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PODCAST PLAYBACK — Richard Plepler, Chairman and CEO of HBO, on The Atlantic Interview with Jeffrey Goldberg: It took several attempts throughout the interview but, towards the end of the episode, Goldberg finally convinced Plepler to share his quite accurate imitation of the late Israeli political leader Shimon Peres.

Plepler: “Shimon Peres was a transcendent figure on the world stage. The story is that the then Consul General in New York, Ido Aharoni, asked whether I would host a dinner for the [Israeli] President when he was here, and I said, ‘My wife and I, it would be our pleasure; we would be honored.’ I said to Ido, ‘Who do you think he wants to come?’ Ido thought and said, ‘Well, let’s set up a call, and we’ll ask the President who he’d like.’ So we arranged the call, and I said, ‘Mr. President, who would you like to come? Would you like David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker? Would you like Jeff Goldberg, a noted and eminent American journalist? Would you like the President of CNN, Jeff Zucker? Who would you like to come?’ Without missing a beat, he said (Plepler imitating Peres), ’Those people are fine, but I like the girl from The Sex and The City.’ I said, ‘Oh, Sarah Jessica Parker.’ ‘Sarah Jessica Parker would be good to have.’… So I said to him, ‘Alright, that’s fine. Would you like Tom Friedman, Fareed Zakaria? Which public intellectual we can talk about the future of Israel with?’ (Plepler imitating Peres) ‘I don’t care. Do you know Seinfeld?’ I said, ‘Yes, as a matter of a fact.’ (Plepler imitating Peres) ‘I like Seinfeld to come. Ask big old Seinfeld.’

“So when I walked into my own home that evening very excited, he was already there, and there was an Israeli film crew there that, of course, was going to film him with Sarah Jessica and with Jerry. At the beginning, we said to him, ‘Well, we’re so honored you’re here. Talk about the history of Israel.’ Then he was (Plepler imitating Peres), ‘Before we begin, how many seasons of the Sex and The City will continue, and when will HBO come to Israel?’ Those were his fundamental questions… It ended up being a wonderful, memorable evening. But those were his priorities.” Listen to Plepler’s imitation at the 29:27 minute mark here [TheAtlantic]

Plepler on how a documentary about the first Intifada led him to HBO: “I had an idea right after the first Intifada started – in 1988) – as somebody who cared deeply about Israel – that the coverage of the Intifada was reductive, and that all you were seeing on American television screens was the imagery of young Palestinian kids throwing stones, and Israelis firing back at them. The idea that I had was that only by bringing context around this complicated story could you illuminate for an American audience, a European audience, how deeply emotion this conflict was, but how potentially insoluble it was because you had these two competing narratives of history. I decided that it might be a good idea to make a documentary…”

“I went around trying to see whether anybody had any interest in doing this, and I came to Peter Kunhardt, who is now one of the most successful and prolific documentary filmmakers — he does a tremendous amount of work for HBO — and I said, ‘Listen, I don’t know anything about documentary filmmaking. I know a little bit about the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, and I think I have an idea for the way they tell the story.’ We teamed up and we made this documentary for public television called, A Search for Solid Ground: The Intifada Through Israeli Eyes, and it was nicely reviewed and that really was a catalyst for bringing me to HBO because the then CEO of HBO, a gentleman named Michael Fuchs, was intrigued by what I had done.”[JewishInsider]

DRIVING THE CONVO — AIPAC, J Street call out Abbas for ‘inflammatory’ remarks on Israel: In a rare rebuke of the Palestinian leader, J Street issued a lengthy statement rejecting “the divisive and inflammatory rhetoric used by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas” in his recent speech to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and for “his unacceptable failure to acknowledge any historic Jewish connection to Jerusalem.” The statement echoed similar sentiments stated by AIPAC earlier in the day. “Abbas has embarked on a dangerous course bound to inflame tensions and instigate violence. His remarks will only harm the chances for peace,” AIPAC said. At the same time, J Street said it shared international frustration over Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital: “That sudden move showed a complete lack of concern for the complexity of Jerusalem as a final status issue or for the Palestinian position… The harmful actions of President Trump can be overturned by future administrations and leaders.”

