A Mar. 20, 2026 remark by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stirred some online controversy. Citing famed historian Will Durant, Netanyahu stated, “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.” The prime minister’s point is so obvious that only malicious people could “misunderstand” it: Genghis Khan was obviously evil, but his Mongol Empire triumphed because he was ruthless and powerful.
Writing on the same day under the clickbaity headline, “What Netanyahu Said About Jesus Christ and Genghis Khan,” Newsweek reporter Jordan King wrote, “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.” He added, “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.”
Far from suggesting there is a moral equivalence between Jesus and Genghis Khan, Durant and Netanyahu’s point is that the morally righteous, such as followers of Jesus’ teachings, must be prepared to protect what is right. Reasonable actors should understand that Netanyahu’s remark reflects a realist’s perspective of history and global affairs, pointing out that moral righteousness alone cannot hold back the onslaught of powerful enemies wishing to do harm.
But instead of finding reasonable actors to treat the topic with a level of seriousness, Newsweek’s King went to social media, famously an arena of serious conversations and measured opinions.
The first one cited is The Patriot Voice, an anonymous right-wing account. King quoted it, saying, “Netanyahu has come out of hiding to mock Jesus Christ in the most blasphemous way imaginable.”
This is an account obsessed with Jews, using the Jeffrey Epstein saga to smear Jews. This is an example of his posts:
The second cited account, Sovereign Brah, also has a history of promoting Jew-hatred. In one post, he posted a video of an Israeli tech executive calling for limits on freedom of speech to collectively accuse Jews—all 15.7 million of them who famously agree on everything—of wanting to overthrow the First Amendment.
On his podcast, Sovereign Brah had Arlin Moore, a Jewish convert to Christianity as a guest. Moore used Jewish communal culture to suggest that there is a conspiratorial “Jewish network.”
Last, and perhaps most egregiously, King cited Owen Shroyer, who accused Netanyahu of “Insults [against] Christians & Jesus Christ.” Shroyer hosted a show on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s InfoWars for nine years. In 2023, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Netanyahu’s point, which emphasizes Jesus’ moral superiority over Genghis Khan, does not sound controversial to normal people, which is why King had to seek the crazy ones to stir the pot.
The U.S. relationship with Israel is a serious topic which deserves serious coverage and serious conversation. It got neither from King’s report. The only people served by it are the bigots King elevates.