Daily Kickoff
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the U.S.-Egypt-Qatar push to jump-start hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and have the Harris campaign’s version of events of her conversation with Uncommitted activists. Also, an inside look into the last-minute ad campaigns against two Virginia Jewish Democrats and the resignation of three Columbia University deans who exchanged antisemitic text messages. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Taylor Swift, Lori Shapiro and Itay Milner.
For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: Sinwar completes Hamas ‘coup’ with new role as political chief; How Wesley Bell engineered a come-from-behind victory over Cori Bush; Lipstadt ‘deeply disturbed’ by Wikipedia’s ban on the ADL. Print the latest edition here.
What We’re Watching
- Former President Donald Trump is holding a rally this evening for Montana Senate nominee Tim Sheehy, the GOP challenger to Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). It’s his only announced public event on the campaign schedule.
- Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are holding a presidential campaign rally on Friday evening in Glendale, Ariz.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is speaking at a pre-Shabbat Friday night cocktail reception at the Hampton Synagogue.
What You Should Know
On Thursday night, President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani released a statement attempting to jump-start stalled hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas and called on both sides to meet on Aug. 15 in either Doha, Qatar, or Cairo, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch and Tamara Zieve report.
“There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay. It is time to release the hostages, begin the ceasefire and implement this agreement,” the three leaders wrote. “As mediators, if necessary, we are prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced early Friday that Israel will send a delegation. “Pursuant to the proposal by the US and the mediators, Israel will – on 15 August – send the negotiations team to a place to be determined in order to finalize the details of the implementation of the framework agreement,” the PMO statement read.
There was no immediate response from Hamas, despite a Channel 12 report last night that the group’s new political leader, Yahya Sinwar, is — under pressure from Hamas military commanders in Gaza — seeking a cease-fire agreement as soon as possible. Channel 12 analyst Ehud Yaari cited Hamas sources as saying that Sinwar has said to pursue a deal, regardless of any military engagement from Iran or its proxies against Israel.
The plea to bring the parties back to the table comes after a more than two-month-long push by the Biden administration to close the deal on a proposal that Biden first announced in late May. In mid-July, Secretary of State Tony Blinken expressed optimism: “We’re inside the 10 yard line and driving toward the goal line,” he said. But progress appears to have stalled as tensions rise across the Middle East.
“We do think there’s a way forward here. And I would just emphasize it’s incumbent upon not just the Israeli side, but also the Hamas side, too. At the end of the day, this is a hostage negotiation. They’re holding hostages,” a senior Biden administration official told JI on Thursday.
The official said the push to finish the deal “is not tied to the larger picture” — the threat of Iranian attacks on Israel — but the official warned that an Iranian attack on Israel could scuttle a deal.
“If they launch a major war in the Middle East with some massive attack on Israel, which they’re threatening in coordination with other groups, well, that’s obviously going to significantly jeopardize any hope of getting a cease-fire in Gaza, because we’ll very much be focused on other things,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Israelis — as well as Iranian and Lebanese citizens — continue to live in a state of limbo, with little light shed by their leaders, as the threat of attacks against Israel by the Islamic Republic and its proxies drags on. Reports indicate that Hezbollah would likely initiate a first round of attacks, while Iran remains undecided on the nature of its attack.
The Biden administration continues to try and talk Tehran out of launching a major attack on Israel, warning the new government that “there is a serious risk of consequences for Iran’s economy and the stability of its newly elected government if it goes down that path,” according to an unnamed U.S. official. The Wall Street Journal also cited officials as saying that an Iranian attack — if it happens — could take place this weekend.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant sent a message to the people of Lebanon on Thursday evening: “Shiite Iran and those who submit [to its ideology], led by Hezbollah, have taken Lebanon and its people hostage for the sake of narrow sectarian interests. The State of Israel seeks peace, prosperity and stability on both sides of the northern border. Therefore, we will not allow the Hezbollah militia to destabilize the border and the region. If Hezbollah continues its aggression, Israel will fight it, with all its might.”
Gallant’s message echoes others conveyed by Israel that any attack against Israeli citizens will be met by a forceful, “disproportionate,” response.
The Israeli security cabinet met on Thursday evening in the IDF’s underground command room at the military headquarters — this is the first time the cabinet has met there since mid-April, when Iran attacked Israel with some 300 drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Channel 12 reported that the location was used as a drill for an emergency situation.
