Israel’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has revealed the plans of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect Christians in Nigeria amid claims of religious genocide.
Netanyahu spoke about the intervention during a meeting with evangelical community leaders in Florida last week.
He named Nigeria among countries where Christians are persecuted and described Israel as the only nation in the world capable of protecting Christians.
Netanyahu’s announcement drew reactions from Nigerians, many of whom were still grappling with the shock of surprise air strikes in the country by the United States on Christmas Day.
Speaking during an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television on Monday, Freeman said Netanyahu’s plan is to use intelligence sharing to help protect Christians in Nigeria.
He said Israel would be guided by the Nigerian government on where it can work and partner to help tackle insecurity across the country.
Freeman added that any communication behind the scenes would remain confidential, noting that Netanyahu has made his position clear and that Israel would do whatever it can in those areas.
He explained that matters relating to intelligence and information could not be discussed publicly, as doing so would undermine the purpose of such engagements.
Freeman clarified that Netanyahu was speaking about Christians across the world, not only those in Nigeria.
He also noted that Netanyahu highlighted Israel as the only country in the Middle East where the Christian population is growing, which he said was the point the prime minister was making.
