Daily Kickoff
Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to Canadian MP Anthony Housefather about his concerns for the future of his party following its support for ending arms sales to Israel, and report on the evolving situation on college campuses that have historically seen little anti-Israel activity. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sue Altman, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and James McBride.
It’s a big week for Israeli politics, domestically and internationally, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi in Washington at a critical juncture in the war in Gaza. Their visits, which are two separate delegations, come amid a showdown on Haredi enlistment in the IDF that threatens Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, Jewish Insider senior political correspondent Lahav Harkov reports.
The visits of the Israeli delegations come on the heels of clear messages from the Biden administration that they oppose a large-scale IDF operation in Rafah absent a plan to protect the roughly 1.5 million Palestinians in the city, with Blinken urging against such moves on his brief visit to Israel on Friday, and Vice President Kamala Harris saying on Sunday that “any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake.”
Asked if she would rule out consequences from the U.S. should Israel proceed to maneuver in the southern Gaza city, Harris responded: “I am ruling out nothing.”
But in a Purim message on Sunday, Netanyahu insisted that “it is impossible to defeat the sheer evil by leaving it intact in Rafah… We will enter Rafah and achieve total victory. We eliminated Haman and we will also eliminate [Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya] Sinwar.”
In his first public trip abroad since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, Gallant will seek to ensure that the consequences Harris wouldn’t rule out don’t come to fruition during his meetings with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who invited him to Washington, as well as Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, CIA Director Bill Burns, members of Congress and AIPAC leadership.
Gallant said he will “focus on preserving Israel’s qualitative military edge, our ability to obtain platforms and munitions, our critical ties with the United States and the importance of achieving our goals in Gaza — namely defeating the Hamas terrorist organization, returning the hostages home and ensuring Israel’s security needs.”
Among the “platforms and munitions” Gallant plans to discuss are Israel’s plans to acquire more F-35 and F-15 fighter jets, as well as Apache helicopters, and to ensure that there is no delay in supplying offensive arms to Israel, despite the reports that the White House is considering a slowdown.
Gallant also reportedly plans to push back against claims of starvation in Gaza. The defense minister will present his American interlocutors with reports showing that there has been a sharp increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza in the last month, up from dozens of trucks per day in January to over 100 a day in February and 250 daily in March.
Deputy Assistant to the President Amos Hochstein will also meet with Gallant, in a sit-down in which the defense minister said he will “discuss the need to return Israel’s northern communities to their homes” — from which about 55,000 are still evacuated‚ “whether this is achieved via military action or via agreement.”
On his way out of Israel over the weekend, however, Gallant dropped a bombshell of his own, saying that he would not support Netanyahu’s bill that would essentially continue Haredi Israelis’ blanket exemption from the IDF draft. Gallant’s comments come weeks after war cabinet minister and National Union leader Benny Gantz said the Defense Ministry would only sponsor a bill backed by all parts of the coalition.
Gantz said Netanyahu’s plan crosses a “red line” and that his party “will not be able to be members of the emergency government if such legislation passes the Knesset.”
Netanyahu, however, told Likud ministers that he will not give up on his bill and will not allow them freedom to vote as they wish, because without a Haredi draft exemption the government would collapse.
The bill comes after a proposal from the Defense Ministry to extend the length of service for active duty soldiers and reservists, and called up students in pre-army programs earlier than planned, sparking a backlash in the Knesset and the sectors of Israel’s population where most serve.
If the coalition does not pass a law of some kind over what has been a coalition-busting controversy for the past 25 years, the Haredi draft exemption will expire and anyone who refuses a conscription order can be criminally liable — though it is highly unlikely that Israel will force tens of thousands of Haredim into the army or prison.
With no real way to get enough Haredim into the army that will satisfy the Israeli center – including Likud moderates – and Haredi coalition parties who say that they will only be satisfied with blanket exceptions, Netanyahu’s government is looking as precarious as ever.
oy ottawa
The Jewish Canadian MP questioning his future with Liberal Party
Last week, a 50-second clip of an interview with Canadian MP Anthony Housefather posted by the Canadian version of C-SPAN went viral on social media. It showed Housefather getting choked up as he came face-to-face with a new political reality, after he was one of just three members of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party to vote against a resolution the previous night that, in Housefather’s view, equated Israel to Hamas. “I think it’s the first time, in my parliamentary career, that I’ve had a reflection like this, where I truly felt last night that a line had been crossed,” Housefather told the reporter. “I started reflecting as to whether or not I belonged.” Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch spoke to Housefather on Friday about the surge in anti-Israel activism within Canada’s governing party that has the leading Jewish Liberal lawmaker reconsidering his partisan alliances.
