Daily Kickoff
TOP TALKER: Jeffrey Goldberg — “The Netanyahu Disaster” in The Atlantic: “Netanyahu appears to believe that his mission is singular, but Israeli prime ministers, in fact, have two main tasks. The first is to protect their country from existential threats. The second: To work very hard to stay on the good side of the president and people of the United States. Success in accomplishing this first task is sometimes predicated on achieving this second task… Netanyahu’s management of his relationship with Obama threatens the bipartisan nature of Israel’s American support. His Dermer-inspired, Boehner-enabled end-run has alienated three crucially important constituencies. First, the administration itself: Netanyahu’s estrangement from the Obama White House now appears to be permanent.”
“Netanyahu has also alienated many elected Democrats, including Jewish Democrats on Capitol Hill. One Jewish member of Congress told me that he felt humiliated and angered by Netanyahu’s ploy to address Congress “behind the president’s back.” A non-Jewish Democratic elected official texted me over the weekend to say that the damage Netanyahu is doing to Israel’s relationship with the U.S. may be “irreparable.” A larger group that Netanyahu risks alienating is American Jewry, or at least the strong majority of American Jews that has voted for Obama twice. Netanyahu’s decision to pit U.S. political party against U.S. political party—because that is what his end-run does—puts American Jewish supporters of Israel in a messy, uncomfortable spot, and it is not in Israel’s interest to place American Jews in a position in which they have to choose between their president and the leader of a Jewish state whose behavior is making them queasy.” [TheAtlantic] • James Fallows: “Would a U.S. Strike Against Iran Actually Work?” [TheAtlantic]
AIPAC WAS NOT CONSULTED PRIOR: “We always appreciate it when the Israeli Prime Minister has an opportunity to address Congress and the American people,” Marshall Wittmann, AIPAC’s spokesman… But off the record, sources close to AIPAC and the Jewish congressional caucus said bypassing them undercut their effectiveness and made little long-term sense for Israel. “The bottom line is, it would have been smarter to consult,” said a source close to AIPAC.” [JTA] • Jodi Rudoren: “Netanyahu Talk Stirs Backlash in Israeli Race” [NYTimes] • Seth Lipsky: “What Bibi could say to Congress” [Haaretz] • Editorial: “The Bibi Snub” [NYObserver]
STATE DEPT PRESS BRIEFING: Reporter’s question: “Ambassador Dermer.. said in a speech on Sunday night that it was not the prime minister’s intention to embarrass or humiliate or somehow disrespect the President of the United States. Do you accept that explanation? Jen Psaki: “I think we’re not losing much more sleep about this particular issue. (Laughter.)” [State]
“Democrats Put Brakes On Iran Sanctions Bill” by Deb Riechmann: “Senate Democrats on Tuesday put the brakes on new Iran sanctions legislation, ending for now a looming showdown between Congress and President Barack Obama over negotiations to prevent Tehran from having the capability to make a nuclear weapon. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., a leading proponent of the legislation, says he remains skeptical a deal will materialize, but says he and nine other Democrats now won’t push the bill at least until the end of March.” [AP; JPost] • “On Iran, Menendez Offers Obama an Olive Branch—and a Warning” [NationalJournal]
—Quote: “It strikes me that this is a pretty good day for those who support the [sanctions bill],” Josh Block, the CEO and president of The Israel Project, said in an interview. The letter is a “creative way” to signal to the White House that support for sanctions goes beyond the Republican conference and is gaining traction among congressional Democrats.” [NJ]
