A day before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, Israeli officials and private citizens are preparing for a new era in relations with Washington after what most would describe as a difficult season during the Administration of outgoing President Barak Obama. Many questions remain however, especially in light of the testimony of several appointees to positions in the new Administration before the US Senate’s confirmation hearings.

The Palestinian Authority and PLO announced this week they are budgeting a lifelong monthly stipend of NIS 3,000 for the family of the terrorist who was killed while in the process of carrying out a truck-ramming attack on Israelis in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem on 8 January. The stipend, which will presumably be funded by monies donated to the PA by the US, EU and other Western governments, will be augmented by a one-time lump sum of NIS 6,300.

Relations between Israel and Turkey continue to gradually improve, as evidenced this week by a high-level meeting of military officers in Brussels on Tuesday and the scheduling of a high-level diplomatic meeting later this month in Ankara. A delegation of Turkish business leaders was also in Israel this week to discuss opportunities with their Israeli counterparts.

Israel’s long-term goal of creating a shield of layered missile defense capabilities took another step forward on Wednesday when the Arrow-3 system, which will defend the Jewish State against long-range ballistic missiles, was declared operational. The system, jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and the Boeing Corporation in the US, provides a viable deterrent against Iran’s most advanced Shihab-class missiles and also giving the US capabilities to defend against the threat of ballistic missiles from North Korea and other potential antagonists.

The self-described “Human Rights Group” Amnesty International took a break from its obsessive criticism of Israel this week to issue a report condemning Iran for what it described as the widespread use of “cruel and inhuman” corporal punishment including flogging and amputations for minor infractions of Islamic Sharia law as well as civil laws in the Islamic Republic. The report cited an example of a journalist who was given 40 lashes with a whip for incorrectly reporting the number of motorcycles confiscated by police in a small city in Isfahan Province.

Another round of bomb threats against Jewish institutions on the US occurred on Wednesday, as at least 30 locations in 17 different states received phone calls warning of an imminent attack that failed to materialize but nonetheless disrupted the lives of those who worked and/or received services there. The threats were made against Jewish community centers, private schools and other institutions, adding fuel to a growing sense of threat felt by the Jewish community in that country.

Unfortunately, Pope Francis’s papacy has been marked by a long list of anti-Israel gestures which did not advance the cause of peace the Pope claims to champion.