Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Thursday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we interview the documentarians behind a Sundance film showcasing the efforts of a Jewish chaplain at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and look at how the debate over a potential U.S. sale of F-16s to Turkey is playing out on Capitol Hill. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Amb. Yousef Al Otaiba, Michael Twitty and Alexandra Jacobs.
Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled yesterday against the ministerial appointment of Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, deeming the close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ineligible to hold a ministerial position. The 10-1 ruling was made in light of two criminal convictions, most recently for tax fraud that was settled last year with a plea deal and what the court understood as a promise from Deri to step down from political life. Netanyahu appointed Deri to be health and interior minister when he formed his new government in December.
A statement issued by the Likud party on behalf of the coalition parties decried the decision as “a huge injustice” and said “we will act in any legal way that is available to us and without delay, to correct the injustice and the severe damage caused to the democratic decision [of citizens who voted for a Netanyahu-led government including Deri] and the sovereignty of the people.”
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is in Israel, where he began his visit by meeting with President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem last night. “You are coming at the right time, as we meet so many challenges together,” Herzog said.
Sullivan met with Netanyahu today in Jerusalem. “I’ve known President Biden for 40 years as a great friend of Israel and I know how much he trusts you in matters of national security, and you should know that we see you as a trusted partner in matters of assuring security and of course advancing peace,” Netanyahu said to Sullivan before reporters. “And I think today you come at a special time because we have acute challenges to our security and vast opportunities for peace, and I’m convinced that by working together we can both meet the challenges and realize the opportunities.”
Describing Biden’s commitment to the State of Israel as “bone-deep” and America’s commitment to Israel as “iron-clad,” Sullivan said, “I agree with you we have to talk about both the challenges but also the real opportunities that our two countries have, to work towards a better future.”
Sullivan is set to meet with additional Israeli officials today, for discussions on the new government’s positions regarding the Palestinians, Iran and normalization with other countries in the region.
Netanyahu met with a bipartisan Senate delegation visiting Abraham Accords signatory countries in Jerusalem yesterday, alongside Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides.
During the meeting, the officials discussed the potential for closer cooperation between Abraham Accords countries, and the importance of U.S. support for the Accords and opportunities to expand them, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office. Netanyahu also presented the Israeli stance on the Iranian threat and how it can be confronted by posing a credible military threat and exerting economic and political pressure.
Following the meeting, Herzog tweeted, “Their work reflects the shared Israel-U.S. goal of promoting cooperation & stability in the Middle East. I’m grateful for their partnership.”
In Davos today, the Anti-Defamation League’s Jonathan Greenblatt will speak at the World Economic Forum on the “Keeping Faith” panel at 3 p.m. local time. Tonight, Israeli singer Noa and guitarist Gil Dor will perform together before appearing on a panel about linking the arts and activism.
Stateside, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will travel to Arizona State University for a roundtable discussion this afternoon with college students about combating antisemitism.
The Israeli-American Council’s annual gathering kicks off today in Austin, Texas. Speakers include Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Jewish Federations of North America CEO Eric Fingerhut.
turkey trouble
White House, Congress renew standoff over F-16 sale to Turkey

The news last week that the White House plans to seek congressional approval to sell $20 billion worth of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey renewed a standoff between the administration and key congressional leaders, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Battle lines: Turkey first requested to purchase the planes, as well as equipment to upgrade their existing F-16 fleet, in October 2021. But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — most notably Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who can unilaterally place an informal hold on the sale — have attempted to put up obstacles to the deal and otherwise pushed back against it. Opponents of the sale also have the support of some leaders in the U.S. Jewish community.
Red flags: A Jewish community leader, who requested anonymity to speak freely on the sensitive issue, told JI this week that — in spite of Turkey’s steps toward restoring normal relations with Israel and the nation’s geo-strategic importance — its ongoing tensions with NATO, Greece and Cyprus, its democratic backsliding and its harboring of Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas officials continue to pose concerns for some in the Jewish community. “It’s understandable that organizations that care deeply about Western values, care deeply about the democracy in and across the region and care deeply about the sovereignty of its neighbors would want to see changes in Turkish government behavior before agreeing to the substantial upgrading of the military capabilities of Turkey,” the leader said. “This is not about Israel’s strategic interests so much as the behavior of a country that is an unreliable NATO partner and poses threats to other NATO allies.”
Deal or no deal: The administration’s informal notification to Congress about the F-16 sale was accompanied by an announcement that it will sell F-35s to Greece. Soner Cagaptay, the director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Turkish Research Program, told JI that the administration likely hoped the Greek deal would alleviate concerns by essentially guaranteeing a qualitative military edge to Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean. “The problem with this ‘deal’ is that nobody objects to Greece getting F-35s,” Cagaptay continued. “So it’s not as if this is a sweetener to Menendez. Greece gets F-35s whether or not Turkey gets F-16s.”
Flip side: Bradley Bowman, the senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI that, despite the numerous problematic aspects of Turkey’s behavior, there are potential benefits to allowing the sale to proceed, rather than pushing Turkey toward another potential supplier for the necessary upgrades to its fighter fleet. “When allies and partners buy weapons from us, that accrues — many times — 20-, 30-plus year benefits for us,” Bowman explained. “It creates all kinds of interoperability benefits, readiness benefits, diplomatic and other benefits that accrue to us. And so I would rather have those benefits come to us than to Russia or China, or even France.”