Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Tuesday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on yesterday’s phone call between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the eve of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s diplomatic visit to Washington. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Mike Pence, Malcolm Hoenlein and Josh Gottheimer.
President Joe Biden invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to meet soon in the United States,” the Prime Minister’s Office said yesterday following a phone call between the two leaders. Netanyahu accepted the invitation, which came seven months after he returned to power, and “it was agreed that Israeli and American teams will coordinate the details of the meeting,” the readout said.
The location of the meeting was not specified, fueling speculation that it could take place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September.
“They have agreed that they will meet, probably before the end of this year, and all the details of the wheres and the whens are still being worked out,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said Monday at the White House press briefing.
During the conversation, described by the Prime Minister’s Office as “long and warm,” Netanyahu updated Biden on the “reasonableness standard” bill, which is slated to be passed next week in its final readings in the Knesset, and which would bar the courts from reviewing and blocking government decisions they deem to be unreasonable.
The bill’s advancement is the impetus for another “day of disruption” across Israel tomorrow that is set to include mass protests at major junctions, highways and train stations. Netanyahu told Biden that he intends “to reach wide public support for the rest of the [judicial] reform during the summer recess.”
The focus of the Monday phone conversation, according to the readout from Netanyahu’s office, was “bolstering the strong bond between the nations; thwarting threats from Iran and its proxies; expanding the circle of peace; and the continued efforts to deescalate and stabilize the situation in Judea and Samaria (renewing the Aqaba–Sharm El-Sheikh process).”
Washington has an “ironclad, unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” Kirby noted. But, he added, “you shouldn’t take away from the fact that they had a conversation today and that they’ll meet again in the fall that we have less concerns over these judicial reforms, or less concerns over some of the extremist activities and behavior by some members of the Netanyahu cabinet. Those concerns are still valid. They’re disturbing.” The White House readout noted that Biden “expressed concern about continued settlement growth and called on all parties to refrain from further unilateral measures.”
Kirby offered the White House’s first comments since Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) called Israel a “racist state” at a progressive conference, remarks that she later partially walked back after a public rebuke from Democratic House leadership. The House will vote today on a resolution introduced on Monday by House Republicans rejecting claims that Israel is racist or an apartheid state, condemning antisemitism and declaring support for Israel. Read more below.
“We saw that she apologized and we’re glad she did,” Kirby said. “I think as you saw from my readout from the call with Prime Minister Netanyahu and as you’ll see tomorrow when the president gets a chance to meet with [Israeli] President [Isaac] Herzog, our commitment to Israel is ironclad. And we’re going to make that clear and consistent every chance we get.”
The invitation for Netanyahu to meet Biden came the same day that Israeli President Isaac Herzog departed for a diplomatic visit to Washington, D.C., and New York, during which he will meet with Biden at the White House and will address a special joint session of Congress. Herzog is also scheduled to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Read more on JI’s coverage of Herzog’s visit here.
The Aspen Security Forum kicks off this afternoon. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield will be a featured speaker during today’s program.
Later in the week, events are scheduled with U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, former Israeli Vice Prime Minister Tzipi Livni, former Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell McCormick, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, CIA Director Bill Burns, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jim Risch (R-ID).
Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod will be on the ground in Aspen all week.
taking aim
Mike Pence speaks out against growing antisemitism in politics
Former Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with Jewish Insider on Monday that Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA) recent comments describing Israel as “a racist state” were “a disgrace,” even as he acknowledged that she had since walked back her remarks amid criticism from members of both parties. “I’m glad she took it back,” Pence told JI’s Matthew Kassel at the Washington, D.C., offices of his political advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom. “But it was still a disgrace.”
On Omar: The former vice president, who launched his campaign for president last month, also took aim at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for espousing “antisemitic tropes” — and for more recently joining a handful of House Democrats who announced they will boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to Congress this week. “This is a very real force that’s growing in the halls of government and the public debate in many Western countries. It needs to be called out and it needs to be denounced,” Pence said of the global rise in antisemitism, before turning his attention to one of his opponents in the Republican primary.