Where to go: “Right now, for most North American Jews, and I think that’s the case in Canada and the United States, there’s no issue more important than antisemitism domestically and what’s happening with Israel,” Housefather told JI. “So if I am this far out of line with my party, it has to make me question, am I in the right place?”
Identity crisis: Housefather’s crisis of belonging was sparked by his colleagues in the Liberal Party joining Canada’s New Democratic Party — which Housefather likened to the far-left Squad in Washington — in passing a resolution that called for an end to arms sales to Israel and for Canada to support global prosecutions of Israel in venues like the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide.
Political problem: For a lawmaker with liberal values, making a choice to possibly leave his party — a choice that Housefather said he has not yet decided — is a difficult one. “I’ve always believed that my values as a Jew are not any different than my values as a Canadian, and that I can’t be centered only on Jews, I have to care about everybody,” he said. “I don’t necessarily identify on many issues with the other party.” He acknowledged that, among Canadian Jews, “there’s been a very, very large migration to the Conservatives, because the Conservatives have been so so clear on this issue.”
position paper pledge
New Jersey’s Sue Altman, breaking with progressive allies, expresses support for Israel
Sue Altman’s background as a progressive organizer and former leader in New Jersey’s Working Families Party raised questions early in her campaign for the seat in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District about how she might approach Israel policy, given the national party’s criticism of Israel and support for conditioning aid to the Jewish state, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. But in a position paper shared with JI, Altman — now the presumptive Democratic nominee — distanced herself from the hard left on Israel, expressing a personal connection to and affinity for Israel and separating herself from the national WFP’s positions on the issue.
Aid to Israel: In the position paper, Altman pledged support for continued U.S. military aid to Israel, without conditions, and for the supplemental aid bill for Israel and other U.S. allies, as well as stated her opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Her campaign said she also opposes legislation to place end-use restrictions on aid to Israel.
Cease-fire position: In a Feb. 9 local television interview, Altman said that both the Hamas attack and humanitarian situation in Gaza are “awful and heartbreaking.” But she said she was not calling for a cease-fire, describing the conflict as “very complex… I don’t think it’s so simple that a cease-fire will stop the violence.” She said in her position paper that she does support “continued humanitarian pauses.”
Palestinian concern: The paper at multiple points raises concerns about Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians, particularly in the West Bank. She said that “inhumane conditions” for Palestinians, including home demolitions and settlement expansion, hinder “good-faith negotiating.” “There is no path to a two-state solution if Palestinians cannot see a credible vision for a homeland,” she said. “The right to a home, freedom of movement, and access to food and clean water are all fundamental human rights and must be maintained if we are to achieve lasting peace.”
Looking back: In the paper, Altman traced her affinity for Israel to a biking trip across the country in 2010. “My time in Israel… had an indelible effect on my understanding of the historical plight of the Jewish people and the importance of maintaining a strong alliance with Israel,” she continued. “My actions will be shaped by my firm belief in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and a desire to make conditions on the ground conducive to diplomacy, which is the only viable path to peace in the region. I will be a vocal advocate for building and maintaining connective tissue between our countries through economic aid and diplomatic cooperation.”
campus beat
Traditionally quiet campuses now face widespread anti-Israel activity
University of Virginia’s politically low-key climate was, in part, what drew Adin Yager to the campus. The fourth-year student had never voted in a student election. But that changed after the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel — students on the Charlottesville campus, seemingly overnight, became activists urging the university to divest from companies with ties to the Jewish state, a pattern seen in several universities that have traditionally been politically sleepy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but since the Hamas attacks and the start of the war in Gaza are suddenly seeing their first-ever BDS campaigns and anti-Israel activity, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reports for Jewish Insider.
Climate change: “I know many people who, whether they voted yes or no, had never voted in student elections before,” Yager, a music and economics double major who has served on multiple campus pro-Israel committees through Chabad and Hillel, told JI. “Since Oct. 7, and especially [amid the divestment referendum], the overall climate here has been way more political.”
BDS back: BDS efforts nearly disappeared on college campuses in recent years before Oct. 7, with just three resolutions being brought forward in 2022, compared to 44 at their peak in the 2014-2015 school year. But in the months since Oct. 7 there has been a resurgence in efforts to bring BDS back to the forefront. Jewish groups on campus have been mobilizing at schools where Students for Justice in Palestine has been organizing for years. But on the handful of campuses that have historically been the most welcoming for Jewish students, and now are facing BDS referendums for the first time, administrators of Jewish groups are left scrambling to quickly adapt to a post-Oct. 7 landscape.
