Daily Kickoff
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on a new effort in New York targeting anti-Israel candidates at the state level, and look at the United Democracy Project’s ad buy against a former member of Congress with a history of espousing antisemitic tropes. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Tim Lenderking, Benny Gantz and Rep. Victoria Spartz.
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to talk today, U.S. and Israeli officials tell Jewish Insider. A U.S. official declined to share what they are expected to talk about on the call, which comes three days after an Israeli airstrike killed seven humanitarian aid workers with World Central Kitchen, drawing widespread condemnation from Democrats in Washington and from the White House.
The call takes place after weeks in which the U.S. has been pressuring Israel to avoid a full-scale invasion of Rafah. Earlier this week, senior Israeli officials met with top White House aides to discuss Rafah — and the two countries appear to still be far apart in their goals for the southern Gaza city that is Hamas’ last stronghold.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed the strike, as well as disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem about a potential Rafah operation, in a virtual press gaggle on Wednesday.
“I want to make it clear that while we take issue with aspects of how operations are being conducted — particularly like saying, quite frankly, publicly, we don’t support a ground operation in Rafah — we also continue to believe and continue to act on the belief that Israel has a right to defend itself against a still-viable threat by Hamas,” Kirby told reporters. “They still have every right and responsibility to their people to eliminate that threat after the 7th of October. And so, that support for Israel continues. No country should have to live next door to a threat that is truly genocidal, as Hamas has been.”
World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés said in a Reuters interview on Wednesday that the strike was undertaken “systematically, car by car.” Israeli government spokesperson Tal Heinrich told NewsNation that Israel is “not targeting humanitarians. We’re not targeting civilians. All we care about in this war is going after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.” Heinrich added that the investigation will be concluded in a matter of weeks.
Kirby said that the U.S. is waiting for the results of the Israeli investigation. “I think the Israelis want to learn from the investigation,” he said. “They want to learn exactly how it happened. And it’s one thing to be able to admit, and they have, that they perpetrated this attack and that they — and that, obviously, it was not the intended result. But they, too, want to learn what decisions were made that led to this attack and where the fault lies.”
The Pentagon’s readout of a call between Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Austin “reinforced the expressed concern over a potential Israeli military operation in Rafah, specifically focusing on the need to ensure the evacuation of Palestinian civilians and the flow of humanitarian aid.”
Stateside, a stunner in the world of politics: A new poll commissioned by the pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) shows Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) losing badly to his primary challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer. The poll finds Latimer leading by a whopping 17 points, 52-35%.
For any incumbent to be trailing at this early stage of the race is a sign of deep political vulnerability. In an indication of Bowman’s troubles, a leading Jewish Democratic group, The Jewish Democratic Council of America, endorsed Latimer last week, marking its first-ever endorsement against a sitting Democratic lawmaker.
DMFI, which is also cautious opposing Democratic lawmakers in primaries, followed suit this week — and later released its internal polling demonstrating Bowman’s vulnerability. (Both groups also endorsed against Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), another Squad-affiliated lawmaker facing ethical controversies.)
The DMFI poll shows Bowman with deeply underwater favorability ratings. Only 36% of his constituents have a positive view of his work in Congress, while 55% hold a negative view. Latimer, by contrast, is popular in the district after being elected as county executive for two terms. Over two-thirds of district voters view him favorably (68%), while only 18% view him negatively.
And in Pennsylvania, video of a leaked confrontation with a Palestinian-American protester at a recent fundraiser showed Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) flatly rejecting calls for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, emphasizing repeatedly that Hamas is a terrorist organization that must be destroyed. The protester said she plans to challenge him electorally.
“We cannot allow a terrorist organization to continue to wreak havoc and bring terror to the people of Israel,” Casey said to applause, further noting that Hamas has violated cease-fire agreements and shown no interest in peace. Casey added that he supports a hostage deal and increased humanitarian aid.
The exchange is emblematic of the pressures that Democratic lawmakers across the country are facing from anti-Israel forces, as they struggle to satisfy a vocal anti-Israel faction. But Casey’s unequivocal response — the likes of which have been increasingly uncommon among Democrats — highlights that clear pro-Israel positions remain popular with key moderate and swing voters, especially in Pennsylvania, a key swing state.
new pac
NY pro-Israel group launches PAC targeting far-left Assembly candidates
One of New York’s leading organizations for pro-Israel Democrats is going on offense to prevent local anti-Israel candidates from representing the party on the ballot in November, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
The PAC: The New York Solidarity Network, which has worked since its establishment in 2022 toward boosting pro-Israel Democrats in state and local races through its donor network, filed paperwork establishing Solidarity PAC in February. The PAC’s stated aim is to raise money for state Assembly candidates, some being incumbents with anti-Israel primary challengers and others being the challengers themselves.
