01/23/2026
Friends of Israel:
The Trump plan to date has allowed return of all but one hostage and a relative calm in the fighting, both of which Israelis needed. The Board of Peace is to begin its effort with both Qatar and Turkey involved. Trump now say this is HIS domain and Israel has been excluded in the Board selection, while still promising demilitarization of Hamas. The majority coalition and much of the Israel population are both very upset and skeptical that his plan will bring true peace. An article below highlights the US and the West's chronic misunderstanding of the dynamics of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the power dynamics in the Middle East as well as the radical Islam perception of the world of “Infidels”.
The US Israel dynamics has changed with conflict regarding what is in Israel’s best interest and security. There are current estimates of Hamas having as many as a 30,000-man military and weapons to support them, due to recruiting since the ceasefire. The next few weeks will reveal the decisions of the Board of Peace, Hamas’s willingness to disarm and the impact on Israeli’s security and future “peace”
As I have said many times before, now is a time to avoid international and US media reporting bias regarding Israel. Israel’s displeasure with the Board of Peace will be portrayed as resistance to peace. Choose a free and easily accessible Israeli source such as the Time of Israel (Delivered free to your email) or the Jerusalem Post (See daily online). Jewish Breaking News (JNB) free and daily in your email. I have been following the Future of Jewish Newsletter which is incredibly insightful and currently free. The Times of Israel has a daily, half hour, English podcast which is very worthwhile. (free)
2.ACTION
Congress: Act Against Antisemitism on Social Media and AI Platforms
https://act.ajc.org/campaign/146846/?c_src=wb_act_20260122_TakeAction
Urge Congress to Increase the Pressure on Iran
https://speak4.app/lp/5e01on4i/?ts=1741121477
Oppose Unilateral Recognition of a Palestinian State
https://hadassah.quorum.us/campaign/150204/
URGE CONGRESS TO PROTECT SYNAGOGUES AND SENSITIVE SPACES FROM IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT
https://www.votervoice.net/URJ/Campaigns/121556/Respond?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1/22/2026__EmailJobID-9398195___
3. Friends of Israel, Sun Lakes, Events
Israel Update by Rabbi Michael Beyo at Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation
Rabbi Beyo, historian and CEO of the East Valley JCC will discuss From Division to Unity: What’s Next? as part of the “Israel: A Nation and its People” Series on March 1, 2026, at 1:00 PM.
After the atrocious Hamas massacre of October 7 domestic differences dissolved and a unity of cause prevailed to defeat Hamas and return the 250 hostages. Now, the same domestic issues remain with national elections expected later this year. What is next???
Registration required at: [email protected]
Specific location revealed to registrants days before event
Support Israel’s Wine Industry and Mental Health Services
The East Valley Israeli Wine Tasting will be on February 22, 2026 from 3:30 to 5:30PM at Temple Beth Shalom of the East Valley. The Friends of Israel SLJC are co-sponsors along with several East Valley Jewish organizations.
Tickets are $25.00 per person donation. Registration at TBSEV.org
Questions: Michael Cohen 480 440 4932
4. GAZA ARTICLES
Why Gaza Should Be Placed Under US and Israeli Control
A joint US and Israeli security and business presence there could result at last in the emergence of moderate, pragmatic Palestinians. Such an outcome will certainly never take place if Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan or the Palestinian Authority are allowed inside the Gaza Strip. There is a far higher probability of accords being torn up and a new war launched after Trump leaves office.
American or Israeli control of the Gaza Strip would not only prevent Palestinian terrorists from gaining more power and launching attacks again but also send a reassuring message to neighboring Arab and Islamic states that they would be able to rely on the US when it comes to combating Islamist terrorism against their own regimes as well
Bassam Tawil, Gatestone Institute January 15,2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22201/gaza-us-israeli-control
An Even Better Trump Solution for Gaza
Arab and Muslim countries might object to the United States directly managing the rehabilitation of Gaza,: it ruins their chances of attacking Israel more easily after Trump leaves office. That is precisely why a pervasive US or Israeli presence in Gaza is the only way to ensure the success of peace in Gaza, peace in the rest of the Middle East, and a spectacular future for the peaceful Palestinians who remain.
Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute, January 5, 2026
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22176/trump-solution-for-gaza
The Hidden Truth Behind Gaza’s Board of Peace
Hence, the Board of Peace itself may be more than just Gaza-focused; it could very well provide a pilot program or a preview of a reimagined United Nations — one where influence is increasingly transactional, operational authority is tied to strategic stakes, and governance is concentrated among a narrower set of actors.
Gaza could be the test case for a new model in which the UN and its affiliates function less as neutral arbiters and more as instruments of enforceable global governance. How the world navigates Gaza will signal whether international norms evolve toward accountability and strategic alignment or continue to operate through symbolic, often ineffective, diplomacy.
Joshua Hoffman, Future of Jewish, January 21,2026
https://www.futureofjewish.com/p/the-hidden-truth-behind-gazas-board?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=844794&post_id=185138300&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1tkxa2&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
What does Trump's Phase II hold in store for Gaza; future analysis
The key pieces remain the executive committee and either the IDF or the Palestinian police.
That is because the critical questions for the future of Gaza are: who will run it politically – with the thorny issues being decided by the executive committee run by Nickolay Mladenov, former British prime minister Tony Blair, and Trump aides Jared Kusher and Steve Witkoff - and to what extent Hamas will disarm and allow anyone else to manage public order .
All along the assumption of Israeli defense officials has been that no third party would manage to disarm Hamas because they had not been disarmed by the end of the war and no third party would be ready to get into a gunfight with them.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-883549
4,ARTICLE ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE WEST
A Guide to the Middle East for Western Audiences
Israel is simply a convenient mirror for the region's internal failings, a target for redirected rage, and a symbolic arena for ideological and sectarian contests. The Middle East is not a region struggling to become the West and repeatedly falling short. It is a region operating according to its own political, cultural, religious, and historical logics — many of them illiberal, many of them durable, and many of them fundamentally incompatible with Western expectations. Iran’s crisis is not an exception to this pattern; it is one of its clearest expressions.
Western thinking about the Middle East is dominated by projection. We assume that, beneath different accents, cuisines, and customs, people there are “basically just like us.” That if only corruption were removed, borders redrawn, or the right international programs funded, the region would naturally converge toward liberal democracy, pluralism, and peaceful coexistence.This belief is comforting. It is also wrong
MWC: This is an excellent piece on how Middle East Countries and Western Democracies perceive the world differently.
Joshua Hoffman, Future of Jewish, January 14, 2026
https://www.futureofjewish.com/p/a-guide-to-the-middle-east-for-the?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=844794&post_id=184494132&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1tkxa2&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Israel is simply a convenient mirror for the region's internal failings, a target for redirected rage, and a symbolic arena for ideological and sectarian contests.
