Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected accusations on Friday that he had intended to offend Christians when he said the previous day that Jesus had "no advantage" over Genghis Khan.

"More fake news about my attitude towards Christians, who are protected and flourish in Israel. Let me be clear: I did not denigrate Jesus Christ at my news conference," Netanyahu wrote in English on X. 

"To the contrary, I cited the great American historian Will Durant. A fervent admirer of Jesus Christ, Durant stated that morality by itself is not enough to ensure survival," he added.

"A morally superior civilization may still fall to a ruthless enemy if it does not have the power to defend itself. No offense was meant," he wrote.

On Thursday evening, the prime minister had said during a televised meeting with the foreign press that "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."

"Aggression will overcome moderation. So you have no choice," he added, quoting Durant.

In that address, Netanyahu defended the joint Israeli‑US strike on Iran launched on February 28 -- which triggered a regional war -- and insisted that it was the best way to protect not only Israel but "the entire world" against what he called the threat of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

His remarks sparked a wave of criticism on social media, particularly from Christians angered by the comparison between Jesus -- whom they regard as God incarnate and the "Prince of Peace" -- and Genghis Khan, founder of the 13th‑century Mongol Empire whose armies ravaged Asia from China to the Mediterranean.

Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor from Bethlehem, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, said on X that Netanyahu's statement was "offensive on multiple levels". 

"It not only compares Jesus to Genghis Khan," he wrote, "but also suggests that the way of Jesus is naive, while a ruthless, 'might makes right' approach... is what ultimately allows good to overcome evil."

"Netanyahu, and his Christian Zionist supporters, are making a mockery of the ethics of Jesus," he added.