Overnight, Gallant briefed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the IDF’s operational readiness to defend Israel against Iran and its proxies. “In this regard, Minister Gallant and Secretary Austin discussed the interoperability of US and Israeli defense capabilities following the posture change and deployment of U.S. forces and assets to the region,” said a statement from the defense minister’s office. The two also agreed on the urgency of finalizing a hostage deal, according to the statement.
damage control
Harris’ brief conversation with anti-Israel activists in Michigan draws outsized scrutiny
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign was in damage control mode on Thursday after activists from the Uncommitted National Movement shared an account of a conversation with Harris that they said suggested she would be open to talking to them about an arms embargo on Israel. Harris’ advisors shut down that notion a day after the Detroit conversation and reiterated her staunch opposition to such a policy, which would be a dramatic reversal of America’s long-standing support for Israel. Harris “has been clear … She does not support an arms embargo on Israel,” her national security advisor, Phil Gordon, said on Thursday, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Play-by-play: Still, an aide to Harris stood by Harris’ dialogue with the anti-Israel activists. “She said her campaign will remain in touch, and reiterated her standard positions on the conflict,” the aide told JI. The meeting was not a random chance encounter. While roughly 15,000 people attended her rally in Michigan with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, only a small fraction of those attendees were invited by the campaign to the “photo line” to briefly meet Harris and pose for a picture with her. One Democratic official who witnessed Harris’ interaction with the Uncommitted activists called it “frankly false” to say that she expressed any openness to an arms embargo, as the Uncommitted activists suggested. The official added that she did describe a willingness to stay in touch.
in praise of walz
NIAC celebrates Tim Walz as Harris’ vice-presidential pick
The National Iranian American Council, a U.S.-based Iranian-American advocacy group that pushes for diplomacy with the Iranian regime and is critical of the Biden administration’s approach to Israel and the Middle East, offered strong praise for Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential nominee, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Critics and Iranian dissidents accuse NIAC of being tied to the Iranian regime and describe it as a de-facto lobbying group for the regime, particularly opposing sanctions on Iran.
What they said: “While some potential nominees for Vice President took strident positions against protests against the Gaza war, including urging crackdowns on student protests, Walz appears to have adopted a moderate position urging that protesters be listened to,” NIAC said in a lengthy statement on Walz, praising his approach to the Uncommitted campaign. The group also praised Walz for supporting the nuclear deal and opposing the Trump administration’s bans on immigration from primarily Muslim countries.
cruel summer
ISIS plan to bomb Taylor Swift concerts tied to post-Oct. 7 terror spike, Austrian authorities say
The terrorist threats leading Taylor Swift to cancel her concerts in Vienna are part of a spike in Islamic terrorism since Hamas attacked Israel last year, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in a press conference on Thursday. Austrian authorities arrested two suspects on Wednesday for planning an attack on one of the three concerts set to be held in the Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Suspects: In a press conference the following day, Karner and the heads of Austria’s state police and domestic intelligence said that one suspect was a 19-year-old who swore allegiance to ISIS’ new leader and confessed to planning the attack on a Taylor Swift concert. He was reportedly the son of ethnic Albanian immigrants from Macedonia. He quit his job last month, saying he was “planning something big.” Police found bomb-making chemicals, explosives and machetes in his home. The second suspect was a 17-year-old who worked at the concert site. A third person was detained for questioning, and police suspect that there were others involved.
Read the full story here.
stepping down
Three Columbia University deans who exchanged antisemitic text messages resigning
The three Columbia University deans who were placed on leave in June after exchanging antisemitic text messages will resign, a university official confirmed to eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reporting for Jewish Insider on Thursday. The controversial texts, first reported by The Free Beacon, occurred during a May 31 panel titled “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future.” In the exchange, the administrators seemed to belittle the concerns of Jewish students amid a sharp rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on campus.
