Good Friday morning!

U.A.E. Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba published an unprecedented op-ed in Israel’s Yediot Aharonot accompanied by an English video message positing that unilateral annexation will “immediately upend Israeli aspirations” for normalizing ties with the Arab world, at a time when “Emirati initiatives have been opening the space for cultural exchange” with Israel.

The Republican Jewish Coalition is launching a lobbying effort on Capitol Hill to rally support for Israeli annexation. 

RJC executive director Matt Brooks told JI that the intention is to counter growingpublicopposition to annexation by Democratic members of Congress. “I think we’ll see overwhelming support by Republicans to support what the democratically-elected unity government in Israel has decided to do in terms of what it feels is in its best national interests,” Brooks added. 

New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres, one of the leading candidates for New York’s open 15th congressional seat, has received the endorsement of The New York Times. 

Check outJewish Insider’s latest ‘Jewish Nielsen’ report to see which webcasts people tuned into over the past week.

Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up and earn JI swag through our Ambassador program

CONVENTION CLASH

Virginia GOP rep. faces tough battle at nominating convention

This Saturday, Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA), who is popular in the Jewish community, will face an unusual circumstance for a freshman lawmaker: fighting for his party’s nomination for his own seat, reports Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod. 

Unconventional convention: Riggleman is facing a strong challenger in Bob Good, a former Liberty University official and Campbell County supervisor who is running to the congressman’s right and has drummed up support from party leaders in the 5th district. Instead of a traditional primary held next Tuesday, when voters in the rest of the state cast their ballots, Riggleman and Good will face off at a party convention on Saturday. Rather than a day-long gathering with speeches and discussion, the approximately 3,500 pre-approved delegates will drive through a church parking lot in Lynchburg, in the southern portion of the expansive district, to cast their votes.

Tough challenge: “If we were talking about a normal situation in another state, you’d assume the power of incumbency to be pretty strong,” John McGlennon, a government professor at Virginia’s College of William & Mary, told Jewish Insider. “Because of the nature of the convention process and adding to that the complications created by the pandemic, I think Congressman Riggleman faces a very difficult challenge.” Riggleman’s politics lean libertarian, and he has faced strong opposition within the district over his voting record and his decision to officiate the same-sex wedding of two campaign volunteers. Good falls more in line with the district’s evangelical conservative base, and the convention process tends to favor such candidates.

Fighting back: Riggleman, who has the backing of both the Republican Jewish Coalition and Pro-Israel America, claims the local party’s decision to hold a convention is a deliberate attempt to keep him off the ballot. “If they have a candidate they can’t control or somebody who they don’t think is far-right enough, they’ll try to run conventions to get that person out,” he told JI in late April. Riggleman has made several unsuccessful attempts to push the local party committee to adopt a more open primary process or alter the convention’s format. Most recently, his campaign tried and failed to move the convention from the church — which is several miles from Good’s home — to another location in the district.

Read more here.

WORTHY READ

Jonathan Chait argues against illiberal liberalism

Hand in Hand

White House imposes sanctions on ICC

The Trump administration announced sanctions yesterday against the International Criminal Court in the Hague in response to its decision to launch an investigation into alleged war crimes by the U.S. and its allies in the war against terror in Afghanistan. During a press briefing with Attorney General William Barr and Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “We cannot, we will not stand by as our people are threatened by a kangaroo court.”

Protecting allies: The move was reportedly coordinated with Israel and was a key topic of discussion during Pompeo’s brief visit to Israel last month. According to Channel 13’s Barak Ravid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz — who is leading the Israeli response to its own ICC investigation — urged Pompeo to issue sanctions against ICC officials over the court’s treatment of Israel. 

Background: Last week, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced she is pursuing a probe against Israel for alleged war crimes in the IDF’s handling of weekly demonstrations held along the Gaza-Israel border in recent years and for “disproportionate use of force” in the 2014 war with Hamas in Gaza. The initial allegations were filed last December and are pending a review by the court’s judges. Last month, 331 members of Congress sent letters to Pompeo encouraging the administration to support Israel in its battle against the probe. 