Foreign policy credentials: Pence was emphasizing his long-standing support for Israel and opposition to antisemitism ahead of his appearance on Monday evening at the Washington summit of Christians United for Israel. Pence’s appearance at the evangelical summit, where he will receive CUFI’s Defender of Israel Award, is the latest evidence that the former vice president is seeking to emphasize his foreign policy credentials as he struggles to gain traction in a crowded Republican primary. In the interview with JI, for instance, Pence staunchly defended his support for aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia, just days after his approach had drawn boos from some audience members during a tense exchange with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson at a separate evangelical summit in Iowa.
Read the full interview here.
in the room
Speakers at CUFI conference slam Biden’s approach to Israel, antisemitism
Speakers at the Christians United for Israel conference in Arlington, Va., yesterday — including three GOP presidential candidates — slammed the Biden administration’s approach to Israel and antisemitism. In their speeches, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence all criticized President Joe Biden for what they view as his failure to defend Israel.
Candidates’ criticism: “What this Biden administration has done, I think, has been disgraceful,” said DeSantis, who was first to address the evangelical summit. “The way they treat a strong ally like Prime Minister Netanyahu has been disgraceful. What they’re trying to do to shoehorn Israel into bad policies has been disgraceful. You have different things that go on in Israel, like with this judicial reform. Biden needs to butt out of that and let Israel govern itself.” Haley reiterated this message, saying, “When I say this president has been a disappointment, it’s the understatement of the decade. From Day 1 Joe Biden has weakened America and failed to stand by Israel.” Pence, who accepted CUFI’s Defender of Israel Award, charged that “The Biden administration has all but abandoned our unambiguous and unqualified support for Israel.”
Actions speak louder: Malcolm Hoenlein, the vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, sharply criticized the Biden administration over its strategy to combat antisemitism in a speech at the conference. “I welcome the fact that the administration has issued a policy paper on antisemitism and directed all agencies to develop plans,” Hoenlein said. “But it’s not enough to develop plans. I want to know what the implementation will be.” Read more on Hoenlein’s comments here.
Campus qualms: Ken Marcus, the chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to take action against campus antisemitism. “[President Biden] did a good thing in issuing a national strategy on antisemitism. It was a good use of the bully pulpit. It was good rhetoric, it just didn’t have good substance to back it up,” Marcus said. He later added: “This administration remains the first one in decades not to move the ball forward when it comes to campus antisemitism.”
JAYAPAL’S JAM
House to vote on GOP resolution declaring ‘Israel is not a racist or apartheid state’ and condemning antisemitism
The House will vote on Tuesday on a resolution introduced on Monday by House Republicans rejecting claims that Israel is racist or an apartheid state, condemning antisemitism and declaring support for Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. While the text of the legislation itself does not mention Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) by name, the brief, eight-line resolution comes in response to comments over the weekend by the congresswoman describing Israel as a “racist state.”
Called out: In statements on the legislation, its sponsors specifically called out Jayapal and other Democrats critical of Israel. “Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar’s repeated comments denigrating Israel are unacceptable and disgusting,” Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) said in a statement. “I am proud to introduce this resolution ensuring all Americans know where their Representatives stand when it comes to supporting Israel and our Jewish communities.”
