Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel will open what he described as a new front to defend Christian communities in Nigeria, across Africa and the Middle East, citing the example of United States President Donald Trump and warning of growing global threats to what he termed “Judeo-Christian civilization.”
Netanyahu made the remarks in a public address on Wednesday, published on the official YouTube channel of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, while speaking to an audience he identified as Christian Zionists.
He described Christian Zionists as central to the emergence and survival of the modern Israeli state, saying their support laid the foundation for Jewish Zionism. According to him, the alliance between Israel and Christian Zionists has endured “through thick and thin” and remains critical to confronting new global challenges.
The Israeli leader said that although Israel had recently fought what he called a “seven-front war” and emerged “in many ways victorious,” a new and decisive struggle had now taken shape.
“But there’s an eighth front,” Netanyahu said. “And that’s the front for the hearts and minds of people, especially young people.”
He argued that the battle extended beyond Israel and affected the United States, their alliance, and the future of what he described as Western and Judeo-Christian civilization. The fight, he said, must be engaged with the same determination as military conflicts.
Netanyahu rejected calls for religious restraint in the face of violence, insisting that faith must speak out against terror. “Terrorism should be confronted, not understood — confronted and defeated,” he said.
He disclosed that he had held discussions with former U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Trump shared his view that attacks against Israel and the Judeo-Christian tradition formed part of a broader global struggle.
“I see the battle against us and the battle against our Judeo-Christian tradition being waged around the globe,” Netanyahu said.
He identified what he described as radical Shiite and radical Sunni Islam as the principal forces driving that struggle, pointing to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood as leading opposing camps. According to him, their influence stretched beyond the Middle East into Europe, the United States, and Africa, including Nigeria.
Highlighting the plight of Christians, Netanyahu said Israel was acutely aware of the persecution faced by Christian communities in several countries, naming Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Turkey among others. He claimed that Israel stood alone in actively protecting Christian communities and enabling them to grow and thrive.
“Israel is the only country that protects the Christian community, enables it to grow, defends it and makes sure that it thrives,” he said.
The Prime Minister announced that Israel was joining efforts to establish what he described as a coalition — “a United Nations of countries” — committed to supporting persecuted Christian communities worldwide. He said Israel would contribute intelligence and other capabilities, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.
Protecting Christian communities, Netanyahu stressed, would remain a core part of Israel’s agenda and would be pursued “with greater force and greater might” in the coming year.
He concluded the address by extending Christmas and New Year greetings and expressing hope for peace, security and prosperity, especially for Christian communities around the world.