I continue to regularly post important news items each day on my Telegram channel, typically viewed through the lens of Scripture. It’s also a place to find important biblical insights and words of encouragement based on God’s truth. For more good sources of solid news about Israel and the Middle East on X and other platforms, check out JNS, All Israel News, Amit Segal, CBN News, TBN Israel, and RLN–Daniel Cohen.
Netanyahu to Address UN
Today, Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will confront his great nemesis, and they will be forced to listen to him speak. Over the past decades, the United Nations has condemned Israel far more than it has all other nations combined. Their hatred for Israel has reached even to the establishment of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), a group that was proven to not only have aided in the October 7 massacre but to have participated in it. Now, Netanyahu is going to this august body of dunderheads to confront the lies it has said about Israel and to speak truth. Sadly, the chance of getting through to these yutzes is slim. After all, they just voted Iran a seat onto its own nuclear watchdog [IAEA] general conference a week after condemning the country for non-compliance.
Based on information released about his upcoming speech, it appears that the PM is going to make it clear that the war with Iran is not over. Instead, it is only on hold until after the upcoming Israeli elections when it will likely resume with full force. In the speech, not only will Netanyahu reveal some of the newer capabilities of the Israeli military, but he will also explain why it is essential that the Islamic regime is dealt with now.
Trump’s Address at the UN
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump had his turn to address the United Nations. He spoke on a wide range of topics, including the United States’ growing power and influence, along with other issues like Greenland, Cuba, and super intelligence. He also took time to call out Iran for the slaughter of over 72,000 of its citizens over the past year for protesting against the regime. Taking time to remember October 7, he said that terrorists funded by Iran killed 1200 innocent civilians, including dozens of Americans and many babies. According to the president, a deal with Iran will take place after the November elections. He jabbed at the ayatollahs for appearing to stall until the elections are over, saying, “What they don’t realize is that I’m not running. I did that already and won in a landslide.” In a related story, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that airports providing services to Iranian airlines will be cut off from the Dollar System. By doing so, the US has effectively shut down Iranian air travel. Many nations immediately complied with the shutdown, including Turkey and Iraq. Others have continued to allow flights, and now we wait to see what the ramifications will be.
The New York Times Sued by Shareholders over Israel
The Gray Lady is in a bit of a snit over being sued by her shareholders. A Jewish former employee claims that she blew the whistle more than fifteen times on antisemitism and an anti-Israel bias in the paper’s newsroom. The higher ups chose to ignore her. Now the shareholders are asking a judge to force the paper to turn over internal records that it has refused to produce for months.
Who are the Saudis’ Real Friends?
On September 8, the terrorist Houthis of Yemen launched a missile strike against four cities in Saudi Arabia, wounding 73 people and halting operations at numerous energy facilities. Then, on September 19, the Houthis struck Riyadh, the first time the capital city has been targeted in years. Thankfully, the Saudis had the recently signed Mecca Defense Pact promising reciprocal protection between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Not surprisingly, though, Turkey and Pakistan both condemned the attacks, which is another way of saying they did absolutely nothing. Might as well line the bottoms of your bird cage with your copy of the pact, because that is all it is really good for. The United States, however, immediately stepped up and prepared an attack against the Houthis. At the last minute, though, President Trump called it off after his advisors warned him that it might widen a regional conflict. But the Saudis weren’t entirely alone. Who was there for them? Israel, the nation that the Saudis refuse to even acknowledge as they pass each other in the high school hallway. Despite publicly shunning Israel, the Saudis have been the recipients of great amounts of Israeli intelligence regarding the Houthis. Although the Saudi royal family is doing its best to keep the relationship on the down-low, Israel is truly their best friend in the region.
A Great Awakening in Israel
A great awakening is happening in Israel, and it’s driving the liberal leftists and Islamists in our part of the world crazy. They don’t know what to do at the sight of hundreds of thousands of Jews flocking to the Western Wall in Jerusalem for prayers of repentance and forgiveness. The leftists mock these worshippers as primitive, while the Islamists call their presence an “invasion” of the Al-Aqsa area.
