In 2026, Israel Is on the Ballot

I hope this editorial reaches you before you head to the polls. If you’re like most Americans, you’ve had plenty on your mind leading into the midterms—inflation, immigration, healthcare, artificial intelligence, the economy, the Iran war, and control of Congress. But another issue has risen to the top of the nation’s agenda: Israel.

Not long ago, Israel enjoyed bipartisan American support. Disagreements about Israeli policies and the two-state solution arose, but Republican and Democratic politicians routinely managed to pledge joint support for the valuable U.S.-Israel relationship.

Now, that goodwill is eroding. The 2026 primaries demonstrated how dramatically Israel has moved from the margins to the center of American campaigns, highlighted last summer by the hyperfixation on the Jewish state that dominated Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens.

Democrats are deeply divided over the Jewish state. The Democratic Socialists of America’s anti-Israel policies have gained a strong foothold in the party, evidenced by 103 House Democrats’ support in July of an effort to cut billions of dollars in military assistance to Israel.

While the Republican Party has maintained unified support of Israel, several high-profile conservative pundits have demonized the nation. As a result, Pew Research found that 58% of Republicans hold a favorable view of Israel, but negativity and skepticism about the Jewish state soar among younger conservatives.

For Bible-believing Christians, Israel isn’t merely another foreign policy issue. The Jewish people’s connection to the land of Israel reaches back thousands of years. Scripture declares God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The prophets repeatedly describe Israel’s scattering and restoration to the land. And the New Testament never erases Israel’s identity or transfers God’s promises to another people. “Has God cast away His people?” the apostle Paul asked. “Certainly not!” (Rom. 11:1).

If you’re a Christian and you haven’t yet voted for a representative in the U.S. midterms, please consider several questions. Does your candidate:

• Believe the Jewish state has a right to exist?

• Recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns?

• Distinguish between criticizing and delegitimizing Israel as a Jewish state altogether?

• Understand the danger of antisemitism—and condemn it when it creeps into Congress?

• Respect Christian Zionists, those who affirm the Bible’s teaching that Israel has a right to exist in its ancestral homeland?

Congressional representatives are powerful. Congress controls funding, shapes sanctions, and influences American diplomacy. The men and women elected in November will determine whether the historic U.S.-Israel relationship remains strong or continues undergoing the most significant political reassessment in generations.

When you enter the voting booth, you won’t see Israel’s name on the ballot. But make no mistake: Israel is there.

History offers a sobering warning for the current direction of the United States. For nearly 4,000 years, kingdoms, empires, and political movements have risen to power while persecuting, expelling, or attempting to destroy Israel and the Jewish people. But the pharaohs who enslaved the Israelites, the Assyrians and Babylonians who carried Israel and Judah into exile, the Roman Empire that devastated Jerusalem, and more recent regimes seeking to eradicate Jewish life have been largely relegated to the pages of history. Meanwhile, the Jewish people have returned to their land, where they are flourishing.

Not every nation that disagrees with the State of Israel is destined for immediate judgment. But the Jewish people’s remarkable survival and their nation’s rebirth remind us that God promised Abraham and his descendants, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you” (Gen. 12:3).

Nations would be wise to learn history’s lesson: The Jewish people have outlived the empires that sought to eradicate them. The decisions Americans make at the end of 2026 may reveal more than which party controls Congress. It may reveal America’s standing with God.