Daily Kickoff
DRIVING THE CONVERSATION: “Netanyahu: If U.S. Military Aid Doesn’t Address Israel’s Security Needs, We’ll Wait for Next President” by Barak Ravid: “It’s not yet clear that we will come to an agreement,” Netanyahu told the cabinet members in the course of a diplomatic-security briefing by acting National Security Advisor Jacob Nagel, who also heads the Israeli team negotiating memorandum with the Americans. “We need to see if we can achieve a result that will address Israel’s security needs or perhaps we will not manage to come to an agreement with this administration and will need to come to an agreement with the next administration.” [Haaretz]
Obama Administration official responds: “Even as we grapple with a particularly challenging budget environment, this administration’s commitment to Israel’s security is such that we are prepared to sign an MOU with Israel that would constitute the largest single pledge of military assistance to any country in U.S. history,” the senior official told Haaretz. Israel is of course free to wait for the next administration to finalize a new MOU should it not be satisfied with such a pledge, but we would caution that the U.S. budgetary environment is unlikely to improve in the next 1-2 years and Israel will certainly not find a president more committed to Israel’s security than is President Obama.” [Haaretz]
“Netanyahu said worried Obama may go against Israel as term expires: The Army Radio report, which gave no named sources, said Netanyahu’s concern about possible Obama administration decisions was focused on the period between November 2016, when a new president is chosen, and January 2017, when that president takes office… “It’s inconceivable that President Obama has any such intention,” said Erdan, “given that he and his administration emphasize that the solution to the conflict requires direct negotiations and compromise between the two sides themselves.” [ToI]
Martin Indyk tweets: “Always dangerous to think next president will give you a better deal. That was one of Arafat’s mistakes!” [Twitter]
MARCH MADNESS: “Next month the contacts between Israel and the United States on the security memorandum of understanding are expected to be stepped up a notch. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon is expected to go to Washington at the beginning of March to meet with his American counterpart, Ashton Carter. About two weeks later, Netanyahu will come to Washington to attend the conference of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. In all probability, he will also meet with Obama in an effort to achieve a breakthrough in the talks.”
“MK Tibi meets with senior White House and State Dept. officials” by Hassan Shaalan: “Tibi met with Robert Malley, President Obama’s chief advisor on the Middle East and other senior officials. At the State Department, Tibi met with Frank Lowenstein, special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, and Christopher Henzel, director of the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs.” [YNet]
TEL AVIV SCENE: Approximately 200 guests of Yesh Atid, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro (in a Chicago Bears sweatshirt), MK Ofer Shelach and former MK Rabbi Dov Lipman, packed the Markid club in Tel Aviv to watch last night’s Super Bowl 50. The game was shown on massive screens lining the entire room and featured wings and fries catered by Josh Steele, a 2014 finalist of the Israeli Master Chef and a Yesh Atid activist. The crowd clearly favored the Broncos with many orange t-shirts and Peyton Manning jerseys scattered throughout the club. “Americans who move to Israel can use a familiar fun cultural event to feel more at home,” explained Lipman. “We at Yesh Atid are proud to provide this service and further help English speakers with their absorption in Israel.” [Pic]
HEARD YESTERDAY: Chuck Todd asked Bernie Sanders on Meet The Press — “Give me a few names of people you would end up considering as a Secretary of State or a Secretary of Defense.” Sanders: “I think it’s a little bit premature to talk about who your Secretary of Defense is going to be. I will tell you that we have met recently with people like Larry Korb, who actually worked in the Reagan Administration, we talked to people like Jim Zogby, talked to the people on J Street, to get a broad perspective of the Middle East.” [NBCNews; JI]
Campaigning in NH, Sanders said he is tired of people questioning his credentials on international affairs and being “lectured on foreign policy” recently. “As somebody who voted against the war in Iraq, who lead the opposition for the war in Iraq, lately I have been lectured on foreign policy,” he told a group of mostly students on Sunday at Great Bay Community College here. “The most important foreign policy issue in the modern history of this country was the war in Iraq. I was right on that issue, Hillary Clinton was wrong.” [CNN] • Sanders in 1990: “US must pressure Israel on Palestinians” [ToI]
“Clinton Questions Whether Sanders Has a Foreign Policy Network” by Sally Bronston: “Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continued to hit rival Sen. Bernie Sanders’ for his perceived lack of foreign policy experience during her appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “There really isn’t any kind of foreign policy network that is supporting and advising Senator Sanders,” Clinton said.” [NBCNews] • “Sanders: ‘Clinton people’ are attacking his foreign policy experience, as they did with Obama” [WashPost]
