
Daily Kickoff: The new D.C. digs for Israel’s ambassadors
👋 Good Thursday morning!
Ed. note: The next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Enjoy the Labor Day weekend!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s purchase of a home for its ambassador in Washington, and feature a book review by Tevi Troy on Marty Peretz’s new memoir. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Guy Nattiv, Rabbi Diana Fursko and Blake Masters.
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: With polished Hebrew, Germany’s ambassador to Israel draws inspiration from the job; At 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, past is present for many; Book Review: ‘The Controversialist: Arguments With Everyone, Left, Right and Center,’ by Martin Peretz. Print the latest edition here.
A flurry of diplomatic visits by Israeli leaders is underway as the summer concludes, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heading to Cyprus on Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog heading to Austria and Slovakia and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen slated to visit Bahrain early next month.
Netanyahu had been scheduled to visit Cyprus and Turkey in July, but the trips were postponed when the premier underwent surgery to have a pacemaker fitted. The original plans for Cyprus reportedly included a trilateral meeting with the leaders of the host country and Greece. A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office said there is not yet a new date for the Turkey visit, which would be the first visit by an Israeli prime minister to Ankara since 2008.
Herzog announced yesterday that he will pay a two-day visit to Slovakia and Austria, beginning Monday, as the guest of Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputová and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.
During the visit, Herzog is set to meet with the countries’ heads of government, other senior officials, and leaders of the Jewish communities. Topics expected to be addressed during the visit include cooperation between the countries in the fight against terrorism and antisemitism.
At the conclusion of his visit, Herzog will participate in an unveiling ceremony at the home of the founder of modern political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, with the participation of the Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig; Karoline Edstadler, federal minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery of Austria; and the leadership of the World Zionist Organization.
Cohen’s visit to Bahrain was, like Netanyahu’s, also postponed from earlier this summer, officially due to scheduling issues, but the timing of the announcement — made hours after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, drawing condemnation from the Arab world — triggered speculation about the reason for the cancellation.
A September visit to Manama by Cohen will mark his first official visit to a Gulf nation as foreign minister and will coincide with the third anniversary of the Abraham Accords.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met this week with Brett McGurk, White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa; Barbara Leaf, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs; and Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The meetings took place in New York, after Netanyahu reportedly barred ministers from meeting Biden administration officials in Washington because he hasn’t yet met with the president in the U.S. — a meeting that is expected to take place in September with the location yet to be confirmed, although Netanyahu has said the invitation is to the White House.
During Gallant’s meeting with McGurk, the defense minister raised the importance of expanding the Abraham Accords to include additional countries, while emphasizing the importance of preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge, according to a statement from his office.
Gallant asked McGurk for clarifications regarding a possible civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia, which is reportedly a Saudi demand for a U.S.-brokered normalization agreement with Israel, and presented him with a list of questions from the Israeli defense establishment including about the sale of advanced weapons to Riyadh, Axios’ Barak Ravid reported. According to Israel’s Channel 13 Gallant told White House officials: “We will examine the option of a Saudi civilian Saudi nuclear program. We will check all the considerations and come back with an answer.”
The Palestinian Authority reportedly gave Saudi Arabia a wish list of deliverables earlier this year, which included the reopening of a U.S. consulate in Jerusalem to serve Palestinians and a lessening of restrictions in areas of the West Bank, in the framework of Riyadh’s discussions with the U.S. over the parameters of a deal with Israel.
scoop
Israel completes purchase of new residence for its ambassadors to Washington

After nearly a decade without a permanent residence for its ambassador in Washington, Israel has finally purchased a house, a source at the Israeli Embassy in Washington confirmed to Jewish Insider’s Ruth Marks Eglash on Wednesday.
Details: The house, which is in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Northwest Washington, is currently an 11-bedroom, 12-bathroom abode, replete with a grand foyer and a bifurcated staircase, in addition to a gym, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi. It also has a home theater, a wine cellar and a game room, according to property specs advertised by Sotheby’s. The property was listed for $10 million. Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog, who has been living in hotels and rental properties since taking up the post in November 2021, will likely move into the official residence within the next month, the source, who is knowledgeable about the details, said. The property will undergo some renovations, including the removal of the sauna and jacuzzi, to make it more suitable to house an ambassador.
Long time coming: Since 2013, Israel has rented properties for its ambassador after the former official residence was abandoned due to unlivable conditions. The previous house owned by the Israeli government, which was used by every Israeli ambassador to the U.S. since the 1960s, including Yitzhak Rabin, was located on Chesapeake Street NW. “After almost 10 years of temporary housing, the State of Israel has decided to purchase an official residence to provide a long-term solution for its ambassador,” the embassy source told JI.