Daily Kickoff
REPORT: “Obama invites Netanyahu to visit White House” by Alex Fishman: “US President Barack Obama invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington next month, Ynet’s sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth reported Tuesday morning. State Department sources said that the probable date for the visit is either July 15 or 16… Israeli officials therefore believe the Americans are convinced that they will succeed in signing an agreement with Iran in the coming weeks, despite the delays and difficulties that are leaked daily from the negotiation rooms.” [YNet]
“White House denies report Obama invited Netanyahu for Washington meeting” by Barak Ravid: “A senior official in the U.S. administration told Haaretz that as yet no invitation was extended from Obama to Netanyahu to come to Washington. However, the official added that “absolutely we’d expect that there will certainly be occasion for the two of them to meet in Washington at some point going forward.” A source within the Prime Minister’s Office said that as yet no invitation was received regarding a Netanyahu visit to the U.S.” [Haaretz]
TOP TALKER: “How Obama Abandoned Israel” by Michael Oren: “‘Nobody has a monopoly on making mistakes.” When I was Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2009 to the end of 2013, that was my standard response to reporters asking who bore the greatest responsibility—President Barack Obama or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—for the crisis in U.S.-Israel relations. I never felt like I was lying when I said it. But, in truth, while neither leader monopolized mistakes, only one leader made them deliberately… The past six years have seen successive crises in U.S.-Israeli relations, and there is a need to set the record straight. But the greater need is to ensure a future of minimal mistakes and prevent further erosion of our vital alliance.” [WSJ]
Lee Smith: “Like Obama, the current prime minister of the Jewish state is also contemptuous of the American liberal Jewish community. From both of their perspectives, these are weak, primitive, frightened people, who can be manipulated from a distance and suck up to power not because their lives depend on it, but their careers do. The difference between Obama and Bibi, as many of these liberal American Jews have so loudly proclaimed over the last year, is that only the former was elected by the American Jewish community. That’s perhaps something for them to think about.” [TabletMag]
IRAN TALKS: “‘Great unwinding’ of sanctions on Iran poses risks” by Nahal Toosi: “With a deadline for the Iran nuclear deal just weeks away, the Obama administration is weighing how and when to unwind sanctions on its longtime nemesis. Removing sanctions too quickly would give Iran sudden access to cash that some fear it will use to fund nefarious activity. With an accord due by June 30, however, others warn of a different threat: If Iran doesn’t feel relief from sanctions fast enough, it could lose its incentive to stick to the agreement.” [Politico]
DRIVING THE DAY: “Sidney Blumenthal, Hillary Clinton’s Confidant, Turns Over Memos on Libya” by Michael S. Schmidt: “Mr. Blumenthal, a former aide to President Bill Clinton, is scheduled to be deposed by the committee on Tuesday. Its chairman, Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, wants to question him about where he was getting his information and why he was writing intelligence memos for Mrs. Clinton. At the time, Mr. Blumenthal was being paid by the Clinton Foundation.” [NYTimes; Politico]
2016 WATCH — Jeb Bush’s Campaign Announcement: “From the beginning, our president and his foreign-policy team have been so eager to be the history makers that they have failed to be the peacemakers. With their phone-it-in foreign policy, the Obama-Clinton-Kerry team is leaving a legacy of crises uncontained, violence unopposed, enemies unnamed, friends undefended, and alliances unraveling… We keep dependable friends in this world by being dependable ourselves. I will rebuild our vital friendships. That starts by standing with the brave, democratic State of Israel.” [YouTube]
Spotted at Jeb’s Miami launch: Noam Neusner, Sander Gerber, Jay Zeidman, and an unidentified Orthodox Jew sitting in the second row of the diverse audience behind Jeb’s wife and kids. [TwitterPic] • List of Jeb’s Wall Street supporters [CNBC]
“Donald Trump will declare $9 billion in assets as he reveals 2016 plans” by Robert Costa and Matea Gold: “Donald J. Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul, on Tuesday will release a summary of assets that total about $9 billion as part of his likely entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to people familiar with his plans. The two-page document — to be published after he holds a political rally at Trump Tower in New York — will provide a valuation of his hotels and other properties.” [WashPost] • Ivanka Trump weighs in [CNBC]
“Sheldon Adelson And The Koch Brothers Are Closer Than Ever” by Peter H. Stone: “It was the second consecutive year, according to an RJC donor, that [the Koch’s representative] Phillips dropped by for at least part of the conference, which doubles as the site of the so-called Adelson primary — the increasingly high-stakes battle between GOP presidential candidates vying to win the billionaire’s favor by expressing their full-throated support for Israel. Phillips’ foray into RJC turf was emblematic of a growing and successful effort by the Koch network to tap into Adelson’s $28 billion net worth and forge new links with the casino owner and the RJC, of which Adelson has long been the lead bankroller.” [HuffPost]
“JNF Canada cancels Huckabee speech amid LGBTQ objections: Huckabee, who is vying for the Republican bid in 2016, had his Oct. 15 speaking engagement in Ottawa canceled on June 10 following objections from the Canadian LGBTQ community.” [JTA]
