Tuesday, after Netanyahu paused the judicial reform legislation, American Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, said that he believed that Netanyahu would soon be receiving an invitation to meet with President Biden at the White House. Many were excited to hear this news, since Israeli-American relations have been tense since Netanyahu’s new government took office at the end of December, and a visit to the White House would signify a return to normal.

However, the hope of renewed American-Israeli relations fizzled out when Biden himself said that Netanyahu would not be receiving an invitation any time soon.  Despite the pause in legislation, Biden added that he is still extremely concerned about the situation in Israel.

These comments sparked fairly serious blowback from Israeli lawmakers. Many, including Netanyahu himself, published statements about Israel’s “sovereignty” and National Security Minister Ben Gvir said that Israel is not another American star (referring to the 50 stars on the American flag, which represent the 50 states). In short

Please pray for a return of warm relations between the US and Israel. Please pray for America to respect Israeli sovereign domestic policy. Lastly, please pray that diplomatic tension wouldn’t compromise military and security cooperation between the two countries.