One of the most popular songs in Israel in recent years claims that “he who believes does not fear.” Yet time and again, Israeli politicians walk a path where they both believe and fear. Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony for the 26th Knesset was a case in point.

On one side stood Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a lengthy speech that resembled a defiant campaign address far more than an official, unifying address, he again underscored the threat posed by Iran as it “works to revive” its nuclear program. 

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told reporters on Tuesday that Democrats are “looking at all the options” for ending the war in Iran, when asked if Democrats might try to use the upcoming December government funding deadline to force an end to the war.

Some of her fellow Senate Democrats have discussed the possibility of withholding votes on any government funding measure that does not explicitly bring the war to an end — a maneuver that could potentially result in a government shutdown when funding runs out on Dec. 11.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said on Tuesday that he will condition his support for President Donald Trump’s nomination of Devin Kennington to be U.S. ambassador to Somalia on the State Department “following the president’s guidance” and formally recognizing Somaliland’s independence.

The Texas senator, who has been pushing for U.S. recognition of Somaliland since last year, issued the warning at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing for 10 pending nominees, after Kennington declined to agree with Trump’s comments at a campaign rally last month that Somaliland is “a totally different country,” rather than a region of Somalia, or promise to encourage the Trump administration to pursue formal U.S. recognition of Somaliland.

House Republicans on Tuesday elected pro-Israel stalwart Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as minority leader in the next Congress.

Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is known primarily as one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal advocates in Congress. The co-founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, he has remained staunchly pro-Israel even as other caucus members have grown more skeptical of U.S. aid to the Jewish state. 

Lehrhaus, a Jewish tavern and house of learning in Boston that blends food, drinks and Jewish study, is preparing to open its second location, in Washington, D.C., bringing its concept to a city with few full-service kosher dining options.

The organization announced last month that it had secured its second location, in the nation’s capital — it is set to close on a building just north of Logan Circle and is hiring a full staff with the goal of replicating the success of its Boston location, where hundreds of Jews of all ages go to relax, learn and socialize weekly, with options for classes taught by top scholars held five nights per week. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote, planned for Tuesday, on the Right to Worship Act, which would establish protective buffer zones around religious institutions during services in response to incidents of harassment and violence at synagogues and other houses of worship.

The legislation was initially scheduled for a vote prior to the Senate’s October recess, but was postponed when the Senate canceled planned session days before departing. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced at the outset of Tuesday’s meeting that the vote was being postponed until the committee’s next business meeting; committee members have the prerogative to request such a delay at their discretion.

The House scuttled a push led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Democrats to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a setback for Democrats’ hopes to challenge the administration over the Iran war during the lame-duck session before they take control of Congress in January.

The chamber voted 211-204 to refer the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, effectively killing it, with only Massie breaking ranks with his party. But the effort is likely to succeed in the next Congress, given unanimous Democratic support.

A group of a dozen Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), wrote to House and Senate leaders on Tuesday urging them to remove provisions on U.S.-Israel military and intelligence cooperation from the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.

The lawmakers said that the provisions would “constrain the administration’s ability to independently determine how best to protect U.S. national security and would lock in long-term commitments despite our serious concerns with the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and other parts of the region.”