Better together: Ryan Bauman, a fourth-year student who is the president and founder of Vanderbilt’s Students Supporting Israel chapter, said that combating anti-Israel activity has united Hillel and Chabad on campus for the first time. “Pre-Oct. 7, the groups were siloed, there wasn’t a lot of overlap and collaboration,” Bauman said. “Now it’s the closest the Jewish community at Vanderbilt has been. Level of religion does not apply to any of this. It’s about feeling comfortable and having a group to talk to.”
Bonus: In Newsweek, Vanderbilt junior Ilana Drake describes feeling “isolated and unsupported” by her peers on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
new investigation
House Ways and Means Committee requests answers from four top schools on campus antisemitism
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) wrote on Thursday to the leaders of Cornell University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania regarding antisemitism on their campuses, suggesting that the schools are at risk of losing their tax-exempt statuses, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What the letters say: Smith requested that the schools provide information and documents relating to their efforts to antisemitism — making his committee the second to request such documentation from the four institutions, following the Education and Workforce Committee. Smith’s letter specifically notes that universities enjoy tax-exempt status, something that falls under his committee’s purview.
Quotable: “The focus of the Committee’s inquiry and questions is to understand what universities like yours are doing, if anything, to change course drastically and address what has gone unaddressed for years,” the letters read. “Doing so is essential to justifying the generous tax-exempt status that the American people have provided institutions like yours for decades.”
Long-term problem: The letters emphasize that the current spike in campus antisemitism,” did not arise from new opinions developed in a matter of hours or days after the Hamas attacks,” instead “reveal[ing] a culture of antisemitism that developed and grew beneath the surface for decades.” Smith said that the situation requires “serious institutional change” and that the committee and American people “expect” such action.
warning sign
Seventeen Senate Democrats say Israel is violating arms sales conditions policy
Seventeen Senate Democrats said in a statement on Friday that they believe Israel is in violation of the administration’s memorandum placing conditions on U.S. military aid to allies, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The policy was issued amid pressure from many of the same lawmakers, who’ve been among the most critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, to place new conditions on U.S. arms sales to Israel and other allies. The memorandum includes an enforcement mechanism with consequences up to cutting off arms sales to Israel.
Why it matters: If the administration agrees with the lawmakers, it could prompt a significant change in the administration’’s policy toward aid to Israel. If not, the statement could preview an attempt by the lawmakers to suspend aid or impose other conditions. Some of the lawmakers are already on record calling for aid to be suspended.
Who signed: The statement was signed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT.), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tom Carper (D-DE), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).
From the other side: Separately, Sen. Tim Scott and 26 GOP colleagues introduced a resolution expressing Israel’s “inherent right to defend itself” and declaring that any call for elections in Israel by any U.S. official is “electoral interference” — a clear reference to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Worthy Reads
Ground Game: The New York Times’ David Brooks considers the strategic and diplomatic challenges facing Israel as it attempts to rout out Hamas in Gaza. “Israel is now risking a rupture with its closest ally and its only reliable friend on the U.N. Security Council. If Israel is going to defend itself from Iran, it needs strong alliances, and Israel is steadily losing those friends. Furthermore, Israeli tactics may be reducing Gaza to an ungovernable hellscape that will require further Israeli occupation and produce more terrorist groups for years. Hamas’s strategy is pure evil, but it is based on an understanding of how the events on the ground will play out in the political world. The key weakness of the Israeli strategy has always been that it is aimed at defeating Hamas militarily without addressing Palestinian grievances and without paying enough attention to the wider consequences. As the leaders of Hamas watch Washington grow more critical of Jerusalem, they must know their strategy is working. So we’re back to the original question: Is there a way to defeat Hamas with far fewer civilian deaths? Is there a way to fight the war that won’t leave Israel isolated?” [NYTimes]
