Israel Joins Global Coalition to Fight Islamist Extremism and Christian Persecution in Nigeria

By Ademola Adekusibe
January 2, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israel is joining an emerging international coalition aimed at combating terrorism and addressing the persecution of Christians, particularly in Nigeria.

Netanyahu made the disclosure while speaking to Evangelical Christian leaders on Wednesday in Palm Beach, Florida. He said Israel is preparing to provide support to vulnerable Christian communities across different regions of the world.

“Plans are underway for Israel to support Christian communities around the world, beleaguered communities who deserve our help,” Netanyahu said. “In Africa, with intelligence; in the Middle East, with a lot of means that I won’t itemize each one.”

While the Israeli leader did not provide details on the structure or membership of the new alliance, he emphasized that the initiative forms a central part of Israel’s global security agenda.

“This is a main part of our agenda, and it’s going to continue with greater force and greater might in this coming year,” he stated.

Netanyahu is currently in the United States for high-level engagements with President Donald Trump and other senior officials. Discussions during the visit include the conflicts in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as escalating tensions involving Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

During his remarks, Netanyahu accused Turkey of being among countries where Christians face persecution. “We are conscious of the fact that Christians are being persecuted across the Middle East, in Syria, in Lebanon, in Nigeria, in Turkey and beyond,” he said.

Turkey, which is home to an estimated 100,000 Christians, has faced repeated criticism from members of its Christian minority, who say they continue to experience discrimination and exclusion under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration.

Addressing domestic issues in the United States, Netanyahu described growing antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment, particularly among young people, as what he termed the “eighth front” of Israel’s global struggle.

“That’s the front for the hearts and minds of people, especially young people in the West, and for me, especially in the United States, particularly among young conservatives,” he said. “This is a theater that has to be engaged with great force.”

Later in the day, Netanyahu spoke at the Shul of Bal Harbour in Florida, where he addressed the parents of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage confirmed slain in Gaza. “We shall return him. He will be back,” he told them.

He also praised President Trump’s support for Israel, describing it as unwavering. “President Trump has been unflinching; he never wavered,” Netanyahu said.

“When the president of the United States and the prime minister of Israel have no daylight between them, wondrous things can happen,” he added, referencing his recent meeting with Trump, which Israeli officials reportedly described as one of the most consequential engagements between both leaders.

Netanyahu concluded by reaffirming Israel’s commitment to confronting antisemitism and misinformation globally, saying the battle for truth would be pursued with the same intensity as Israel’s physical wars.