From the Democrats: The resolution is expected to receive wide bipartisan support. Democratic leaders in the House quickly distanced themselves from Jayapal’s comment. On Monday, 43 House Democrats joined a statement led by pro-Israel Jewish Democrats disavowing Jayapal’s comments and declaring support for Israel. Of the 43 Democrats who criticized Jayapal, nine are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which Jayapal leads: Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Mike Levin (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Grace Napolitano (D-CA). Additional progressive lawmakers have also distanced themselves from Jayapal’s remarks.
on the hill
Senate to begin consideration of 2024 NDAA: what we’re watching
The full Senate will vote tonight on a procedural measure to begin consideration of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. More than 20 proposed amendments relevant to Middle East policy and antisemitism have been introduced to the bill, although it’s unclear yet which and how many of the more than 600 amendments introduced will ultimately receive debate time and votes on the Senate floor, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Upper chamber: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a measure that would establish an ambassador for the Abraham Accords, Negev Forum and related normalization agreements, a provision already passed by the House but not yet introduced in the Senate. Menendez’s amendment includes some new language not part of the House bill, including mandating that the official may not be “dual-hatted” with other responsibilities.
Oversight: An amendment from Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) would require a slew of federal agencies to report to Congress on their work to implement the administration’s antisemitism strategy; the strategy had included action items for various federal agencies and departments. “At a time when Jewish communities across our nation face a growing number of threats, harassment, and violence, we must take immediate action to push back against the rising tide of antisemitism,” Rosen told JI. “My amendment would help ensure that federal agencies are taking swift and concrete steps to implement the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism and protect Jewish Americans.”
bipartisan call
Lawmakers push administration to negotiate end to Palestinian Authority’s ‘pay for slay’ program
In a new letter set to be sent to Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Tuesday, a bipartisan group of 50 lawmakers is set to press the administration to prioritize ending the Palestinian Authority’s payments to the families of individuals who have carried out terror attacks on Israelis, known as the “pay for slay” program. The letter, obtained by Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod, comes amid a wave of Palestinian terror attacks that, as the letter notes, has killed both Israelis and foreign nationals, including U.S. citizen Elan Ganeles.
Info request: “To maintain a political horizon in support of a viable two-state solution, the PA cannot continue this depraved practice. U.S.-Palestinian ties have improved in recent years, and the Biden Administration is uniquely positioned to change the status quo,” the letter reads. “We encourage the State Department to update Congress on the status of negotiating an end to the ‘pay for slay’ program, and urge the Administration to continue to raise this issue with Palestinian officials. The United States is a trusted regional partner, and must utilize this unique position to bring an end to a system that has harmed so many.”
Notable: The letter also highlights numerous incidents in which terror attacks have been celebrated by Palestinians in the West Bank, in addition to the payments provided by the PA. The letter was led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and is co-signed by lawmakers from both parties, including Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Gottheimer’s Problem Solvers Caucus co-chair Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
Worthy Reads
⚖️ Balance of Power:The New York Times’ Jonathan Swan, Charlie Savage and Maggie Haberman explore the plans of former President Donald Trump and his allies to strengthen the power held by the White House while limiting the independence of federal agencies, if Trump wins the presidential election. “Mr. Trump intends to bring independent agencies — like the Federal Communications Commission, which makes and enforces rules for television and internet companies, and the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces various antitrust and other consumer protection rules against businesses — under direct presidential control. He wants to revive the practice of ‘impounding’ funds, refusing to spend money Congress has appropriated for programs a president doesn’t like — a tactic that lawmakers banned under President Richard Nixon. He intends to strip employment protections from tens of thousands of career civil servants, making it easier to replace them if they are deemed obstacles to his agenda. And he plans to scour the intelligence agencies, the State Department and the defense bureaucracies to remove officials he has vilified as ‘the sick political class that hates our country.’” [NYTimes]