Foxx’s response: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, said in a statement on Thursday that it was “about time” the deans step down. “Actions have consequences and Columbia should have fired all four of these deans months ago,” Foxx said. A fourth administrator, Dean of Columbia College Josef Sorett, also participated in the exchange but to a lesser extent. President Minouche Shafik said at the time that disciplinary action would not be taken against Sorett, as “he has apologized and taken full responsibility, committing to the work and collaboration necessary to heal the community and learn from this moment, and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
follow the money
Inside the last-minute ad campaigns against Virginia Jewish Democrats
Post-primary campaign finance filings are providing new insights into the funders behind late-stage ad campaigns against two prominent Jewish Democratic candidates who ran, and ultimately lost, in the Democratic primary in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. State Del. Dan Helmer and former state House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn expressed strong support for Israel in their campaigns and faced backlash from some on the far left. Helmer came in second, falling four points short of state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam. Filler-Corn finished in fourth place, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Accusations: In the final days of the campaign, Helmer was accused of groping a woman at a 2018 Democratic event, a claim that he denied and said was being spread by individuals supporting his opponents. The claims were boosted by a super PAC, which spent around $14,000, largely on text messaging outreach. Separately, Filler-Corn came under fire from another PAC with ads that she claimed were antisemitic and sexist, accusing Filler-Corn of catering to the interests of business groups instead of voters. The group spent $187,000.
Worthy Reads
A Brand of Her Own:The New York Times’ Nate Cohn writes about the state of the 2024 election: “With Democrats unified and energized again, the Harris campaign’s central task over the next few weeks is to build a durable political image that insulates her from predictable attacks on the border, crime and her earlier, farther-left positions on the issues. The vice-presidential selection was one opportunity; there will be other opportunities as well. Whatever the answer, the campaign will want to give voters something to hang onto once the political winds eventually start to blow the other way.” [NYTimes]
First Apology: For Time, Eric Cortellessa sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem to speak about Iran, Gaza and Israel’s future. Asked whether he’d apologize for leaving Israel vulnerable to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack, Netanyahu said: “Of course, of course. I am sorry, deeply, that something like this happened. And you always look back and you say, Could we have done things that would have prevented it?” [Time]
The Campaign Against Shapiro: Michael Koplow, the Israeli Policy Forum’s chief policy officer, analyzes the campaign against Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s bid to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, flagging the moving goalposts on Israel on the left. “I recently argued elsewhere that there is a distinction between 1967ers, who oppose Israeli policies on occupation that are eroding any chance at a two-state outcome, and 1948ers, who are opposed to Israel as an entity and Zionism as a legitimate concept. The campaign against Shapiro is representative of the 1948 camp, taking normcore liberal Zionist positions and tarring them as uniquely dangerous. Not only does this sell out moderate and left-wing Israelis, who are battling genuine extremist forces on Israeli-Palestinian issues at home and need all of the outside assistance they can get for their pragmatic and moderate vision, but it betrays the majority of American Jews who hold these positions as well and want nothing beyond a fair resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that respects and fulfills the nationalist aspirations of both sides. If tarnishing supporters of two states — which has to mean supporting both states, and not just one of them — becomes a litmus test, it will be a reliable sign that the extremist wing has thoroughly taken over.” [IsraeliPolicyForum]
Six Months to a Saudi Deal: In Foreign Affairs, Dennis Ross, counselor at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former envoy to the Middle East, argues that President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race provides him with an opportunity to focus on getting an Israel-Saudi normalization deal done, conditioned on an end to the war in Gaza, and outlines what each involved party must do to get there. “It will take an intense, well-organized, and coordinated effort for the Biden administration to orchestrate and direct such a process in its final six months. Arab states, especially the “Arab Quint”—the Egyptians, Emiratis, Jordanians, Qataris, and Saudis—have a special role to play. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will resist taking the necessary steps even incrementally if Washington is the only one pushing him to do so. He is far more likely to act if the Arab Quint presses him as a group and with one voice. There is little precedent for the Arab Quint acting in such a concerted fashion and with a blunt collective message, and it will not happen unless they all understand that, if they do not, Washington cannot and will not play the role they want it to play.” [ForeignAffairs]
