Netanyahu warns of ‘eighth front’ ideological battle for American hearts and minds with Christian leaders

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu utilized a gathering with Evangelical Christian leaders successful Florida contiguous to underscore Israel’s reliance connected faith-based allies successful the United States, arsenic divisions wrong the U.S. implicit Israel’s warfare and U.S. enactment proceed to surface.

The gathering came days aft Netanyahu held talks connected Monday with President Donald Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago, amid increasing statement wrong blimpish circles implicit the scope of American backing for Israel and the absorption of U.S. overseas argumentation successful the Middle East.

Speaking to the leaders, Netanyahu said Israel has emerged "in galore ways victorious" from what helium described arsenic a "seven-front war," but warned that an further beforehand present looms successful the West.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with leaders of the Evangelical Christian assemblage successful Florida, accompanied by members of the Israeli delegation. (Amos Ben Gershom / GPO)

"There’s an eighth front," helium said, describing a conflict "for the hearts and minds of people, particularly young radical successful the West, and for maine particularly successful the United States." He framed that effort not lone arsenic Israel’s fight, but arsenic a broader one. "It’s our communal Judeo-Christian civilization’s battle," helium said.

The premier curate argued that this ideological beforehand requires the aforesaid resoluteness arsenic subject action. "There are immoderate radical who judge that religion should beryllium soundless and coercion should beryllium understood," Netanyahu said. "Faith should talk its dependable and coercion should beryllium confronted, not understood, confronted and defeated."

Pro-Palestinian Muslim protesters clasp a banner saying "From the stream to the sea.." and chant astatine a objection calling for an extremity to Israeli attacks connected Gaza. London, UK, Dec. 9, 2023. ( Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Netanyahu repeatedly emphasized the humanities and ideological enslaved betwixt Christian Zionists and Israel. "You are representatives of the Christian Zionists who made Jewish Zionism possible," Netanyahu said, crediting U.S. Christian enactment arsenic cardinal to the reestablishment of the Jewish state. "I tin accidental that we person nary amended friends."

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President Donald Trump listens arsenic Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an accomplishment astatine Trump’s Mar-a-Lago nine successful Palm Beach, Florida, connected Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Netanyahu told the radical helium had spoken with Trump the time earlier and described what helium sees arsenic planetary threats facing Israel and its allies. He pointed to "two forces," identifying "radical Shiite Islam," led by Iran, and "radical Sunni Islam," which helium said is led by the Muslim Brotherhood.

He besides highlighted persecution of Christians successful aggregate regions, saying Christians are being targeted "in Syria, successful Lebanon, successful Nigeria, successful Turkey, and beyond," portion arguing that Israel plays a unsocial protective role. "One state protects the Christian community, enables it to grow, defends it, and makes definite that it thrives," Netanyahu said. "That state is Israel. There is nary other. None."

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People clasp an Israeli and US emblem successful beforehand of a ample radical of anti-Israel protesters march extracurricular The Grove buying halfway connected Black Friday, carrying a elephantine banner speechmaking "Shut it Down for Palestine" successful Los Angeles, Nov. 24, 2023. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu said Israel is moving toward broader practice to assistance Christian communities nether menace worldwide. "We are joining an effort to person fundamentally a United Nations of countries that enactment Christian communities astir the world," helium said, adding, "Just arsenic you are helping us, we privation to assistance back."

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, who attended the meeting, aboriginal wrote connected X that Evangelical leaders’ committedness to Israel was "inspiring" and said shared values would "fortify the enslaved betwixt some our nations."