Israel will defend Christians facing radical Islamist terror and persecution in the Mideast & Africa, Netanyahu vows to Evangelical leaders in Florida
"Just as you are helping us, we want to help back," Netanyahu said
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — Meeting with 70 Evangelical leaders in Florida on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that he and his government and intelligence agencies are aware that Christians are being persecuted and terrorized around the world, particularly in the Middle East and in Africa.
What's more, he vowed the Jewish state would use its power, intelligence, and influence to help defend Christians.
"We're conscious of the fact that Christians are being persecuted across the Middle East, in Syria, in Lebanon, in Nigeria, in Turkey, and beyond," Netanyahu explained.
"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."
The prime minister said the forces of radical Islamism – both Sunni and Shia – are enemies not only of Israel and the Jewish people, but of Christians as well.
He described it as a battle against Judeo-Christian civilization.
"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.
The Shia axis is led by the Iranian regime, he explained.
"The Sunni axis is led by the Muslim Brotherhood, which permeates everything. They go to Europe, they go to the United States, they go to Africa, Nigeria."
Israel, Netanyahu insisted, is ready to help.
It's a promise that he made privately to President Donald J. Trump during their meetings at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, he said.
It's a promise he now wanted to make publicly to the Christian community.
“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.”
Yesterday on ALL ISRAEL NEWS, I laid out the three reasons that Netanyahu carved out time to meet with Evangelical Christian leaders amid a very heavy schedule of meetings in Florida with President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and other senior U.S. administration officials.
Netanyahu and his entourage landed back in Israel on Friday, a few hours before the Sabbath began, after nearly a week in Florida at and near Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s personal home and “Southern White House.”
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.
