Daily Kickoff
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr. We also interview Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, talk to the St. Louis activist who says Rep. Cori Bush embellished a story about her and report on a new analysis from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy about the Washington Post’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sen. Joni Ernst, Brian Nelson and Elad Schaffer.
What We’re Watching
- In Israel, we’re keeping an eye on the fallout from the back-to-back assassinations of senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel’s security cabinet will meet at 4 p.m. Israel/9 a.m. ET today. More below.
- A senior U.S. delegation led by the White House’s Brett McGurk is in Saudi Arabia for discussions about the recent escalation by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Joining McGurk are the State Department’s Barbara Leaf, Yemen envoy Tim Lenderking and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, now the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East policy.
- Former President Donald Trump will speak today at the National Association of Black Journalists’ conference in Chicago. The group has faced some internal backlash for inviting Trump, which is in line with its policy of inviting all major presidential candidates. Later in the day, he’s holding a rally in Harrisburg, Pa.
- In Paris, Israel’s Shachar Sagiv is competing in the men’s individual triathlon, which was rescheduled for today from earlier this week, following delays owing to pollution in the Seine. In Marseille, where the Games’ windsurfing is taking place, Sharon Cantor and Tom Reuveny will be competing in the respective women’s and men’s categories.
What You Should Know
In a one-two punch for Iranian proxy groups, Hamas said that its political bureau leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran, hours after Israel bombed the Beirut home of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Hamas announced early Wednesday that Haniyeh was killed in “a treacherous Zionist strike on his residence” in Iran, which serves as Hamas’ primary sponsor. Haniyeh attended Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration the day before.
Israel has still not taken responsibility for the strike, in which Haniyeh’s Iranian bodyguard was also reportedly killed. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke earlier today with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is in the Philippines as part of a trip through Asia this week.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken said that the U.S. had no advance knowledge of the strike targeting Haniyeh and was not involved.
It remains unclear how Haniyeh’s death will affect cease-fire negotiations. The Hamas official, who was based in Doha, had been a key player in the talks prior to his assassination. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum issued a statement on Wednesday that did not directly reference Haniyeh’s assassination, but called on “the Israeli government and global leaders to decisively advance negotiations. This is the time for a deal. Securing the hostages’ release is not just a moral imperative; it is the key for ending the current conflict and initiating a process of healing and reconstruction in the region.”
Moshe Lavi, whose brother-in-law, Omri Miran, is a hostage in Gaza, said that the strike was likely to affect the talks. “For the average Israeli, Haniyeh’s death is a cause for celebration, for those Israelis with a loved one in captivity, the feelings are mixed,” Lavi posted last night on X. “Allegedly, Israel made a legitimate strategic decision tonight, but it will profoundly impact the negotiations.”
American officials have not yet weighed in on the strike in Tehran, but Vice President Kamala Harris and Austin each addressed the assassination of Shukr. Harris, speaking on the tarmac after landing in Atlanta for an election rally, said, “I unequivocally support Israel’s right to remain secure and defend the security of Israel … It has the right to defend itself against the terrorist organization, which is exactly what Hezbollah is. But all of that being said, we still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks. We will continue to do that work.”
Austin said at a press conference in the Philippines capital of Manila that “if Israel is attacked, yes, we will help Israel defend itself. We’ve been clear about that from the very beginning. We don’t want to see that happen; what we want to see is things resolved in a diplomatic fashion.”
In the wake of the assassinations, Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport was operating normally, though Israel closed its airspace north of Hadera.
Whether Iran will retaliate against Israel for the twin attacks on its proxies is an open question. Saudi media reported that Iran’s vice president said that Tehran does not want to escalate the conflict with Israel. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said it was Iran’s “duty to take revenge” for Haniyeh’s death, “[f]ollowing this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic.”
chikli chat
The Israeli minister at the forefront of international right-wing populism
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli has been jetting across the Western world looking for allies who are on what he views as Israel’s side in a civilizational struggle, rather than follow the path of his predecessors in the job and combat antisemitism mainly by supporting Diaspora communities and their organizations and following their cues. He has shown far more enthusiasm about France’s Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Rally party — and political parties with similar positions in Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and beyond — than the Jewish communities in those countries. To Chikli, their values are aligned with Israel’s and they are the Jewish state’s new front-line allies in a battle that has only intensified since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 and Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
How he sees it: That “metaphysical battle,” Chikli told JI earlier this month, is “between the faith of Israel that values life, the pursuit of truth, and free choice” and radical elements of “a religion where Muhammad’s word was spread by the sword, it’s ‘my way or the highway.’” Reaching into Western culture war issues such as moral relativism and gender politics, Chikli said the battle is also “against the progressive religion that denies the existence of truth and … glorifies gender fluidity.”
