Day: January 19, 2026

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 18 January 2026

Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond.

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What’s happening in Israel today? See from every Monday – Thursday LOTL’s The Israel Brief broadcasts and on our Facebook page and YouTube by seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA, broadcasting out of Virginia, USA.

THE ISRAEL BRIEF –12–15 January 2026
(Click on the blue title)



Lay of the Land’s Photo Pick of the Week

OVER THE RAINBOW

Hula Nature Reserve in northern Israel, January 13, 2026.(Photo: Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Under a Dark Cloud. In a week that people in the region were bracing for war, it was a welcome sight to be greeted in the morning media by nature’s symbol of Hope, New Beginnings, Peace and Divine Promise.



ARTICLES

Please note there is a facility to comment beneath each article should you wish to express an opinion on the subject addressed.

(1)

TO THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN TO STAGE, SCREEN AND PETITION – FACTS MATTER

An Open Letter to the Entertainment Industry.
By Rolene Marks

Face the Facts. The writer confronts with FACTS those voices from “stage, screen and the recording arts” who advocate for Black Lives Matter,  #MeToo movement, gender equality and other Human Rights groups but are SILENT when it comes to Israelis and Jews.

TO THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN TO STAGE, SCREEN AND PETITION – FACTS MATTER
(Click on the blue title)



(2)

OUT OF THIS WORLD

A tribute to Israeli entrepreneur, innovator, philanthropist and visionary Morris Kahn (1930-2026) who sought frontiers below and beyond.
By David E. Kaplan

Feisty Frontiersman.  From manufacturing bicycles to telecommunication software powerhouse, to creating unique tourist underwater observatories beneath the world’s oceans, to supporting Israel’s entry into the Space Age, Morris Kahn has been a true trailblazer.

OUT OF THIS WORLD
(Click on the blue title)



(3)

THE INCOMPATIBILITY OF JUDAISM AND ANTIZIONISM

A Jew opposing Jewish statehood displays today historical illiteracy or suicidal self-destructiveness.
By Grant Gochin

Defining the Difference. Far from the common “colonial” slur, Zionism at its most basic core, explains the writer “…means to stop murdering Jews, while antizionism means to continue to murder Jews.” Do Jews have to again stand in line for a ‘shower’ to understand the distinction?

THE INCOMPATIBILITY OF JUDAISM AND ANTIZONISM
(Click on the blue title)



(4)

IS HALTING EXECUTIONS IN IRAN GOOD ENOUGH?
Pulling back from military intervention following bellicose threats, is Trump failing – like Carter, Obama and Biden preceding him – the long-suffering people of Iran?
By Jonathan Feldstein

Suppressing the Street. A brutal theocratic dictatorship, Iran has devolved into a failed state unable to provide water and electricity and its currency devalued to record lows, more than one million rials per dollar. The message from the street is for no more “deals” but regime change?

IS HALTING EXECUTIONS IN IRAN GOOD ENOUGH?
(Click on the blue title)


LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche

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While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).