Talking ‘Bout Their Generation: In Time, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt raises concerns about increasing levels of anti-Israel sentiment among younger Americans. “Today, 17 percent of Gen-Z agrees with the anti-Zionist idea that the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be “the termination of the state of Israel,” compared to just 2 percent of Baby Boomers. Our survey also discovered that more than a quarter of Americans (and more than half of Gen Z) would find it at least somewhat acceptable for a close friend or family member to support Hamas—the terrorist group that on October 7 used rape as a weapon, murdered children in front of their parents, and carried off civilian hostages, including babies and the elderly. … To combat antisemitism, it is essential to see past abstractions like these. We need to look at antisemitism not in theory, but in practice. We must combat it whether it’s being propagated by a white nationalist marching with tiki-torches or by a fervent anti-Zionist harassing students on campus. More than that, we need to wake up to the generational shift happening, make clear that antisemitism is never acceptable, and redouble our efforts to educate them to how the virus of antisemitism can infect an entire society, hurting not just the Jewish community, but ultimately all of us.” [Time]
A Less-Perfect Union: In The Wall Street Journal, MIT doctoral student Will Sussman explains why he and three other Jewish graduate students filed a lawsuit against the school’s graduate union over concerns regarding antisemitism. “Jewish graduate students are a minority at MIT. We can’t remove the GSU or disabuse it of its antisemitism. But we also can’t support an organization that actively works toward the eradication of the Jewish homeland, where I have family living now. That is why many of us asked for a religious accommodation that would divert our compulsory dues from the UE to a charity. The union denied my request, telling me last month in a letter that ‘no principles, teachings or tenets of Judaism prohibit membership in or the payment of dues or fees to a labor union,’ that one of UE’s founders was Jewish, and that opposition to BDS isn’t a position I hold for religious reasons. In other words, UE thinks it understands my faith better than I do.” [WSJ]
Lessons of Purim: For CNN, Rabbi Avi Weiss reflects on the meaning of Purim amid a rise in antisemitism and anti-Zionism. “The story touches upon dimensions of antisemitism that were pungent back then, and have remained powerful and threatening across thousands of years. These forms of hatred of Jews past and present fall into three categories shaping the foundations of a nation: people, ideology and land. We have seen all of them in modern times. During the Holocaust the goal of the Third Reich was the genocide of the Jewish people; that is, murdering Jews because they were Jews. It was the same agenda that motivated Haman two millennia ago. … Purim is the story of a vulnerable, powerless Jewish people living in the diaspora threatened with physical and spiritual annihilation. Its unwritten message is the necessity for Jews to be Zionist, to live in Zion, to have a homeland wherein it is in their power to protect themselves with strength, and what Israel’s army calls the ‘purity of arms.’ According to the Book of Esther, the Jews in ancient Persia were ultimately saved by the grace of the king. But the State of Israel allows Jews to save themselves.” [CNN]
Around the Web
On the Docket: The U.N. Security Council will vote on another cease-fire resolution today, after a U.S.-backed resolution was vetoed on Friday by Russia and China.
Ground Efforts: The Wall Street Journal reports on how the IDF is being forced to resume fighting in areas of Gaza it had previously taken, after Hamas and other terror groups returned to those areas.
Swapping Politics for Palantir: Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who announced last week that he will resign from Congress next month, will join Palantir. Listen to our 2021 interview with Gallagher here.
Garden State Politics: New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy announced she is suspending her Senate campaign, paving the way for Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) to secure the Democratic nomination; Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said he won’t pursue reelection on the party’s line, but may mount an independent bid later this year.
AOC Sounds Off: After being pressured from left-wing activists to label Israel’s war against Hamas as “genocide,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said on CNN that the nation’s actions “crossed the threshold of intent.” Asked by host Jake Tapper about Hamas’ agency in ending the war by releasing hostages and surrendering, Ocasio-Cortez said: “When we are talking about famine, the actions of Hamas should not be tied to whether a 3-year-old can eat.”
Sale Stumble: Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced legislation seeking to block an arms sale to Bahrain.
TikTok’s Teens: Legislators, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), who are supporting legislation cracking down on TikTok are facing pressure from their teenage children over their backing of a fast-tracked bill that would force the social media platform to divest from its Chinese parent company in order to continue operating in the U.S. Gottheimer was ultimately able to persuade his daughter by explaining his support for the bill.
Senate Block: Along party lines, the Senate defeated an amendment to the 2024 budget by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that would have blocked the administration from waiving sanctions on Iran. Passing the amendment would have required the House to re-vote, pushing past the government shutdown deadline.
Monumental Effort: Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called on President Joe Biden to establish a national monument honoring Julius Rosenwald, years after the effort first began.
Todd Talks: On Sunday’s episode of “Meet the Press,” NBC’s Chuck Todd criticized the network’s recent decision to hire former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel as a political analyst.
Peltz’s Play: The Financial Timestalks to Nelson Peltz about his ongoing efforts to join the board of Disney.
