Daily Kickoff
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we spotlight the foreign policy divisions among candidates in Ohio’s GOP Senate primary, and report on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ call for Hamas to be “decisively defeated.” Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Gideon Sa’ar, Yair Zivan and Scooter Braun.
What we’re watching today: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is slated to give a “major address” on the Israel-Hamas war this morning.
Schumer’s speech comes amid reports that administration officials told Israel that the U.S. would back an effort to go after high-value Hamas targets in and underneath Rafah without mounting a large-scale incursion.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said the Biden administration has yet to see “a clear and implementable plan” from the Israeli government to protect Gazans ahead of a potential military operation in Rafah.
Despite anti-Israel activistsmounting a campaign in Washington State to vote “uncommitted” against President Joe Biden as a protest of his support for Israel, the effort sputtered on Tuesday, only winning about 7% of the Democratic primary vote. Even in progressive King County (Seattle), the left-wing effort only won 10% support.
It’s another sign of far-left activists showing a lot more bark than bite. The effort to convince voters to cast an “uncommitted” ballot in protest of Israel won only 13% of the vote in Michigan, and 19% in the Minnesota primaries.
Washington State is home to a sizable share of progressive activists, particularly around Seattle, represented by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). The results fell short of the 10% statewide goal set by the left-wing group Our Revolution, which has been helping organize these anti-Israel campaigns.
On the antisemitism front: It’s not just colleges where students are facing a surge in antisemitism: More than 7 in 10 Jewish high school students report experiencing antisemitic harassment either in person or online since Oct. 7, a new study conducted by BBYO found.
The survey is the first of its kind to look at the impact that the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent rise in antisemitism across the world has had on high school students. “The results are surprising and sad… antisemitism is having an impact on students’ mental health and friendships and the feelings they have about going to school,” Matt Grossman, BBYO’s CEO, told Jewish Insider.
The survey — conducted in partnership with First International Resources and Impact Research between Jan. 23 and Feb. 5 — polled 1,989 public, private and day school students in ninth through 12th grades across the U.S. and Canada. It found that 71% of Jewish teens have experienced antisemitic harassment or discrimination, with 61% experiencing the bias in person, 46% experiencing it online and 36% experiencing antisemitism both online and in person.
Nearly half of the students surveyed reported being harassed for wearing visibly Jewish clothing or symbols, such as Jewish camp/youth group apparel, a kippah or a Star of David. More than 40% reported that someone attempted to intimidate them for wearing or owning pro-Israel items.
The study tracks with other recent polls that found that Jewish college students are facing a dramatic increase of antisemitism since Oct. 7.
tight race
Ohio Senate primary a clash between two different GOP foreign policy visions
As the closely watched Republican Senate primary in Ohio determining the challenger to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) enters its final stretch, two leading rivals who represent opposing ideological factions within the GOP are locked in an increasingly tight race for the nomination. The election next Tuesday is expected to be a key early test of the traditional conservatism espoused by Matt Dolan, a state senator from Cleveland who has risen to the top of the polls in recent days, even as he has continued to express skepticism of former President Donald Trump, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
MAGA challenger: In confronting the ascendant populism animating his party, Dolan, 59, is hoping to defy an outspoken MAGA enthusiast, Bernie Moreno, who successfully landed an endorsement from Trump in December. Despite the nod, which last cycle helped propel Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to first place in a crowded field, Moreno has failed to secure a decisive lead. One poll has shown that Dolan and Moreno are locked in a battle for first place, with Frank LaRose, the secretary of state who has walked a middle ground between his top rivals, lagging behind.
Shaping direction: Trump, for his part, appears to have recognized the stakes, revealing on Monday that he will headline a Moreno rally near Dayton this weekend, in an effort to energize his base just days before the primary. The race to challenge Brown, a vulnerable Democrat in a purple state that has trended red in recent years, could ultimately decide the balance of power in the Senate. But it will also prove consequential in shaping the direction of the Republican Party, particularly on key foreign policy decisions, as several top GOP Senate recruits have embraced an uncompromising strain of neo-isolationism that has rejected aid to Ukraine while stymying efforts to fund Israel as it battles Hamas in Gaza.
