On an April 23, 2026 episode of his show, Tucker Carlson stated that Israel attacks Christians without restraint because Christians refuse to hold the country accountable.

He began by discussing an incident from April 19, 2026, in which a social media photo showed an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in south Lebanon. Tucker claimed that “the State of Israel, its many agents in the United States, in our media, on our social media told you, ‘Don’t believe it. That’s fake. It’s AI.’”

In reality, the response was quite different. Israel acted quickly. The IDF launched an immediate investigation and confirmed within hours that the photo was genuine. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a strong public statement denouncing the act, reaffirming Israel’s support for Christians and their holy sites, and calling for accountability. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the soldier’s actions as “disgraceful and shameful.” Hundreds of Jewish leaders from around the world also condemned the incident.

Within 24 hours, the IDF announced disciplinary measures: the soldier who destroyed the statue would serve 30 days in jail and be dismissed from combat duty. The soldier who took the photograph received the same punishment. Six other soldiers who failed to stop the act also faced disciplinary action. The next day, the IDF replaced the statue with a new, gold-inlaid statue and crucifix, requiring the same soldier to restore it.

Despite this swift and transparent response, the incident still drew widespread condemnation. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for “swift, severe, and public consequences.” The Catholic Church labeled the act “humiliating and degrading.” Prominent Israel critics, including former congressmen Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, used the event to denounce Israel. Every major American and international media outlet covered the story.

Tucker’s assertion that the incident was swept under the rug is patently false. Adding to the confusion is his own social media post from April 20, 2026, in which he wrote: “Israel has terrorized Christians for decades. Thanks to social media, the whole world finally realizes it.”

This creates an obvious contradiction: Is the world ignoring alleged Israeli attacks on Christians, or aren’t they? Tucker did not address this on his show. Instead, he argued that if anyone other than Jews had committed such an act, it would have been front-page news around the world.

However, that claim is also false. In December 2025, when Islamists in Lebanon destroyed a Jesus statue in protest against Christmas hymns and carols, the event received no coverage from major news outlets and drew no condemnation from Tucker or other vocal Christian figures. That same Christmas, three Palestinians set fire to a Christmas tree and damaged a Nativity scene at a Catholic church in Jenin — again, with little public outrage.

There has also been limited international attention to the ongoing persecution and mass killing of Christians in many Muslim-majority countries. Unlike actions involving Israel, these abuses rarely draw strong criticism from Islamic communities or governments themselves.

Tucker continued by claiming that Israelis and Jews harbor hatred toward Christianity, which he said explains both the soldier’s actions and other alleged attacks on Christians in Gaza. He asserted that Israel has deliberately and repeatedly targeted churches in Gaza and massacred Christians there, including an incident in which an Israeli sniper supposedly shot a Christian mother and her daughter.

One reference appears to be the early reports that the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza was destroyed by Israeli bombs shortly after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The church itself later confirmed it was never destroyed, though anti-Israel media and influencers like Tucker continue to spread the claim. As observers have noted, if Israel were truly targeting Christians wantonly, there would be no need to rely on such hoaxes.

Carlson was also likely referring to damage at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza. Israel acknowledged the incident openly: in July 2025, the IDF confirmed that a shell fragment fired during combat struck the church, killing three people and wounding ten. Prime Minister Netanyahu and other officials issued quick apologies. While many Israel critics like Tucker insist the strike was deliberate, no such evidence has been presented. Accidental strikes from errant munitions are a tragic reality of urban warfare. For example, on October 17, 2023, Islamic Jihad fired a rocket intended for Israeli civilians that instead hit Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital. Hamas immediately blamed Israel, and much of the international media repeated the claim — until footage from none other than Al Jazeera confirmed it was a Gaza rocket.

The sniper incident Tucker mentioned is also unsupported by evidence. On December 16, 2023, Nahida Anton and her daughter Samar were shot and killed while on the grounds of the Holy Family Church. The local Patriarchate and many news outlets quickly blamed the IDF. After an investigation, the IDF acknowledged firing at Hamas operatives in the area but denied targeting the two Christian women. No proof has emerged that an IDF sniper deliberately killed them, and no motive for targeting two random civilians has been offered.

Finally, Tucker has not answered a straightforward question: If Israel truly hated Christians and wanted to harm them, why has it not done so on a larger scale? Israel certainly has the capability. Instead, major Christian holy sites inside Israel — such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mount of Olives, and the Mount of the Beatitudes — are protected and maintained. The Christian population in Israel has grown by more than 400% since the founding of the state, and 84% of Israeli Christians report being satisfied Tucker Carlsonwith their lives. If Israel were systematically targeting Christians, it is doing a remarkably poor job of it.

Takeaway

In the end, Israel handled the incident with speed, respect, and professionalism, directly refuting Tucker Carlson’s repeated accusations that the country persecutes Christians and harbors hatred toward Christianity. His broader claim that Israel “gets away with it” is false—in reality, Israel is condemned not only for its own actions, but even the actions of its enemies. it is Muslim perpetrators who routinely get away with attacking Christians with far less scrutiny or accountability. Growing desperate to sustain his narrative, Carlson is now recycling old, debunked lies from years ago. Rather than acknowledging the facts, he continues to use Christians as mere props in his obsessive, never-ending crusade against Israel.

Sources

IDF, IDF, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gideon Saar, Jerusalem Post, Mike Huckabee, Ynet News, Google, TCN, SG News, AP, WikiIslam, Open Doors, Genocide Watch, Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, Breitbart, Honest Reporting, CBS, CBS