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OVERNIGHT: Israeli military strikes anti-aircraft battery in Syria: “The Israeli military said it struck and destroyed an anti-aircraft battery deep in Syria on Monday after it had opened fire on Israeli jets flying over Lebanon — the first such incident of Syrian forces targeting Israeli planes since the civil war began in 2011. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Israeli planes were on a routine reconnaissance mission near the Lebanese-Syrian border when they came under fire. They were not hit and returned to base safely… Russian forces in Syria were notified in real time, Conricus said.”[AP]

“The Coming Confrontation Between Israel and Iran” by Elliott Abrams: “If Iran does indeed plan to establish a large and permanent military footprint in Syria—complete with permanent naval and air bases and a major ground force—Israel will have fateful decisions to make. Such an Iranian presence on the Mediterranean and on Israel’s border would change the military balance in the region and fundamentally change Israel’s security situation.” [TheAtlantic]

Long-Read: “The Danger of President Pence” by Jane Mayer: “Before Pence took over the transition team, [Chris] Christie had warned Trump not to give a high-level job to the retired general Michael Flynn… On November 11, 2016, Christie was chairing a transition meeting, when, according to four sources, Flynn walked in with an ally, General Keith Kellogg. “Gentlemen, can I help you?” Christie asked. Ivanka Trump, who was a member of the transition team’s executive council, announced that she had invited them. Christie tried to reclaim control of the meeting, but Ivanka took over. Praising Flynn’s “amazing loyalty to my father,” she turned to him and asked, “General, what job do you want?” A participant at the meeting said, “It was like Princess Ivanka had laid the sword on Flynn’s shoulders and said, ‘Rise and go forth.’ ”

“(A source close to Ivanka didn’t deny the account, but said that it exaggerated her role, and that she was merely trying to show appreciation for Flynn’s support.) … A few hours later, Christie was deposed. Kushner, he felt, had humiliated him a second time. Bannon, who was given the job of dismissing him, admitted to Christie that Kushner had been against him all along, for personal reasons.” [NewYorker]

“Back online after Shabbat” — Ivanka Trump posted on Snapchat Saturdayevening recapping her day speaking at the World Bank IMF Annual Meetings [Pic]

Ivanka and Jared Kushner hosted children from Chai Lifeline at the White House last week: “Honored to spend yesterday afternoon bowling with these amazing kids. Thank you for visiting us at the White House!” [Instagram]

COMING SOON: “Vice President Mike Pence will be the guest of honor at an Israeli gathering celebrating seventy years since the November 29, 1947 United Nations vote that called for the establishment of a Jewish State. Pence will be the keynote speaker at the event hosted by Israel’s permanent mission to the United Nations. The celebration will take place in New York’s Queens Museum, in the same building which served as the UN headquarters from 1946 to 1950. The Israeli delegation said that during the celebration, the hall will be redesigned to appear in its original state from 1947.” [JPost]

DRIVING THE CONVO: “Trump national security team preaches calm over Iran deal but warns U.S. might still leave” by Anne Gearan and John Wagner: “Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said that the president’s threat to cancel the Iran deal “set out a marker” for the United States and its allies to fix what he called “a weak deal that is being weakly monitored.” … McMaster insisted that “the president’s not walking away from the deal yet” and wants to see “some real change.” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said… “If we don’t see improvement, there is no sense in staying in, and he has every intention of walking out.”” [WashPost] 

WHAT’S NEXT? “Trump leaves Republicans with heavy lift on Iran deal” by Richard Lardner: “Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Friday he’ll reserve judgment on any legislation but has “serious doubts about whether it is even possible to fix such a dangerously flawed agreement.” … Taking the lead will be the Republican whom Trump has been feuding with — Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee… Corker promised an open legislative process. “You’re going to see all this evolve in daylight,” he said, adding that the bill could be introduced in the next two weeks… The legislation would… reduce from four to two the number of times a year Trump is required to certify to Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the agreement. It would also rid the deal of sunset provisions.” [AP]

