Transcript [00:00] Welcome to the weekly update of Israel [00:03] and Christians today. It's the 4th of [00:05] November 2026. [00:08] Well, it's been a week of political [00:10] earthquakes. One week after Israelis [00:13] went to the polls and failed to produce [00:15] a clear winner, Americans have voted [00:18] decisively to hand both houses of [00:20] Congress to the Democrats. [00:23] On the eve of that vote, President Trump [00:25] announced that US military aid to Israel [00:27] will end this year. [00:29] Meanwhile, the war against Iran and its [00:32] proxies is far from over, and Israel's [00:35] Prime Minister is pressing Washington to [00:37] resume strikes on Tehran. [00:40] Israel's leaders have long relied on the [00:42] friendship of American presidents and [00:44] the support of the US Congress. That [00:46] friendship has been real, and it has [00:49] been a blessing. [00:50] But the events of this week remind us [00:52] that the help of princes is fragile. [00:56] In this weekly update, we look at each [00:58] of these developments, how they're [00:59] connected, and how we can pray. [01:04] And our text for today is do not put [01:07] your trust in princes, in mortal men who [01:10] cannot save. Blessed is he whose help is [01:13] the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the [01:15] Lord his God. Psalm 146:3 [01:20] and 5. So, first of all, let's look at [01:22] the US midterms. [01:24] Uh it was a vote about the war. [01:26] Yesterday's midterm elections delivered [01:29] a sweeping victory for the Democrats. [01:32] At the time of writing, they hold at [01:34] least 54 of the 100 Senate seats, having [01:37] flipped seven Republican-held seats, [01:40] including Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, [01:42] and Maine. And they've won a comfortable [01:45] majority in the house, where Democrat [01:47] Hakeem Jeffries is set to become [01:50] speaker. So, did the Middle East [01:52] influence the elections? Very much so. [01:55] Foreign policy usually plays only a [01:57] minor role in American midterms, but not [01:59] this time. [02:01] According to NBC's exit poll, 74% of the [02:03] voters said the war with Iran was a [02:06] crucial or major factor in their vote. [02:09] And 63% said the decision to use [02:12] military force against Iran was the [02:14] wrong one. Democrats won around 63% of [02:18] the voters for whom the war mattered [02:19] most. The 8-month 8-month war, the [02:22] disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, and [02:25] the resulting rise in fuel prices fed [02:27] directly into voter anger about the cost [02:30] of living. [02:33] Israel itself was on the ballot in [02:34] Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed, who has [02:37] campaigned against continued military [02:40] aid to Israel, defeated Republican Mike [02:43] Rogers in the Senate race, despite more [02:46] than $40 million grant spent against him [02:49] by AIPAC-linked groups in the primary [02:52] and general elections. [02:54] How will a Democratic Congress affect [02:57] US-Israel relations? [03:00] Both Chuck Schumer, in the Senate, and [03:02] Hakeem Jeffries have long records of [03:06] support for Israel, though Schumer has [03:08] openly criticized Netanyahu and the [03:11] Israeli government. In April, Schumer [03:14] was one of only seven Senate Democrats [03:16] to vote against blocking certain arms [03:18] sales to Israel. [03:20] In July, Jeffries voted against measure [03:23] to end military aid that was backed by [03:25] almost half of his caucus. [03:28] Some analysts argue that a [03:30] uh larger majority actually dilutes the [03:33] influence of Israel's fiercest critics, [03:36] but the direction of travel is clear. [03:39] Congressional committees will now be in [03:41] the hands of a party whose base is [03:44] increasingly hostile to Israel. [03:47] Expect hearings on the Iran war, [03:49] conditions attached to arms sales, and [03:52] much closer scrutiny of Israeli [03:55] operations. And a politically weakened [03:57] President Trump will find it harder [04:00] to give Israel the near-unconditional [04:02] backing it has enjoyed over the past 2 [04:05] years. [04:07] On election morning, President Trump [04:08] told Fox and Friends that the roughly $4 [04:12] billion the US gives Israel each