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: “Larry David and Bernie Sanders Stop and Chat on ‘S.N.L.’” by Jason Horowitz: “Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont made his first appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” playing a Jewish Democratic socialist immigrant coming to America on a sinking ship. It wasn’t such a stretch. Sanders’s character then introduced himself as “Bernie Sanderswitsky.” But, he added, “We are going to change it when we get to America so it doesn’t sound so Jewish.” “Yeah, that will trick them,” Mr. David said as they safely made it to New York’s shores.” [NYT; Gawker]
Alan Dershowitz tells Brian Stelter: “Several months ago, before David ever played Sanders, “I was in a CNN green room waiting to go on the air, and I heard a very familiar voice in the hallway. I thought it was my friend Larry David, so I went out to the hall, saying, ‘Larry, Larry!’ And it was Bernie Sanders. I said to him, ‘You know, you sound like just Larry David.’ And he said ‘No I don’t.’ And then I called Larry David and I said, ‘You know, you sound just like Bernie Sanders.’ And he said, No I don’t!'” [CNNMoney]
GOP DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS: On Iran – Cruz: “Voters are going to assess who can have the judgment when to engage and when not to engage — both are incredibly important for a commander-in-chief, knowing how to go after our enemies. In the case of Iran, for example, who has the clarity of vision to understand that the Ayatollah Khamenei, when he chants, “Death to America,” he means it… What we are seeing with North Korea is foreshadowing of where we will be with Iran.. It’s why this Iranian nuclear deal is so catastrophic, and it’s why I’ve pledged, on the very first day in office, to rip to shreds this Iranian nuclear deal so we’re not sitting here in five years, wondering what to do about an Iranian missile launch when they have nuclear weapons.”
Kasich: “We should impose the same kind of sanctions on North Korea that we imposed on Iran, because they’re able to shift money. They’re able to send money and receive money.”
Jeb: “Well, first of all, it’s interesting that that happened literally days when this hostage release took place in Iran. A day or two days afterwards, North Korea took a — held an American student hostage. I think it’s when we send a signal of weakness, when we are negotiating to release people that committed crimes in our country for people that didn’t commit crimes that are held hostage in Iran.”
Rubio: “And let’s dispel once and for all with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Barack Obama is undertaking a systematic effort to change this country. That’s why he passed … the deal with Iran… The problem with the Sunni forces in the region is they don’t trust this administration. This administration cut a deal with their mortal enemies, the Shia, in Iran.”
Christie hits Rubio on missing Hezbollah sanctions vote: “The fact when you talk about the Hezbollah Sanctions Act that you list as one of your accomplishments you just did, you weren’t even there to vote for it. That’s not leadership, that’s truancy.”
Rubio was the only candidate to mention Israel: “Barack Obama views America as this arrogant global power that needed to be cut down to size. OK?… For example, it’s one of the reasons why he had betrayed Israel, because he believes that if we create separation from Israel, it will help our relations in the Islamic world.”
DAY AFTER: “Marco Rubio doubles down on debate repetition: ‘I’m going to keep saying it'” by Sabrina Siddiqui: “Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his performance in Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate, in which he was widely panned for coming off as scripted in a tense exchange with Chris Christie. “Actually, I would pay them to keep running that clip, because that’s what I believe passionately,” Rubio said, reiterating once more his point about Obama deliberately harming the country.” [TheGuardian]
Ann Coulter at it again: “Rubio: PLEASE GIVE ME MONEY, SHELDON ADELSON!” [Twitter] • “Rubio has to support women in military bc Israel does it” [Twitter]
Adelson-owned Las Vegas Review-Journal endorses Marco Rubio: “The RJ met with Sen. Rubio on Oct. 9, two months before the announcement of the newspaper’s sale to the family of Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. The Adelsons have detached themselves from our endorsement process, and our endorsement of Sen. Rubio does not represent the support of the family.” [JewishJournal]
Richard Baehr: “Where the GOP and Democrats differ on Israel” [IsraelHayom]
“Poll of Israelis: Hillary Leads Trump 41-14” By Jacob Kornbluh: “According to a poll conducted by Israel’s radio – Reshet Bet, 41 percent of Israelis want Hillary Clinton to get elected as president in the fall, while only 14 percent want Trump. The poll showed Ted Cruz with 7 percent of support and Marco Rubio with 4 percent. Bernie Sanders was the preferred candidate for only 5 percent of Israelis. Among Israeli-Arabs, Hillary is preferred by 52 percent, while only 3 percent picked Trump as their preferred U.S. President.” [JewishInsider]
