Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told American Evangelical leaders that Jews and Christians face a shared and coordinated threat.

Speaking at a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, Netanyahu said attacks on Jewish and Christian communities were connected.

"It's not accidental that the two are coming under a joint attack, because we are one," he told the group, linking rising antisemitism in the West with growing hostility toward Bible-believing Christians.

The 79-year-old described Jews as "descendants from the original Hebrews of the Holy Land" and "the first part" of a Judeo-Christian heritage that he said had shaped Western civilisation's commitment to freedom and faith.

Thanking the Evangelical leaders for the "constancy" of their friendship, Netanyahu urged them to do more than express support.

"Stand up and don't cower," he said, adding: "now it's time to fight."

The meeting took place during a wider visit to Washington, where Netanyahu also held talks on the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran, now in its sixth month after military strikes began in February 2026.

Netanyahu has previously framed attacks on Jews and Christians as a shared challenge. During a meeting with Evangelical leaders in February 2025, he described Israel's military campaign as a "seven-front war" before identifying an "eighth front" as the battle for "the hearts and minds of people, especially young people in the West". He described it as "our common Judeo-Christian civilization's battle", according to Fox News.

Evangelical Christians remain among Israel's strongest international supporters, even as criticism of Israel's war in Gaza has intensified and Netanyahu faces growing political pressure ahead of upcoming Israeli elections.