🪖 A Modest Proposal on U.S. Aid to Israel: In Tablet, Jacob Siegel and Liel Leibovitz call for an end to U.S. aid to Israel, arguing that it’s the basis of an unequal relationship that allows the U.S. to manipulate the Jewish state. “As the costs to Israel of U.S. aid have skyrocketed over the past decade, the benefits of the relationship to the U.S. have only grown larger. Aid is popular with key voting blocs (few of them Jewish). It functions as a lucrative backdoor subsidy to U.S. arms makers, and provides Congress and the White House with a tool to leverage influence over a key strategic ally. The Israeli military, often ranked as the fourth-most powerful in the world, has become an adjunct to American power in a crucial region in which the U.S. has lost the appetite for projecting military force. Israeli intelligence functions as America’s eyes and ears, not just in the Middle East but in other key strategic theaters like Russia and Central Asia and even parts of Latin America. Controlling access to the output of Israel’s powerful high-tech sector is a strategic advantage for the U.S. that alone is worth many multiples of the credits Israel receives. Meanwhile, the optics of bringing the snarling Israeli attack dog to heel helps credential the U.S. as a global power that plays fair — but must also be feared.” [Tablet]
👨 An Envoy of One’s Own: In The Hill, John Hannah and Morgan Viña lament that Ambassador Dan Shapiro wasn’t appointed as a special envoy to focus on the Abraham Accords but rather as the State Department’s senior advisor for regional integration. “Appointing a presidential envoy for the Abraham Accords would have been an important opportunity for Biden to showcase his commitment to build on Trump’s most important diplomatic achievement and lay to rest questions that remain about the priority he places on advancing Arab-Israeli peace. That’s why it was one of the top recommendations we made in a report for the Jewish Institute for National Security of America in January 2022. A presidential envoy would have established a focal point within the U.S. government dedicated to coordinating the wide-ranging activities of multiple agencies involved in the political, economic and security aspects of normalization. It would also have provided an authoritative address in Washington where all those interested in making peace with Israel could go with confidence that they were speaking to someone with the ear of the president and his most senior aides.“ [The Hill]
Around the Web
🙅♂️ Not Running: Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) ruled out running for president in 2024 and warned Republicans that if they continue claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, it will hinder their chances of winning. Kemp added that he’d support former President Donald Trump if he was the GOP nominee in 2024.
📣 No Ordinary Joe: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) headlined an event in New Hampshire sponsored by the third-party group No Labels, where he said: “We’re here to make sure that the American people have an option.”
🎙️ Avoiding the Issue: Fox’s Stuart Varney accused Nevada GOP Senate recruit Sam Brown, a military veteran, of avoiding answering questions about his views on Ukraine“ during a contentious interview yesterday.
🇺🇦 Slow and Steady: Ukraine is making limited advances in its counteroffensive against Russian forces, the Washington Post reports, but “has yet to employ the kind of larger-scale operations that American officials believe could enable a breakthrough.”
✍️ Dem Demands: More than 65 Democrats in Congress sent a letter yesterday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking what steps have been taken to weed out domestic violent extremists among its ranks after an investigation found that more than 300 individuals of the far-right militia group, the Oath Keepers, described themselves as current or former employees of the department.
✋ Ending the Impasse: Secretary of State Tony Blinken called on the Senate to quickly confirm more than three dozen State Department nominees, charging that delaying tactics employed by Republican senators were “undermining national security.”
🤨 Curious George: House Democrats released a resolution to censure Rep. George Santos (R-NY) for lying about his life story. Santos is facing a 13-count federal indictment on money laundering, stealing public money, wire fraud and making false statements to Congress.
📄 Resurfaced: Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Keith Self (R-TX), Mike Waltz (R-FL), Maria Salazar (R-FL), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) and Joe Wilson (R-SC) reintroduced legislation yesterday seeking to strengthen congressional oversight over the potential removal of U.S. sanctions on Iran.
🚫 Kennedy Conspiracies: House Democrats will send a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) this morning asking them to disinvite Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from testifying before Congress on Wednesday, citing antisemitic and anti-Asian conspiracies that Kennedy has given voice to, Punchbowl News reports.
🏺 Show and Tell: Senior Israeli officials have unsuccessfully tried to recover antiquities at former President Donald’s Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Haaretz reports. They were sent to the U.S. in 2019 on the condition that they be returned within weeks, yet almost four years later, they have yet to be returned.