“Israeli Right rallies around Rubio” By Lahav Harkov: “According to Marc Zell, Rubio is popular among Israelis because he is “extremely knowledgeable about foreign policy. Of all the candidates in either party, he knows the most. His analysis of the situation in the Middle East is spot-on and I think Israelis, and they don’t have to be right-wing [in Israeli politics], like Rubio because he is in favor of a strong US foreign policy, with an analytically sound basis for understanding the region.” [JPost]
HEARD ON THE TRAIL: Jonathan Greenblatt (not the ADL National Director) introducing Rubio in Bedford, NH, yesterday: “We too are first generation Americans. My father narrowly escaped Nazi-occupied Europe. My mother survived the Holocaust and came from post-revolution Hungary. My wife’s parents emigrated from the former Soviet Union. We are so grateful for the opportunities that the U.S. has provided for our parents and to us.. As parents of young children, national security is at the front of our concerns… Marco Rubio has the experience to tackle our national security needs in 2016.” [CSPAN]
Dana Milbank on Ted Cruz: “When Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) last month mocked Donald Trump’s “New York values,” it wasn’t entirely clear what he was implying. This week we got a clue: For Cruz, “New York” is another way of saying “Jewish.” At an event in New Hampshire, Cruz, the Republican Iowa caucuses winner, was asked about campaign money he and his wife borrowed from Goldman Sachs. Cruz, asserting that Trump had “upward of $480 million of loans from giant Wall Street banks,” said: “For him to make this attack, to use a New York term, it’s the height of chutzpah.” Cruz, pausing for laughter after the phrase “New York term,” exaggerated the guttural “ch” to more laughter and applause.” [WashPost]
“Who’s funding this pro-Ted Cruz super PAC?” by Theodore Schleifer: “Largely funding the group is Adam and Tara Ross, a Dallas couple close to Ted and Heidi Cruz who together gave $1 million of the $2.5 million raised. Adam Ross is influential in Jewish Republican fundraising circles and is said to be close with Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley billionaire who has remained on the sidelines this year despite being wooed by much of the GOP field.” [CNN] • “The Politico 100: Billionaires dominate 2016” [Politico]
OVERHEARD on a pro-Jeb conference call by the Right to Rise PAC: “At times in recent weeks, the gloomy outlook in the campaign has been interrupted by moments of humor. Shortly after kicking off the Right to Rise conference call last week, Murphy introduced himself to listeners and began his initial remarks. Then, he was suddenly interrupted. “Ah, f— you,” one person on the line blurted out. There was silence. Those on the call wondered: Was a frustrated donor, unhappy about Bush’s lagging poll numbers and his crushing defeat in Iowa, directing venom toward Murphy?
“As it turned out, the expletive-using caller was none other than Charlie Spies, the veteran Republican election attorney who represents Right to Rise. Spies had been cut off by a driver and had forgotten to turn on his mute button, though at the time the listeners on the call – and Murphy – didn’t know that. Murphy, though, was ready with a witty rejoinder. “Is that Senator Rubio?” he shot back.” [Politico]
SPOTTED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — by Alexander Burns: “I did not expect to see Adam Hasner so far north, or sporting such an impressive beard. But there he was, the former majority leader of the Florida House of Representatives, dining in a steakhouse downtown before a long weekend of campaigning in the cold. I first met Mr. Hasner, 46, when he was a clean-shaven candidate for the United States Senate, at a 2011 Republican straw poll in sunny Orlando. This weekend, he is one of a horde of out-of-state volunteers — some with distinguished political careers of their own — flocking into New Hampshire to help their candidates in the final push… Mr. Hasner, who as a state legislator represented Palm Beach and Broward Counties (where it has been about 76 degrees), said he was “bundled up and ready to go” for Senator Marco Rubio.” [NYTimes]
Quinnipiac poll: “If Bloomberg runs as a third party candidate against Sanders, results are: Sanders at 35 percent, with Trump at 36 percent and Bloomberg at 15 percent; Sanders at 37 percent, with Cruz at 36 percent and Bloomberg at 15 percent.” [Quinnipiac]
Tevi Troy’s latest: “How Donald Trump Broke the GOP’s Music Curse: Creative and bold use of pop music has bedevilled Republican pols for a generation—until The Donald.” [PoliticoMag]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Be’er Sheva Boy Has Big Designs on New York Skyline: Eran Chen has become one of the leading architects in Manhattan. The 45-year-old Israeli is now working on a eye-catching Brooklyn project led by former governor Eliot Spitzer.” [Haaretz] • “Manhattan Builder Ben Shaoul Rushing to Sell Condos at Less Than $3 Million” [Bloomberg] • “Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., to Open Ahead of Schedule” [WSJ] • “Argentina Bond Battle Drags on as Elliott Spurns Macri’s Offer”[Bloomberg]