Dems jump in: A super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is running an ad in Ohio markets that touts Moreno as a Trump endorsee who is “too conservative for Ohio” — an apparent effort to boost Moreno in the primary over Dolan and LaRose.
on the hill
Jeffries calls for Hamas to be ‘decisively defeated’ in response to Biden’s Rafah ‘red line’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said on Wednesday that he wants to see Hamas “decisively defeated” in response to a question about a potential Israeli invasion of Rafah, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Jeffries’ comments came at a press conference where he staked out a strong pro-Israel line as the prospect of a Rafah invasion divides Democrats.
Red line: Asked by JI whether he agreed with President Joe Biden’s description of a Rafah invasion as a “red line,” Jeffries said, “I support everything that the president said during the State of the Union address and his general perspective that what we have to do is make sure that Hamas is decisively defeated. It’s a brutal terrorist organization.”
Context: Biden did not mention the Rafah “red line” at the State of the Union — those comments came subsequently, in a weekend interview. Israel has said that fully defeating Hamas will require operations in Rafah to eliminate the terrorist group’s remaining brigades and commanders, as was noted in the question to Jeffries.
Path to peace: “Unless we defeat Hamas, there is no possibility for just and lasting peace,” Jeffies continued. “But at the same time, we have to make sure we get the hostages out and humanitarian assistance into Gaza, decisively.”
Read the full story here.
Qatar commentary: Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) said in a JINSA webinar yesterday that Qatari officials have, in meetings, delivered mixed messages about whether they have leverage over Hamas in negotiations. “If you don’t have leverage then what are you doing with Hamas [in your country]?” Budd said. “So pick one, and make a decision accordingly.” He added, “it’s time to either fish or cut bait.” He suggested that the U.S.’ airbase in Qatar could be relocated to other “welcome hosts that would love to have our presence there” if Qatar does not do more.
gideon’s gambit
Israel’s moderate right wakes up, with Sa’ar breaking off from Gantz’s party
As new polling reveals that Israeli voters are increasingly seeking a more pragmatic center-right choice for prime minister, politicians on the right are jockeying for position. In the boldest move yet, security cabinet Minister Gideon Sa’ar has broken off from war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz’s National Union faction and is making a bid to join the three-man war cabinet. The maneuvering suggests an ongoing debate over what it means to be “right wing” in Israel as the war in Gaza grinds on and domestic issues such as Haredi conscription in the IDF reemerge, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Sa’ar’s steps: Sa’ar’s call to join Gantz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in the war cabinet, which Sa’ar argued is insufficiently hawkish, immediately brought the same demand from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party. Sa’ar, who has served in several cabinet posts, was once one of the most popular figures in Likud, viewed as Netanyahu’s likely successor. He left Likud in 2020 to establish his own party, after losing a Likud leadership primary against Netanyahu. In light of lackluster polling, he merged his list with Gantz’s ahead of the 2022 election.
Blindsided Benny: Sa’ar announced the split from Gantz after months of rumors of discord within the National Union and reports that he was in talks with Netanyahu. (This iteration of Sa’ar’s party is so new that it does not have an English name yet; its Hebrew name roughly translates to “the statesmanlike right,” but native English speakers working with Sa’ar are still using “New Hope,” the previous name, until an official name is determined.) Gantz admitted to being blindsided by the move and opposed adding Sa’ar to the war cabinet, saying: “This isn’t the time for politics. If it’s not broken, why fix it?”
tiktok trouble
TikTok legislation faces hurdles for passage in the Senate; Jewish groups split
The House voted 352-65 on Wednesday to pass a bill that would force the sale of or impose a ban on TikTok inside the United States. But the bill faces an uphill climb in the Senate, currently appearing likely to fizzle in the upper chamber, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Senate status: Despite strong support in the House, the bill currently does not appear to have the requisite support to move through the Senate, with some key Senate leaders publicly noncommittal or seeming to favor alternative, less targeted approaches. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has been publicly noncommittal about moving the bill forward. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who chairs the Commerce Committee, which would be responsible for moving the bill forward, has indicated that she doesn’t support the current bill, suggesting to reporters that it would not pass constitutional muster in court.
Opponents: In the House, 50 Democrats and 15 Republicans voted against the bill. Much of the Democratic opposition came from progressives, as well as some senior Democrats including Reps. Katherine Clark (D-MA), Jim Himes (D-CT), Greg Meeks (D-NY) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY). Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is running for Senate in Arizona, also opposed the bill. Republican opposition came largely from the right flank of the party.
