Transcript [00:00] I think it's not just Israel's battle. I [00:02] think it's our common Judeo-Christian [00:05] civilizational battle. And I think we uh [00:08] we have to engage in that battle as [00:11] forcefully with as much resolution as we [00:14] engage the other seven fronts. I think [00:16] it affects not only Israel, it affects [00:19] America, it affects our alliance, it [00:22] affects the future of Western [00:23] civilization. And I don't think I'm [00:25] exaggerating one bit. During Prime [00:27] Minister Netanyahu's recent visit to the [00:29] United States, while he was in Florida, [00:31] he met with a large group of Christian [00:35] leaders, of evangelical Christian [00:37] leaders, and he had some amazing things [00:40] to say about Israel's relationship to [00:42] Christians. Let's take a look. [00:44] >> Representatives of the Christian [00:46] Zionists who made Jewish Zionism [00:49] possible. It's hard for me to conceive [00:52] the emergence of the Jewish state, the [00:54] reemergence of the Jewish state without [00:57] the support of Christian Zionists in the [01:00] United States, also in Britain, but the [01:04] main thrust was in the United States in [01:06] the 19th century. [01:08] >> Now, this is a pretty incredible thing [01:10] that Prime Minister Netanyahu just said [01:12] here. In fact, if you go back to the [01:15] beginning of the Zionist movement, there [01:17] were Christians who were pushing this [01:20] whole thing as early as the Jews were. [01:23] Back in the 19th century, there were a [01:25] lot of Christians who donated to help [01:27] the Jewish immigrants who were arriving [01:29] in the land of Israel in the 1800s. In [01:31] fact, there's a housing development in [01:33] the old city of Jerusalem called Bate [01:35] Mak. Everyone in Israel knows about this [01:38] place. They know that it's where a lot [01:39] of Jews lived in the late 19th century, [01:42] early 20th century in the old city [01:45] before the War of Independence where the [01:47] Arab armies threw the Jews out. And that [01:50] housing complex, a lot of people don't [01:51] know this, was built primarily with [01:54] donations from Christians from [01:56] Australia. And there was also a pastor [01:59] by the name of William Heckler who [02:01] helped Theodore Herzel, the founder of [02:04] the Zionist movement in the early days, [02:07] introducing him to Ka to Kaiser Wilhelm [02:10] and helping helping open all sorts of [02:12] doors for him in the European political [02:15] establishment. And William Heckler and a [02:18] group of other Christians who were [02:21] supportive of Israel were at the first [02:23] Zionist Congress when the Zionist [02:25] movement first started. They weren't [02:26] voting members, but they were there. [02:28] Bottom line is that Christians were in [02:30] fact involved in helping found the state [02:32] of Israel from the very beginning. Let's [02:35] go back to what else Prime Minister [02:37] Netanyahu had to say. [02:41] >> So, Christian Zionism facilitated the [02:45] rise and success of Jewish Zionism, and [02:48] it's been an enormous partnership since [02:50] then. Uh, I've known some of you, Mike, [02:53] how long have we known? since we were [02:54] teenagers. Something like that. A long [02:57] time. [02:57] >> 46 years. [02:58] >> 46 years. Since we were ah little more [03:01] than teenagers, [03:03] but I can say that uh [03:05] [cough and clears throat] [03:05] we have no better friends. And I mean [03:08] that sincerely. Uh you have stood by us [03:12] through thick and thin and now we're [03:14] challenged by [03:17] new challenges but equally with new [03:19] opportunities. Uh we've fought uh as you [03:23] know uh a sevenfront war uh and we've [03:27] come out in many ways victorious. [03:31] But there's an eighth front and that's [03:33] the front for the hearts and minds of uh [03:37] people especially young people in the [03:39] west and for me especially in the United [03:42] States and for me especially on the [03:45] conservative wing of the United States. [03:47] And I think it's not just Israel's [03:49] [clears throat] battle. I think it's our [03:52] common Judeo-Christian [03:54] civilizational battle. And I think we uh [03:58] we have to engage in that battle as [04:01] forcefully with as much resolution as we [04:03] engage the other seven fronts. I think [04:06] it affects not only Israel, it affects [04:08] America, it affects our alliance, it [04:11] affects the future of Western [04:12] civilization. [04:14] And I don't think I'm exaggerating