“Is Bernie Sanders a Lefty Except for Israel?” by Josh Nathan-Kazis: ““I know he’s often rated as the most liberal senator,” said Aaron Keyak, managing director of Bluelight Strategies. “When I see Senator Bernie Sanders, I see someone who is a typical pro-Israel Jewish Democrat.” One longtime Hill-watcher who focuses on Israel issues placed Sanders somewhere on a continuum between California Senator Dianne Feinstein — an often outspoken Israel critic who is Jewish — and Senator Chuck Schumer, the New York Jewish lawmaker known as a forceful defender of the Jewish state.” [Forward] • “Can Hillary match Bernie’s frenzied fans?” [Politico]
“Israeli diplomats release cartoon mocking clueless foreign reporters” by William Booth:“Israel’s Foreign Ministry released an animated short video Monday that mocks foreign journalists who covered last summer’s war in the Gaza Strip. The hacks are portrayed — horrors — as clueless… The production values are high, its creator appearing to pay homage to a “South Park” sensibility, with a tip of the hat to Trey Parker’s clueless reporter Chris Swollenballs.” [WashPost] • David Harris Op: “Ten Ways Israel Is Treated Differently” [HuffPost]
“Israel Seeking Gulf Arabs’ Help for Peace Talks, Shalom Says” by Calev Ben-David: “Israel is ready to make concessions to reach peace with the Palestinians and is seeking help from Qatar and other Gulf Arab countries to get talks restarted, according to the cabinet minister who would lead negotiations.” [Bloomberg] • “Israel increases relief measures to Palestinians in West Bank” [YNet]
HAPPENING TODAY: “At Cornell Tech ceremony, Bloomberg to announce $100M donation” by Sally Goldenberg: “Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio will make a joint appearance for the first time on Tuesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of Cornell Tech’s campus and announce Bloomberg’s $100 million charitable donation to the school. Bloomberg, the multi-billionaire former mayor, will unveil the gift from his charitable organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, to fund the construction of the Roosevelt Island campus.” [CapitalNY; NYTimes]
“Cornell’s partnership with Technion was not without controversy, however. Some liberals charged that the university’s research and development helped sustain Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. A group, New Yorkers Against the Cornell-Technion Partnership, was formed to protest Cornell’s partnership with Technion. Mr. Steel dismissed the controversy, pointing to Israel’s booming tech sector. “It’s the equivalent of Silicon Valley plus. It’s a great story,” he said. “To have that ingredient in the stew of the campus is a great thing.” [Observer]
REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP: “Gary Barnett’s 80-Story Tower is Causing Cherry Street to Sink, Worrying Neighbors” [BoweryBoogie] • “Sapir, Rosen to launch luxe Surfside hotel with Turkish partners” [RealDeal; PageSix] • “New Castle congregation sells, leases back synagogue” [Post-Gazette]
SPOTLIGHT: “Spitzer Charges Into His Family’s Real Estate Business” by Charles V. Bagli: “After his father’s death in November, Mr. Spitzer has found himself unexpectedly embracing a role he has largely sought to avoid all his life: assuming stewardship of Spitzer Enterprises, the family real estate business. Politics is in “my rearview mirror,” Mr. Spitzer said in an interview on June 10, his 56th birthday. “This,” he said after a pause, “is exciting.” [NYTimes]
BOOK EXCERPT: “That Time the Middle East Exploded—and Nixon Was Drunk” by Tim Weiner: “Through good luck and, perhaps, blind fortune, Moscow and Washington backed away from the specter of a Third World War. Kissinger, to his great credit, began a three-year attempt to try to negotiate peace in the Middle East. To his discredit, when word of the nuclear alert leaked, as it did almost instantly, he deceived the press, saying the president had saved the day, when Nixon had spent the night in a drunken stupor.” [PoliticoMag]
SPORTS BLINK: Ido Aharoni on Cav’s Coach David Blatt: “Economists will look back at the month of June 2015 in Israel and see that productivity was down significantly. And thankfully it would not have been due to some sort of geopolitical crisis or a natural disaster. It is because millions of Israelis are waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. and become glued to their television sets to watch the NBA Finals between Cleveland and Golden State. Basketball in Israel is huge, but for teams from Cleveland and Oakland? That’s not why Israelis are getting out of bed before sunrise. It’s because of David Blatt, the American-Israeli head coach of the Cavs..” [DailyNews]
“Pats’ owner Kraft leading Hall of Fame mission to Israel: New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is coming to Israel once again this week, this time leading a group of 19 Pro Football Hall of Famers and their guests. Kraft was first approached by Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer to see if such a thing might be possible. The Hall of Fame sent out a letter to judge interest and 20 members responded that they wanted to be included in the trip… Ambassador Dermer and the executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, David Baker, are also expected to take part.” [JPost]
“Among the Hall of Famers traveling: Andre Tippett, Tim Brown, Jim Taylor, Mike Haynes, Jack Youngblood and Curtis Martin, who was a regular guest at Kraft and his late wife Myra’s home for the Jewish holidays during his Patiots career. The Krafts planted a tree in Martin’s name during one of their philanthropic visits to Israel, which the running back will get to see in person for the first time.” [MMQB]
LAST WEEK TONIGHT: What does terrorist Majid Kahn have to do with hummus? You don’t want to find out… but it led John Oliver to preemptively issue an apology to Sabra Hummus for a likely noticeable drop in sales [YouTube] Starts at 5:30 in the clip
DESSERT: “The Prime Grill is Moving to the Sony Building; Taking Over Butterfish” by Dani Klein: “The Prime Group announced earlier today that they are moving their flagship restaurant, The Prime Grill, from their current location to the Sony building which has been bought by a development group who are planning to turn the space into a hotel, condominium and shopping destination.”[YeahThatsKosher] • Flashback: “Restaurant Owner Claims Joe Chetrit Offered Him $500,000 to Scram” [Observer]
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