Daily Kickoff
Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report the latest on the threatened Iranian attack on Israel. We talk to British Jewish leaders about how the new Labour government is approaching Israel, look at a new report about the rise of antisemitism within teachers’ unions and spotlight Rep. Cori Bush’s association with a pro-Kremlin activist critical of Congressional Black Caucus PAC chair Rep. Greg Meeks. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Josh Gottheimer, David Plouffe and Gen. Michael Kurilla.
What We’re Watching
- Vice President Kamala Harris will decide on her running mate by Tuesday, when the newly minted ticket will debut at a rally in Philadelphia to kick off a battleground-state campaign swing. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is a finalist for the job, but has been subjected to a flurry of late attacks from the activist left, anti-Israel elements of the party — and is now facing a well-timed leak that Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) doesn’t want Harris to pick Shapiro, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes.
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, another veepstakes finalist, has the most progressive record of the contenders, moving state policy in a leftward direction during his governorship — and has been championed by left-wing lawmakers including Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).
- Choosing a running mate is one of Harris’ first big decisions as the Democratic nominee, and will offer some clarity on whether she’s more comfortable placating party progressives or wants to signal that she’s willing to embrace a more moderate agenda. It’s also a test of her leadership skills: Will she make a bold choice with the most political upside, or will she get intimidated by the social media chatter from the left?
- President Joe Biden is slated to speak to King Abdullah II of Jordan this morning. Later today, the president, joined by Harris, will meet with his national security team to discuss the unfolding events in the Middle East.
- CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla is in Israel today for meetings with senior officials. The Washington Institute’s David Makovsky noted that Kurilla was “the linchpin in the incredibly successful integrated air defense effort” that united against Iran’s April 13 drone and missile attack on Israel.
- The Israeli Prime Minister’s office announced yesterday the hiring of Omer Dostri, 37, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s new spokesman. Dostri, a defense analyst and TV commentator, has been critical of the Biden administration for what he views as insufficient support for Israel in its war against Hamas, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
- We’re also keeping an eye on the stock markets, after Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed after its biggest one-day drop, amid uncertainty over a slowdown in the U.S. economy.
What You Should Know
After a tense weekend — one in which Israelis simultaneously went about their daily lives while also waiting for the country’s Homefront Command to notify them of an impending reprisal attack from Iran and Hezbollah — Israel remains on edge, with reports that such an attack could happen in a matter of hours.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken reportedly told his counterparts in the G7 in a Sunday phone call that they are uncertain what kind of attack Iran plans to launch on Israel — but that such an attack could come as soon as today. He encouraged the officials to continue diplomatic pressure on the Islamic republic and its terrorist proxy Hezbollah to moderate any potential attack to prevent an expanded regional war.
But despite the impending threat, Israeli officials are expressing confidence that its Western allies would come to its defense in the event of a missile and drone attack from Iran and Hezbollah, as Israel prepares for the threatened response to the assassination of leading Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists last week, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Following a flurry of phone calls with leading U.S. and U.K. officials, Israeli sources told JI that cooperation to intercept missiles aimed at Israel, similar to the kind that took place during the April 14 Iranian attack, was on the table.
The officials’ confidence comes despite reports of a heated conversation last Thursday between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The day after the call, Biden said that the conversation was “very direct.”
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Biden told Netanyahu “stop bullshitting me.” The president said that, while the U.S. will help defend Israel, the president felt Jerusalem was taking actions, such as the assassinations, that increased regional tensions. Biden also reportedly told Netanyahu, “Don’t take the president for granted,” because he may not be as willing to come to Israel’s defense in the future.
According to the White House readout, Biden “reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.” Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, was also on the call.
A similar dynamic came to the fore with relations between Jerusalem and London. The new, Labour-led government in the U.K. withdrew its objection to the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last month, something a senior Israeli official said was “very disappointing … a wrong decision in principle [that] goes against justice and truth and violates the right of all democracies to fight terror.” U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy was critical of Israel following a visit and said last week that he sought “new advice on Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law” that could halt arm sales to the Jewish state.
