Photos of Israeli soldiers destroying statues of Jesus Christ in Lebanon have sparked outrage in the United States, adding to the anger faced by Israel, including at some of US President Donald Trump’s bases.
The incident, just one of a wide range of atrocities Israel has been accused of committing in the region in recent years, drew condemnation around the world and prompted a response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In the United States, where support for Israel was once unwavering, the desecration of Christian religious symbols has added to the criticism the Israeli government faces from some Republicans, especially in right-wing circles that claim to espouse Christian values.
“You’d never know it if you read American corporate media, but these types of incidents are not uncommon,” said Tucker Carlson, a former Trump ally and right-wing commentator.
“The Israeli government has allowed its soldiers to behave like barbarians for decades while siphoning generous funding from the United States. The only difference between now and the past is that social media has exposed Israel’s actions to the world,” Carlson wrote in a newsletter Monday.
‘terrible’
Former Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had a falling out with President Trump over his hawkish foreign policy, emphasized that Israel receives billions of dollars in military aid from the United States every year.
In response to a photo of an Israeli soldier holding a sledgehammer to the head of a statue of Jesus, she wrote in a comment to
“It’s horrifying,” said Matt Gaetz, another former Republican lawmaker and Trump ally.
Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald ridiculed how Christian Zionists defend Israel over the destruction of statues.
“Christian Zionists: With Hezbollah and Hamas hiding inside, this Israeli soldier was completely justified in smashing the head of a statue of Jesus Christ. We owe him a debt of gratitude,” Greenwald wrote to X.
The outrage echoed growing skepticism in President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) constituency about a close alliance with Israel.
President Trump is already under pressure over joining Israel in starting a war against Iran that has sent oil prices soaring. Earlier on Monday, the US president addressed and denied claims that Netanyahu had dragged the US into the conflict.
Recent polls show that support for Israel in the United States is at a historically low level.
Israel still enjoys near-unanimous Republican support in Congress, but the prolonged war in the Middle East and attacks on Christians have led to opposition from Carlson and others, and that consensus is beginning to waver.
Israel says it will investigate
The desecration of the statue, which occurred near the town of Debru in southern Lebanon, prompted an unusually swift response from the highest levels of the Israeli government, according to local reports.
“I condemn this act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into this matter and will take appropriate harsh disciplinary action against the violators,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday.
Israel rarely holds its soldiers accountable for well-documented abuses, including sexual violence in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Lebanon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been avoiding an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza since 2024, has argued that Israel treats Christians more favorably than any other country in the region.
“While Christians are being slaughtered by Muslims in Syria and Lebanon, Christians in Israel are thriving, unlike in other parts of the Middle East,” the Israeli prime minister claimed.
“Israel is the only country in the region with a growing Christian population and standard of living.”
Lebanon has the highest per capita Christian population in the Middle East, and its president is a Maronite Catholic.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar joined Netanyahu in condemning the desecration of the statue, saying it was “totally contrary” to Israeli values.
But while Israeli supporters sought to portray the destruction of the statue as an isolated mistake by one soldier, the incident reflects a pattern of Israeli attacks on places of worship, including churches.
In 2024, Israeli forces filmed a mock wedding of two soldiers at a church in Deir Mimas, Lebanon, and destroyed the building.
Last year, Israeli tanks destroyed a statue of St. George in the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon.
Israel has bombed Palestinian churches in the Gaza Strip several times since the enclave’s genocidal war began, including one attack in 2023 that killed at least 18 people.
Israel destroyed more than 1,000 mosques and three churches in the Gaza Strip during the war, according to local officials.
Catholic leaders respond
The Holy Land’s Catholic Clergy Conference condemned the attack on the statue on Monday.
“This act is a grave insult to the Christian faith and adds to the number of incidents of desecration of Christian symbols by (Israeli) soldiers reported in southern Lebanon,” it said in a statement.
“It also reveals an alarming failure in moral and human development, in which even the most rudimentary respect for the sacred and the dignity of others is seriously undermined.”
The incident comes as Israeli forces push to completely destroy homes and civilian infrastructure in dozens of Lebanese villages to prevent residents from returning.
“The anger should not be about the destroyed statue of Jesus. That is abhorrent,” Palestinian pastor Munter Isaac said in a social media post on Monday.
“The real inhumanity is the targeting of civilians, the attacks on human dignity, the devastation in Gaza and Lebanon. War is evil. We need accountability.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on President Trump and Congress to stop Israel’s intervention and violations after the statue was destroyed.
“For years, our government has ignored and enabled Israel’s persistent attacks on churches and Christians in Lebanon, Gaza and elsewhere,” CAIR said.
“Our message to American public servants is simple: If you continue to send more weapons and provide political cover for Israeli wrongdoing, you will own what you see in this photo.”