“The president leaves Congress to fix the mess he’s made on Iran” by Josh Rogin: “The president’s plan doesn’t make sense,” said Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Negotiating additional terms to the nuclear deal requires a coalition of international partners, not unilateral congressional action.” Democrats know they are being set up to take the fall if Congress fails to act. They expect Trump to accuse them of being weak on Iran. Nevertheless, Senate Democratic aides said, they don’t want to be complicit in a process that could lead to the United States being in violation of the agreement.” [WashPost] 

POTUS tweets this morning: “Dem Senator Schumer hated the Iran deal made by President Obama, but now that I am involved, he is OK with it. Tell that to Israel, Chuck!” [Twitter]

BOLTON BACK? — “Nikki Haley was Trump’s Iran whisperer” by Eliana Johnson: “Haley’s role was described by a half-dozen administration officials who took part in the Iran policy review. While many of the president’s Cabinet members, aides and advisers work to restrain his impulses, when it came to the Iran deal Haley did the opposite… Haley wasn’t alone. The fingerprints of former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton… were also on Trump’s Friday address in the form of a warning that Trump… could still cancel the deal “at any time.” The line was added to Trump’s speech after Bolton, despite Kelly’s recent edict, reached the president by phone on Thursday afternoon from Las Vegas, where Bolton was visiting with Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson… The former U.N. ambassador supports a full U.S. withdrawal from the deal, something he told Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, during a meeting earlier this week.” [Politico] 

“Trump’s Boldest Foreign Policy Move Today Wasn’t Decertifying The Iran Deal” by John Hudson and Borzou Daragahi: “Another move Trump took on Friday could have a far more sweeping impact on US foreign policy in the Middle East: Labeling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorists under an obscure Treasury Department designation… In a speech ahead of the designation, Trump heralded the move – the first time Washington has labeled the military branch of another country as terrorists… The main backers of a blanket terrorist designation of the IRGC include John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the UN, and Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies… Dubowitz… has become newly relevant in a US administration seeking more ideas for ways to clamp down on Iran. He has met repeatedly with top White House and State Department officials, including Brian Hook, the director of policy planning and Tillerson’s de facto right-hand man.” [BuzzFeed] 

VIEW FROM JERUSALEM — “Netanyahu commends Trump’s Iran deal, gives U.S. leverage” by Megan Henney: “Since the Iran deal was signed, Iran has been like a tiger unleashed from its cage,” Netanyahu told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “It’s not joining the community of nations, it’s devouring nations left and right. Refusing to go along with a bad deal is a good thing, an important thing, even a historic thing that’s certainly important for world peace.” [FoxBusiness; CBN]  

— Netanyahu on Face the Nation: “I suggest that, you know, when Israel and the key Arab states agree on something, you know, you should pay attention… Remember I stood in the U.N. a few years ago and I drew that red line? That’s before the deal. They didn’t cross it because they knew what the stakes are. And Iran today knows that if they do what you just said, they’re going to get crippling sanctions on their head. The U.S. alone can do that.” [CBSNews] 

Susan Rice tweets ‘BS’ to AIPAC’s praise of Trump’s Iran policy speech — by Daniel Roth: “Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice tweeted a short but stinging response to one of the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying groups in the nation after the organization praised the President’s latest speech on Iran. Rice, who served in the Obama administration, tweeted ‘BS’ to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) praising Donald Trump’s remarks.” [DailyMail]

Flashback to 2015 — Susan Rice speaking at AIPAC’s Policy Conference: “It’s great to be back at AIPAC.” [Transcript] 

HEARD YESTERDAY — Hillary Clinton on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS: “I think it’s very dangerous… I know that Iran plays a game of aggressiveness and undermining of our interests and the interests in the region — there’s no argument about that. But my point has been and remains, I would much rather deal with Iran’s other bad behavior while not worrying at this moment about their nuclear program getting up and going again. And why on earth would we want two nuclear challenges in Iran and North Korea at the same time?” [CNN]