Yet Israeli officials were encouraged by U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey’s visit last week. Gallant’s office released a statement that he and Healey discussed “their shared commitment to maintaining and further strengthening cooperation in a number of strategic and military areas, including the field of intelligence.” More below on the new U.K. government’s approach to Israel.
labour pains
U.K.’s new Labour government takes harder stance on Israel’s war against Hamas
Less than a month after taking power in a landslide election, the new Labour government in the United Kingdom has made clear statements – and taken some concrete steps – suggesting it is taking a more unforgiving stance towards Israel, particularly in the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. From calling for an immediate cease-fire to resuming funding for the controversial U.N. Relief and Works Agency to dropping objections to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction over Israel, as well as reportedly considering a suspension of arms sales to Israel, the new government is pivoting away from the more pro-Israel position of the previous U.K. government – and it has some Jews in the U.K concerned, Jewish Insider’s Ruth Marks Eglash reports.
Speedy action: Philip Rosenberg, the newly elected president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, told JI that all these steps needed to be put in context, however, and that “a lot of the things they are doing, they did say they would do.” Rosenberg added, “I think there was a clear sense that many of these things would be done further down the road. I just think they have come sooner than we expected and despite knowing that they might have been coming, we are disappointed that they have come.”
backing bush
Cori Bush rallied with pro-Kremlin activist critical of CBC PAC chair Greg Meeks
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), who is facing a tough fight for reelection ahead of Tuesday’s primary, attended a late-July rally for her campaign organized by a pro-Kremlin activist in St. Louis with a history of criticizing the head of the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee, which is backing her in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Will Bredderman reports for Jewish Insider. On July 20, the Universal African Peoples Organization and its chairman, Lavoy “Zaki Baruti” Reed, assembled Bush supporters at the Beloved Community United Methodist Church in St. Louis’ Gate District. The incumbent congresswoman, who faces a serious challenge from St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, subsequently posted a photo to Facebook of herself at the event with Baruti, who has backed her since her first bid for federal office in 2016.
Baruti background: On a call in early 2023, Baruti lashed out at Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) for backing Ukraine in its conflict with Moscow and for proposing the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act in 2022, a bill Bush voted for. Meeks is the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and chairs the CBC PAC, one of the most important institutions now backing Bush.
Making a comparison: The New York Times reports that Bush refused to denounce Hamas and compared members of the terror group to protesters in Ferguson, Mo. “We were called terrorists during Ferguson. Have they hurt people? Absolutely. Has the Israeli military hurt people? Absolutely,” Bush said.
education consternation
Anti-Israel activism spreading in teachers’ unions, education schools, new report outlines
A new report from the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values raises concerns about the rise of anti-Israel activism in teachers’ unions in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel and the subsequent increase of incidents of antisemitism in public K-12 classrooms. At their conventions this year, both the National Education Association, the largest teachers’ union in the U.S., and the American Federation of Teachers, the second largest — which together represent 4.7 million members — have made anti-Israel resolutions a central theme of both gatherings. Last month, the NEA signed a joint letter calling on President Joe Biden to halt all military aid to Israel, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reports for Jewish Insider.
Radical actors: David Bernstein, the founder of JILV, told JI that his group “saw a radicalization of many public school systems around the country” immediately following Oct. 7. “We started to look into where it was coming from, and over and over again we started to see teachers’ associations involved in these efforts,” Bernstein said. The report, titled “How Teachers Unions and Associations are being radicalized,” outlines several examples of “radical actors within teachers unions.”
scoop
Lawmakers urge U.S. crackdown on Hezbollah financing networks
A bipartisan group of 46 House members, led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), called on the administration on Monday to “fully utilize all the tools at its disposal to crack down on Hezbollah’s international financing network, including the imposition of sanctions,” as well as law enforcement, criminal prosecutions and diplomatic tools, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The letter, addressed to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Attorney General Merrick Garland, comes just over a week after a Hezbollah attack killed 12 children in the Golan Heights and as fears of escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and Iran hit new heights after the recent assassinations of a senior Hezbollah official in Lebanon and a top Hamas leader in Iran.
