By Ayomide Otitoju
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an immediate end to attacks on Christians in Nigeria and across the globe, in a video message posted on his official X account as part of his Christmas greetings.
“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,” Netanyahu said.
He highlighted alleged persecution of Christians in Middle Eastern countries including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey, while stressing that Israel remains a safe haven where Christians can freely practice their faith. “Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians can celebrate proudly their traditions and openly do so without any fear,” he said, noting that Jerusalem has distributed Christmas trees annually for two decades, in contrast to recent incidents in Jenin where a Christmas tree at the Holy Redeemer Church was burned.
Netanyahu’s remarks echo similar claims by US President Donald Trump, who re-designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged attacks on Christians and warned of possible military intervention.
However, Nigeria has rejected allegations of targeted persecution, insisting that its citizens’ right to practice religion is respected and that victims of violence come from all faiths. International bodies including the European Union (EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have framed the violence in Nigeria as a broader security challenge rather than a religious conflict.