“UNESCO Gets First Jewish Director, Day After U.S. Leaves Over ‘Anti-Israel’ Bias” by Robbie Gramer and Colum Lynch: “A day after the United States and Israel pulled out of the U.N. culture and education body citing anti-Israel bias, UNESCO elected its first ever Jewish director general. Audrey Azoulay, France’s former culture minister, eked out a win over Qatar’s candidate and frontrunner Hamad bin Abdoulaziz Al-Kawari… U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley didn’t mince words when she outlined the U.S. withdrawal in a statement released on Thursday: “Its extreme politicization has become a chronic embarrassment,” she said, citing a “long line of foolish actions” including designating the Israeli-occupied ancient city of Hebron as a Palestinian world heritage site… UNESCO’s outgoing director general, Irina Bokova… acknowledged that the U.S. departure, coupled with that of Israel, is “a blow to the organization. It will certainly take its toll.”” [FP] 

ON THE HILL — Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) plan to introduce a resolution “reaffirming the deep historical connection between the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem.” The resolution also condemns UNESCO for the anti-Israel resolutions it has passed in recent years. “The Trump Administration has demonstrated strong moral clarity in deciding to withdraw and continuing to withhold U.S. taxpayer dollars from UNESCO as a result of its relentless hostility towards our close ally Israel,” Cruz said.

“U.S. Exit From UNESCO Took Israel by Surprise, Was Uncoordinated” by Barak Ravid: “Senior officials in Jerusalem confirmed that Israel learned of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s decision to quit UNESCO from a report posted on the website of Foreign Policy very late Wednesday night. In its wake, Israeli diplomats at the embassy in Washington, the UN and at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters asked their American counterparts for clarification. Only late Thursday morning was Israel told that in a few hours the State Department would announce the U.S. departure from UNESCO. Senior U.S. officials confirmed that Washington was not proactive about informing Israel of its decision.” [Haaretz] 

“One of Netanyahu’s closest allies is turning into a major Trump critic — and it may signal a shift in Israel’ by Peter Jacobs: “Ze’ev Elkin, a member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and one of the prime minister’s closest allies, has made waves in recent weeks with comments critical of Trump. “It seems that the floodgates have been opened and Israel’s patience with Trump is running out,” The Jerusalem Post’s chief political correspondent Gil Hoffman wrote Friday… The minister also said that Netanyahu has not rebuked him for his criticism of the US president. Israeli ministers have not received guidelines “to watch their words” on Trump, as is sometimes the case regarding important US decisions, Hoffman reported. Other top Likud members have now also started to criticize Trump.” [BusinessInsider]

“US launches $10 million water project in West Bank” by AFP: “Jason Greenblatt was among officials launching the project in the historic city near the Dead Sea… At Sunday’s event, Greenblatt did not comment on White House peace efforts… “The US administration and President Trump personally remain committed to a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and a central element of that peace is a thriving economy and real opportunities for Palestinians throughout the West Bank and Gaza,” US Consul General Donald Blome said.” [ToI] 

WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE: “Matt Saunders, who was special assistant to Jason Greenblatt, President’s Trump’s special representative for international negotiations, has left the White House. Friday was his last day and Saunders is figuring out his next steps.” [Playbook]

2020 WATCH — Trump campaign spent $1M in legal fees in last quarter: “Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee that courts big donors, disclosed nine contributors who gave more than $50,000 — including billionaire Ronald Perelman, Madison Square Garden Company Chief Executive Officer James Dolan, and real estate developers Richard and James LeFrak — after Sept. 20, when the party said it was using money from the legal account to pay law firms involved in the Russian investigation.” [FoxNews]

KAFE KNESSET — Bibi versus the Police — by Tal Shalev and JPost’s Lahav Harkov: With the continued corruption investigations against Netanyahu, the Prime Minister decided to take his responses up a notch. He’s not only blaming the “Fake News Media,” but he also cast aspersions on the Police. On Saturday night, a Facebook post went up on Netanyahu’s page that is still a hot topic in Israel today. The PM pointed out that the Police spent millions of shekels to pay media adviser Lior Chorev – who worked with Kadima and Kulanu in the past – and connecting it to leaks to the press about the probes. Chorev called the accusations “delusional.”

