Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced backlash for quoting historian Will Durant to say, "Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan."
During an English-language press conference in Jerusalem on Thursday, Netanyahu defended America and Israel's military operation in the Middle East, arguing in favor of the West asserting strength.
"History proves that, unfortunately and unhappily, Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan," he said. "Because if you are strong enough, ruthless enough, powerful enough, evil will overcome good. Aggression will overcome moderation."
The comments sparked outrage online, with some calling them "blasphemous," prompting Netanyahu to clarify his meaning in a post on X, saying "no offense was meant." He said in another post that it was "fake news about my attitude towards Christians, who are protected and flourish in Israel."
"Let me be clear: I did not denigrate Jesus Christ at my news conference this evening," he said.
Netanyahu's comments arrive amid heightened tensions about America's relationship with Israel amid the countries' coordinated attacks on Iran, making his invocation of Jesus especially sensitive for Christian audiences and global allies.
During the press conference, Netanyahu said, "You know, if people want to be naive, then they don't see the kind of world we're living in. In this world, it's not enough to be moral. It's not enough to be just. It's not enough to be right."
"You know, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, someone that I admire a lot, was the historian Will Durant," Netanyahu continued. "Now, he wrote many volumes -- I read most of them -- he also wrote The Lessons of History, a very brief, 100-page book, in which he said, well, history proves that, unfortunately and unhappily, Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan."
"Because if you are strong enough, ruthless enough, powerful enough, evil will overcome good," Netanyahu said. "Aggression will overcome moderation."
The comments came amid an already-widening rift between conservatives about America's relationship with Israel, often between Christian Zionists, who believe the support of Israel is Biblically mandated, and Christians who disagree with this interpretation.
Outside of religion, the debate is also ongoing between isolationist conservatives, who argue that the United States' relationship with Israel is not in line with the "America First" campaign that U.S. President Donald Trump campaigned on, and those who say that it is "America First" to nurture having such an ally in the Middle East, where the administration argues there are ongoing threats to America.
Conservative account The Patriot Voice said on X: Netanyahu has come out of hiding to mock Jesus Christ in the most blasphemous way imaginable..."HOW can 'Christian Zionists' continue to reconcile and support a man and country that LITERALLY HATES & MOCKS our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ?
"It is diametrically OPPOSED to what our Bible teaches. Jesus ALWAYS defeats evil. This is their TRUE Antichrist ideology and worldview on FULL DISPLAY."
SOVEREIGN BRAH (@sovereignbrah) said on X: "He's denying the divinity of Christ while simultaneously demanding everyone double down on his war with Iran. The arrogance of this man."
Conservative commentator Owen Shroyer said on X: "In this short clip Netanyahu: Insults Christians & Jesus Christ, Asserts there's no purpose in being a good person, Says we have no choice but to fight Israel's wars, Subtly threatens us if we don't."
Netanyahu responded to the criticism, calling it "fake news about my attitude toward Christians, who are protected and flourish in Israel."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X: "Let me be clear: I did not denigrate Jesus Christ at my news conference this evening. To the contrary, I cited the great American historian Will Durant. A fervent admirer of Jesus Christ, Durant stated that morality by itself is not enough to ensure survival. A morally superior civilization may still fall to a ruthless enemy if it does not have the power to defend itself. No offense was meant."