she said, she said
Cori Bush embellished, misrepresented anecdote during ‘Jews for Cori’ fundraiser, local activist says
Speaking at a virtual fundraiser two weeks ago, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) recalled how earlier in the day at a separate event she had rushed to the aid of a Jewish activist supporting her opponent who had fallen over. The unnamed activist, Bush said, was “the person that brought this [AIPAC spending] to my doorstep” and the “No. 1 author” of the opposition to her in her district. The story sounded almost too good to be true — and it largely wasn’t, according to the person involved, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The other side: Debbie Kitchen, a St. Louis activist who identified herself as the person Bush was discussing, says that most elements of Bush’s anecdote were exaggerated or misrepresented. Kitchen isn’t Jewish and had little familiarity with AIPAC prior to the race between Bush and St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, she told JI. She said she’s never spoken to anyone from AIPAC, and that Bush also overstated her own role in the anecdote.
pointed posts
Trump shooter believed to have antisemitic social media account
Paul Abbate, the deputy director of the FBI, told senators on Tuesday that Thomas Crooks, the gunman who wounded former President Donald Trump in an apparent assassination attempt, is believed to have had a social media account where he expressed antisemitic views, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Tentatively linked: The social media account, active in 2019 and 2020, included more than 700 posts that “appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature,” Abbate said. He said the account couldn’t be conclusively linked to Crooks, adding that Crooks also allegedly had an account on the site Gab, an alternative social media platform popular with the far right, where he expressed more liberal views.
news blues
New nonpartisan report slams WaPo’s Gaza war coverage as unprofessional
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy released an analysis yesterday accusing the Washington Post, which has been widely criticized for its coverage of Israel’s war in Gaza, of “abuse of anonymous sourcing” in its coverage of the conflict, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. The report came the same day that the paper included an editor’s note in its print edition over a headline of a story about Hezbollah’s attack on Israel.
Anonymous sources: The report, authored by Washington Institute Executive Director Robert Satloff, is based on the institute’s database for reporting on the war, which collected 436 articles in total from seven major media outlets, 379 of which “drew from an anonymous or confidential source who was a government or organizational official or someone described as being knowledgeable about sensitive political, military, or diplomatic issues.” The Post, according to the report, “was responsible for 72% of all the citations of Gaza-related unofficial anonymous sources — more than five times as many as both The New York Times and all the other major U.S. media platforms combined.”
heard at cufi conference
Ernst accuses Harris of emboldening pro-Hamas demonstrators, Iran by skipping Netanyahu speech
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) accused Vice President Kamala Harris of emboldening pro-Hamas demonstrators protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent speech to Congress, as well as the Iranian regime, by not presiding over the Netanyahu speech, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What she said: Ernst said at the Christians United for Israel summit outside Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that Harris’ absence “sent a very powerful message” to the anti-Israel “rioters” who vandalized Union Station during the speech. “It also sent a clear signal to Hamas’ backers in Tehran,” she continued, alleging that the Biden administration “does not have the backbone to stand up to the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party.”
exclusive
Jewish groups present recommendations for schools to tackle antisemitism
In an effort to curb rising antisemitism on college campuses as the fall semester nears, five leading Jewish organizations are partnering to present a new series of recommendations for university leaders to implement at their schools, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen has learned.
Stepping up: The four-page set of guidelines is a joint effort from the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Hillel International and Jewish Federations of North America. The guidelines call for university leaders to “anticipate and mitigate disruptions” on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel. Other suggestions include: “Clearly communicate campus rules, standards, and policies”; “support Jewish students”; “ensure campus safety”; and “reaffirm faculty responsibilities.”
Read the full story here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.