Call to action: “We urge you to take further action to weaken Hezbollah’s access to financial resources used to carry out terrorism that threatens Americans, Israelis, and other allies around the world,” the lawmakers said. “It is imperative that the United States leads in this critical moment and protects its greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel.”
Also on the Hill: A bipartisan group of 22 House members on Thursday demanded further action from the administration in response to a recent intelligence report that the Iranian government had covertly provided funding to some protests in the U.S. related to the war in Gaza.
jewish outreach
Sen. Ben Cardin, Gov. Jared Polis defend VP Harris’ Israel record
Speaking on an organizing call with the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who are both Jewish, defended Vice President Kamala Harris’ record on Israel and antisemitism, and pushed back on attacks on Jewish Democrats from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they said: “It’s in her gut, she understands the importance of this relationship from the United States and from Israel, the special relationship that exists between our two countries,” Cardin said, of Harris’ support for Israel. Polis said that attacks by Trump and other Republicans on Jewish Democratic voters for supporting Democrats are “in of itself an antisemitic act.”
holding the line
Senate Republicans criticize Biden’s Israel policy in letter to White House
Senate Republicans sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday accusing his administration of establishing a “partial arms embargo against Israel” in its war against Hamas and Hezbollah and urging him to shift course. The letter, led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and signed by every member of the Senate GOP Conference except Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), references 10 weapons and equipment sales and shipments that have allegedly been delayed, and points to four instances where the administration “ignored congressional inquiries,” Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
What they said: “We write once again to protest your administration’s partial arms embargo against Israel. The actions of the Biden-Harris administration run counter to our long history of robust military cooperation with Israel and cast doubt upon the reliability of the United States as a long-term security partner. Your actions also violate the will of Congress as expressed in the recent supplemental that funded emergency military support to Israel,” the senators said.
Worthy Reads
Signal to the Left: In The New York Times, pollster and former Clinton adviser Mark Penn suggests that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is the best choice to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. “The governor would be the highest-ranking Jewish official in U.S. history. He has supported Israel and has been strongly critical of the campus protests, blasting the antisemitism on display at many of those demonstrations. Arab American leaders like James Zogby have suggested he could ‘create a problem’ for Ms. Harris with some voters. His selection would be another push against the left wing of the Democratic Party that has taken a strong position against America’s ally. But about 3 percent of Americans are Jewish, and about 1 percent are Muslim, according to 2022 data from the Public Religion Research Institute; Jews have some of the highest percentages of voting, and only 2 percent consider Israel a top issue. I think Mr. Shapiro’s ideology, not his religion, is what creates the real push and pull over his potential nomination — his religion is being used as an excuse by those who want to keep a moderate off the ticket.” [NYTimes]
Center of Gravity: In the Washington Post, JP MorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon posits that the next American president needs to reflect the values of past great American leaders and appeal to the “broader interests of our country and don’t pander to base politics or cater to extremes.” “Some forms of bravery are obvious: fighting for our country and caring for our sick. Other forms are less obvious but just as important: listening openly to conflicting views, changing your mind, lifting people up, choosing country over party. A healthy, unified country is good for everyone. I believe that our nation is at a critical time in its 248-year history. Like many of your families, my grandparents were immigrants who did not finish high school. They were drawn to the promise of this nation, which was then, and still is, the beacon of freedom for the world. America has all the advantages, and we can win the future with smart policy, courageous leaders and everyone with a seat at the table moving in concert.” [WashPost]
Boston Brahmin: Boston magazine spotlights philanthropist Josh Kraft, the son of Robert and Myra Kraft, amid rumors that he is considering mounting a mayoral run. “When I first asked Josh that very question — if his future might involve running for mayor — he offered a version of the same line he’d been using for months: ‘I’m looking at a lot of different things.’ While politics admittedly intrigues him, Josh said he’s also thinking about pursuing the top job at another nonprofit, potentially on a national level… If his next move is, in fact, a run for mayor, one challenge could be persuading voters that he’s not just some bored heir who wants to try politics for a taste of the limelight. Indeed, for those who don’t know Josh, it’s all too easy to stereotype him. Spend a little time with him, though, and a couple of things become clear. First, he gets far more excited talking about grassroots community building than about private jets or VIP access. He also doesn’t look the part of a haughty scion; instead, he dreads the moment he has to swap his jeans and New Balance sneakers for a well-pressed suit. Chris Sumner, former head of the Boston TenPoint Coalition, remembers throwing an event at which Josh was a volunteer. When the organizers tried to stop Josh from setting up chairs and tables, ‘he was so pissed,’ Sumner said. ‘He really desires to be a part of the movement.’” [BostonMagazine]
