Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with evangelical Christian leaders in Florida today to underscore Israel’s reliance on faith-based allies in the United States, as divisions inside the US continue to surface over the war and US support for Israel.
The meeting came days after Netanyahu spoke with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, discussing the scope of US support for Israel in conservative circles and amid a growing debate over the direction of US foreign policy in the Middle East.
Speaking to leaders, Netanyahu said Israel had emerged “victorious in many ways” from the “seven-front war”, but warned that an additional front was now looming in the West.
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“The Eighth Front is,” he said, describing the struggle, “for the hearts and minds of people, especially young people in the West, and for me especially in the United States.” He presented that effort not just as Israel’s fight, but as a broader fight. “This is a fight for our common Judeo-Christian civilization,” he said.
The Prime Minister argued that this ideological front required the same resolve as military action. “There are some people who believe that faith should remain silent and understand terrorism,” Netanyahu said. “Faith must speak its voice and terrorism must be confronted, not understood, confronted and defeated.”
Pro-Palestinian Muslim protesters hold a banner reading “From the river to the sea..” and chant slogans in a demonstration calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza. London, UK, December 9, 2023. (Andy Solomon/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Netanyahu repeatedly stressed the historical and ideological bond between Christian Zionists and Israel. Netanyahu considered American Christian support central to the reestablishment of the Jewish state, saying, “You are representatives of the Christian Zionists who made Jewish Zionism possible.” “I can say that we have no better friend than him.”
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President Donald Trump listens to a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his arrival at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Netanyahu told the group that he had spoken to Trump the day before and told them he saw the global threats facing Israel and its allies. He pointed to “two forces”, identifying “radical Shia Islam” led by Iran and “radical Sunni Islam”, which he said is led by the Muslim Brotherhood.
He also highlighted the persecution of Christians in many regions, saying that Christians are being targeted in “Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria, Turkey and beyond”, while he argued that Israel plays a unique protective role. “A state protects the Christian community, enables it to grow, protects it and ensures that it flourishes,” Netanyahu said. “That country is Israel. There is no other. No one.”
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People holding Israeli and US flags stand in front of a large group of anti-Israel protesters outside The Grove shopping center on Black Friday in Los Angeles on November 24, 2023, holding a huge banner that reads “Shut it down for Palestine”. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
Netanyahu said Israel is working toward broader cooperation to assist Christian communities under threat around the world. “We’re basically joining forces in an effort to create a United Nations of countries that support Christian communities around the world,” he said. He further added, “As you are helping us, we also want to help you.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, who attended the meeting, later wrote on X that the evangelical leaders’ commitment to Israel was “inspiring” and said that shared values ”will strengthen the bond between our two countries.”
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