Daily Kickoff
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand about the chances for a broader normalization deal between Israel and the Arab world, and report on American University’s efforts to address antisemitism on campus. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Clarissa Ward, Steven Spielberg and Evan Gershkovich.
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: Aiming to succeed Elissa Slotkin, Curtis Hertel mirrors her pragmatic sensibilities; Inside the army unit that handles the humanitarian needs of Gaza civilians; Jewish Washingtonians gather at Qatari Embassy to push for hostage release. Print the latest edition here.
The International Court of Justice is set this afternoon to offer a preliminary ruling on Israel’s military operation in Gaza. A fuller ruling, on South Africa’s claim that Israel is committing genocide, could take years.
Earlier today, El Al announced the suspension of its twice-weekly flights to South Africa, beginning in March.
Georgia lawmakers on Thursday adopted legislation that will define antisemitism in state law in order to help public officials identify hate crimes and discrimination against Jews. Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, said he plans to sign the bill into law, Jewish Insider’s senior national correspondent Gabby Deutch reports.
The bill requires state agencies to consider the working definition of antisemitism written by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which has been embraced by dozens of foreign governments, other states and the Biden administration.
“Jewish Georgians know our state supports us and can better protect us with the added tool of the IHRA definition,” state Rep. Esther Panitch, a Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, told JI on Thursday.
The bill’s passage marks a 180-degree change from last year’s legislative session, when it was tabled over some legislators’ concerns that the IHRA definition hampered the freedom of expression of people critical of Israel. The IHRA definition counts some critiques of Israel as antisemitic.
That the legislation now enjoys widespread support among both Democrats and Republicans demonstrates how much the atmosphere has shifted, in light of the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel and the resulting rise in antisemitism in the United States. Kemp said the bill “builds on our commitment to protect Georgians from criminal acts, including those based on hate.”
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day tomorrow, President Joe Biden said in a statement that “the charge to remember the Holocaust, the evil of the Nazis and the scourge of antisemitism is more pressing than ever” following the Oct. 7 attacks.
“In the aftermath of Hamas’s vicious massacre, we have witnessed an alarming rise of despicable antisemitism at home and abroad that has surfaced painful scars from millennia of hate and genocide of Jewish people. It is unacceptable,” the president continued. “We cannot remember all that Jewish survivors of the Holocaust experienced and then stand silently by when Jews are attacked and targeted again today,” said Biden, noting that Holocaust survivors were among those taken hostage by Hamas. He drew a parallel between Holocaust deniers and those who deny or minimize the atrocities of Oct. 7.
“Without equivocation or exception, we must also forcefully push back against attempts to ignore, deny, distort and revise history,” Biden said. This includes Holocaust denialism and efforts to minimize the horrors that Hamas perpetrated on October 7, especially its appalling and unforgiveable use of rape and sexual violence to terrorize victims.”
Biden pledged to “recommit to carrying forward the lessons of the Shoah, to fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate-fueled violence, and to bringing the hostages home.”
on the table
Gillibrand: Israeli-Arab mega-deal is on the table, if Israel is open to two states

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who recently returned from a trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod on Thursday that Arab states stand ready to seal a regional peace deal with Israel in the near future — if Israel commits to a two-state solution.
The deal: “They’re available to do this long-term peace agreement. They are willing to play a role in rebuilding a Palestinian state, providing security and creating an international regional alliance to fight against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and all its proxies,” Gillibrand said. “I know and I hope that can happen in the months to come — not years — months to come.” She continued, “What Israel has to give, in this scenario, is the willingness to have a second state.”
The obstacle: Based on her recent visit to Israel, Gillibrand described this as a major sticking point that has developed since Oct. 7. She said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in meetings a year ago, was not opposed to a two-state solution as he laid out an ambitious plan for normalization with Saudi Arabia and broader regional peace. “My hope is that the Israeli people, and the Israeli government, and Prime Minister Netanyahu can collectively decide, ‘We will not be manipulated [by Hamas] into giving up our own vision for peace,’” she said.
Path forward: Gillibrand said that the Saudi government is willing to conduct anti-terrorism and security operations with its own military personnel inside Gaza as part of an international force, with guidance from Israel. And she said the Jordanian government is “positioned” to help bring in a new Palestinian government — ”they have proposals, they have a plan.” She argued that such an arrangement can and should come before Hamas is fully rooted out from Gaza. She explained that a regional multinational security force including Arab allies and the Palestinian population would be more effective in eliminating Hamas than Israel acting alone.