President Donald Trump’s positive relationship with Jews has its roots in his childhood and stretches across decades in business. Those ties ultimately drew him deep into the pro-Israel camp.
One year into his second term, the president has detained Maduro, bombed Iran and secured a Gaza deal. Behind the impulsive exterior lies a calculated strategy of spheres of influence and surgical military force.
The arrival of a US aircraft carrier in the Gulf gives Washington significant flexibility in the use of force. While the military option remains on the table, President Donald Trump is also keeping the diplomatic track open – a development that carries troubling implications for Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the declaration on the composition of the Gaza excutive board, which is subordinate to the peace board, was not coordinated. The question is: what exactly was not coordinated with Israel?
Iran’s regime can point to two significant achievements in recent days. Yet without a profound change in policy, the stability it has regained is only temporary, and the challenge to the regime is likely to return. Senior figures in Iran understand what is required to stabilize the regime, but Ali Khamenei’s ideological rigidity could ultimately bring it to ruin.
The brutal suppression of the protests led to their decline in Iran, but without any change in the country’s underlying conditions, it is only a matter of time before they return. Israel’s clear interest is to stay out of events inside Iran, but if Tehran continues producing missiles at a high pace, Israel may have no choice but to initiate another campaign.
Some are quick to claim credit for halting the escalation, but it is far from clear that these were the circumstances that led the president to his apparent decision. The ultimatum to the murderous regime remains in force, and the ball is in the hands of the oppressed people of Iran.
The Israeli-American Council’s 10th National Summit, taking place January 15–17 in Florida, is not a celebration. It brings together Israeli-Americans, Jewish Americans, and Israelis not as separate audiences, but as partners confronting shared challenges and shaping shared solutions.
The goal will not be a merely symbolic strike – but to topple the regime, once and for all. Trump understands he faces a historic opportunity. The US will attack from the air, the residents of Iran will finish the job from the ground.
Iran’s future must belong to its people, not to the mullahs, not to foreign proxies, and not to those who helped plunge the country into darkness in the first place.