The opposition, unsurprisingly, went wild, accusing Netanyahu of undermining the rule of law. Herzog said Netanyahu is “inciting and dividing for his own personal interest at the expense of the unity of the nation and harming the symbols of law and government.” And the unofficial opposition, Ehud Barak, tweeted that “Netanyahu is panicking and attacking his investigators who are investigating him with courage and integrity.” Read today’s entire Kafe Knesset here [JewishInsider]

** Good Monday Morning! Enjoying the Daily Kickoff? Please share us with your friends & tell them to sign up at [JI]. Have a tip, scoop, or op-ed? We’d love to hear from you. Anything from hard news and punditry to the lighter stuff, including event coverage, job transitions, or even special birthdays, is much appreciated. Email Editor@JewishInsider.com **

BUSINESS BRIEFS: 12 Israelis making a mark on Boston’s tech scene[Israel21c] • Kushner Plan for Fifth Avenue Tower Is Being Blocked by Partner [Bloomberg] • Eli Broad, Patron of Los Angeles, to Step Down From His Philanthropy [NYTimes] • Could Jeffrey Soffer’s JW Marriott Nashville become downtown’s largest hotel? [Tennessean] • It’s the Aby Rosen show at 100 East 53rd St, or it’s curtains [RealDeal] • Eva Moskowitz plans to double the number of Success Academy schools [ChalkBeat] 

TALK OF THE TOWN: “An Alternate Universe of Shopping, in Ohio” by David Gelles: “Les Wexner, a Columbus native, remembers that when he attended Ohio State University in the late 1950s, his professors told him an unusual fact: Columbus was a major test market for consumer goods companies. When corporations wanted to see if a new soap or detergent would have broad appeal, they came to Columbus. A few years later, Mr. Wexner opened his first women’s clothing store in town, calling it The Limited. As the company expanded, he took his education to heart, trying out new styles and store designs in his hometown before rolling them out to new markets. The strategy worked. The Limited grew into a retail behemoth.” [NYTimes]

“The Kibbutz Movement Adapts to a Capitalist Israel” by Rory Jones: “Today, most kibbutzim have undergone some form of privatization. Many members now earn salaries outside the kibbutz but pay taxes for the community’s upkeep. New members can take out mortgages with banks and buy land on the kibbutz for their homes… Some young Israelis are now again drawn to the kibbutzim—some to secure cheaper housing outside hot markets like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, others to find a sense of community that can feel absent in impersonal cities. The population of the kibbutzim has increased by nearly 50,000 over the past 10 years.” [WSJ]

“Are Borough Park’s insular days numbered?” by Eddie Small: “Josh Zegen, co-founder of the Manhattan-based real estate firm Madison Realty Capital, said Borough Park’s insularity can make it difficult for developers to break into the neighborhood without a strong community connection. “Even though I’m Jewish, in many ways [I] would have to partner with someone in that community to be able to really develop to what the community would want,” he said.” [RealDealMag]

PROFILE: “Kevin Durant’s Killer Crossover” by Matthew Shaer: “Durant’s interest in business began around 2013, the year he parted ways with his agent and signed with Rich Kleiman at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports. Durant and Kleiman came from radically different backgrounds: Kleiman, a native of Manhattan, got his start in the music industry, managing acts such as Mark Ronson. Just 35 when he and Durant started working together, Kleiman was voluble and gleefully profane—an Ari Emanuel on the make. Durant liked him immediately, and he paid attention when Kleiman advised him to be more proactive with his wealth.” [FastCompany]

“How Adam Pritzker Is Building an American Fashion Conglomerate of Brands That Makes Sense” by Dhani Mau: “In 2013, after co-founding and raising millions for tech-education platform General Assembly, Adam Pritzker started Assembled Brands, a “modern holding company” for small fashion and lifestyle brands. “I was interested in providing tools to entrepreneurs to help them advance their careers and I felt that gap had, in a certain sense, been filled in the technology sector,” he told me backstage after a panel at Friday’s Fashion Tech Forum in Los Angeles. “I didn’t know what I could add whereas in this industry I really had a sense of what I could add because I felt like small designers of products, across the board, really were very underserved.” [Fashionista]

