Netanyahu joins US in effort to protect Christians in Nigeria, others
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Netanyahu noted “radical Shiite Islam and radical Sunni Islam” as the main forces waging that battle.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced that Israel will open a “new front” focused on protecting Christian communities in parts of Africa and the Middle East, including Nigeria.
Netanyahu announced in a public speech delivered on Wednesday and published on his official YouTube channel.
Speaking to an audience he identified as Christian Zionists, Netanyahu said Israel was expanding its engagement beyond military confrontations to address growing global threats to Judeo-Christian values.
He stated that Israel recently fought a “seven-front war” and emerged largely victorious, adding that an additional challenge had now arisen.
According to him, the new front is centred on influencing public opinion, particularly among young people, which he described as a battle for “hearts and minds.”
“I see the battle against us and the battle against our Judeo-Christian tradition basically being waged around the globe,” he said.
Netanyahu identified “radical Shiite Islam and radical Sunni Islam” as the main forces waging that battle, pointing to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood as leading what he described as opposing axes.
He said the challenge was not limited to Israel alone but affected its allies, including the United States, and Western civilisation.
Referring to the situation of Christians, Netanyahu said Israel was aware that Christian communities were facing persecution in several countries, including Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria and Turkey.
He asserted that Israel was unique in protecting Christian communities and ensuring their growth and safety.
The PM further announced that Israel was joining efforts to establish a coalition of countries, similar to a United Nations (UN) framework, to support Christian communities worldwide, particularly those under threat.
“I see the battle against us and the battle against our Judeo-Christian tradition, basically being waged around the globe. And it’s waged primarily by two forces — radical Shiite Islam and radical Sunni Islam,” he said. “That means the axis that is led by Iran, much battered, admittedly, but still there, and the Sunni axis led by the Muslim Brotherhood, which permeates everything.
“They go to Europe, the United States, Africa and Nigeria. And we are conscious of the fact that Christians are being persecuted — across the Middle East, in Syria, in Lebanon, in Nigeria, in Turkey and beyond.”
The Israeli leader described the gesture as payback.
“Just as you are helping us, we want to help back, and we’re capable of doing this. In Africa, with intel, in the Middle East, with a lot of means that I won’t itemise.
“This is what our agenda is; it’s a main part of our agenda,” he explained.
Netanyahu’s remarks came a day after he met with U.S. President Donald Trump, who had announced air strikes in Nigeria on Christmas Day in fulfilment of his military intervention promise to stop alleged Christian persecution in the country.