Worthy Reads
The War Within: The New York Times’ Bret Stephens considers the “five wars” Israel is fighting simultaneously. “Finally, there’s the war within the state of Israel and among the Jewish people worldwide. It’s a war that has been one of the most enduring, and often fatal, features of Jewish history. Its contours were visible during the fight over Israeli judicial reform before Oct. 7, and now in the lawlessness of right-wing Israeli mobs charging into Israeli army bases. It’s also a war between diaspora Jews who recognize that the assault on Israel is ultimately an assault on them, and the ‘As a Jew’ Jews who provide moral cover and comfort to Israel’s enemies. Addressing these divisions is as central to Israel’s long-term security as confronting any other threat.” [NYTimes]
Eye on Chicago:The Wall Street Journal’s William McGurn suggests that Vice President Kamala Harris has an opportunity at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to condemn the “criminal behavior” of protesters, many of whom are demonstrating against the Biden administration’s Middle East policies. “The unrulier the protesters, moreover, the greater the opportunity to burnish her credentials as a no-nonsense leader who supports law and order. It isn’t without its risk: A tough line might alienate Muslim voters in Michigan, another swing state. But the alternative — trying to appease both sides — is probably a loser. There is another reason for her to take on Chicago’s protesters. Though organizers talk about a family-friendly demonstration, they also make clear they are going to march where they want even if they don’t get permits. A court filing in July reckoned there may be as many as 100,000 protesters in Chicago. Given what we saw with the protests last week over Mr. Netanyahu’s visit, Chicago will likely feature the usual brew of vandalism, lawlessness and inconveniencing of ordinary citizens trying to go about their business.” [WSJ]
What’s in a Name?: In The Times of Israel, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt reflects on the death of an Israeli soldier in Gaza who shares his name. “Yonatan was a young man with dark eyes and short dark hair. He looked a lot like me at his age, though he peered at me from behind rounded glasses that made him look serious and studious. His broad, knit yarmulke suggested a religious upbringing. Sure enough, the article reported that he hailed from Beit Shemesh, a religious city due east of Jerusalem. … In many ways, our backgrounds could not be more different. I grew up on the other side of the world in a small town in New England. I was raised in a secular family that was very Zionist, but I didn’t visit Israel until my 20s. I have never served in the IDF or even the US military. And yet here we are – two people living distinctly different lives, and yet forever indivisibly connected. We are not just the same name. We are similarly buffeted about by the same forces, forces that affect the entire Jewish people. And that is the real story of this moment.” [TOI]
Securing the Games: In USA Today, sports columnist Dan Wolken calls on Olympic officials to provide the highest levels of safety for Israeli athletes in Paris and address antisemitism at the Games. “Every Jewish person with an understanding of history knew that these Games would be the most antisemitic Olympics since 1936, when Adolf Hitler tried to clean up Berlin from the antisemitic rhetoric that was rampant across the city and present a more tolerant face to his regime as the world came for the Olympics. That tacit acknowledgement of Hitler as a legitimate international leader instead of the murderous dictator he was – including the United States sending its delegation – contributed in some ways to the West falling asleep at the wheel while he began a campaign to exterminate 6 million Jews. Germany didn’t allow its Jewish athletes to compete at those Olympics, but those from other countries were met with constant but socially acceptable antisemitism. It’s chilling to think about the ways in which history repeats itself.” [USAToday]
Both Sides Now: The Free Press’ Matti Friedman looks at the dueling challenges Israel faces as it grapples with domestic dissent at the same time it is fighting regional actors. “The strikes demonstrated the technological and intelligence capabilities that Israel has built up over decades, and which failed abysmally on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas invasion that triggered the current war. Israelis were relieved to see that the country still has those tools and the courage to use them. The riots at the military prison and courthouse, on the other hand, demonstrated the internal rot that threatens this society as much as any external enemy — which is why it would be unwise to allow the drama in Beirut and Tehran to obscure what happened at home.” [FreePress]
Word on the Street
Former President Donald Trump told a radio host that Vice President Kamala Harris “doesn’t like Israel” and “doesn’t like Jewish people”…
Harris is expected to announce her running mate in the coming days; the vice president is slated to speak at a Philadelphia rally with her pick on Tuesday…
Anita Dunn, a close confidante of President Joe Biden and a longtime aide to the president, is departing the White House and joining a super PAC backing Vice President Kamala Harris…
