Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that attacks on Christians in Nigeria must come to an end.
Netanyahu made the remark in his Christmas message to Christians worldwide late on Wednesday night.
Judaism, Israel’s predominant religion, and Christianity are closely connected Abrahamic faiths with shared roots in ancient Israel. While Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah, Jews continue to await his coming. Christmas marks the celebration of Jesus’ birth in the Christian faith.
While extending Christmas greetings to Christians, Netanyahu condemned the persecution of the faith globally, pointing to countries in the Middle East such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.
He also mentioned Nigeria outside the region. Like his close ally, US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu attributed the attacks to Islamist groups.
“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 prime minister said.
With this position, Israel became the only country to publicly align with the United States on claims of “Christian persecution” in Nigeria.
In contrast, international organisations including the European Union (EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have condemned violence in Nigeria while describing the situation as a wider security crisis rather than a targeted religious campaign.
However, Trump re-designated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ over allegations of a Christian genocide.
The US president also threatened military action if the Nigerian government—whom he accused of complicity—failed to respond decisively.
In closing his Christmas message, Netanyahu stated that Israel would always stand with Christians across the globe.
In 2023, following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Christmas Day in Bethlehem coincided with an attack on the Jenin refugee camp, where at least 52 Palestinians were reportedly killed during Israel’s retaliatory strikes.