🌐 Controversial Call: A group of House Republican hardliners have introduced resolutions that would eliminate ongoing national emergencies regarding Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Congo, measures that could subsequently alter U.S. sanction policy that critics say would empower terrorists and other hostile actors.
🇪🇺 Euro-zoned Out: The Wall Street Journal reports on a growing economic malaise across Europe: “Europeans are facing a new economic reality, one they haven’t experienced in decades. They are becoming poorer.”
🔥 Hate Parade: A group of neo-Nazis carrying Tiki torches and displaying symbols harassed attendees of an LGBTQ+ event in downtown Toledo, Ohio, on Saturday.
🇦🇪🇸🇦 Regional Rivalry: The Wall Street Journal spotlights a rift between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his former mentor, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as they compete for geopolitical and economic power in the region.
🏜️ Sahara Status: Israel announced yesterday that it officially recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
🪧 Military Move: Hundreds of Israeli elite reservist air force pilots are among more than 1,000 IDF reservists warning that they may refuse to serve if the government passes a key part of the judicial overhaul, which critics view as a threat to democracy.
🏡 Housing Allowance: The Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem is pushing for a budget increase to purchase a $12.5 million mansion in Washington for Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog, according to Haaretz.
🥯 A Deli Goes West: Russ & Daughters is opening a new 4,400-square-foot store on the far West Side of Manhattan on Wednesday.
Pic of the Day
Over 100 attendees gathered on Monday evening at the Aspen Chabad JCC in Aspen, Colo., for a Jewish Insider event featuring retired two-star U.S. Army Gen. Miguel Correa, the man who named the Abraham Accords. Correa shared life lessons from his career across the military and in the White House, including making the most of any situation and appreciating the many blessings in disguise.
Birthdays
Israeli nuclear physicist and professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University, Jonas Alster turns 90…
Theoretical chemist who won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, he has also published plays and poetry, Roald Hoffmann turns 86… Founding partner of NYC-based law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, Sidney Davidoff turns 84… President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County, Jan Meisels Allen… Former three-term mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, Stephen Mandel turns 78… Former Prime Minister of Peru, Yehude Simon Munaro turns 76… Executive director of the MLB Players Association for 26 years and then the same post at the NHL Players Association for 12 additional years, Donald Fehr turns 75… Beverly Hills resident, Felisa Bluwal Pivko… Businessman Leonard Grunstein turns 71… COO of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, Mark Weitzman… Former Israeli Police spokesman, he is now a senior national radio broadcaster in Israel and an international talk-show host, Elihu Ben-Onn turns 69… Seattle area consultant, Elihu Rubin… Former deputy finance chairman of the RNC, Elliott B. Broidy turns 66… Former minister for congressional affairs at the Embassy of Israel to the U.S., he was previously the Israeli ambassador to Belarus, Martin Peled-Flax turns 65… Partner at Clifford Chance, Philip Wagman… CEO and co-founder at Let’s Bench, a publisher of customized keepsake prayer books and benchers, Yitz Woolf… Associate professor of cybersecurity law at the U.S. Naval Academy and formerly an attorney at Covington & Burling, Jeffrey Michael Kosseff turns 45… Deputy director of the White House National Economic Council until last year, now a professor at NYU law school, David Kamin… Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alexander Ryvchin turns 40… Reporter for NBC Nightly News and Today, Gadi Schwartz turns 40… Editor of Alma, Molly Tolsky… Senior creative strategist at MissionWired, Lauren Friedlander… CEO of Moving Traditions, Shuli Karkowsky… Former senior spokesperson at the U.S. Treasury, now the policy communications lead at Coinbase, Julia Krieger… Editorial content director at Gemini, Philip Rosenstein… Foil fencer who competed for the U.S. at the 2020 Olympics, she is now training for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, Jacqueline Dubrovich turns 29… Yosef Tarshish… Izi Doenyas… Ted Rosenberg…
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