Day: January 25, 2026

Lay of the Land Weekly Newsletter- 25 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 –19–22 January 2026
(Click on the blue title)



Lay of the Land’s PhotoPick of the Week

“SOUNDS OF SILENCE”

This photo is an indictment as much against the West as against Iran
Appealing for the support that characterized the streets and colleges of the West since October 2023, Iranians – cut off from communicating – are met with a deafening “Sounds of Silence”.

The desert saying, “The dog barks but the caravan moves on,” reflects Western indifference while Iranian
protestors are slaughtered, hospitals struggle to treat the injured, women wail at cemeteries
overwhelmed by the dead, and morgues fill with bags holding unidentified bodies.
(Photo: Kim Kyung/Reuters)




ARTICLES

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

(1)

BATTLEGROUNDS FOR RECONCILIATION

The Pivotal Role of HBCUs in combating antisemitism in America’s Black Community.
By Jonathan Feldstein

Reviving Reconciliation. While Martin Luther King Jr. – seen here with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel –
expressed the Jewish community “more than any other ethnic group” stood by the Black community, 
historical shifts, cultural influences, and educational institutions have fueled division. 
Can this process be reversed?

BATTLEGROUNDS FOR RECONCILIATION
(Click on the blue title)



(2)

GOODBYE KHAMENEI, HELLO ABRAHAM ACCORDS

How regime change in Iran can lead to a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East.
By Neville Berman

To Be or Not to Be. Its not just a rhetorical question but the future of millions of Iranians and people in the
region and around the world wait in anticipation for the dawn of a new era of peace and prosperity.

GOODBYE KHAMENEI, HELLO ABRAHAM ACCORDS
(Click on the blue title)



(3)

MAN ON THE RUN

From running marathons to running a top travel agency, Allan Wolman could also not get faster enough to Israel in 1967 to volunteer during the Six Day War.
A tribute by David E. Kaplan

True to his Word. A frequent contributor to Lay of the Land, we pay tribute to this former South African who in his own way, fought for Israel both in word and in deed.

MAN ON THE RUN
(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).