—“Menendez, Kirk introduce new Iran sanctions bill” by Kristina Wong: “Sens. Mark Kirk(R-Ill.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Tuesday evening unveiled their bill to impose new sanctions on Iran if international negotiators fail to reach a deal by June 30 on Tehran’s nuclear program. This comes even as one of the key sponsors – Menendez – promised to hold off on a final vote until March 24. Fourteen other senators co-sponsored the the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015 — eight Republicans and six Democrats: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.),Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.),Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)… If all 54 Republicans vote for the bill, they would need at least 13 Democrats to override the president’s veto threat.”… “In a quintessentially Washington moment, both the bill’s proponents and its opponents cast developments Tuesday as indicative of success.” [TheHill; ToI]
REPORT: “Iran Says It Sent Warning To Israel Via US Officials” by Nasser Karimi: “Tehran said Tuesday it sent a warning to Israel through the United States over the recent killing of an Iranian general in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria, the official IRNA news agency reported. “We told the Americans that the leaders of the Zionist regime should await the consequences of their act,” IRNA quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying. Israel had “crossed our red lines,” he added.”[AP]
Saudi Arabia Dispatch: “Not much mourning” by Edward-Isaac Dovere: “Riyadh isn’t a wonder of the world. But it was a pretty big spectacle, starting with the surprise appearance of King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the airport to greet Air Force One. Rumors about Salman’s health and possible dementia are everywhere, but he walked, smiling, in a black robe trimmed with gold and white headdress to meet the Obamas, and stood talking with the president for several minutes. Obama doesn’t really know Salman, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes acknowledged to reporters as they flew here on Air Force One, and there’s too much to do, particularly in fighting terrorists occupying territory in neighboring Syria, not to move quickly to fix that, Rhodes said.” [Politico]
2016 WATCH: “Bill Clinton suggest nickname ‘Adam’ if wife becomes president” by Kendall Breitman: “Former President Bill Clinton has had plenty of nicknames but if his wife becomes president, he’ll need another one — and he already has an idea for what it could be. “Let’s say, if a woman became president, we could, I could be called Adam,” Clinton said in an interview with the “Rachael Ray Show” airing Thursday, referring to the first man of Judeo-Christian scripture.” [Politico]
“Romney to Be Inducted Into Washington’s Alfalfa Club” by Jonathan Martin: “Mitt Romney may never become president, but he has won admission to at least one exclusive Washington fraternity: the Alfalfa Club. Mr. Romney will be inducted into the elite club on Saturday at their annual Washington dinner, according to a member. Founded in 1913, Alfalfa exists entirely to stage the black-tie dinner, usually held the last weekend in January. The club is made up of political and business titans, and each year elects a “president” of its own. As with other such long-running Washington banquets, the actual president also often attends…” Jeb Bush is a member… Gov. Scott Walker will be attending this year as a guest…. “Occupy D.C. protested the 2012 dinner and glitter-bombed then-senator Joe Lieberman.” [NYTimes; USA Today] • “Again for Rupert Murdoch, Romney Can Do No Right” [NYTimes]
RIVLIN: “Christie to meet with Israeli president: Gov. Chris Christie will meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in New York City on Thursday, the governor’s office announced today.” [NJ] • “Israeli President to talk Latino-Jewish kinship in the Bronx” [DailyNews] • “Will address the United Nations today, then meet with De Blasio” [JP]
TALK OF OUR NATION: “Poland’s Jewish Culture Rises From the Ashes of Persecution” by Daniel A. Gross in Newsweek: “Outside of Europe, Jews still sometimes call Poland the Old Country, a place where villages were once built around synagogues, and where you could find a Yiddish newspaper and a kosher butcher on nearly every corner. Memories of the Old Country, however, are tightly entwined with the trauma of the Holocaust. Treblinka, where nearly a million Jews died during World War II, is less than an hour from Warsaw. Auschwitz is an hour from Krakow. Dozens of tourism companies will take you to the death camps—but you’d be hard-pressed to find a tour of living, thriving Jewish Poland.”