one [04:15] bit. I have here my colleagues uh [04:18] Israel's ambassador to the United States [04:20] to the United Nations, our console [04:22] general in New York, our council general [04:26] in Miami, and every one of my [04:28] delegation. We feel that this is a [04:31] theater that has to be engaged with [04:32] great force. [04:34] >> Yeah. So, this is another incredible [04:36] statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu [04:38] just reframing what Israel's been [04:40] through as fighting for Western [04:43] civilization against this Islamic enemy. [04:45] You know, if you go back to the [04:47] beginning of the war, shortly after [04:48] October 7th, among the riots that the [04:52] left and the pro- kamas demonstrators [04:54] were doing in Western cities, shortly [04:58] after October 7th, where you had [05:00] Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving 2023, and [05:03] then right after Thanksgiving, there was [05:05] the uh the Christmas tree lighting at [05:08] Rockerfeller Plaza, big event that [05:10] happens in New York every year, a [05:11] Christmas tree lighting, and there were [05:13] pro- kamas demonstrators who were [05:16] disrupting the Christmas tree lighting [05:17] and screaming slogans like Christmas is [05:20] canled until Palestine is free. And they [05:22] also did the same thing, disrupting the [05:24] Christmas shopping season in London and [05:27] other places in Europe. They interrupted [05:29] the Christmas performance at the Lascala [05:32] Opera in Rome because of their support [05:35] of Hamas and their hatred of Israel. And [05:37] in on Easter Sunday in 2024, the first [05:40] Easter after the war broke out in [05:43] Israel, the mass at St. Patrick's [05:46] Cathedral in New York was interrupted by [05:49] pro- kamas demonstrators who were [05:52] screaming anti-Israel, pro- kamas [05:54] slogans. Now, think about this for a [05:55] second. Israel is a Jewish state. We [05:59] have a Christian minority in Israel, but [06:01] it's a Jewish state. Why would the [06:03] enemies of the state of Israel, the [06:05] supporters of kamas be attacking [06:08] Christmas and Christians in the name of [06:10] their hatred of the Jewish state? But it [06:12] all is connected. You see, we have to [06:14] listen to our enemies. It's all [06:15] connected because the hatred of Israel [06:18] by the Muslims, by the left, and their [06:20] hatred of biblical faith, whether it's [06:23] Christian or Jewish, is really the same. [06:25] And this threat to Western civilization [06:27] that you get from Muslims is a threat to [06:30] Jews and Christians together. And Prime [06:32] Minister Netanyahu is refraraming what's [06:35] going on in Israel and explaining to [06:37] everybody that's that that's what this [06:39] war is really about. But then he really [06:42] dropped a bombshell. Have a look. [06:44] >> Who's to engage in us in this? It's us. [06:48] It's you and us. And we have to you know [06:52] we have to be uh uh I think we have to [06:55] be st we have to stand up and be [06:57] counted. They have to hear our voice. Uh [07:00] there are some people who believe that [07:02] uh I don't know that uh faith should be [07:05] silent and terrorism should be [07:06] understood. No [07:09] faith should speak its voice and [07:12] terrorism should be confronted not [07:14] understood [clears throat] confronted [07:15] and defeated. And that is what we're [07:17] engaged in right now. Uh so I want you [07:20] to know that I spoke with President [07:22] Trump yesterday. I said this publicly [07:23] too. I see the battle against us and the [07:27] battle against our Judeo-Christian [07:30] tradition [07:32] uh basically being waged around the [07:34] globe. And it's waged primarily by two [07:37] forces radical Shiite Islam and radical [07:42] Sunni Islam. That means the axis that is [07:45] led by Iran much battered admittedly but [07:48] still there and the axis the Sunni axis [07:52] uh led by the Muslim Brotherhood which [07:55] permeates everything. They go to Europe, [07:57] they go to uh the United States, they go [08:00] to Africa, Nigeria. And we are conscious [08:04] of the fact that Christians are being [08:05] persecuted across the Middle East in [08:08] Syria, in Lebanon, in Nigeria, in Turkey [08:11] and beyond. And we're also aware of the [08:14] fact as you are that one country [08:16] protects the Christian community, [08:18] enables it to grow, defends it, and make [08:22] sure that it thrives. And that country [08:24] is Israel. There is no other. None. We [08:28] are joining an effort to have basically [08:32] a a United Nations of countries that [08:34] support Christian communities around the [08:36] world, belleaguered communities who [08:38] deserve our help. Just as you are [08:40] helping us, we want to help back and [08:43] we're capable of doing that in Africa [08:46] with intel, in the Middle East, with um [08:49] with a lot of means that I won't itemize [08:51] each one, but uh this is what our agenda [08:55] is. It's a main part of our agenda and [08:58] it's going to continue with greater [08:59] force and greater might in this coming [09:02] year. I want to use this opportunity to [09:04] wish you all [09:05] >> Wow. So there you have it. Prime [09:08] Minister Netanyahu called out the fact [09:10] that Christians are being persecuted all [09:12] across the Middle East. Sadly, not [09:14] enough Christians speak out about this, [09:17] but uh it's been well documented if you [09:19] follow the news from what's happening in [09:21] Nigeria. October 7th like attacks with [09:24] burning of churches, massacring of [09:26] families, burning down homes, killing [09:29] Christians in Nigeria happens on a daily [09:33] or weekly basis. It was also really [09:35] significant that Prime Minister [09:36] Netanyahu singled out Turkey as one of [09:38] the places that's persecuting Christians [09:40] because the Western world treats Turkey [09:43] as though it's a moderate Western [09:44] nation, but in fact, they're very much [09:47] involved in the persecution of [09:48] Christians, not only in Turkey, but also [09:51] in other parts of the Middle East. For [09:52] example, the Turks train and arm the [09:57] military of Somalia. Somalia is [10:01] according to Open Doors International, a [10:03] Christian watchdog group that monitors [10:05] persecution of Christians all over the [10:07] world. Somalia is the second worst place [10:10] in the world after North Korea to be a [10:12] Christian. Christians are who are found [10:14] to be Christian in Somalia get killed. [10:18] The churches are illegal and get burned. [10:20] And this is all with the support of the [10:23] Turkish government. And that's why, you [10:25] know, it's so significant that Prime [10:27] Minister Netanyahu recently recognized [10:29] the independence of Somali land, which [10:31] is a breakaway from Somalia, and it [10:34] actually is moderate. And this whole [10:36] pledge by Prime Minister Netanyahu to [10:39] support persecuted Christians in the [10:41] Middle East is huge. I really hope that [10:43] he follows through on it. But it is true [10:45] what he said. The Christian minority in [10:47] Israel is the only Christian community [10:49] in the Middle East that lives totally [10:51] freely. Their churches are protected. [10:53] their communities are protected. So, you [10:56] know, this is really important uh and [10:58] it's a really important initiative and [10:59] it's another sign that Israel is [11:01] starting to flex its muscles and say, [11:02] "Look, we can't just defend our borders. [11:05] We have to lead the way in fighting this [11:08] civilizational battle against the forces [11:10] that seek to destroy all biblically [11:13] based civilization. That's Jews and [11:15] Christians together. It's also so [11:16] important at this time when you have uh [11:19] anti-Jewish forces and anti-Israel [11:22] forces in politics and this is you see [11:25] this a lot in the right now in America [11:27] with people like Tucker Carlson who are [11:29] trying to drive a wedge between Jews and [11:32] Christians trying to say that Christians [11:34] shouldn't be supportive of Israel and [11:36] Prime Minister Netanyahu really pushed [11:38] back on this and this is this is such an [11:41] important initiative and I could only [11:43] pray that Israel does take a lead here [11:46] and does step in to protect the [11:48] persecuted Christians in the Middle East [11:50] because without protecting them if Islam [11:53] can destroy Christianity in the [11:55] countries in the Middle East where it [11:57] has the upper hand as it has done in [11:59] other parts of the Middle East you have [12:00] to remember much of this much of the [12:01] Middle East was Christian before the [12:03] Islamic invasion [12:05] if they succeed in doing that then [12:07] Christian civilization worldwide is [12:09] going to be lost we all see what's [12:11] happening in Europe anyway that's Prime [12:13] Minister Netanyahu's speech very [12:15] important and uh we'll be bringing [12:16] updates on this topic in the future.