Seemingly undeterred, the Palestinian Authority doubled down on the Trump administration yesterday. Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Abbas, said the Palestinian leadership “rejects and deems incorrect” the White House statement about Abbas standing in the way of peace. “These statements are entirely wrong since President Abbas always reiterates that he is committed to a just peace on the basis of international legitimacy,” he said. European diplomats who have been in touch with the Trump administration’s peace team told Haaretz that they sense the Trump peace initiative is now stuck. A senior White House official dismissed the claim. “We have said what we have said all along – the President remains as committed to peace as ever and we are not surprised by reactions which have the potential to result in a temporary cooling off period.”

“Tax reform gets in the way of Pence’s Jerusalem victory lap” by Matthew Nussbaum and Seung Min Kim: “Vice President Mike Pence began planning a Christmas trip to Jerusalem weeks before President Donald Trump decided to upend decades of U.S. policy by formally recognizing the city as Israel’s capital. The visit… was designed not just as a move to reaffirm ties with a key ally but as a victory lap for Pence, who was instrumental in lobbying Trump to stick with his campaign promise on Jerusalem… Natan Sachs, the director of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, called it an “extremely rare case” that the Palestinians would refuse to meet with the vice president. Trump likely would have fared better on such a trip, he said, as Trump remains an enigma on the issue. “Pence, on the other hand, is very much a known quantity in this regard,” he said. His first official visit there offers Pence a chance to remind evangelical voters why they supported Trump in 2016. For these voters, the Jerusalem announcement represents the fulfillment of a long-held goal.” [Politico] • Despite Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital, Pence’s Visit to Western Wall Expected to Be ‘Private’[Haaretz]

“Erdogan says Turkey seeking to annul Trump decision on Jerusalem at U.N.” by  Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay: “We will work for the annulment of this unjust decision firstly at the UN Security Council, and if a veto comes from there, the General Assembly,” [Turkish President Tayyip] Erdogan told crowds gathered in the central Anatolian city of Konya… Asked about the criticism during an interview with Israel’s Makor Rishon daily, [David Friedman] the U.S. ambassador to Israel said… “President Trump…does not intend to reverse himself, despite the various condemnations and declarations.” [Reuters]

Wall Street Journal editorial… “Beauties and the Beasts: A selfie with Miss Iraq and Miss Israel generates ugly threats:[Sarah] Idan posted a note clarifying that the photo with Miss Israel was not a political statement, and that it did not mean she endorsed the policies of the Israeli government. But [Adar] Gandelsman says her friend says she does not regret posting the photo. She pointedly has not removed it from her Instagram account. Good for Ms. Idan. In a region where Israeli athletes are often slighted… Miss Iraq has shown a better way forward. How much better everyone in the Middle East would be if politicians in the region had the decency and resolve that these two young women do.” [WSJ]

IRAN DEAL: “U.S. Accuses Iran of U.N. Violation, but Evidence Falls Short” bu John Ismay and Helene Cooper: “At a military base in Washington, Ms. Haley stood in front of pieces of what defense officials said were Iranian-made Qiam missiles, including one that was fired by Houthi militants at an airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia… Ms. Haley said that the weapons on display were declassified by the Pentagon so that the Trump administration could rally other countries to crack down on Iran. Without saying exactly what the administration is seeking, she vowed that “you will see us build a coalition to really push back against Iran and what they’re doing.” Her accusations were the latest step by the Trump administration’s effort to punish Iran for its ballistic missile program and destabilizing actions throughout the Middle East… “The nuclear deal has done nothing to moderate the regime’s behavior in other areas,” Ms. Haley said. “It’s hard to find a conflict or terror group in the Middle East that does not have Iran’s fingerprints all over it.”” [NYTimes]