Community response: The Jewish Federations of North America mounted an aggressive advocacy push for the bill in response antisemitic content on the platform, but other Jewish groups, such as the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee, have declined to support the bill. Jewish advocacy groups’ splits over the bill aren’t stopping some on the far left from blaming the Jewish and pro-Israel community anyway. A House staffer, who was not authorized to speak on record, told JI that, after the vote, constituents called their office blaming AIPAC for their member’s vote in favor of the bill.
Funding fracas: Facing down a government funding deadline at the end of next week, lawmakers are scrambling to finalize government spending bills. A source told JI that the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which supports security at nonprofits and religious institutions, could see a cut from its 2023 funding level — despite spiking antisemitism — as a result of wide-ranging cuts in the Homeland Security appropriations bill, but the final outcome remains in flux.
Worthy Reads
Answering the Call: The Free Press’ Bari Weiss reflects on the Israeli psyche in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks. “But the questions that echo inside me since I returned home — flying from a country living inside history to a country where many people believe we are still outside of it, immune to it — are more basic ones. Questions like: What would I do? What would the people I know do if we were thrust into a near-death experience? If we had to fight for homes and our families, and the homes and families of our fellow citizens? The kind of seriousness I saw in ordinary Israelis — where does it come from? Does courage emerge spontaneously out of necessity? Or is there a quiet wellspring inside some people or some cultures waiting to be tapped? Do we have that here in America? Would we answer the call if it came?” [FreePress]
Hamas’ Strategy: In Newsweek, John Spencer and Jacob Stoil from West Point’s Modern War Institute consider why Hamas is refusing to agree to a temporary cease-fire. “So why has Hamas refused a ceasefire now in Gaza? Simple: They think their strategy is going to work. They believe the United States will keep Israel out of Rafah, or that if Israel operates in Rafah, it will risk a strategic rupture with its only ally in the United Nations Security Council. Either way, Hamas potentially walks away with a strategic victory. Without operations in Rafah, Israel will be forced to accept outlandish demands for the return of the hostages. Moreover, Hamas will survive and emerge as the only Palestinian organization to defeat Israel. As it becomes increasingly clear that the United States has little stomach for an Israeli incursion into Rafah, Hamas has no reason to negotiate the terms of a ceasefire. It does not care about the interest of the Gazans. Hamas can maximize its gains with faith that the United States will ultimately impose a ceasefire on Israel. In the unlikely event that the Hamas assumptions about the United States start to prove false, they could attempt further delays of the Israeli offensive into southern Gaza by coming back to the table. Without the realistic threat of an Israeli operation in Rafah, Hamas has no reason to seek a ceasefire, and given Hamas’ strategy, there can be no truly lasting ceasefire if Hamas can return to control Gaza.” [Newsweek]
Paradigm Problems: In the Liberal Patriot, Yair Zivan, a senior diplomatic adviser to Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, examines how efforts to “manage” the Israeli-Palestinian conflict led to a failure to protect the Jewish state. “The reason ‘managing the conflict’ failed as a concept is because it started with the wrong end goal. Security objectives became subservient to the ideological ones. [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, the Israeli right, and his successive governments stopped asking the most fundamental question: what is the best way to keep Israel safe? Instead, they focused on increasing Israeli control over the West Bank, growing the settler population, and preventing any possibility of a Palestinian state. The prism through which security decisions were taken became clouded and distorted by ideological considerations. The wrong questions led to the wrong answers. These answers led to a loss of focus on the fundamental necessity to protect Israel from enemies in the region who still seek its destruction. It diverted resources and attention from even greater threats, predominantly Iran, which has spent the past months driving its nuclear program forward and strengthening its relationship with proxies in the region. At the same time, pursuit of this paradigm has chipped away at our strategic relations with the United States.” [LiberalPatriot]