year [04:15] gets cut off at the end of the year. [04:17] "They don't need it," he said. "If they [04:20] did need it, I would say keep it going." [04:24] According to Trump, it was Netanyahu [04:26] raised the matter. "He brought it up," [04:28] said Trump, "telling him I think it [04:30] would be appropriate if we do not [04:31] receive aid." [04:34] "Israel," Trump added, "can buy whatever [04:36] they want." He dismissed the issue as, [04:38] {quote} "the best talking point that [04:40] those lunatics have on the left." {close [04:43] quote} [04:45] Trump's announcement goes far beyond [04:48] what had been agreed. The current [04:50] memorandum of understanding signed in [04:52] 2016 [04:54] provides $38 billion in military [04:57] assistance for the years 2019 to 2028. [05:02] That's about $3.8 billion a year. [05:06] Netanyahu said in January that he wanted [05:08] to taper US aid down to zero over the [05:11] coming decade. And in June, he wrote to [05:14] Congress that it was time for Israel to [05:15] move, {quote} "from aid recipient to [05:18] partner." {close quote} [05:20] Formal negotiations on a new MOU led on [05:24] the US side by Ambassador Mike Huckabee [05:27] have focused on replacing grants with [05:29] joint research, co-production, and [05:31] trade. But nobody was talking about [05:34] ending aid in 2 months. [05:36] Israeli financial and security officials [05:38] were reportedly caught off guard, and [05:40] the Israeli government has not confirmed [05:43] Trump's timeline. It's also unclear how [05:45] the White House could simply stop [05:47] funding that is committed under the MOU [05:49] and appropriated by Congress. [05:52] Opposition politician [05:54] Yair Golan warned that ending aid now [05:57] with Israel's air defenses depleted [05:59] after a long war would seriously damage [06:01] Israel's security. [06:04] In principle, a self-reliant Israel [06:06] buying its weapons as an equal partner [06:08] rather than as a dependent is a healthy [06:10] goal and one Netanyahu himself has [06:12] championed. [06:14] But timing matters. [06:16] Israel is still at war on several fronts [06:19] and is rebuilding its stocks of [06:21] interceptors. [06:22] And the political context has shifted [06:24] overnight. Aid to Israel, once a [06:26] bipartisan given, is now being [06:28] questioned by a Republican president and [06:32] by a growing wing of the party that now [06:35] controls Congress. [06:38] Turning now to the Israeli elections. [06:42] Last week's Israeli election produced a [06:45] hung Knesset. The official results [06:47] confirmed Likud as the largest party [06:50] with 27 seats, [06:52] followed by Benny Gantz's National Unity [06:55] Party, 21 seats. [06:57] Bennett and Lapid's Yesh Atid party has [07:00] 12. The Joint List [07:02] Arab has 11. Ra'am, another Arab party, [07:06] has eight. The Democrats have eight. [07:08] Yisrael Beiteinu has seven. Otzma [07:11] Yehudit has seven. United Torah Judaism [07:14] seven. Shas six. [07:17] And Religious Zionism has six. [07:20] Netanyahu's block, [07:23] Likud and other parties, has 53 seats. [07:26] The opposition block has 48 and the Arab [07:29] parties 19. Nobody, therefore, has the [07:32] 61 seats needed to govern. [07:35] This afternoon, President Herzog began [07:37] formal consultations starting with [07:40] Religious Zionism. [07:41] He will meet Likud and Yesh Atid [07:43] tomorrow and must give a candidate the [07:45] mandate to form a government by 11th of [07:47] November. [07:49] On current indications, Gantz will be [07:51] recommended by the opposition parties [07:54] and it seems by both Arab parties, [07:57] giving him around 60 recommendations. [08:01] Avigdor Lieberman has now said he will [08:03] also back Gantz, but insists but insist [08:06] a stable government and must be formed [08:09] without [08:10] the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint [08:12] List. [08:13] Netanyahu's expected to receive around [08:16] 46 recommendations. [08:19] United Torah Judaism has not committed [08:21] to anyone and is demanding legislation [08:24] on draft exemptions for Yeshiva students [08:27] first. [08:29] Netanyahu is calling for a broad [08:31] national government led by himself and [08:33] without the Arab lists and has accused [08:36] the Arab parties of having {quote} [08:37] stolen the vote. [08:40] Eisenberg has accused Likud of [08:42] attempting a {quote} pogrom against [08:44] democracy, {close quote} [08:46] and promises to form a government [08:48] quickly but has not said how. Meanwhile, [08:51] the investigation into alleged electoral [08:54] fraud involving Arab parties has become [08:57] a political battle of its own. [09:00] The Attorney General [09:02] has accused Shin Bet Chief David Zini of [09:06] hindering the inquiry and Shin Bet [09:08] reportedly wants to question four Arab [09:11] politicians though it has not yet [09:12] produced evidence against three of them. [09:17] Whoever receives the mandate to try and [09:20] form a government will have 28 days [09:22] extendable by another 14 to form a [09:25] coalition. If that fails, the mandate [09:28] can pass to another candidate and [09:30] ultimately to the Knesset. [09:33] And if all else fails [09:35] uh Israel will face yet another election [09:37] with Netanyahu remaining caretaker Prime [09:40] Minister in the meantime. [09:43] Now the war against Iran and its proxies [09:46] uh in Lebanon, 8 months after Hezbollah [09:50] joined the war in support of Iran in [09:52] March, Israel continues to hold around [09:55] 700 square kilometers of southern [09:59] Lebanon and to strike Hezbollah targets [10:01] across the south. Lebanese authorities [10:04] report that more than 4,300 deaths since [10:07] March. [10:09] This week Israeli media reported that [10:11] the IDF is preparing plans to advance on [10:14] Tyre, Sidon, and Nabatieh, [10:16] strike Beirut's southern suburbs, and [10:19] blockade the ports of Beirut and Tripoli [10:22] if the war with Iran resumes and [10:24] Hezbollah joins in. [10:27] Israel has reportedly asked the Lebanese [10:29] army to set up roadblocks to keep [10:31] Hezbollah out of the fight. Lebanese [10:33] security forces have arrested Hezbollah [10:36] members transporting explosives from the [10:39] Bekaa Valley towards Beirut. [10:42] Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem refuses to [10:44] discuss disarmament, and US-sponsored [10:46] talks between Israel and Lebanon have [10:49] stalled. [10:52] Uh [10:53] let's move to Syria. Israel continues to [10:55] operate in the buffer zone along the [10:57] Golan and on Mount Hermon with frequent [10:59] raids into the Quneitra and the Daraa [11:02] countryside to detain suspects and [11:05] dismantle what the IDF calls terrorist [11:07] infrastructure. [11:09] Damascus has condemned the incursions, [11:12] and protests took place in several [11:14] Syrian cities on 23rd of October. [11:17] Netanyahu has made clear that Israel's [11:19] security doctrine now puts prevention [11:21] and offense ahead of containment, and [11:24] that Israeli forces will stay as long as [11:27] threats persist. Turning now to Israel [11:29] and the US, over the weekend Netanyahu [11:32] and Trump held what Trump called a [11:33] {quote} very good talk, {close quote} [11:35] according to AP and Axios. Netanyahu [11:38] urged the president to launch a new wave [11:40] of strikes on Iran once the midterms [11:43] were over, [11:44] a report that Israel's UN envoy has [11:46] denied. [11:48] Trump has said he is in no hurry, while [11:50] noting that {quote} one or two, {close [11:53] quote} Iranian nuclear sites still need [11:55] to be dealt with. [11:57] Secretary of State Rubio says the [11:59] president {quote} hasn't made a [12:01] decision, {close quote}. [12:03] Vice President Vance is optimistic about [12:05] a negotiated settlement. [12:08] Qatari mediators are working on a [12:09] framework under which Iran would stop [12:12] attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and the [12:14] US would lift its naval blockade. [12:17] Yet on the eve of the elections, US [12:20] forces quietly struck Iranian missile [12:22] positions around Qeshm [12:24] Island and Bandar Abbas. [12:27] Israel has also warned US and Gulf [12:30] officials that Iran could use chemical [12:32] weapons. Washington and Jerusalem remain [12:36] allies, but they are no longer clearly [12:39] in step. [12:41] How are all of these issues connected? [12:43] These four issues are really all part of [12:46] one story. [12:47] The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, [12:50] IRGC, still wields power in