Word on the Street
CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla visited Israel on Thursday, for the second time this week, to secure coordination prior to the threatened attack by Hezbollah and Iran…
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said, “I can tell you that antisemitism had no impact on the dialogue between the vice president and me, period,” while acknowledging, separately, that antisemitism is “a real concern here in Pennsylvania and across this country, and leaders need to speak and act with moral clarity and condemn hate in all of its forms.”…
At a press conference yesterday, former President Donald Trump claimed support for his presidential campaign from Jewish voters was “way up” while suggesting that Jews backing Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid should “have their head examined”…
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown nominated new members to a state hate crimes commission last week. The body came under fire last fall when one member, affiliated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, posted a series of incendiary anti-Israel social media posts. The new membership does not include CAIR…
Montana Jewish leaders have expressed concern after social media memes playing on antisemitic tropes that Jews secretly control politics, the media and banking were posted by GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy and the Gallatin County Central Republican Committee…
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) responded to Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-MI) retweet of a falsified poll claiming Israelis support raping Palestinians. Torres said: “Falsely accusing the Israeli people of supporting rape against Palestinians is a 21st century blood libel against the world’s only Jewish State. Spreading so blatant a lie is unbecoming of a Member of Congress.” …
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) also commented on Tlaib’s retweet, saying: “Antisemitic disinformation has spread like wildfire over the past year, fueled by the sharing of lies like this. It puts Jews in danger and it’s just plain wrong to legitimize these lies with a repost or a like.” …
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s wife, Lori, was spotted this week wearing a necklace from Hadaya, a jewelry store in Jerusalem popular with American tourists. The necklace, a gift from their daughter, is inscribed with a Hebrew quote about her being the best mom, Shapiro’s team told JI…
The Detroit Institute of Bagels shut down after staff protested the store’s new pro-Israel owner…
Former Wall Street Journal opinion columnist Abigail Shrier will join the Manhattan Institute as a senior fellow…
Turkey formally filed a request to join South Africa’s lawsuit accusing Israel of genocide…
The Jewish News of Northern California’s Gabe Stutman takes a deep dive into how pro-Palestinian activism is pervading the halls of University of California San Francisco hospital…
The New York Times investigates the toll of the 10-month-old conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, on both sides of the border…
The Wall Street Journal examines the growing furor over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians it has detained, usually without trial, since the war with Hamas began last year…
Israel’s international airport was displayed on Google Maps as “Ben Gurion Airport – Palestina,” and was swiftly fixed to “Ben Gurion Airport – Israel,” after users submitted edits to the name change…
Politico spotlights the role Elon Musk is playing in spreading political divisiveness and incendiary content on his social media platform…
In an exit interview with WINS, the Israeli Consulate in New York’s outgoing spokesperson Itay Milner said, “It’s very surprising that people who see themselves as social justice activists embrace the oldest hate in history.” …
Pic of the Day
Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff met yesterday in Paris at a UNESCO event that focused on tackling antisemitism through education. Emhoff announced a “voluntary contribution” of $2.2 million from the U.S. to the Paris-based U.N. body to finance action against antisemitism.
Birthdays
Co-founder of The Carlyle Group, he recently became the principal owner of MLB’s Baltimore Orioles, David Rubenstein turns 75…
Friday: Prominent Sephardic rabbi in Tel Aviv, he was a member of the Knesset for the Shas party, Rabbi Moshe Maya turns 86… Physicist and venture capitalist, co-founder and general partner emeritus of New Markets Venture Partners, Donald M. “Don” Spero, Ph.D. turns 85… Comedian, actor, writer, director and author, David Steinberg turns 82… Romance novelist with 22 books on the NYT bestseller lists, Barbara Delinsky turns 79… Rabbi and author of 36 Jewish-themed books, Seymour Rossel turns 79… Telecommunications consultant based in Chattanooga, Tenn., Mark Shapiro turns 78… Psychologist and bestselling suspense novelist, Jonathan Kellerman turns 75… Southern California resident, Faith Schames… Brigadier general (IDF reserves) in the Israeli Air Force, Amir Abraham Haskel turns 71… Executive director of the Steinhardt Family Foundation in Israel and deputy chair of WZO, Tova Dorfman… U.S. senator (R-KS), Roger Marshall, M.D. turns 64… Member of the Minnesota State Senate since 2007, Ronald Steven “Ron” Latz turns 61… Professor of French at Yale University, he is the inaugural director of the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism, Maurice Samuels turns 56… Chief of staff for Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) for 25 years, she started a consulting