The War at Guernica: In The Atlantic, Phil Klay looks at the decision by editors of a literary magazine to retract an essay written by a British-Israeli woman about the Israel-Hamas war. “Empathy here does not justify or condemn. Empathy is just a tool. The writer needs it to accurately depict their subject; the peacemaker needs it to be able to trace the possibilities for negotiation; even the soldier needs it to understand his adversary. Before we act, we must see war’s human terrain in all its complexity, no matter how disorienting and painful that might be. Which means seeing Israelis as well as Palestinians — and not simply the mother comforting her children as the bombs fall and the essayist reaching out across the divide, but far harsher and more unsettling perspectives. Peace is not made between angels and demons but between human beings, and the real hell of life, as Jean Renoir once noted, is that everybody has their reasons. If your journal can’t publish work that deals with such messy realities, then your editors might as well resign, because you’ve turned your back on literature.” [TheAtlantic]
Zone of Criticism: In The Hollywood Reporter, Moriah Films’ Richard Trank, whose film “The Long Way Home” won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 1997, opines on director Jonathan Glazer’s controversial Oscars speech. “Upon hearing Glazer’s words, I thought about the assistant camera operator who has worked on three of my films, and whose 79-year-old father was kidnapped. This man had been spending his retirement years volunteering to drive Gazans needing medical care into Israel, care which Hamas could not provide for them despite billions in aid that has been sent to the area since the terrorist organization took control of it in 2006. I thought about the young people I have met in the last few weeks who survived the massacre at the Nova music festival. And then I reflected on this incredibly arrogant man who equated Israeli Jews to Nazis, and then left the Dolby Theatre with his statue when the awards show ended to party the night away.” [TheHollywoodReporter]
Around the Web
Windy City Sit-downs: Senior White House officials are slated to meet today in Chicago with Arab, Muslim and Palestinian leaders as the Biden administration seeks to mitigate anger from the left flank of the party over its support for Israel; a number of those invited to the meetings declined the invitations.
Power’s Move: USAID Administrator Samantha Power said she asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to improve compliance with international humanitarian law” when she visited Israel last month.
Crypto Concern: The Treasury Department is investigating $165 million in cryptocurrency transactions tied to Hamas ahead of the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
Daylight: The Washington Post’s David Ignatius considers the divides and distrust between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Reality Check: In The Wall Street Journal, Channel 12’s Amit Segal suggests that the White House is determining policy on the Israel-Hamas war based on “two peoples that don’t exist in reality.”
Sanctions Waiver: The Biden administration renewed a sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to buy electricity from Iran, which could unlock $10 billion in funds for Iran. The administration has argued that the funds are restricted to humanitarian purposes and that the arrangement is necessary for Iraqi stability.
False Flag: The U.S. deputy special envoy for Iran asked Panama to stop allowing Iranian ships to use the Panamanian flag, allowing them to avoid U.S.-imposed sanctions.
Sanctions Incoming: The U.S. is expected to impose sanctions on two West Bank outposts, the first time the administration has sanctioned settlements as a whole and not individuals.
Two States: Ninety-five House Democrats introduced a resolution expressing support for a two-state solution “as the best path to achieve lasting peace” and condemning “all calls and actions that reject and undermine a two-state solution.”
Pier Pause: Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) introduced a bill seeking to block any U.S. funds from being used for building or reconstruction in Gaza, including the proposed humanitarian pier.
Arms Sales: Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and John James (R-MI) introduced a bill that would create an expedited arms sale approval process for countries that have normalized relations with Israel and are engaged in cooperative counter-Iran efforts. It also requests a strategy on improving regional cooperation.
Lawyering Up: The House Committee on Education and the Workforce is investigating allegations that the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys targeted its Jewish union members over their support for Israel.
Treasury Talk: Former President Donald Trump is floating hedge fund manager John Paulson as a potential pick for Treasury secretary, should he win in November.
Third Party: Former N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory resigned as co-chair of No Labels, as the group moves forward with selecting candidates for its third-party ticket.
Yeezy Money: Adidas, which came under fire for its partnership with Ye, said it has given or plans to donate more than $150 million of the more than $300 million it made off of Yeezy sneakers to organizations that fight antisemitism and other forms of hate.
Agency Agita: Michael Kassan is departing talent agency UTA, setting off a legal battle over Kassan’s spending from a “special expenses” fund.
Backing Bob: JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon is backing Disney CEO Bob Iger in the corporation’s ongoing fight with activist investor Nelson Peltz ahead of a shareholder event slated for next month.
