Why Netanyahu Is Wrong About Jesus

In a recent speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that Jesus holds no advantage over Genghis Khan, reasoning that power alone is capable of defeating what he perceives as “evil.”

Netanyahu’s statement reflects a profound ignorance not only of history, but of morality itself. Palestinian Christian minister Isaac Munther rightly identified this in his response:

This quote by Netanyahu is offensive on multiple levels. It not only compares Jesus to Genghis Khan, but also suggests that the way of Jesus is naive, while a ruthless, “might makes right” approach—marked by relentless aggression—is what ultimately allows good to overcome evil.

Netanyahu, and his Christian Zionist supporters, are making a mockery of the ethics of Jesus. That is the true offense.

Many self-proclaimed Christians today assume that blasphemy against Christ is limited to what one professes about Him. If someone were to say, “I believe Jesus was merely a prophet and not God,” that would readily be labeled blasphemous. What is often overlooked, however, is the dimension of action. One may profess the “correct” beliefs about Christ and yet blaspheme Him through conduct that imitates the devil rather than God.

Pete Hegseth, the current Secretary of War, exemplifies this contradiction. He proclaims Christ, yet his rhetoric is saturated with calls to destroy and annihilate. “Destroy” seems to echo endlessly in his speech. Christ rebukes such thinking: “the Son of Man came not to destroy, but to save.”

Christ also refutes Netanyahu in a far deeper and more enduring way. Today, the world does not follow the ethics of Genghis Khan. Nations and governments no longer openly justify invasions on the basis of supposed divine entitlement. The teaching of Christ has stripped away the moral legitimacy once claimed by powers and principalities. It is no longer acceptable to assert a right grounded solely in might.

And yet, it is precisely this ancient logic that Netanyahu appears to revive—suggesting that force, dispossession, and annexation can resolve political realities. Even so, he must still frame his actions in the language of victimhood, appealing—ironically—to the very moral framework shaped by the teachings of Jesus.

Netanyahu must recognize that his unpopularity in America and across the world stems from this very contradiction: an appeal to the logic of Genghis Khan in a world morally formed by the influence of Christ. His supporters, especially those who profess Christianity, must come to terms with the core teaching embodied in the crucifixion—that evil is not overcome through domination, but through nonviolent self-sacrifice.

Read more essays by Surit Dasgupta here.