practice earlier this year, Amy Beth Rutkin… Founder and CEO of AFC Gamma, a commercial mortgage REIT, Leonard M. Tannenbaum turns 53… Two-time Grammy Award-winning operatic soprano, songwriter and actress, Hila Plitmann turns 51… Member of the Maryland House of Delegates since 2007 from Montgomery County, Kirill Reznik turns 50… Reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, Kenneth P. Vogel turns 49… Founding partner of New Deal Strategies, Rebecca Kirszner Katz… Chair of JEWELS (Jewish Education Where Every Level Student Succeeds), Jules Friedman turns 49… Drummer, popular on YouTube with 353 million views, Meytal Cohen turns 41… CEO of the Israel on Campus Coalition, Jacob Baime… Real estate investor based in Cleveland, Amanda Isaacson… Associate at Ropes & Gray LLP, Isaac Lederman… Israeli actor, known for his role as Yanky Shapiro in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, Amit Rahav turns 29… Southern California resident, Giovanna Fradkin… SVP at Dezenhall Resources, Fred Brown… Elise Aronson… Dan Zimerman…
Saturday: CEO at Royal Health Services in Beverly Hills, Robert N. Feldman… Professor of biochemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Shimon Schuldiner turns 78… Founder and principal of Clipper Equity, David Bistricer turns 75… Former governor of the South African Reserve Bank, the first woman to hold that position, Gill Marcus turns 75… Conservative rabbi who served as president of the Interfaith Alliance, Rabbi Jack Moline turns 72… Retired co-leader of the securities litigation practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, he is the co-president of NYC’s Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, Joseph S. Allerhand… Certified registered nurse anesthetist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Salkind… Author, media consultant and former film critic for The New York Post and The New York Daily News, Jami Bernard turns 68… Former director of the Jewish Museum of Vienna, she was a founder of the German language magazine Nu devoted to Jewish politics and culture, Danielle Spera turns 67… Member of the California State Senate, Steven Mitchell Glazer turns 67… Chief rabbi in the Har Nof neighborhood in Jerusalem until 2020 and a leader of the Shas party, Rabbi David Yosef turns 67… Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-MI-9), now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Andy Levin turns 64… Professor of physics and astronomy at Tel Aviv University, Yaron Oz turns 60… Tech entrepreneur, he served as a Washington State senator until 2023, Reuven Michael Carlyle turns 59… Former member of the Florida State Senate, Jeremy Ring turns 54… Deputy Attorney General of Israel, Sharon Afek turns 54… Regional chief technology officer in the South Texas office of Technologent, Jason P. Reyes… Senior director of the NYC-based Tikvah Fund, Eytan Sosnovich… Head of social media and influencer marketing at Eventbrite, Sophie Vershbow… VP of commodities compliance at Citibank, Jacob Cohen…
Sunday: Longtime Democratic Party activist in NY’s Orange and Rockland Counties, Doris Feder turns 92… Architect best known for the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin and the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., Peter Eisenman turns 92… Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, she also served as Brooklyn DA and NYC comptroller, Elizabeth Holtzman turns 83… Principal of Investors Research Group based in Los Angeles, Jacob S. Segal… Former SVP for international affairs at the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Lois Weinsaft… Former U.S. Trade Representative, she retired in 2021 as the chair of the international trade group at WilmerHale, Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky turns 74… Senior counsel for benefits and employment at the Wagner Law Group, Linda E. Rosenzweig… Lenore Solomon… Artistic director and choreographer of an eponymous dance company based in Union, N.J., Carolyn Dorfman… CEO, chairman and major shareholder of the Russian gas company Novatek, Leonid Mikhelson turns 69… Board member emeritus of AIPAC, Jeffrey Snyder… Former member of the Massachusetts Senate, he is the founder of Cape Air, Daniel A. “Dan” Wolf turns 67… Publisher of Yated Ne’eman, a weekly English-language Haredi newspaper and magazine, Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz turns 66… Member of Knesset since 2015 for the Likud party, David “Dudi” Amsalem turns 64… Co-founder and partner of MizMaa Ventures and wine columnist for Jewish Insider, Isaac “Yitz” Applbaum… Former chief of the Shin Bet / Shabak, Nadav Argaman turns 64… Chairman at Duty Free Americas, Simon Falic… Political, cultural and social science commentator for The New York Times, David Brooks turns 63… Senior advisor for communications and engagement at The Aspen Institute, Ilana Marcus Drimmer… MLB pitcher for seven teams, he has also been the pitching coach for Team Israel, Andrew Lorraine turns 52… NFL offensive lineman for four seasons, he is now the managing partner of Oakland-based North Venture Partners, Alex Bernstein turns 49… Co-founder and CEO of Israeli interactive video firm Eko, Yoni Bloch turns 43… Chief investment officer of Toronto-based investment firm Murchinson, Marc Bistricer… NFL punter for seven seasons with the Jaguars and Bears, he was then a broker in the Jacksonville office of Merrill Lynch, Adam Podlesh turns 41… Ukrainian-born and San Francisco-raised journalist and copywriter, Yelena Shuster… General surgery resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Sara Ginzberg, M.D…. Daniel Weitz…
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