Daily Kickoff
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report from the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, interview University of Florida President Ben Sasse and preview the Indiana primaries. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Craig Goldman, Van Jones and Betsy Berns Korn.
The Israeli army took operational control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt this morning, after Israel’s war cabinet voted unanimously on Monday to press on with its operation in Rafah.
Announcing that the IDF had begun a “precise counterterrorism operation” overnight, the army noted in a statement that beforehand it had encouraged residents of eastern Rafah and international organizations working in the area to temporarily evacuate to the expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, where the IDF has facilitated the expansion of field hospitals, tents and an increase in water, food and medical supplies.
The decision came within hours of Hamas’ announcement that it had “accepted” a cease-fire deal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, sparking a flurry of headlines but which Israeli officials soon said was not the same as the proposal that Israel had agreed to. Hamas’ counterofferreportedly includes the release of deceased Israeli hostages among the 33 hostages who would be freed in the first phase of the deal, which would see a six-week cease-fire.
Israel officials told Axios’ Barak Ravid that the U.S. knew about the proposal before Hamas announced it, and failed to update Jerusalem, leading to the feeling that they’d been “played” — which a senior U.S. official denied.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said that Israel would continue with the operation “in order to apply military pressure on Hamas so as to advance the release of our hostages and achieve the other objectives of the war.” Israel said it would simultaneously send negotiators to Egypt “in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel,” though it said that Hamas’ offer was “far from meeting Israel’s core demands.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed the Israeli decision at a press briefing Monday, saying, “I’ll reiterate again that we cannot and will not speak for IDF operations, but we’ve made clear our views about operations in Rafah that could potentially put more than a million innocent people at greater risk. During his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the president again made this clear. He also made clear that we continue to believe that the hostage deal is the best way to avoid that sort of an outcome while securing the release of those hostages.”
Pressed on the specifics of the deal that Hamas had accepted, Kirby said: “I’m not going to talk about the parameters of the proposal that was worked out before this Hamas response, and I’m certainly not going to talk about the response right now.”
Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden and Netanyahu spoke on the phone for half an hour amid U.S. concern over Rafah. According to a White House readout of the call, Biden “updated the Prime Minister on efforts to secure a hostage deal, including through ongoing talks today in Doha, Qatar.” The readout also noted that Netanyahu agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing was open for humanitarian assistance after Israel closed it the day before following Hamas rocket fire on the crossing that killed four Israeli soldiers.
In Washington, Biden is set to deliver the keynote address this morning at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance ceremony on Capitol Hill. Biden is expected to use his speech to criticize antisemitic rhetoric at college protests and urge Americans to speak out against antisemitism and other forms of hate. He is also planning to bring up the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and criticize those who are downplaying its significance.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) are also expected to participate in and speak at the ceremony, which will be live streamed.
Indiana’s primaries are also taking place today, and Jewish groups are closely watching the outcome of an under-the-radar primary for the southern Indiana seat of retiring Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN).
Former GOP Rep. John Hostettler, who is seeking to reclaim his old seat, was a reliably anti-Israel vote in Congress when he served nearly two decades ago and has since become a purveyor of antisemitic conspiracy theories after losing his reelection in 2006.
Because of Hostettler’s past profile in the rural 8th Congressional District, Hostettler began the race with an advantage but millions in outside spending from the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project, the Republican Jewish Coalition and a PAC backing mainstream Republicans (America Leads PAC) have boosted the prospects of state Sen. Mark Messmer.
As Jewish Insider‘s Marc Rod reported, the race is close, with Messmer looking like he has a narrow advantage. If Hostettler wins, he would be one of the most anti-Israel Republican lawmakers in Congress — alongside the space that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has been occupying within the caucus.
With several retirements in the state, Indiana’s GOP-dominated congressional delegation is undergoing a makeover as the party moves to the right. Other races to watch in the state include the IN-03 primary, where former GOP Rep. Marlin Stutzman, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, is looking to reclaim his seat, with former Allen County Circuit Judge Wendy Davis looking like his most serious (and more moderate) competition.
In the suburban Indianapolis 5th District, Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) is fending off a serious challenge from state Rep. Chuck Goodrich, the CEO of an electrical contracting company who has poured millions of his own money into the race. Spartz, the only Ukrainian-American lawmaker in Congress, initially announced her retirement before changing her mind and voted against foreign aid to Ukraine despite her early championing of her home country. (Goodrich has focused his campaign message on attacking Spartz for her Ukraine support, even though she voted against the aid package.)
Finally, the battle to succeed retiring Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN) in the 6th District looks like it’s coming down to a battle between two self-funders: businessman Jefferson Shreve, seen as the more pragmatic candidate, and state Rep. Mike Speedy.
in the spotlight
Milken conference holds its first-ever session entirely dedicated to fighting antisemitism

Inside the exclusive Milken Institute Global Conference happening this week in Beverly Hills, attendees schmoozed and took investing advice from some of the world’s most successful financiers. So when some people wiped away tears during a Monday afternoon panel discussion about addressing antisemitism, it was noticeable; the $25,000-per-seat conference does not have a reputation for sentimentality. But the honest conversation and the speakers’ cautious optimism, even at this difficult moment, emotionally moved some crowd members. Several of them wore yellow ribbon pins in honor of Israeli hostages. It was the first time in the conference’s 27 years that organizers held an entire session focused on antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Role of allies: More than anyone else, CNN host and social entrepreneur Van Jones shared a perspective that appeared to resonate deeply with many in the crowd. He led the other panelists — KIND Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky, Sinai Temple Rabbi Emeritus and Harvard Divinity School scholar Rabbi David Wolpe and Arielle Mokhtarzadeh, a former UCLA student body president and co-president of 30 Years After, — in considering the role of allies in fighting antisemitism, and discussing ways for them to become more strongly engaged.
Strained ties: Jones praised the storied Black-Jewish relationship that powered the Civil Rights Movement for decades, but acknowledged it must be rebuilt as the war in Gaza has strained ties between the two communities. “Nationally, the big tragedy, the big horror, is the palpable and obvious collapse of the Black-Jewish alliance,” said Jones. “The collapse of the most important alliance in 10,000 years of human history. You’ve never had two outsider ethnic groups come together under worse circumstances, and do more good for more people than our peoples.”
Read the full story here.
Sticking to script: In a 30-minute conversation with MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi, Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah blamed Israel for the war in Gaza and for prolonging the decades-old conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.