American Muscle: In The Wall Street Journal, Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takyeh suggest that a demonstration of American strength could deter a significant Iranian escalation against Israel. “If Iran manages to penetrate Israeli defenses this time, it’s not unreasonable to believe that Tehran still sees the Biden administration’s profound fear of escalation as a means to salvage its proxies’ fortunes. The crucial actor in this drama is neither Iran nor Israel but America. Should Washington warn Iran clearly that if Tehran retaliates against Israel, the U.S. will intervene in the conflict on Jerusalem’s side — and far more muscularly than before — the mullahs will take note and proceed more cautiously. Despite their exhortations, the ruling clergy and the Revolutionary Guards still respect American power and understand that their wobbly regime can’t afford a conflict with the U.S.” [WSJ]
Word on the Street
Vice President Kamala Harris is hiring a number of Obama campaign veterans — including David Plouffe, who was served as campaign manager in 2008 and in a senior campaign role in 2012 — to staff her presidential campaign…
The New York Times looks at efforts by anti-Israel groups to “thwart” the potential selection of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to be Harris’ running mate…
The Los Angeles Times reports on preparations by anti-Israel activists to protest at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago…
The New Yorker interviews Bishara Bahbah, who recently launched the Arab Americans for Trump group…
Former Phoenix Councilmember Yassamin Ansari, who was endorsed by the pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel, leads former Arizona state legislator Raquel Terán by just 67 votes as additional ballots have been counted in the state’s 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary. There are a small number of ballots left to count…
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and 19 co-sponsors from both parties introduced a bill aiming to improve internet freedom and access in Iran…
The Minnesota home of Rep. Kim Hicks (D-MN) was vandalized with swastikas and other racist graffiti…
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin overrode the plea deal that had been agreed to last week with Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices…
The Department of Justice is looking into whether Nvidia’s acquisition of Israeli AI startup Run:ai violated any antitrust regulations…
The Financial Times looks at how Bill Ackman’s effort to take Pershing Square USA public with a $25 billion IPO fell apart at the 11th hour…
The heads of the American Jewish Committee and Jewish Federations of North America jointly penned an open letter to news editors criticizing the recent coverage of a Hezbollah strike that killed 12 Druze children last month…
A New York judge awarded an Egon Schiele drawing to the heirs of a Jewish textile merchant who was killed by the Nazis in 1941; the drawing had been part of a protracted legal battle between its current owner and the heirs of two different Holocaust victims who claimed their ancestors’ ownership of the piece…
The New York Times reviews Patrick Bishop’s Paris 1944: Occupation, Resistance, Liberation ahead of the 80th anniversary of the city’s liberation from Nazi forces…
Drexel University reached an agreement with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to “respond more effectively to antisemitism” at the Philadelphia school, following an investigation into the campus’ handling of antisemitism…
The Hill reports on plans by anti-Israel campus organizations to revive their activities when universities resume classes this fall…
The New York Times spotlights an effort by the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York to use artificial intelligence in an exhibition that allows museum-goers to virtually interact with Holocaust survivors who have prerecorded video clips about their experiences…
Two elderly Israeli civilians were stabbed and killed in a terror attack in the central Israeli city of Holon; a Palestinian from the West Bank was determined to have carried out the attack…
Nine Palestinian terrorists were killed in two separate incidents in the West Bank over the weekend…
The Wall Street Journal reports on the emotional, financial and familial strains being put upon Israeli reservists as the war with Hamas enters its 11th month…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly shelved efforts to reach a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia before the U.S. presidential election in November…
Iran said that the explosion that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was caused by a “short-range projectile,” contradicting previous claims that an explosive device had been planted in the Tehran building where Haniyeh was staying last week when he was assassinated…
Russia pulled back a weapons shipment to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen last month following efforts from Washington and Riyadh to stop the transfer…
Turkey blocked access to X in the country, alleging that the platform censored posts about the death of Haniyeh last week…
Longtime NPR correspondent Ina Jaffe died at 75…
Pic of the Day
Israeli windsurfer Tom Reuveny celebrated his gold-medal win — Israel’s first gold medal in the Paris Games — on the podium on Saturday in Marseille, France.
