By Philip C. Johnson
January 18, 2026
For the past month, I’ve been in Krakow, Poland, immersed in the somber task of teaching groups of students about the Holocaust—its unimaginable horrors and the direct links to the rising anti-Semitism and anti-Western sentiment that are growing more and more in our world today. Standing amid the remnants of such profound evil, the connections to the present feel urgent and undeniable.
From the ashes of Auschwitz rose the nation of Israel—a direct fulfillment of ancient biblical prophecies, a homeland reborn for the Jewish people after centuries of exile and persecution. Yet history refuses to stay buried.
In 2023, Israel suffered its darkest day since independence: Hamas terrorists stormed across the border in a barbaric assault, raping, beheading, and murdering 1,200 Israelis in a single, horrifying spree. The world watched in shock, but the threat persists.
Today, I’ve landed in Israel at a moment of profound unease. The regime in Iran is reeling from massive anti-regime protests that erupted in late 2025 over economic collapse, quickly escalating into calls to end the Islamic Republic itself. The crackdown has been brutal—thousands killed, tens of thousands arrested, internet blackouts, and reports of massacres that have subdued the streets for now. President Trump has issued repeated warnings of “grave consequences” if the killing continues, praising the “brave” Iranian people while keeping all options on the table, including potential intervention. Israelis are bracing for the very real possibility of retaliatory rocket attacks or worse from Iran, amid ongoing regional tensions and fears of escalation.
This week, I’m conducting several key interviews to probe the path forward. One is with Amos Yadlin, the former head of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate. A legendary figure, Yadlin participated directly in two historic operations to halt nuclear proliferation in the region: as a combat pilot in Operation Opera (1981), which destroyed Iraq’s Osirak reactor, and later in a leadership role during Operation Out of the Box, targeting Syria’s covert nuclear facility.
The other is with Gershon Baskin, a prominent Israeli peace activist, columnist, and expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Baskin is best known for negotiating the secret back-channel that secured the 2011 release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners—including Yahya Sinwar, who later rose to become a key Hamas leader.
Our conversations will focus on the threat on Iran as well as the critical next steps in the Israel-Gaza ceasefire, particularly Phase 2, which the U.S. recently announced as moving forward—emphasizing full demilitarization of Hamas, reconstruction of Gaza, and the establishment of a transitional Palestinian technocratic administration. How can Israel realistically disarm a terror group deeply entrenched and unlikely to surrender power voluntarily? Who will govern and rebuild Gaza once the fighting fully subsides?
As my Auschwitz guide, Oskar, poignantly said at the end of our tour: “Never again” was a lie. The world has not learned its lesson. That truth feels truer than ever now, caught between a relentless terror organization like Hamas on one side—determined to hold power—and a hostile, terror-funding regime like Iran on the other.
I’m here to listen, learn, and report back. More to come as these conversations unfold in this pivotal moment.
The Global Nexter 