Axios interviewed Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg last Thursday: Sandberg argued that Facebook isn’t a media company, “at our heart we’re a tech company… we don’t hire  journalists.” In highlighting Facebook’s positive impact, Sandberg gave a shoutout to Sheryl Olitzky’s Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom which fosters relationships between Muslim and Jewish women — on Facebook and offline — to build bridges and fight hate, negative stereotyping and prejudice. [Axios; Facebook]

MEDIA WATCH — Michael Bloomberg at HubWeek in Boston on his argument with Arthur Sulzberger: “On journalism and Trump: “I said to the New York Times publisher a few weeks ago (that) he helped get Donald Trump elected. Why? Because he had Donald Trump in the righthand column of the front page of the New York Times virtually every single day. And Arthur Sulzberger said, well, we had to explain to the public what he was saying and why he was wrong or right or whatever. And I said, no, Arthur, you didn’t have to do it on the front page every day…. He got free publicity because the news business today is so focused on, desperate to, whether it’s on print or over the internet, to get enough eyeballs and clicks that they can stay in business.”” [Bizjournals]

TOP TALKER: Mayim Bialik: Being a Feminist in Harvey Weinstein’s World: “I entered the Hollywood machine in 1986 as a prominent-nosed, awkward, geeky, Jewish 11-year-old — basically a scrawnier version of the person I am today. Back then we didn’t have the internet or social media or reality TV, but I didn’t need any of that to understand that I didn’t look or act like other girls in my industry, and that I was immersing myself in a business that rewarded physical beauty and sex appeal above all else.” [NYTimes] • The Big Bang Theory star’s op-ed about Harvey Weinstein sparks outrage on Twitter[BI]

“Born in Auschwitz, Israeli Artist, 102, Harnesses the Dark and the Light” by Isabel Kershner: “Born Gusta Wolf to a Hasidic family, [Tova] Berlinski has fond memories of growing up in Oswiecim, where about half the 12,000 residents were Jewish… She met Elec, from nearby Sosnowiec, where her father had a furniture store, through their activities in Beitar, the right-wing Zionist youth movement. Ten days after marrying, they set off for what was then the British Mandate of Palestine, to join the pioneers working to establish Israel… It has been more than 20 years since her solo “Black Flowers” exhibition was held at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, one of the peaks of a long career. But this month, Ms. Berlinski, now a widow, is emerging once again into the limelight, with a tribute exhibition and sale of her works at ArtSpace, a small gallery in the leafy neighborhood of German Colony in Jerusalem, where she has lived for more than 50 years.” [NYTimes]

BIRTHDAYS: Child of Holocaust survivors who was born in a displaced persons camp in Gunzberg, Germany, he is the National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), Morton A. Klein turns 70… Israeli attorney, chairman of Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball since 1969 (regular winner of the Israeli championship and six-time winner of European cup titles), he won the 2011 Israel Prize for sports, Shimon Mizrahi turns 78… Retired CFO of the airline industry’s ticket transaction settlement firm, Airlines Reporting Corporation, Chicago resident, Alfred Altschul turns 78… Film director, producer, screenwriter and creator of the The Naked Gun franchise, David Zucker turns 70… Best selling French novelist, one of whose books was made into Steven Spielberg’s “Just like Heaven,” Marc Levy turns 56… Avi Finkturns 32… Founder of The Gramlist, Brandon Perlman…

BIRTHWEEK (yesterday): Media mogul, top Democratic bundler and producer of Power Rangers, Haim Saban turned 73… Retiring Vice Chairman of the US Federal Reserve (2014-2017), after an 8 year term at the helm of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer turned 74… Real estate developer and owner of MLB’s Washington Nationals, Ted Lerner turned 92… NYC communications strategist Stu Loeser…

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