Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke glowingly about Christians on Sunday, proclaiming that they are, without a doubt, Israel’s best friends.
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“Israel has no better friends — I mean that, no better friends in the world — than the Christian communities around the world,” Netanyahu proclaimed at the Christian Media Summit in Jerusalem.
The politician also spoke about Israel’s commitment to religious liberty, juxtaposing the country with its neighbors in the region.
“Israel is the one country in a vast region where Christians not only survive, they thrive,” Netanyahu said, before hammering Iran as the “enemy of our free civilization.” “Iran is a threat to the entire world.”
He specifically spoke about the plight of Christians who are abused and killed by the Iranian regime.
“Christians are brutally persecuted in the Islamic Republic,” he said. “Christians have been lashed for sipping wine during prayer services. Christians have been brutally tortured for doing nothing more than practicing their faith.”
He also implored media outlets to cover the plight of Christians in Iran:
So today I have a simple request for the media outlets in this room: Dedicate this week to highlighting the plight of the countless Christians suffering under Iran; profile the brave Christian leaders jailed for practicing their faith; sit with the families of the school teachers jailed for years merely for converting to Christianity; call out the lie and the lies of President Rouhani, who promised in 2013 that all religions would, quote, feel justice in Iran, while so many Christians live there in constant terror.
Watch Netanyahu’s comments below:
Read more about Netanyahu’s appearance here.