“Slowly, that’s changing. Poland’s first Jewish Community Center opened in Krakow in 2008. Another such center, this time in Warsaw, was inaugurated in 2013. A year later, the opening of the starkly elegant Museum of the History of Polish Jews made international headlines. By focusing on Jewish culture and social history, rather than just World War II, the museum emphasizes that there’s more to Jewish life in Poland than the Holocaust… Poland’s not the Old Country it once was, but a small community of Jews is creating a vibrant new home there. It’s only when the carpets begin to wear thin and the stairs round out that you know you’ve really built something.” [Newsweek] • Good Read – Ezra Mosseri on his recent trip to Poland: “Where there are no men” [Medium]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Dan Loeb Got ‘American Sniper’ Made, Missed Out on Profits” [Bloomberg] • “Redskins Fans Crowdfunding Documentary On Washington Owner Daniel Snyder” [PostGame] • “Scott Walker proposes investment of $220 million for Marc Lasry’s Bucks arena” [JSonline] • “Delek seeks to sell Phoenix to Chinese” [Haaretz; Globes] • “Dvir Cohen developing 130-unit Crown Heights building”[RealDeal] • “Joe Sitt’s Thor Closes on $260M NoMad Purchase, Plans to Go Condo” [Observer]
SPOTLIGHT: “Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on where big tech is headed” by Adam Lashinsky: “Where do your ideas come from? I like to be around creative people. That’s a way that Iideate. I like to be in locations that I kind of feel are very creative, that stimulate me in a creative process. I also get a lot of stimulation being around my customers. The next stage of my creative process is I start to ask myself the right questions. I think the quality of your innovation is directly proportional to the quality of your questions. History suggests that big companies have a very tough time staying on top. How do you approach that as the CEO of a 16-year-old technology company worth $36 billion? To quote Andy Grove, “Only the paranoid survive.” You have to be ready to have a beginner’s mind and constantly be creating the future. Always be ready to start again.” [FortuneMag]
DID YOU KNOW? Jawbone’s original name was AliphCom “evoking the first letter in the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets with a wink toward speech communication.” [Fortune]
ISRAELEX: “Knesset member Stav Shaffir goes viral with leftist credo for today’s Israel” by Yair Rosenberg [TabletMag]
AP FEATURED HEADLINES: “Group: Israel Violated Rules Of War In Strikes On Gaza Homes” [AP]• “UN Agency Halts Aid To Gaza War Victims Over Lack Of Funds” [AP] • “Palestinian Girl, 14, In Israel Prison For Throwing Rocks” [AP]
Former Haaretz EIC Passes: “British Born Israeli Journalist David Landau Dead At 67:“David Landau, a British born author and journalist who was a former editor-in-chief of Israel’s Haaretz newspaper and also worked for the Jerusalem Post, has died. He was 67.” [AP]
TALK OF THE TOWN: “City’s Orthodox Jews upset with free Pre-Kindergarten program, want time for religious instruction” by Ben Chapman in the New York Daily News:“Advocates for the city’s Jewish community are blasting Mayor de Blasio with a series of ads over a prekindergarten policy they say costs Jewish families $50 million a year. Orthodox Union political directorMaury Litwack said few Orthodox Jewish kids are taking advantage of de Blasio’s universal pre-K because its full-day schedule leaves no time for religious instruction... Litwack created ads that demand deBlasio to make more half-day slots so members of the Orthodox Jewish community can have their children attend religious instruction during the day as well.” [DailyNews]
Sheldon Silver to resign as Assembley speaker: “Scandal-scarred Sheldon Silver Tuesday night agreed to resign as the powerful Assembly speaker. “I will not impede the process. . . .I believe very deeply in the institution. I hope there will be somebody here to carry on the good work that has been done,” a somber Silver said outside his office in the state capital… Silver emphasized that while he’s surrendering the speakership, he will remain an assemblyman and continue to represent the Lower East Side as he fights the corruption charges. He maintains he’s innocent and will be vindicated.” [NYPost]
PROFILE: “The Drone Defender: Meet the (Jewish) lawyer fighting for freer skies, one lawsuit at a time” by Andrew Zaleski: “If the FAA is Goliath in this fight, Brendan Schulman is David. For the past two years, the 40-year-old attorney has been slinging rocks, in the form of lawsuits, at the agency on behalf of drone operators around the country—including in the first federal commercial drone case in the United States. Schulman also leads Kramer Levin’s unmanned aircraft systems practice group, which Schulman says was the first of its kind in the country when it launched in 2013. For a mild-mannered hobbyist—he has built and piloted model aircraft and lightweight drones of his own for 20 years—Schulman is perhaps America’s foremost spokesperson fighting to protect civilian drone operators from regulations he sees as arduous, at a time, he says, when drones are poised to change industries ranging from construction to filmmaking.” [PoliticoMag; Jewish Angle]
That’s all folks; have a great day!
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