The mission: “The intent of this from the get go was for our work to focus solely on Democratic primaries, because we are trying to hold back the tide of the far-left. They have kind of hitched their cart to the horse of anti-Zionism, some of them even moving into the territory of anti-Semitism,” NYSN executive director, Sara Forman, told JI on Wednesday.
The endorsements: Thus far, the PAC is backing incumbents including Assemblymember Michael Benedetto, who faces a DSA backed primary challenger in his bid to keep representing his Bronx district, and Assemblymember Didi Barrett of Dutchess and Columbia counties, whose primary opponent has the backing of the progressive Working Families Party. Solidarity has also endorsed Johanna Carmona in the race for embattled Assemblymember Juan Ardila’s seat. Ardila, a longtime DSA member, has vowed to fight for his job despite facing sexual harassment allegations. He is being challenged in the primary by Carmona and Claire Valdez, who has DSA’s endorsement.
local leadership
The grassroots efforts to tackle anti-Israel activity as it spreads to communities
Nearly a decade ago, student activists met for the annual National Students for Justice in Palestine conference. Titled “From Campus to Community: Building a Vision for the Future,” the 2015 gathering focused on strategies for moving anti-Israel activity off into the broader community. Efforts to mobilize activists to challenge their municipalities to pass anti-Israel legislation faced significant hurdles for years, but exploded in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks. Since Oct. 7, some 70 U.S. cities, including Chicago and Seattle, have passed resolutions on the Israel-Hamas war with most calling for the Biden administration to broker a cease-fire. At least 48 cities have passed symbolic resolutions calling for a halt in the war, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reports for Jewish Insider.
Non-activists becoming active: Mika Efros doesn’t consider herself an activist. But when her “small, close-knit” Southern California town of Claremont became the center of a proposed cease-fire resolution — which called on Israel to immediately end its war in Gaza without defeating Hamas — the mother of two “had 10 days to react and do something. It started with a group chat [among neighbors] with everyone who was Jewish,” Efros recalled in an interview with JI. “We basically said let’s meet up and strategize… We just said we need to get together and figure this out because now it’s coming to our backyard,” she said of the suburban Los Angeles city.
Local focus: On Feb. 27, the Claremont City Council joined a fast-growing group of local legislative bodies to vote on a cease-fire resolution in the Israel-Hamas war. The vote was actually on two resolutions: one that called for neutrality on social and political issues not local to Claremont, and another that called for a cease-fire in Gaza. The first resolution passed, negating a vote on the second, and local residents chalk up the victory to a grassroots effort led by about 20 people — previously politically disengaged Jews who took a stand against more than 300 college students, SJP members and local community members. Their winning campaign slogan was “Claremont: Stay local.” As cease-fire resolutions continue to jump from college campuses to local city councils, a long-term SJP goal, Efros said that other towns could use Claremont as a model for what “worked” in the deep blue town to combat the resolution.
hoosier hit
AIPAC super PAC launches ads opposing former GOP congressman
United Democracy Project, the AIPAC-linked super PAC, is making its first move into a competitive Republican primary, launching a more than $500,000 television ad campaign opposing former Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) that will run for at least the next two weeks, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Details: The ads will highlight Hostettler’s anti-Israel voting record while he was in Congress. Hostettler, 62, served in Congress from 1995 to 2007 and is reentering the political arena to make a bid for the open seat in the 8th Congressional District held by retiring Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN). The ad is set to begin running on Thursday.
The message: “John Hostettler voted against giving aid to Israel over and over again,” the ad will state. “Hostettler is one of the most anti-Israel politicians in America. With Israel under attack, we can’t send John Hostettler to Congress.”
Questionable history: After his time in Congress, Hostettler, who opposed the Iraq war, self-published a book, Nothing for the Nation: Who Got what Out of Iraq, in which he claimed a primary motivation for the war was protecting Israel, according to the Indianapolis Star. He specifically traced the war to Jewish officials in the George W. Bush administration and political support from Jewish voters and donors to congressional Republicans.
Vulnerability: A source close to AIPAC’s political operations said that UDP conducted polling in the district, centered around Evansville, which showed Hostettler to be potentially beatable; the source said polling showed that half of the electorate has never heard of or has no opinion of the former congressman, only 16% of voters have a favorable view of him and 55% of voters are less likely to vote for him when informed of his record on Israel. The source said the poll showed Hostettler losing by a 2-to-1 margin when his record overall was presented to respondents, but would not say which candidate was leading in those surveys.
ballot push
Benny Gantz calls for Israeli election in September
Israeli war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz called on Wednesday for the country to hold an election in September, arguing that a new election was necessary to regain the public’s trust, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. “In order to preserve unity and succeed in the missions ahead of us, the public must know that we will soon ask for its trust again,” Gantz said in the Knesset. “Therefore, we must reach an agreed-upon election date in September, approaching a year to the war.”