STARTUP NATION: “What Israeli Startups Can Teach Entrepreneurs” by Joseph Steinberg:“Israeli startups are less structured and focused on formalities than their counterparts in many other parts of the world. People are encouraged to vocalize their opinions even if they disagree with more senior team members and managers. Such a culture can help prevent mistakes from being made by reducing the likelihood of someone refraining from sharing valuable insight that others overlooked.”[MillennialMag] • “Here’s Why You’ll Work for China, Israel, or Korea One Day” [Inc]
EYE SPY: “Satellites Show Mystery Construction at Iran’s Top-Secret Military Site” by Kimberly Dozier: “Newly released satellite images of Iran’s top-secret Parchin military complex reveal that even as Iran was working to negotiate a nuclear deal, it was apparently working to hide its atomic work of the past and hedge its bets for the future. Forecasting site Stratfor says the images published Monday show Iran building a tunnel into a heavily guarded mountain complex inside the Parchin facility, some 20 miles southeast of Tehran, while also working to erase signs of alleged high-explosive testing at another area on the site.” [DailyBeast] • “Friends fear for U.S. businessman in Iran” [Politico]
SHUL TALK: “UN chief heckled at NY synagogue during Holocaust speech: UN Director General Ban Ki-moon was met with jeers and heckling Saturday at the Park East Synagogue in New York, where he delivered an address in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Congregants at the Manhattan synagogue accused the UN chief of justifying terror, with some saying his comments attributing a wave of near-daily Palestinian attacks to “frustration” was like rationalizing the 9/11 attacks. Ban did not mention Israel in his speech on Saturday.” [ToI]
According to a JI reader at the shul, there was one vocal heckler who was not even from the Park East Synagogue community and that the incident “honestly wasn’t so dramatic.” The source attributed some people’s disappointment with Ban coming to speak as more to do with the idea of hosting the U.N. in general, not so much with Ban himself.
TRAGIC: “At Funeral for Victim of Crane Collapse, Recounting a Life, and a Love Story” by Annie Correal: “On Sunday morning, a woman’s voice filled Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, a synagogue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and spilled from a speaker outside onto 85th Street. The voice belonged to the young widow of David Wichs, 38, who was heading to his job at a trading firm in Lower Manhattan on Friday when a crane collapsed onto Worth Street, killing him and injuring three others.” [NYTimes; DailyNews]
“John L. Tishman, Builder Who Shaped American Skylines, Dies at 90” by David Dunlap: “John L. Tishman, a master builder of the 20th century whose Tishman Realty and Construction Company transformed the skylines of Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and New York, died on Saturday at his home in Bedford, N.Y. He was 90. An heir to the company founded by his grandfather Julius in 1898, Mr. Tishman supervised the construction of three of the world’s earliest 100-story-plus skyscrapers: the John Hancock Center in Chicago, completed in 1970, and the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, completed in 1973.” [NYTimes]
“Miriam Cedarbaum, 86, Dies; Longtime Federal Judge” by Joseph Fried: “Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, a federal judge in Manhattan who presided over the trial that sent the domesticity expert Martha Stewart to prison for lying to the government about her sale of stock in a friend’s company, died on Friday at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. She was 86.” [NYTimes]
WEEKEND WEDDING: “Lauren Cappell and Jason Soloway: It’s a Small World, Including Toronto” by Vincent M. Mallozzi: “Lauren Beth Cappell and Jason Adam Soloway were married Feb. 6 at their apartment in New York. Rabbi Stephen Wise officiated… When Ms. Cappell and Mr. Soloway met in July 2013 at a hotel bar in New York, they were stunned to learn that they had grown up on the same street in Toronto. “New York’s a big place, and there are more than 30 million people in Canada,” she said. “So to meet a Jewish guy from Toronto who grew up on my street, and to know that we also had some mutual friends, well, I guess it really is a pretty small world.” [NYTimes]
BIRTHDAYS: News analyst Ted Koppel turns 76… Canadian singer songwriter Nikki Yanofsky turns 22… Tottenham Hotspur’s Chairman Daniel Levy turns 54… Comedian Robert Klein turns 74… Benjamin Kelsen…
** A message from American Jewish World Service: AJWS’s 30th anniversary gala in Los Angeles—March 13th, 2016—will recognize the organization’s incredible and life-changing human rights work in the developing world. The event will honor AJWS President Ruth Messinger and high-profile philanthropists and community leaders who have been instrumental in advancing AJWS’s mission, including Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Hosted by comedian, actor, writer and producer Nick Kroll, the celebration will also pay tribute to acclaimed Mexican human rights defender Alejandra Ancheita. To attend, support or sponsor the gala, please visit [AJWS] **
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