Netanyahu’s Christmas message to Christians: I thank you for your prayers, we stand together, we will prevail
Israeli premier underscores importance of Christian support in a ‘battle of civilization against barbarism’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Israel’s Christian friends around the world a Merry Christmas on Sunday.
In a video message, Netanyahu thanked Christians for standing united with Israel in its war against Hamas.
“We shall win this war and secure our common values and our common future,” he vowed.
Netanyahu opened his message, saying: “Christmas is supposed to be a time of goodwill to all men and peace on Earth. Well, we don't have peace on Earth, not in our part anyway, and we certainly don't see goodwill to all men."
“We're facing monsters, monsters who murdered children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children, who raped and beheaded women, who burned babies alive, who took babies hostages," the prime minister continued.
“This is a battle, not only of Israel against these barbarians, it's a battle of civilization against barbarism. And I know in this that we have your support.”
Netanyahu thanked the Christian community for its prayers, adding: “I want to assure you, that as we stand together, we will also prevail. We shall win this war and secure our common values and our common future.”
Earlier in the week, the prime minister met with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg. They promised Netanyahu that Evangelicals will never abandon Israel even if the world does.
“This isn’t at its core a political commitment to Israel. It’s a theological commitment, and a deeply held one at that,” Rosenberg wrote after the meeting. “Few Israelis understand this better than Netanyahu.”
On Sunday, Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, sent a letter to Pope Francis urging him to take action to bring about the release of 129 Israeli hostages who are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip for nearly 80 days.
“Many of them are wounded and sick. They suffer from hunger, and some are denied the basic medicines they need to survive,” she wrote and asked the Pope to “call on the Red Cross to demand to visit all the hostages at once and deliver them medicine.”
She highlighted the story of 25-year-old Noa Argamani, who was kidnapped on Oct. 7 from the Nova music festival in the southern Israel Gaza border community of Kibbutz Re'im. Argamani's mother is battling stage 4 brain cancer.
“Your holiness, I ask for your personal intervention in this matter. Please use your influence to demand the unconditional release of all the hostages without delay,” asked the prime minister’s wife.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
