Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a strong call for an immediate halt to attacks on Christians in Nigeria, urging global leaders to confront what he described as unacceptable religious persecution.
Netanyahu made the remarks in a Christmas message shared on his official X handle, where he addressed Christians around the world and condemned violence carried out in the name of religion.
“The persecution of Christians or members of any religion cannot and must not be tolerated, and Muslim militant displacement and attacks against Christians in Nigeria, that too must end, and it must end now,” the Israeli leader said.
While focusing on Nigeria, Netanyahu placed the issue within a broader global context, citing countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey, where Christians, he claimed, continue to face persecution.
Echoing the stance of his ally, United States President Donald Trump, Netanyahu said Israel would always stand with Christians worldwide, stressing that religious freedom remains a core value of the Israeli state.
“Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians can practice their faith with full rights and in total freedom, where Christian pilgrims are embraced with open arms and are so deeply appreciated,” he said.
He added that Christians in Israel are able to celebrate their faith openly and without fear. “Where Christians can celebrate proudly their traditions and openly do so without any fear. In Jerusalem, the city municipality every year officially distributes Christmas trees. It’s been doing so for two decades.”
Drawing a sharp contrast, Netanyahu referenced a recent incident in the Palestinian town of Jenin. “By contrast, a few days ago in the Palestinian town of Jenin, Palestinians burned a Christmas tree in the Holy Redeemer Church. That’s the difference,” he said.
Netanyahu’s comments align Israel with the United States in asserting claims of “Christian persecution” in Nigeria. In recent months, President Trump re-designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing allegations of a Christian genocide.
Trump has also threatened possible military action should the Nigerian government, which he accused of being complicit, fail to act decisively.
However, Nigerian authorities have firmly rejected these claims. The federal government insists that Nigeria upholds freedom of religion and argues that victims of violence span across religious and ethnic lines, rather than being targeted solely on the basis of faith.
International organisations such as the European Union (EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have similarly condemned the violence in Nigeria but framed it as a complex security crisis, not a campaign of targeted religious persecution.
As global attention intensifies, Netanyahu’s intervention has once again thrust Nigeria’s security challenges into the international spotlight, reigniting debate over the nature, causes and solutions to the country’s persistent violence.
