Netanyahu Tells Evangelical Leaders: Jews and Christians Are ‘One’ Under Attack

Israeli leader points to shared biblical heritage and urges Christians to stand firmly against growing hostility

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Evangelical leaders Wednesday that Jews and Christians share far more than common political interests, declaring that both communities belong to the same biblical heritage and now face a common assault.

Speaking during his visit to Washington, Netanyahu described the Jewish people as descendants of the ancient Hebrews of the Holy Land and “the first part” of the Judeo-Christian heritage that helped shape Western faith, freedom and civilization.

Christianity, though it later spread throughout the Roman Empire and the Western world, was born in Israel. Yeshua (Jesus) and His earliest disciples were Jewish; the apostles preached from the Hebrew Scriptures, and the Christian faith emerged within the covenantal history of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Netanyahu connected the rise of antisemitism with increasing hostility toward Bible-believing Christians, arguing that the two movements are not unrelated.

“It’s not accidental that the two are coming under a joint attack, because we are one,” Netanyahu said.

He urged Christians to answer intimidation with courage rather than retreat.

“Stand up and don’t cower,” Netanyahu said. “When you’re faced with an attack, what do you do? Attack back.”

The prime minister thanked Evangelicals for their consistent friendship toward Israel but warned that the present moment requires more than quiet sympathy.

“Now it’s time to fight, fight, fight,” he said, according to remarks released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

A Long Relationship With Christians

Netanyahu’s relationship with Evangelical Christians stretches back across his decades in public life. Since his first term as prime minister began in 1996, he has consistently treated Christian supporters of Israel as an important moral and strategic constituency.

He has addressed major Christian gatherings, including Christians United for Israel, met repeatedly with pastors and ministry leaders, and frequently described Evangelical Christians as among Israel’s closest and most dependable friends. During a 2017 address to Christian leaders in Washington, Netanyahu called Evangelicals Israel’s “best friends in the world.”

The relationship deepened following the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, as Christian organizations raised money, sent emergency assistance and publicly defended Israel’s right to confront terrorism. During a 2025 visit to Washington, Netanyahu made meeting Evangelical leaders one of his first priorities, underscoring their continuing importance to Israel’s leadership.

He again met Christian leaders in Florida in December 2025, pledging that Israel would speak out for persecuted Christian communities threatened by radical Islam.

For Christians who stand with Israel, Netanyahu’s latest message was both an affirmation and a call to action. The Jewish people and the followers of Israel’s Messiah are not detached from one another’s history. Christianity is rooted in Israel’s Scriptures, Israel’s prophets and Israel’s promised Messiah.

The Jewish state is not standing alone—and Christians who defend Israel are not outsiders to its biblical story. They are standing beside the people through whom the Scriptures, the covenants and the Messiah came to the world.

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