
Daily Kickoff: Israel hosts its first Independence Day celebration in Abu Dhabi
👋 Good Friday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we cover Yael Lempert’s hearing to be the next U.S. ambassador to Jordan and report on the first Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration in the UAE. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Jake Sullivan, David Broza and Bernard-Henri Lévy.
For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent Jewish Insider, eJewishPhilanthropy and The Circuit stories, including: The buzz is gone: Ben Smith and the end of social media-driven journalism; The Israeli opposition official fighting for more women at the table; Criticism of Jordan is getting louder, but not from Congress; Nides: ‘Democracy is alive and well in the State of Israel’; Could brewing civil war in Sudan unravel its relations with Israel?; Israeli chef Eyal Shani brings Tel Aviv vibe to Dubai Marina; Saudi Arabia beats targets in energy, tourism, jobs for women; and Jewish-run group breaks ground on new housing development for neurodiverse adults in L.A.Print the latest edition here.
In addition to our regular Weekly Print, this week we’ve made available a PDF version of all five installments of our investigative series “Who Killed Kesher’s Rabbi?” Print the full series PDF here.
Last night in Washington, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced that he will travel to Saudi Arabia this weekend, alongside representatives from the UAE and India. Sullivan announced the trip in remarks at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Soref Symposium. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is reportedly traveling to the kingdom in June.
In his address, Sullivan ticked off a list of the Biden administration’s regional accomplishments: the Israel-Lebanon maritime border agreement, a 14-month truce in Yemen, the de-escalation of tensions following the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in 2021 and a range of warming ties in the region.
Sullivan also noted the recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, calling it “in line with the fundamental direction and trend of de-escalation that we have supported and encouraged even while we maintain pressure on Iran through sanctions and other means.”
The national security advisor also noted the administration’s efforts to further the Abraham Accords and build other regional alliances, such as I2U2, a group comprised of Israel, India, the UAE and the U.S. “We’ve worked to deepen the Abraham Accords and forge new coalitions like I2U2 — which I can’t decide is a great acronym or terrible acronym,” Sullivan quipped, “but it certainly can be memorable. If you remember nothing else from my speech, remember I2U2, because you will be hearing more about it as we go forward.”
Rabbis across the U.K. will join in prayer for King Charles III on his coronation day tomorrow, with synagogue congregants of different denominations reciting specially issued prayers for the occasion, circulated by the Chief Rabbi’s Office in the form of a 12-page pamphlet.
Meanwhile, the chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, is staying with his wife at St James’ palace tonight in order to be able to attend the ceremony while still observing the laws of Shabbat.
Mirvis and four other faith leaders — Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist — will in unison recite a greeting before the king: “Your Majesty, as neighbors in faith, we acknowledge the value of public service. We unite with people of all faiths and beliefs in thanksgiving, and in service with you for the common good.” So as not to violate Shabbat, Mirvis will not speak into a microphone.
“We as a community are blessed, as are members of all faiths in the U.K., in having in Charles III a champion, and we welcome enormously the extent to which he is going to include us in the coronation for the very first time in history,” Mirvis told the Jewish Chronicle. “The role that I will have is relatively small, but it’s nonetheless very significant.”
Chabad Rabbi Yossi Jacobs and Rebbetzin Rachel Jacobs also had an opportunity to talk with King Charles in the gardens of Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, when they attended the coronation tea party. The rabbi told King Charles that the couple would be praying for him on the day of his coronation, and the king reportedly quipped that he had picked the wrong day with the event falling on Shabbat.
And providing a tasty twist on the event of the coronation, the Jewish News teamed up with Bonjour Bakery to create “a challah fit for a king,” a limited edition of 120 of the special challot in a variety of plain, cinnamon and raisin flavors.
on the hill
Jordan ambassador nominee Yael Lempert questioned on Sbarro bomber extradition, Abraham Accords

Yael Lempert, the Biden administration’s nominee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Jordan, pledged on Thursday to “do everything in my power” to secure the extradition of Ahlam Tamimi, who helped plan a bombing that killed U.S. citizens in Israel, but stopped short of endorsing a call for the U.S. to withhold its aid to Amman to secure her capture, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Talking Tamimi: “I think our relationship with Jordan is multifaceted and extremely important. There’s obviously some issues that we’re not going to agree on,” said Lempert, at her Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing. “I think that what I can confirm to you is that I will do everything in my power to ensure that Ahlam Tamimi faces justice in the United States.”
Cruz’s questioning: Pressed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on whether the U.S. should consider withholding military and economic assistance to Jordan — more than $1 billion annually — Lempert demurred. “I think that would need to be weighed very carefully against the range of issues and priorities that we have with the Jordanians before considering such a step, which I think would be profound,” she said. “I would want to, if confirmed, get out there and try and work on this and see if we can make progress in other ways.”
Sign of strength: While the hearing touched on disagreements between the U.S. and Jordan, it provided little indication of a change in attitudes from lawmakers or the administration toward Jordan. Lempert and top lawmakers emphasized the importance of maintaining close ties between the U.S. and the Hashemite Kingdom, as well as elevating the Israeli-Jordanian relationship. Lempert said that she would “work to strengthen and advance” the relationship, including urging Jordan to join the Negev Forum and embrace the Abraham Accords, which Amman has been reticent to do. “Jordan belongs in the Negev Forum,” she said, adding that she has been working on the subject in her current role as the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.