opinion Recent events with a biblical perspective

With elections in both Israel and the United States now over, there is much interest in the situation with Iran and U.S.-Israel relations. While many self-described evangelicals are lamenting the loss of the midterm elections, what is perhaps more lamentable is that the U.S. administration is retracting support for Israel. There have been interesting developments with the Israeli government. Attacks have continued on commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. These recent events are summarized objectively without political bias and using credible sources as references, concluding with a Biblical perspective.

U.S. Politics

On November 3rd, the president of the United States announced that the U.S. is stopping financial aid to Israel by the end of 2026 [1]. What is appalling is his statement that Israel does not need the funds. The U.S. vice president has doubled down on retracting support for Israel [2]. The U.S. president has accepted the results of the midterm elections, in which democrats won majority of both houses of Congress [3]. The newly elected Congress will begin on January 03, 2027 [4]. The U.S. president may surmise that he has until then to complete his achievements. Since the conclusion of the midterm elections, the U.S. president has acted somewhat subdued in his demeanor. But losing partisan majority in Congress could be leveraged favorably for him. Any opposition from Congress, he could merely portray and trivialize as political division and thereby rationalize courses of action without congressional approval.

Israeli Politics

Israel has a proportional representation electoral system for its parliament referred to as the Knesset. The results of the October 27th election were a three-way split, with two main opposing blocs and thirdly, Arab parties. If the Israeli elections remained at an impasse, the incumbent prime minister would likely remain in power until early 2027 when another election could be held [5]. However, on November 5th, the Arab party Joint List announced that it would back the opponent of the incumbent prime minister [6], in addition to the backing of the Arab party Ra’am [7], thereby effectively granting majority of the Knesset to the aspirant [6]. The new Knesset is set to be sworn in on November 10th [8]. As mentioned previously, resumption of open war could delay the resolution of the Israeli government, in which case the incumbent prime minister would remain in power as caretaker.

Recent Incidents and Possibility of Renewed Strikes

On November 1st the M/V Era S, a bulk carrier, was struck in the Strait of Hormuz [9]. On November 3rd the M/T Grit, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was struck twice in the engine room about 14 nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman [9]. On November 4th, corresponding with UKMTO report #196, the M/T Vellos Sapphire was struck twice about 50 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar [10], causing a fire that was later extinguished. One crew member was killed in the attack [11]. On November 6th, the M/T Vieira, a very large crude carrier, sustained an explosion at the waterline about 16 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman [11]. There has been talk of renewed strikes on Iran in the dark of a new moon on the night of November 9th and 10th [12]. Assuming Israel joins the attacks, it would bring Israel into open war just before the scheduled swearing in of the new Knesset.

Biblical Perspective

None of these political developments should be surprising, frightening, or dismaying. The Lord Jesus has told us in His word all we need to know about what can be expected. For instance, Revelation 1:1 says that the revelation of Jesus Christ is given to show what must soon take place. Indeed, the Lord Jesus was referred to as rabbi, which means teacher. To this day and beyond, He is still teacher through His word. That is why Hebrews 4:12 says that “The word of God is living and active.” Accordingly, one of the strongest exhortations from the Lord Jesus is written in Luke 21:28: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near”.

References

[1] Magid, J., L. Berman, S. Levaton, and Agencies. 2026, November 03. Trump says US to end $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by end of 2026. The Times of Israel.

[2] Magid, J. and L. Berman. 2026, November 04. Vance: GOP lost midterms due to Iran war, voters want ‘change’ in Israel relationship. The Times of Israel.

[3] TOI Staff and Agencies. 2026, November 04. Trump, conceding stunning midterm loss, admits Iran war and gas prices hurt Republicans. The Times of Israel.

[4] Davis, C. M. 2024. The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor. U.S. Congressional Research Service.

[5] Zanotti, J. 2026, October 30. Israel: 2026 Elections and Government, Document IN12751. U.S. Congressional Research Service.

[6] Levaton, S. 2026, November 05. Live Update: Joint List says it will back Eisenkot as PM, handing him majority of recommendations. The Times of Israel.

[7] 2026, November 04. Live Update: Ra’am will recommend Eisenkot for PM, likely giving him first shot at forming government. The Times of Israel.

[8] Levaton, S. 2026, November 06. Herzog says he’ll task a would-be PM on Sunday, after Eisenkot is recommended by 67 of 120 MKs. The Times of Israel.

[9] Hand, M. 2026, November 03. VLCC engine room struck in latest Hormuz attack. Seatrade Maritime News.

[10] 2026, November 05. Middle East – Highlighted (Confirmed) incidents. International Maritime Organization.

[11] Hand, M. 2026, November 06. Seafarer fatality in Gulf tanker attack, VLCC struck in Hormuz. Seatrade Maritime News.

[12] 2026, November 06. Trump discusses new Iran strikes at White House, possibly under cover of Nov. 9s new moon - report. The Times of Israel.