The candidates campaigned passionately. The voters firmly took their sides. The ballots were cast. The results are in. Benjamin Netanyahu has survived a hard-fought battle to remain prime minister of Israel. Inside the country and around the world, millions of people either cursed the outcome or breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Within the church worldwide, this same dichotomy of reactions was evident. Evangelical believers took their pro-Bibi or anti-Bibi stances. This division of viewpoints showed markedly in the contrast between American and Israeli believers. American Evangelicals were by and large strong Netanyahu supporters. However, here in Israel the excitement in the church for another term for this prime minister was far more muted.

Christians in America tend to see the best in Bibi. They remember him calling out the U.N. for their consistent anti-Israel votes. They love the way he stood up against Barack Obama when the president was pressuring Israel to give up strategic territory to the Palestinians. They wholeheartedly agreed with his strong opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. And Netanyahu should rightly be appreciated for these strong stances.

In Israel, however, we have a closer and clearer picture of the prime minister. His legal problems are real and very troubling. He has empowered ultra-Orthodox religious parties that are passionately anti-Christian and anti-Messianic Jew. His antipathy toward Arabs seems to manifest itself in his rhetoric and in his recent claim that only Jews are real citizens of Israel. Each of these alone is cause for concern to Israeli believers. Together, they’re enough to motivate many to begin looking around for better alternatives.

On the positive side, Netanyahu has a history of working well with America and President Trump. This is good for Israel as we anticipate the president rolling out his peace plan for the Middle East in the near future. Few hold out hopes of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinians actually accepting the proposal. However, there is hope that this U.S.-led initiative could persuade the Gulf States to get on board. If this were to happen, then these nations just might be able to put enough pressure on the Palestinian leadership to force them to the table.

As someone who worked for Benjamin Netanyahu nearly two decades ago, it saddens me to see the direction that some of his leadership decisions appear to be going. As an Israeli citizen, I will continue to respect him as the leader of my government. As a Christian, I will pray for him daily, trusting that the God of Israel will keep his eye on his chosen nation, guiding our leaders and protecting our people.

-Joel