others because they know it’s biblically important, and some because it’s both. Christians in particular want to be specific when they pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for good reason.

For a long time, I have wrestled and prayed as to what could be done to address these challenges. This is why I and my colleagues are so excited to announce the launch of two new websites.

All Israel News and All Arab News are “one-stop shopping” news sites for anyone and everyone who wants to understand what’s happening in the Epicenter and why it matters. We’ll publish exclusive “news maker” interviews, exclusive polls, original reporting, helpful context and analysis, as well as links to the most important and interesting news stories in the Israeli, Arab, and regional press—all day, every day.

I will serve as the editor in chief, and we have hired a team of Israeli and Palestinian reporters. Our goal is to be truthful, insightful, and fair, bringing you news of the region from an evangelical perspective and worldview. And best of all, it’s free!

There are three avenues for accessing all the wonderful content:

First, you can connect directly to the websites at allisrael.com and allarab.news.

Or you can follow us on Twitter (@all_israel_news and @all_arab_news).

Finally you can follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/AllIsraelCom and facebook.com/AllArabCom).

Tell your friends. Please pray for us. And come join us.

We’re excited about serving you with the truth.

—Joel