Netanyahu promised protection for Christians persecuted around the world

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced his intention to join efforts by the United States and other countries to defend persecuted Christians around the world. The announcement came amid Israeli attempts to shore up support among American evangelicals, whose traditional favorability toward the state has become an increasingly polarizing topic, and amid growing criticism of Israel’s own treatment of Christian communities.

Speaking to evangelical leaders in Florida, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel is actively working with the United States and other nations, according to the Christian Portal. “We join in an effort to create, in effect, a coalition of nations that support Christian communities around the world, communities under siege that deserve our help. Just as you help us, we want to help in return, ” the prime minister said. He also noted that Israel is able to provide such assistance through intelligence in Africa and “many means” in the Middle East, promising that the initiative will continue “with greater strength and power in the coming year.”

Historically, American evangelicals have shown strong support for Israel based on dispensationalism – the belief in the centrality of Israel and the Jewish people in divine plans. In recent months, however, support for Israel has become a hotly debated issue, especially on the right wing of American politics. Some conservative Christians, including Episcopalian Tucker Carlson, have questioned the appropriateness of the U.S. government serving the interests of a foreign country at the expense of its own.

Netanyahu’s statements appear to echo recent U.S. airstrikes against Islamist groups in Nigeria, a country where, despite a sizable Christian population, more Christians are killed each year for their faith than in the rest of the world combined.

At the same time, in recent months there has been growing concern about the persecution of Christians within Israel itself. Israeli authorities have been criticized for excessive restrictions on Christians visiting holy sites, especially during the Easter holidays, and for failing to prevent violent attacks by Israeli settlers on Christian communities in the West Bank.