Marcus’ Moment: The New York Times interviews Brandeis Center founder Ken Marcus about his role at the forefront of combating campus antisemitism while in and out of government.
Campus Beat: A University of California, Berkeley professor ended his two-week sit-in protesting the school’s handling of antisemitism, citing an approved response by administrators to the situation on the California campus.
Book Shelf: Author James McBride reflects on the success of his latest novel, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.
Purim with the Pickles: The “Rugrats” animated children’s show premiered its Purim episode.
Diplomatic Dust-up: Singapore ordered the Israeli Embassy in the country to remove a social media post that said that text and maps in the Quran “link the land of Israel to the Jewish people as the indigenous people of the land” that Singaporean officials said were “insensitive and inappropriate” and could inflame tensions and endanger Jews in the country.
Behind the Scenes:Haaretzlooks at how left-wing Israeli NGOs are struggling with internal dissent in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Convoy Conflict: After UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said on X that Israel notified the U.N. agency that it will no longer approve food convoys in northern Gaza, an Israeli official pointed out that UNRWA has not made a request for such a convoy in six weeks, with the exception of a request for three convoys made this week during a visit to the region by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
Terror in Moscow: More than 130 people were killed in a Moscow concert hall; four Tajikistan citizens were arrested and charged in connection with the attack. In a statement, Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the “barbaric terrorist attack.”
Weapons Worries: The Wall Street Journal reports on Western concerns over Iran’s continued sales in the international market.
Currency Crash: Iran’s rial hit a record low on Sunday, as Iranians attempted to exchange the currency for planned travel around the Persian new year, which began last week.
Back on the Beat: CNN’s Hadas Gold is back in the U.S. after covering the Israel-Hamas war for the last several months; she is resuming her role as a media correspondent.
Pic of the Day
A group of musicians plays to a crowd celebrating Purim this weekend in Tel Aviv.
Birthdays
Founder and editor of The Free Press and author of How to Fight Anti-Semitism, Bari Weiss turns 40…
Retired film and book critic, with regular appearances on NBC’s “The Today Show” from 1973 until 2010, Gene Shalit turns 98… Pulpit rabbi, historian, author and lecturer, Rabbi Berel Wein turns 90… Feminist, journalist and social activist, Gloria Steinem turns 90… Mayor of Las Vegas, she was elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015 and 2019, Carolyn Goodman turns 85… Actor and director, best known for his role as Detective David Starsky on the 1970’s television series “Starsky & Hutch,” Paul Michael Glaser turns 81… Senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Aaron David Miller turns 75… Former member of the Knesset for the Yisrael Beiteinu party and then Israel’s ambassador to Belarus, Yosef Shagal turns 75… Chair of Eastern Savings Bank in Hunt Valley, Md., and immediate past chair of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, Beth H. Goldsmith… Internationally recognized Orthodox rabbinic leader, Rabbi Asher Zelig Weiss turns 71… Property manager and CPA, Glynis Gerber… Founding director of the initiative on communication and sustainability at Columbia University’s Climate School, Andrew C. Revkin turns 68… Columbus, Ohio-based consultant in the sleep medicine field, Cynthia S. Levy… Executive director at Plum Community Center in Pittsburgh, Karen Hochberg… Film producer, she served as co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal turns 66… Senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News, Arthur Allen… Retired IDF major general, from 2014 to 2018 he served as the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Yoav (Poli) Mordechai turns 60… Emmy Award-winning actress, producer, and designer, Sarah Jessica Parker turns 59… Founding director of ATID and its WebYeshiva program, he is the editor of the Rabbinical Council’s journal Tradition, Rabbi Jeffrey Saks turns 55… Former prime minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett turns 52… East Side director at the Manhattan Jewish Experience, Rabbi Avi Heller turns 51… Managing director of ARI Investment Partners, in 2002 he founded Jconnect in Los Angeles devoted to creating Jewish connectivity, continuity and unity, Cheston David Mizel… Partner at D.C.-based Mehlman Consulting, Lauren Aronson… VP of public engagement at Oxfam America, Alissa C. Rooney… YouTube personality, filmmaker, co-founder of the multimedia company Beme, and founder of 368, a space for creators to collaborate, Casey Neistat turns 43… Actress, comedian and author, Jenny Slate turns 42… Deputy Washington bureau chief at the Associated Press, Steven Sloan… Communications strategist based in Chicago, Meredith Shiner… Political director of Democratic Majority for Israel, Joel Wanger… Legislative director for Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Grant Cameron Dubler… Manager of pricing strategy at Walmart, Jordan Rossman…
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