On the diplomatic front, the current crisis will be a test for many of the Jewish state’s relationships. Oshrit Birvadker reports some good—in her words, “historic”—news from New Delhi:

Hours after the images of the atrocities on October 7 began spreading, . . . Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India—the leader of the world’s largest democracy—expressed his unequivocal support for Israel. From the moment Israel declared statehood in 1948, India had consistently refrained from supporting the Jewish state in any war; on the contrary, [it had] supported its enemies and provided them assistance. But 2023 will now go down as the year when India left its historical fears behind and stood boldly beside its friend.

Modi’s support for Israel in this way is certainly a change of course, deviating from decades of walking on eggshells regarding the Middle East and Israel in particular.

In his inauguration speech, Donald Trump put forth ambitious goals for his first days in office. An additional item that should be on the agenda of his administration, and also that of the 119th Congress, should be defunding, and ideally dismantling, UNRWA. The UN Relief and Works Organization for Palestine Refugees—to give its full name—is deeply enmeshed with Hamas in Gaza, has inculcated generations of young Palestinians with anti-Semitism, and exists primarily to perpetuate the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Robert Satloff explains what must be done.

[T]here is an inherent contradiction in support for UNRWA (given its anti-resettlement posture) and support for a two-state solution (or any negotiated resolution) to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Providing relief to millions of Palestinians based on the argument that their legitimate, rightful home lies inside Israel is deeply counterproductive to the search for peace.

Last October, the Israeli parliament voted overwhelmingly to pass two laws that will come into effect January 30: a ban on UNRWA operations in Israeli sovereign territory and the severing of all Israeli ties with the agency. This includes cancellation of a post-1967 agreement that allowed UNRWA to operate freely in what was then newly occupied territory.

A more ambitious U.S. approach could score a win-win achievement that advances American interests in Middle East peace while saving millions of taxpayer dollars. Namely, Washington could take advantage of Israel’s new laws to create an alternative support mechanism that eases UNRWA out of Gaza. This would entail raising the stakes with other specialized UN agencies operating in the area. Instead of politely asking them if they can assume UNRWA’s job in Gaza, the Trump administration should put them on notice that continued U.S. funding of their own global operations is contingent on their taking over those tasks. Only such a dramatic step is likely to produce results.