Making a date: Gantz suggested that having a set date for an election would prevent a schism in Israeli society, and allow for “all Zionist and responsible public leaders” to join an emergency unity government in the coming months.
Not in vain: Gantz said that “no military or diplomatic achievement will be worth it when we hear bereaved parents saying to us, ‘if the nation splits, our sons’ deaths will be in vain.'” The war cabinet minister said he decided to call for an election after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other political leaders in recent weeks.
Schumer’s reaction: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who last month called for new Israeli elections, told JI, “When a leading member of Israel’s war cabinet calls for early elections and over 70% of the Israeli population agrees, according to a major poll, you know it’s the right thing to do.”
exclusive
Senate Republicans blast administration over latest Iran sanctions waiver
A group of 13 Senate Republicans raised concerns on Thursday about the Biden administration’s decision last month to renew a sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to purchase electricity from Iran, which could allow Iran to access up to $10 billion in funds, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
More money more problems: Writing to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Tony Blinken, the lawmakers said that the waiver “makes restricted Iranian funds more accessible” to potentially support malign activities and that “the administration appears to be disregarding congressional intent that any payments made to Iran remain severely restricted.”
Butting heads: They called it “unfathomable” for the administration to waive the sanctions on Iran in light of its proxies’ activities throughout the region. “The United States should be restricting Iran’s access to currency abroad,” the lawmakers’ letter reads. “Instead, your administration is expanding it, all while continuing to share limited information on a strategy to restore deterrence in the Middle East with Congress or the American people.”
Worthy Reads
Taking on Tehran: In The Free Press, Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh suggest that Iran is playing the long game as it works through its proxies to attack Israel. “Americans and Israelis have for decades shied away from militarily punishing the mullahs for their malevolence. This hesitancy — an unwillingness to escalate — has fed an Islamist appetite for violence. But diplomacy and its euphemisms, sanctions, and whack-a-mole retaliatory strikes have run their course. And what Jerusalem is doing right now — beating back Iran’s proxies — will become a lot dicier once Tehran goes nuclear. Jerusalem might be obliged to accept as permanent a low-level, bloody duel with Iranian proxies. An insoluble Palestinian problem will gnaw at Israel from the West Bank, Gaza, and possibly from within Israel itself. Khamenei’s vision for destroying the ‘Zionist colonial settler-state’ — an approach that will surely survive his death — is to erode Israeli happiness and foreign investment, not a catastrophic nuclear confrontation. Iranian nuclear weapons, the ultimate check on Israel and the United States, are a means to that end.” [FreePress]
Case Concerns: The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus raises concerns about the pretenses under which South Africa’s cases against Israel are being heard by the International Court of Justice. “What’s going on here isn’t law; it’s lawfare, an effort to hijack what should be the somber mechanisms of international justice to the political ends of tarring Israel with the calumny of genocide. South Africa, with close ties to Hamas and its sponsor, Iran, is deploying the Genocide Convention to dirty Israel in the public eye. Years from now, when the genocide claim is ultimately resolved, it’s not likely Israel will be found to have committed this most terrible of crimes. But that’s not the goal. The goal is in the here and now, to turn public opinion even further against the Jewish state. The ICJ is enabling it.” [WashPost]
Around the Web
Houthi Status: The U.S.’ Yemen envoy, Tim Lenderking, said the U.S. would consider revoking the Houthis’ status as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group if the Iran-backed militia groups ceases its attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.
Diminishing Stockpile: A senior Air Force official suggested that the Houthis’ stockpile of drone swarms and anti-ship ballistic missiles is dwindling, citing a slowed pace in operations.
On Alert: The U.S. is preparing for potential retaliation from Iran following an Israeli strike in Damascus that killed a number of Iranian military officials, as Tehran ramps up its threats against Israel.
Tough Spot: But the Financial Timeslooks at the quagmire that Tehran now faces: “The danger for Iran is that a retaliation perceived as weak will risk damaging its standing and the morale of its forces, as well the proxies that include Hamas. Yet a more aggressive response could drag the republic into a direct confrontation with Israel, and potentially the US, which the regime is thought keen to avoid.”
Trump Talk: Former President Donald Trump reportedly recently spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by phone, the first publicly disclosed conversation between the two in three years.
Heavy Haul: House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) raised $7 million in the first quarter of 2024, including from a number of prominent Jewish Republicans, shortly after a viral Capitol Hill hearing in which she grilled university administrators on antisemitism on campus.
Spartz’s Stance: The Wall Street Journal talks to Ukrainian-born Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) about her opposition to further military aid to Kiev.