Iran, [12:54] and despite the heavy losses it has [12:55] suffered in the war of recent months, it [12:58] is dominating the region. [13:01] The war with Iran helped decide the [13:03] American election, and the American [13:05] election, in turn, will shape the war [13:07] with Iran. [13:08] Democratic Congress elected [13:11] in part, large part, by voters tired of [13:14] that war, will make it much harder for [13:16] President Trump to resume large-scale [13:19] strikes. And Trump himself is already [13:22] looking for a deal. [13:24] Trump's announcement on aid must be read [13:27] in the same light. It was made on [13:29] election day in response to Democratic [13:31] attacks, and it signals that support for [13:34] Israel is no longer the bipartisan [13:37] certainty that it once was. Israel can [13:40] no longer take either party, [13:42] Republican or Democrats, for granted. [13:45] In Jerusalem, too, the war and the [13:47] coalition talks are intertwined. A [13:50] renewed confrontation with Iran could [13:53] strengthen Netanyahu's case for a [13:55] national emergency government under his [13:57] leadership. [13:58] At the same time, any new government, [14:00] whether led by Netanyahu himself or [14:04] Eisenkot, will have to manage relations [14:06] with a weakened US president and a [14:09] skeptical Congress, while on several [14:12] fronts and losing American financial [14:15] support. [14:18] And so the people of Israel are [14:19] increasingly having to stand alone. That [14:22] is difficult, but it's also necessary. [14:25] God is drawing his people towards [14:27] himself. [14:29] Our prayer is that they will trust not [14:31] in their own strength, but in God alone [14:33] who is their rock and salvation. He has [14:36] promised, [14:37] "My dwelling place will be with them. I [14:40] will be their God, they will be my [14:42] people. Then the nations will know that [14:45] I the Lord make Israel holy when my [14:47] sanctuary is among them forever." [14:50] Ezekiel 37:27-28. [14:55] So, let's [14:58] move uh into prayer points. Uh number of [15:01] prayer points for this week. First, [15:03] let's pray for Israel's leaders. Pray [15:07] for President Herzog as he consults with [15:10] every party this week and decides who [15:12] will be given the mandate to form a [15:14] government. Pray for Benjamin Netanyahu, [15:17] Gadi Eisenkot, and all party leaders [15:20] that they would put the good of the [15:21] nation above personal and party [15:23] interests. [15:25] Pray for the leaders of the United [15:27] States, for President Trump, for the new [15:29] Congress, [15:30] for Speaker-designate Jeffries and [15:33] Senator [clears throat] Schumer [15:35] >> [snorts] [15:35] >> that they would act with wisdom, [15:37] justice, and faithfulness towards [15:39] Israel. That God would turn the hearts [15:40] of America's leaders to bless the [15:43] descendants of Abraham. [15:46] Pray for wisdom on the war with Iran. [15:49] Pray that the regime's threat to Israel [15:51] in the region would be ended, that [15:53] negotiations will not reward evil, [15:56] and that the Lord would protect Israel's [15:58] soldiers and civilians on every front in [16:00] Lebanon, Syria, and beyond. [16:03] We uh should pray for the people of [16:06] Lebanon and Syria. Many ordinary [16:09] Lebanese and Syrians are caught between [16:11] Israel's enemies and the war. [16:13] Pray that Hezbollah's grip on Lebanon [16:16] would be broken [16:18] and that Lebanon and Syria would find a [16:20] path to peace with Israel. [16:23] Pray that Israel would trust in the Lord [16:25] as American support becomes less [16:27] certain. Pray that Israel would not put [16:29] its trust in princes or in horses and [16:32] chariots, but in the Holy One of Israel. [16:37] And finally, pray for the church that [16:39] Christians in America, Europe, and [16:40] around the world would stand faithfully [16:43] with God's people Israel when it is no [16:46] longer politically convenient to do so [16:49] and would pray without ceasing for the [16:51] peace of Jerusalem. [16:54] And so we come to the end of this week's [16:56] weekly update, 4th of November 2026, [17:00] wishing you [17:02] uh blessed days, weekend, a little bit [17:06] ahead of us. [17:07] And uh we'll see you next week. God [17:10] bless.
