PM to Christian journalists: World leaders must stop Iran ‘devouring’ Mideast

At the opening event of the Government Press Office’s first convention for Christian journalists in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu calls President Trump’s Friday speech on Iran “courageous” and stresses that Israel is concerned with Iran’s dual threat.

“There’s the nuclear threat of a deal that will lead to a nuclear Iran, and also an aggressive Iran that is spreading terror throughout this region,” Netanyahu tells the group of 100 members of the Christian media at the Israel Museum.

“They’re devouring the nations one after another,” Netanyahu tells the Israel-friendly journalists, some of whom peppered his speech with “Yep!” “Come on now!” and “That’s right,” in the style of a Southern Baptist revival meeting.

“They’re in Yemen, they’re in Iraq where they are squeezing the Kurds, and they’re in Syria where they are colonizing Syria to turn it into military base for a war against Israel,” says Netanyahu.

He urges the Christian journalists to focus on Iran’s treatment of minority Christians.

“[Trump] could have kicked the can forward, he could have said, ‘It’s not going to happen on my watch so why should I deal with it?’” Netanyahu tells the largely Trump-supporting, right-wing audience. “But he said no. It’s the duty of leaders and perhaps most difficult duty of leaders to ward off danger before it becomes apparent.”

— Melanie Lidman