Any movement toward God, or any acknowledgment that mankind is sinful and in need of forgiveness, enrages Satan. Therefore, he sends his minions in the media to spew their hatred! Israel as a nation may not yet know or believe in its Messiah, but I would rather see Israelis standing before God at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, asking for forgiveness, than proudly parading their sinful deeds through the streets of Tel Aviv.
KEEPING UP WITH THE MINISTRY
In just days, I’ll be in Rotterdam, Netherlands, stepping aboard The Rotterdam, Holland America’s flagship, for an eight-day cruise through the Norwegian fjords. While on this scenic journey, Pastor Barry Stagner and I will be teaching through the entire book of Ezekiel. Thus, as we read God’s refrain from the prophet, “Then they will know I am the Lord,” we’ll be seeing visual proof that our God truly is the Creator of all things, and that He has made them beautiful. Following the cruise, I’ll go back home until the end of October, when I’ll depart again to teach for three days in beautiful Catania, Sicily.
Friday is the beginning of Sukkot, or The Feast of the Booths. It is a special time of remembering God’s protection of the Israelites in the wilderness and His provision of the fall harvest. To learn more about this biblically ordained festival, watch my premiere video, “The True Meaning of Sukkot”, tonight at 8:00 p.m. PDT.
Be sure to subscribe to the Behold Israel YouTube page so that you don’t miss any of our special programming. Two days ago, I hosted Dr. Rick Yohn for another episode of “Exploring the Bible” during which we talked about how to study the Bible from a devotional perspective. As always, I learned much from this brilliant man who has been pastoring for nearly seventy years. You can also find on our channel great nuggets from the past, like an episode of “Let’s Connect” from a year ago during which I was joined by the Behold Israel board as we described the miraculous beginnings of this incredible ministry.
Registration is now open for Behold Israel’s 2027 Bible Experience Tours. There truly is no experience like a visit to the Holy Land. You will never read your Bible the same again. And, if you don’t want to wait until next year, there are still some a limited number of spaces available for our fall 2026 tours. Check out the available dates on our Bible Experience Tours page.
A Heartfelt Message
For some time, a deep burden has been growing in my heart. As a Jewish believer in Yeshua, I cannot remain silent when I hear Christians claim that God is finished with my people – that Israel failed, the church took its place, and the promises God made to us no longer mean what they plainly say.
I came to faith in Yeshua without ever reading the New Testament. It was through the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly the book of Isaiah, that I recognized my Messiah.
When Yeshua taught, the New Testament had not yet been written. When Paul, Peter, and John appealed to Scripture, they pointed their readers back to the Hebrew Scriptures. The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms were the authoritative Word of God to them, revealing His character, His Messiah, and His plan of redemption. How, then, can such ignorance of the Old Testament exist among those who claim to follow Yeshua?
After presenting overwhelming evidence from the Hebrew Scriptures in The Israel Decree, I was told by some that it was not enough. They wanted proof from the New Testament – from the words of Yeshua and the apostles themselves. That challenge became deeply personal.
This time, I decided to appeal not only to the world – whose biblical illiteracy I can understand – but also to those so-called followers of Christ who cast aside the Old Testament while imagining that the New Testament reveals a different God with a different character and nature. The God of the New Testament is the same God revealed in the Old Testament. He does not change. His character does not change. His nature does not change. And His promises do not change.
This challenge led me to focus on two central questions: What does God’s overall plan reveal about His unchanging character and nature? What do the writings of the New Testament actually teach about Israel and the church?
If God could cancel His promises to Israel because of our failures, how could anyone trust Him to remain faithful despite theirs? This is more than a debate about Israel, the church, or Bible prophecy. It concerns the very character of God.
My people have failed Him many times, yet He has never failed us. He preserved us through centuries of persecution, returned us to our ancient homeland, and continues to unfold His promises before the eyes of the world. Israel has not been replaced, rejected, or forgotten. And this burden upon my heart has now become something much greater.
To all who support us faithfully through prayer and financial gifts, I give you my heartfelt thanks. The reports at our staff meeting were incredible reminders that God is blessing the world through your sacrifice.
Awaiting His Return,
Amir Tsafati
Amir, a Jewish Christian, is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.
The views expressed in opinion articles are solely those of the author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the CURE News and Clergy Blog.
