Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press convention in Jerusalem on March 19, 2026.
| Photograph Credit score: AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected accusations on Friday that he had supposed to offend Christians when he stated the day before today that Jesus had “no benefit” over Genghis Khan.
“Extra pretend information about my perspective in direction of Christians, who’re protected and flourish in Israel. Let me be clear: I didn’t denigrate Jesus Christ at my information convention,” Mr. Netanyahu wrote in English on X.
“On the contrary, I cited the good American historian Will Durant. A fervent admirer of Jesus Christ, Durant said that morality by itself just isn’t sufficient to make sure survival,” he added.
“A morally superior civilization should fall to a ruthless enemy if it doesn’t have the facility to defend itself. No offense was meant,” he wrote.
On Thursday (March 19, 2026) night, the Prime Minister had stated throughout a televised assembly with the overseas press that “historical past proves that, sadly and unhappily, Jesus Christ has no benefit over Genghis Khan as a result of if you’re robust sufficient, ruthless sufficient, highly effective sufficient, evil will overcome good.”
“Aggression will overcome moderation. So you don’t have any alternative,” he added, quoting Durant.
In that handle, Mr. Netanyahu defended the joint Israeli-U.S. strike on Iran launched on February 28 — which triggered a regional conflict — and insisted that it was the easiest way to guard not solely Israel however “the complete world” towards what he known as the specter of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
His remarks sparked a wave of criticism on social media, notably from Christians angered by the comparability between Jesus — whom they regard as God incarnate and the “Prince of Peace” — and Genghis Khan, founding father of the thirteenth century Mongol Empire whose armies ravaged Asia from China to the Mediterranean.
Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor from Bethlehem, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, stated on X that Mr. Netanyahu’s assertion was “offensive on a number of ranges”.
“It not solely compares Jesus to Genghis Khan,” he wrote, “but in addition means that the best way of Jesus is naive, whereas a ruthless, ‘may makes proper’ method… is what in the end permits good to beat evil.”
“Netanyahu, and his Christian Zionist supporters, are making a mockery of the ethics of Jesus,” he added.
Printed – March 21, 2026 04:10 am IST