From the Global Front in Israel

January 16 – 22, 2026

Like driving through a winter storm…

Lately, keeping up with the news, especially Israel-related news, feels like driving through a winter storm. Did you see this week’s report about the massive pileup south of Grand Rapids, Michigan? One moment the road looked clear. The next, visibility vanished, brake lights flared, and dozens of cars and semis slammed together before anyone could react. Thankfully, no one was killed, but the danger came out of nowhere. That’s what this news cycle feels like — not a slow-moving crisis you can see forming, but flash hazards emerging in real time, forcing you to slam the brakes before you even understand what you’re facing.

Last week the big question was Iran. As protests continued to erupt, would Trump intervene? Would Israel take action? Would the ayatollahs launch a preemptive or retaliatory missile attack? Here in Israel all of us braced for siren alerts sending the country to bomb shelters.

Then… nothing happened. U.S. President Trump did not authorize a military strike. As you can see just below in Top Stories of the Week, something still might happen as America is putting military assets in place, moving two of its supercarriers toward the Persian Gulf.

Just as we were catching our collective breath, a small article appeared, disclosing the Charter of President Trump’s Board of Peace.

Originally proposed to supervise and administrate the situation in Gaza, the Board of Peace charter revealed a global agenda set to rival the United Nations. That’s not so bad, but…

…membership is open to anti-Israel nations as well as autocratic superpowers like Russia and China.

In fact, as I write, reports indicate that both have accepted invitations to join. So too have eight Muslim countries, including Turkiye and Qatar, close friends and financial supporters of Hamas.

Trump explains the inclusion of problematic nations by saying, “I have some controversial people on it (the BoP), but these are people who get the job done. These are people who have tremendous influence. We want all nations where people have control and power.” For more about what he said, see the related news story below.

Not surprisingly, Israel’s first reaction was an eruption of protest. In a speech on Monday in the Knesset, Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged that Turkey and Qatar will not “have any authority or any influence” in the various bodies set up by US President Donald Trump’s administration to run postwar Gaza. Which is, of course, exactly what has happened.

Then, two days later, on Wednesday, Netanyahu joined the Board of Peace! Why? See related stories below.