Birthdays
Harris for President finance chair, he was previously U.S. chief of protocol and the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Rufus Gifford turns 50…
Former New York State senator for 34 years, now of counsel at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, Manfred Ohrenstein turns 99… Chairman of Delphi Capital Management, Robert Rosenkranz turns 82… Former Israeli ambassador to France following seven years as a member of the Knesset, Yael German turns 77… Author of 25 nonfiction books, including The Portable Curmudgeon, Zen to Go and Advice to Writers, Jon Winokur turns 77… Historian, Nazi hunter and director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem, Efraim Zuroff turns 76… Banker, once known as “Austria’s woman on Wall Street” and founder of Bank Medici in 1994, Sonja Kohn turns 76… Former Soviet refusenik, he served as speaker of the Knesset for seven years, Yuli-Yoel Edelstein turns 66… Intellectual property and entertainment attorney based in Ithaca, N.Y., Howard Leib… Member of the British House of Lords, he was chief executive of the Office of the Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks and then chief executive of the United Jewish Israel Appeal, Baron Jonathan Andrew Kestenbaum turns 65… Songwriter, author, political columnist and noted baseball memorabilia collector, Seth Swirsky turns 64… Murray Huberfeld… Chair of the department of Jewish history at Baltimore’s Beth Tfiloh Dahan High School, Neil Rubin, Ph.D…. Actor who starred in “Weekend at Bernie’s,” his father and grandfather were both rabbis, Jonathan Elihu Silverman turns 58… President at ConservAmerica, Jeffrey Kupfer… President of the Center for Jewish History in NYC and professor at Fairfield University, Dr. Gavriel David Rosenfeld turns 57… Former member of the Knesset for the Kulanu party, Roy Folkman turns 49… Director of the Center for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institution, Natan Sachs… Investment and foundation manager at Denver-based Race Street Management and a board member of JFNA, Cintra Pollack… VP of government affairs at WISPA – the Association for Broadband Without Boundaries, Matt Mandel… Chairman of The New York Times Company and publisher of The New York Times, Arthur Gregg (A.G.) Sulzberger turns 44… Former director of responsible innovation at Meta / Facebook, Zvika Krieger… Longtime member of the Israeli national soccer team who also played in Europe’s UEFA Champions League, Gil Vermouth turns 39… Member of the comedy duo Jake and Amir, Jacob Penn Cooper Hurwitz turns 39… Senior manager of validation at Menlo Labs, Lila Cohn… Front end engineer at Platform.sh, Abby Milberg… Fellow at NYC’s Corporation Counsel, Michael E. Snow… Senior advisor for implementation at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Lisa Geller… Leslie Saunders… Program manager of antisemitism, Holocaust and genocide education at the Anti-Defamation League, Anyu Silverman…
Recent Daily Kickoff Newsletters
