CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER: 3 reasons why Netanyahu urgently met with Evangelical leaders in Florida before spending New Year’s Eve with President Trump at Mar-A-Lago
Bibi warns an ‘8th front’ has opened in war to destroy Judeo-Christian civilization
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – Amidst a very full schedule of meetings with Jewish leaders and with senior officials in the Trump administration, including President Donald J. Trump, why did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu carve out time this week to meet with Evangelical Christian leaders?
Three reasons.
First: TO DEMONSTRATE GENUINE GRATITUDE.
Netanyahu knows that Evangelical Christians are far and away the best friends that Israel and the Jewish people have in a world of exploding antisemitism and hatred of the Jewish state.
Therefore, he wanted to demonstrate his deep appreciation of – and gratitude for – the tens of millions of Evangelical Christians who read and love and believe in the Bible.
Prime Minister Netanyahu met today with evangelical community leaders.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 31, 2025
The Christian church and university heads congratulated him on his successful meeting with President Trump and for his steadfast position, as well as for the determined decisions he took, throughout the war. pic.twitter.com/5JkXU4rPxx
Second: TO COUNTER THE AVALANCHE OF LIES ON THE AMERICAN RIGHT.
Netanyahu sees Judeo-Christian civilization under direct and vicious and relentless attack.
This is, he believes, a clear and present danger to the lives and well-being of Christians as well as Jews.
The situation is bad and getting worse.
In 2025, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Steve Bannon, Nick Fuentes and others took direct aim at Christians who love Israel.
They are trying to blow up the massive movement of Christian Zionists with malicious lies, slurs, and innuendo.
Candace says, “Israel is a demonic country.”
Tucker says Christian Zionism is “heresy” and a “brain virus.”
All of them have expressed their hatred for Evangelicals in or close to the Trump administration who support an even stronger U.S.-Israel alliance, folks like Ambassador Mike Huckabee, Senator Ted Cruz, and Senator Lindsey Graham.
So, Netanyahu wanted to meet with Evangelical leaders to brief them on the latest developments, answer their questions, and help them counter the avalanche of lies with the facts.
Third: TO DISCUSS HOW BEST TO STRENGTHEN — AND EXPAND — THE CHRISTIAN ZIONIST MOVEMENT AMIDST A VICIOUS ONSLAUGHT TO DESTROY JUDEO-CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION
Netanyahu knows that young Evangelicals are turning against Israel and he’s concerned.
That’s why the groups not only included pastors and heads of Christian non-profit groups but also the heads of Christian universities.
For example, Dr. Jonathan Falwell, President of Liberty University – the largest Evangelical university in the world – was present.
“You are representatives of the Christian Zionists who made Jewish Zionism possible,” Netanyahu told them.
“It's hard for me to conceive of the emergence of the Jewish state, the re-emergence of the Jewish state, without the support of Christian Zionists in the United States, also in Britain, but the main thrust was in the United States in the 19th century.”
“So Christian Zionism facilitated the rise and success of Jewish Zionism. And it's been an enormous partnership since then.”
“We've fought, as you know, a seven-front war, and we've come out in many ways victorious – but there's an eighth front, and that's the front for the hearts and minds of people, especially young people in the West, and for me, especially in the United States, and for me, especially on the conservative wing of the United States,” Netanyahu continued.
“I think it's not just Israel's battle. I think it's our common Judeo-Christian civilization's battle, and I think we have to engage in that battle, as forcefully, with as much resolution as we engage the other seven fronts. I think it affects not only Israel, it affects America, it affects our alliance, it affects the future of Western civilization. I don't think I'm exaggerating one bit.”
Netanyahu added that, “I have here my colleagues, Israel's ambassador to the United States, to the United Nations, our Consul General in New York, our Consul General in Miami and every one of my delegation, we feel that this is a theater that has to be engaged with great force.”
“Who's to engage in this? It's us, it's you and us. We have to, you know, we have to be, I think we have to stand up and be counted. They have to hear our voice. There are some people who believe that faith should be silent, and terrorism should be understood. No, faith should speak its voice, and terrorism should be confronted, not understood, confronted and defeated. And that is what we're engaging right now.”
“So, I want you to know that I spoke with President Trump yesterday. I said this publicly too. 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. 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, they go to the United States, they go to Africa, 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.”
“We're also aware of the fact, as you are, that one country protects the Christian community, enables it to grow, defends it, and makes sure that it thrives, and that country is Israel. There is no other, none.”
“We are joining an effort to have basically a united nations of countries that support Christian communities around the world, beleaguered communities who deserve our help, 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 itemize each one.”
“This is what our agenda is, it's a main part of our agenda, and it's going to continue with greater force and greater might in this coming year.”
“I want to use this opportunity to wish you all a belated happy Christmas, and a Happy New Year. May it be a year of prosperity, peace and security for all of us, but especially for the Christian communities around the world."
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Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
