Daily Kickoff
Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer: “Ten Deadly Lies about Israel” in Politico: “Ninth: The reason the conflict and the violence persist is because the Palestinians don’t have a state. The Palestinians have repeatedly refused to accept a nation-state for themselves if it means accepting a nation-state for the Jewish people alongside it.”
“Tenth: Palestinian terrorism is the consequence of Palestinian frustration: Palestinian terrorism is the product of incitement, which inculcates a culture of hatred and violence in successive generations. The biggest frustration of the terrorists is that they have failed to destroy Israel. They will continue to be frustrated.” [PoliticoMag]
“Netanyahu, Saying Palestinian Mufti Inspired Holocaust, Draws Broad Criticism” by Jodi Rudoren: “Israeli historians and opposition politicians on Wednesday joined Palestinians in denouncing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for saying it was a Palestinian, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, who gave Hitler the idea of annihilating European Jews during World War II.” [NYT; WashPost]
Jay Michaelson: “Hummus for Peace: As Extremists on Both Sides Escalate, the Israeli/Palestinian Peace Camp Looks Increasingly Impotent” [DailyBeast]
UJA’s Eric Goldstein: “Israel’s courage — seen up close” [NYPost]
“Arab Proposal to U.N. Over Western Wall Stirs New Concern” by Somini Sengupta: “Senior United Nations officials have objected to a proposal by some Arab states to classify the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, as part of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, following angry denunciations by Israel and many Jewish-American groups.” [NYT] • “Palestinians drop bid to name Western Wall part of Al-Aqsa” [ToI]
First Look: “U.S. Prosecutors Probing UN Have Plenty of Work Ahead” [Bloomberg]
SCENE LAST NIGHT — by Jacob Kornbluh: The American-Israel Friendship League honored former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Zalman Shoval and Kenneth Bialkin at its 35th annual Partner for Democracy Awards Dinner at The Plaza in NYC. Spotted: Amb. Dan Gillerman, Consul General Ido Aharoni, MK Sofa Landver, James Tisch, Len Blavatnik, Malcolm Hoenlein, Mort Zuckerman, Ken Abramowitz, Abe Biderman.
–Bret Stephens on the state of US-Israel relations: “We are living in a time when there is one pariah among international leaders here in the United States and that’s the democratic-elected Prime Minister of the State of Israel. We know we are living in a period where the word ‘but’ has become the principle source of moral capitulation in our modern discourse. Yes, the knifings of Jewish citizens is condemnable, ‘but’ Israel must get out of the settlements, and get out of them right away. This is part of what’s happening to the state U.S.-Israel relations.”
–Zalman Shoval on the post-Iran deal discussion: “With stout hearts, sharp words, compassion, and a bit of ‘seychel’ too, diplomacy and policy are never a one-stop journey, but an ongoing trek. One has to look ahead and not back. Even the worst situations can change for the better. And I concur, that the ingredients are there… The ties between us are not just on a political and government level, but more so between people to people, and it must be non-partisan – both in the U.S. and in Israel. The meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu will be a success because it must be a success. The ties are strong. But to make it even stronger, there must also be Jewish unity…”
“Iran top leader Khamenei approves nuclear deal: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and ordered it to be implemented subject to certain conditions, his official website said on Wednesday.” [Reuters]
David Axe: “Just in case the Iran deal falls apart, a group of hawkish U.S. lawmakers and generals says Israel should have some B-52s and B-1s. The only problem: Israel doesn’t seem to want them.” [DailyBeast]
“Congress Can Still Make a Difference on Iran” by Ray Takeyh: “Congress failed to stop the Iran nuclear agreement, but it shouldn’t give up now on taking a tougher line with Tehran. On the contrary, it is time for Congress to intervene seriously in an area where the Obama administration has feared to go and where Capitol Hill has carried major weight in the past: human rights.” [Politico]
Washington Post Editorial: “President Obama and Secretary of State John F. Kerry repeatedly suggested that it could open the way to cooperation with Tehran in resolving regional conflicts, beginning with the civil war in Syria. They also promised the United States would push back if Iran instead stepped up its aggression. Just three months later, Iran’s most notorious general is overseeing a new offensive by thousands of Iranian, Iraqi and Lebanese fighters aimed at recapturing the Syrian city of Aleppo from rebel forces, including some backed by the United States. Mr. Obama shows no sign of responding.” [WashPost]
Syria Statistic: “Some estimates put the number of Jews living across the whole of Syria at fewer than 50, with most living in the capital Damascus.” [Express]
2016 WATCH: “American Jews Face a Political Paradox” by Lincoln Mitchell: “In the next few years, American Jews may increasingly find ourselves caught between a party to which we cannot relate, but who is strongly supportive of Israel, albeit in a narrow and sometimes counter-productive way, and one that feels very comfortable in many ways but in which there is a widening gap between Jews and Gentiles on an issue that is of great importance to many Jews. You do not have to be a Talmudic scholar to recognize that this is not good for the Jews.” [Observer]
Ron Kampeas: “The Bernie Sanders That Only Jewish Vermont Knows” [JTA]
Rubio talks Adelson — by Jacob Kornbluh: “Appearing on Fox News with Neil Cavuto from Capitol Hill, Rubio remarked, “Adelson is a great American. The only issue [Adelson] has ever talked to me about is the state of Israel – the future security of Israel and the relationship between Israel and the US,” the Republican presidential hopeful stressed. “And I’m deeply committed to that, and I will be no matter who supports me.” [JI; FoxNews]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Mark Cuban: ‘American Dream Is Alive'” [WSJ] • “Larry Silverstein does about-face on mega-tall West Side residential tower” [Crains] • “Wexner sues after being sold historic Ferrari that had been stolen” [Dispatch] • “SurveyMonkey swipes HuffPost’s Blumenthal to expand election polling” [Politico] • “FDA Clears Anne Wojcicki’s 23andMe For Health and Carrier Status Testing” [TechCrunch; WSJ] • “Some lucky Madoff victims will get all their money back” [NYPost] • “Casey Wasserman Says Olympics Could Boost L.A. ‘Almost Unlike Anything Else’” [Variety] • “Amy Schumer Signs With Israeli Manager Guy Oseary” [HollywoodReporter]
STARTUP NATION: “Israeli Tech Startups Tap Former Military Officers” by Orr Hirschauge: “With governmental clients, like homeland-security departments, the fact that someone they knew in a previous military role is sitting across the table is valuable,” says Nimrod Kozlovski, a partner at Jerusalem Venture Partners. Ehud Barak said Israel’s new breed of startup founders can learn a trick or two from the old guard.” [WSJ]
DESSERT: “Mayor Rahm Emanuel wins with Challah recipe at anniversary party” by Kyle Garmes: “During his tenure as chief of staff for President Barack Obama, Emanuel and his family would occasionally have breakfast with the president and his family. Emanuel would cook his French toast from Challah, and the Obamas made buttermilk pancakes. The question between the two families was always about who made the best breakfast… Emanuel, who is Jewish, compared the pancake house’s invitation to Misericordia, which serves people with developmental disabilities, to tzedakah, a Hebrew word that refers to the Jewish religious obligation to do what is right and just.” [BeverlyReview]
“A Rising Chef’s Rules for the Road” by Eric Steinman: “How Israeli Chef Michael Solomonov of Philadelphia’s Zahav, Dizengoff and Federal Donuts preps for his book tour” [WSJ]
BIRTHDAYS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turns 66… Professor Shaye Cohen turns 67… Judith Sheindlin, aka Judge Judy, turns 73… Dan Hazony… Dori Tenenbaum… Eliana Rudee… Mitch Davis… Brian Rosman…