The Art of Red Tape:The New York Timesspotlights the bureaucracy that has ensnared the descendants of a Jewish woman whose art was looted by the Nazis after her death, who have yet to reclaim a 17th-century painting after a Dutch court ruled in their favor 17 years ago.
Both Sides Now: Scooter Braun announced a new effort — including a personal donation of $200,000 — to support CARE International and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel, saying that one “can say, free the hostages, and also want the Palestinian people who are innocent to be protected from Hamas and this war.”
Across the Pond: The British government is advancing legislation that would ban foreign governments from owning media entities in the U.K., which would deal a death knell to efforts by Jeff Zucker’s RedBird IMI, a joint initiative with an Abu Dhabi investment fund, to purchase The Telegraph.
Strike Out: A Hamas commander who was believed to have been redirecting aid to the terror group was killed in an IDF strike in Rafah.
Survey Says: A new study by the Israel Democracy Institute found that Arab Israelis’ trust in Israeli institutions rose, in some cases more than doubling, from June 2023 to December 2023, including trust in the Israel Defense Forces, which grew from 21% to 44%. But among the overall Israeli population, trust in institutions largely stayed the same or decreased, save for the police, which rose from 35% to 58.5%.
IDF Arrests: South Africa’s foreign minister said that IDF officers who hold South African citizenship will be arrested if they attempt to enter the country.
Deal-breaker: Talks between BP and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company over a potential $2 billion deal to buy a 50% stake in Israel’s NewMed Energy have been suspended amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Remembering: TV executive Gerald “Jerry” Levin, a key player in the creation of HBO, died at 84. Former Loral Corp. CEO Bernard Schwartz died at 98. Art director Len Sirowitz died at 91.
Song of the Day
After a long period of quiet, Israeli singer Ishay Ribo released a new song this week, “Porchim Leshuvam,” which deals with the pain that followed the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks and hope for a better future.
Birthdays
Screenwriter and film director, Etan Cohen turns 50…
Professor emeritus of chemistry at Tel Aviv University, winner of the 1982 Israel Prize, Joshua Jortner turns 91… Founder and retired president of Los Angeles-based Skirball Cultural Center, Rabbi Dr. Uri Herscher turns 83… Dean of Yeshiva Toras Moshe in Jerusalem, Rabbi Moshe Meiselman turns 82… Senior lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, Marshall Ganz turns 81… Canadian criminal defense attorney, Brian Greenspan turns 77… Actor, writer, producer, director and comedian, Billy Crystal turns 76… Retired in 2023, after 28 years, as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, Shane Elizabeth Pendergrass turns 74… One-half of the eponymous Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Jerry Greenfield turns 73… Retired Hebrew teacher, Eliezer Cohen Barak… Co-founder of the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation and the President of Stand By Me, Gila Milstein… Partner at Hefter, Leshem, Margolis Capital Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors in Highland Park, Ill., Steven Hefter… Founder and leader of ChangeCommunications, Jo-Ann Mort… NYC-based restaurateur and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, Danny Meyer turns 66… Professor in the department of Jewish philosophy at Tel Aviv University, Menachem Lorberbaum turns 66… Of counsel in the Minneapolis office of Maslon LLP, Jonathan S. Parritz… Past president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Denise (Davida) Eger turns 64… Owner of Baltimore’s Tov Pizza which he founded in 1984, Ronnie Rosenbluth… Owner and COO of EJM Development Company, Jon Monkarsh… Microgrid architect at Urban Ingenuity, a D.C.-based consulting firm for advanced clean energy infrastructure projects, Shalom Flank, Ph.D…. Film and television actress, Meredith Salenger turns 54… Entrepreneur, musician, songwriter and record company executive, Josh Gruss turns 50… Canadian fashion stylist, Jessica Brownstein Mulroney turns 44… Heiress to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, philanthropist, former child actress, Liesel Pritzker Simmons turns 40… Oldest of three sisters who are members of the rock band Haim, Este Arielle Haim turns 38… Former NASCAR driver, he is the sole inductee into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in the “Auto Racing” category, now a credit trader at TD Securities, Jon Denning turns 37… Former point guard at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the Ivy League player of the year in 2012, Zack Rosen turns 35… Product quality specialist at The Topps Company, Philip Liebman… Four-time Israeli national champion in the skeleton event, he competed for Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Adam Edelman turns 33… Coach for first-time founders, Sophie Galant…
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