Under-secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson is leaving the Treasury Department for Harris’ presidential campaign; Puck reports that Nelson will head the policy arm of the campaign…
Axios looks at who Republicans are mulling for top spots in a potential second Trump administration: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) have all been floated as options for secretary of state, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell for national security advisor and Jamie Dimon for Treasury secretary…
Kari Lake won Arizona’s GOP Senate primary and will face off against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in November; the state’s major House primaries have not yet been called…
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID) have threatened to subpoena the State Department for information on suspended Iran envoy Rob Malley, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
The Treasury Department announced sanctions on five individuals and seven entities in Iran, China and Hong Kong tied to helping Iran procure missile and UAV components…
Agudath Israel of America called on Wikipedia to reconsider its ban on using Anti-Defamation League sources on some topics related to the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks and antisemitism; Agudath noted it is “not ideologically aligned [with the ADL] on a host of religious and societal themes” but said the ADL was “an organization at the forefront of combating” the rise in antisemitism…
The Columbus Jewish Community Center is opposing a unionization effort by its 117 employees; the JCC is citing its status as a religious institution in its objection to the National Labor Relations Board…
“CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell, who is also the program’s managing editor, will step down after the presidential election later this year after inking a deal with the broadcaster for longer-form interview specials that will be aired across CBS programming…
Elad Schaffer and Daniel Green’s FAYE startup announced it raised $31 million in a Series B round of funding…
A British cleric who led a banned terror group in the country was sentenced to life in prison…
French officials are investigating possible instances of antisemitism during the Olympic soccer match on Saturday between Israel and Paraguay. Olympic officials said a flag “bearing a political message was displayed and anti-Semitic gestures were made”; photos taken from the match show a banner reading “Genocide Olympics” and reports from the match indicate that attendees chanted “Heil Hitler”…
Shai Doron, a mainstay of Jerusalem philanthropy for decades and a disciple of the city’s legendary former mayor, Teddy Kollek, who served as president of Kollek’s Jerusalem Foundation, died suddenly on Tuesday at 64.
Pic of the Day
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security assessment on Tuesday night with top officials following the Beirut strike that killed senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr.
Birthdays
Nobel laureate in economics in 1997, known for his quantitative analysis of options pricing, longtime professor at both Harvard and MIT, Robert C. Merton turns 80…
Film producer, responsible for movies such as “Fatal Attraction” and “Kramer vs. Kramer,” Stanley Richard Jaffe turns 84… British judge and barrister, he served as a justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, John Anthony Dyson turns 81… Actress, who went on to become CEO of Paramount Pictures and president of production at 20th Century Fox, Sherry Lansing turns 80… Scholar, professor, rabbi, writer and filmmaker, Michael Berenbaum turns 79… Founder of Apollo Global Management, in 2015 he bought a 16th-century copy of the Babylonian Talmud for $9.3 million, Leon David Black turns 73… Author of 36 best-selling mystery novels, many with Jewish themes, Faye Kellerman turns 72… Software entrepreneur, he is president of Ameinu and serves on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, Kenneth Bob… Manhattan-based criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, radio talk show host and television commentator, Ronald L. Kuby turns 68… Owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks until its partial sale to Miriam Adelson last year, he has been a “shark” investor on the ABC reality program “Shark Tank” since 2011, Mark Cuban turns 66… CEO at Leenie Productions, Helene Miller-Walsh turns 65… Technology investor and social entrepreneur, he is the founder and chairman of Tmura, Yadin B. Kaufmann turns 65… Israeli libertarian politician and activist, Moshe Zalman Feiglin turns 62… Professor at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine, Dan Schnur… Born into a practicing Catholic family in Nazareth, Israel, investor and owner of the Detroit Pistons, Tom Gores turns 60… Assistant general manager of MLB’s Miami Marlins, he was an MLB outfielder for 13 seasons, the first player known as the “Hebrew Hammer,” Gabe Kapler turns 49… Author, actor and comedian, Benjamin Joseph (BJ) Novak turns 45… Founder and creative director at Wide Eye Creative, Ben Ostrower… Political activist and the founder and president of Stand Up America, Sean Simcha Eldridge turns 38… Director of global communications at Zipline, Danielle Meister… Project engineer at SolarGik, Aryeh Samet Canter… Adam Rosenberg… David Goldenberg… Richard Rosenstein…
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