No daylight: “Given Israel’s robust civilian and military legal system and strong track record of investigating and prosecuting wrongdoing by military personnel, it’s clear the ICC is only putting Israel in its crosshairs for nakedly political purposes,” Pompeo said at Thursday’s briefing. “It’s a mockery of justice.” During a press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said, “once again America, thank you for standing up for justice, and for standing up for truth.”

Pushback: The European Union expressed “serious concern” about the sanctions, which E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called “very bad news.”

Alternative partners: Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz spoke on the phone with his U.S. counterpart, the first official conversation with Esper since Gantz took office. Gantz also spoke with Borrell, who called their talk an “important + good call” and reaffirmed the E.U.’s “commitment to Israel’s security.”

Birthday gift: The Israeli cabinet is expected to approve funding to build a new community on the Golan Heights named after President Donald Trump at its weekly meeting on Sunday, a year after the plaque-unveiling ceremony of Trump Heights (Ramat Trump). The vote will coincide with Trump’s 74th birthday. 

Worthy Reads

😡 Uprising: Bloomberg’s Sarah Frier takes an inside look at how Facebook is grappling with a revolt from disgruntled employees who claim that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not doing enough to fight back against disinformation and racism. [Bloomberg]

📹 Embedded: Daniel Lombroso, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, writes in The Atlantic about the experience of filming his upcoming documentary, “White Noise,” about the alt-right. “White nationalists aren’t dumb, or poor,” he writes. “They’re scared of losing power.” [TheAtlantic]

👣 Small Steps: Eli Reiter writes in The New York Daily News about the hope he feels at seeing growing groups of progressive Orthodox Jews speaking out in favor of social justice. “The seeds of a serious dialogue within the broader Orthodox Jewish community are being planted.” [NYDN]

📰 News Biz:The Washington Post’s Sarah Ellison spoke with financier Heath Freeman, who has bought up dozens of local newspapers, and is accused “of having done more than any other to shrink and dismantle local media.” Despite the claims, Freeman promises his goal is to be remembered as the man “that saved the newspaper business.” [WashPost]

Around the Web

🕵️ Witness Protection:Haaretz’s Gidi Weitz reports that Israeli law enforcement officials are facing difficulty accessing U.S. financial information related to a corruption investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

👩 Taking Responsibility:Audrey Gelman said she is stepping down as CEO of The Wing, the women-only co-working space she co-founded, after facing backlash from former employees over racial and gender inequality.

👩‍💼 Stepping Back: Leandra Medine Cohen is leaving Man Repeller, the fashion blog she started a decade ago, following discrimination allegations.

💵 Step Up: The Minnesota Vikings and the Wilf family announced a $5 million donation to fund social justice causes. 

⚕️ Faulty Delivery: Noah Marco, chief medical officer of the Los Angeles Jewish Home network, called the plastic protective gowns sent by FEMA “embarrassingly unusable.” 

🧑🏻‍⚕️ Paying a Price: Dr. Amy Acton, director of Ohio’s Department of Health, resigned after becoming the target of angry Ohioans protesting the state’s strict stay-at-home measures.

✈️ Locked Out: Thousands of Palestinians who were overseas when COVID-19 broke out are still stranded and unable to return home due to closed borders and canceled flights.

⚔️ On the Ground: Reuters reporter John Davison documents the behind-the-scenes power battle between U.S.-allied politicians and Iranian-backed militias over control of Iraq’s Nineveh province since the defeat of ISIS in Mosul. 

🍞 Breaking Bread: Rachel Levin writes in The San Francisco Chronicle about how baking challah with her daughter has become the one constant in “the endless Shabbat” of quarantine. 

🕯️Remembering: Murray Olderman, a cartoonist and sports writer, has died at 98. Nanci Ryder, a famed Hollywood publicist, died at 67 after a battle with ALS. Hollywood costume designer Denise Cronenberg died at 81.

Gif of the Day

Birthdays