Black Talk: For the first time since leaving Apollo, co-founder and former CEO Leon Black speaks toPuck about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the end of his time at the firm.
Disney Drama: Nelson Peltz fell short in his bid to join Disney’s board of directors, delivering a win to CEO Bob Iger.
New Gig: Hollywood executive Jonathan Glickman was tapped as the new CEO of Miramax.
Play It Again, Sammy’s: Sammy’s Roumanian Steakhouse will host two Passover Seders this month ahead of a fuller grand reopening in June, after the famed Manhattan restaurant closed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Desert Development: A Las Vegas developer submitted plans for the construction of a high-rise hotel, replete with a synagogue and kosher dining options, that would cater to Jewish clientele.
Campus Beat: The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into Lehigh University, following complaints alleging that the school fostered a hostile environment for Jewish students.
Texas Tough: The University of Texas’ flagship Austin campus laid off dozens of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staffers, citing a new state law banning DEI offices in state schools.
Matzah Mess-up: Supermarkets across the U.S. have begun putting out their stocks of matzah — not realizing that, due to the Hebrew calendar, the holiday doesn’t start until late April.
Across the Pond: U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing increasing pressure to halt arms sales to Israel following this week’s strike on a convoy in which several British citizens were killed.
Fatah Fights Iran: Fatah accused Iran of efforts to sow discord in the West Bank, saying the Palestinian group would oppose outside efforts to destabilize the territory.
Maniv on the Move: Michael Granoff’s Maniv Mobility recently closed a $140 million fund, as it expands to New York.
Pic of the Day
To mark the 180 days that the 134 hostages who remain in Gaza have been in Hamas custody, the Orthodox Union collected more than 180,000 letters to President Joe Biden urging the administration to work toward their release, and hand-delivered many to the White House on Wednesday, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Maurice Shnaider (above), the uncle of hostage Shiri Bibas, spoke tearfully about his niece and her children, criticizing the United Nations and the Red Cross for a lack of action, as well as the media, for allowing the hostage crisis to fade from the headlines. “It’s been 180 days too many,” he told JI, adding that the letters were a message that “we are not giving up, we will fight until the last hostage [is] back home. It’s not only about my family. It’s about the 134 that are left.” Read the full story here.
Birthdays
Actress since she was 6 years old, appearing as Natasha Lyonne, Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein turns 45…
Author of books about her childhood experiences as a Jewish girl in the Netherlands during the Holocaust, she is a longtime NYC resident, Johanna Reiss turns 92… Retired MLB player for the Orioles, Senators, Athletics, Rangers and Angels, Mike Epstein turns 81… Southern California resident, Gloria Margulies… French-German politician who is a Green Party leader in Europe, Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit turns 79… Hungarian dramatist, novelist and essayist whose recent works are focused upon Jewish characters, György Spiró turns 78… Professor of history at American University in D.C., Allan Jay Lichtman turns 77… Poet and professor emeritus of English at the University of Pennsylvania, Charles Bernstein turns 74… Visiting fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, he is also chief of staff to the former Australian prime minister, Bruce Wolpe turns 73… Petah Tikva-born, Emmy Award-winning film director, producer, freelance journalist and writer, Simcha Jacobovici turns 71… Retired partner from the M&A group at Skadden, David J. Friedman… Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, William J. Burns turns 68… Director of the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment at the Heritage Foundation, Diana Furchtgott-Roth turns 66… Former commander of the Israeli Air Force and director-general of the Defense Ministry, now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amir Eshel turns 65… Founder and president of Stutzman Public Affairs in Sacramento, Calif., Robert Stutzman… Chairman of The Western Wall Heritage Foundation and rabbi of the Kotel since 1995, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch turns 54… Tel Aviv-born animator and film director, now a freelance director in NYC, Tatia Rosenthal turns 53… Former member of the Knesset, he last served in 2019 as a member of the Hatnua party, Yoel Hasson turns 52… Journalist and author, he is a great-grandson of famed Talmudist Rabbi Yehezkel Abramsky, Sasha Abramsky turns 52… Israeli social activist promoting the rights of disabled people, Hanna Akiva turns 50… NYC-based artist and founder of the Midnight Society, an artist-run curatorial project, Abshalom Jac Lahav turns 47… Israeli journalist who serves as the senior analyst for The Times of Israel, Haviv Rettig Gur turns 43… Actress and YouTube personality, Lisa “Lisbug” Schwartz turns 41… One of Israel’s top men’s tennis players until he retired, David “Dudi” Sela turns 39… Fashion editor, Daisy Melamed Sanders… Consulting producer at HBO Max, Leslie Schapira… Figure skater, he competed for Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Ronald Zilberberg turns 28… Phyllis Wilner…
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