Daily Kickoff
Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah — and talk to experts about what comes next. We look at how New York City’s Orthodox Jewish community is approaching the potential mayoral candidacy of former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, report on pushback by swing-state Democrats to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposed legislation to cut arms sales to Israel and talk to North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum about his recent trip to Israel. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Andy Samberg, Jeff Flake and Jake Retzlaff.
What We’re Watching
- Oral arguments are slated to begin today in federal court in Maryland in the lawsuit brought against the University of Maryland by the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and the Maryland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations over the school’s decision to revoke SJP’s permit to hold an event in the school’s main plaza on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
- Yeshiva University is hosting an Oct. 7 commemoration event this evening featuring Nova music festival survivor Tomer Meir.
- Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is slated to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran today.
What You Should Know
In the wake of Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, which one senior Israeli defense official described to Jewish Insider as “the most incredible mission in Israel’s history” — and which capped off a 10-day period that saw the IDF break down Hezbollah’s command-and-control structure — questions linger about what comes next in the fight against the crown jewel of Iran’s proxy groups.
Israel has not fully eliminated the threat of Hezbollah, and the possibility of a higher-intensity war in Lebanon remains, with questions as to whether the terrorist organization can regroup and if Iran will get more involved following the weakening of Hezbollah, JI’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Alma Research and Education Center President Sarit Zehavi and Director of Research Tal Beeri argued in an analysis on Sunday that Israel will need to continue airstrikes in Lebanon in the short term, and depending on their effectiveness, there may be a complementary limited ground invasion “to physically and optimally cleanse parts of the border from infrastructure and terrorist operatives.” The IDF called up two brigades made up of thousands of reservists in recent days.
Zehavi and Beeri also emphasized that a diplomatic agreement with an effective mechanism to demilitarize southern Lebanon is inevitable, as the only way to avoid Israel reestablishing the buffer zone that it maintained in the area until 2000. Iran is weighing the costs and benefits of a direct attack on Israel and its intentions remain unclear, Zehavi and Beeri wrote. “The Iranians understand that their main investment in recent decades is falling apart in terms of its status and ability to pose a strategic threat to Israel. Therefore, at this time they will not want to place additional capabilities under threat,” they wrote.
Joe Truzman, an expert on Iranian proxies at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI that the leaders of Israel, the U.S. and others in the region likely fear that, in response to Israel’s gains against Hezbollah, “Iran’s proxies may initiate attacks on neighboring countries, such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to coerce Israel into halting its offensives in Gaza and Lebanon,” he said. “Initially, this might manifest through online threats from Iranian-backed Iraqi militias against targets in the UAE or Jordan. Such intimidation could escalate into actual attacks with drones or long-range missiles launched at these nations. From that point, the situation could quickly spiral out of control.” Read the full story here.
Meanwhile, in the first official Hezbollah speech since Nasrallah’s assassination, the group’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said today, “we are ready if the Israelis decide to enter by land and the resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement. Despite the losses of its commanders, the attacks against civilians throughout Lebanon, and great sacrifices, we will not budge from our position. We will continue to support Gaza and to defend Lebanon.” He described the group’s attack on Israel to date as “minimum.”
The elimination of Hezbollah’s top terrorists spurred a political reconciliation in the Israeli right that has been long in the making, with Gideon Sa’ar returning to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as a minister without portfolio and security cabinet member, JI’s Lahav Harkov reports. Sa’ar is a former Likud minister who was long viewed as Netanyahu’s likely heir and eventually became his competitor, who left the party after a searing primary loss. His new party merged with Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party ahead of the 2022 election.
Sa’ar joined a unity government soon after the Oct. 7 attack together with Gantz, but broke up the bloc in March in an apparent attempt to differentiate himself and shore up his right-wing bona fides. Then he issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu to add him to the ministerial trifecta making major decisions about the war, and found himself in the opposition. In recent weeks, Sa’ar and Netanyahu negotiated the possibility of the former replacing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, but with the advent of a higher intensity war in Lebanon, Sa’ar stated that this is not the time to change defense ministers and he would not seek the job.
Netanyahu and Sa’ar announced that they are burying the hatchet, putting their political disputes behind them for the good of national security, in a joint video released on Sunday. They said that in the months that Sa’ar was in the cabinet, they agreed more often than not. Sa’ar added that he found himself agreeing with the coalition far more than the opposition, and wanted to be in a position of influence in wartime — though when he quit in March he cited a lack of ability to influence the prosecution of the war.
Netanyahu now has a 68-member coalition, making his position as prime minister more secure should the government’s wild card, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, choose to quit and take his party’s six seats with him. However, this does not make Netanyahu’s coalition bulletproof: Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hold much of the same political positions and are competing for the same base, such that if one leaves the other is likely to follow.
What we’re reading: “Hezbollah’s Hasan Nasrallah chose his own fate” by the Washington Post’s David Ignatius… “Israel Has Called Iran’s Bluff” by The Atlantic’s Arash Azizi… “Israel Tries for a Knockout Blow,” by The Atlantic’s Eliot Cohen… “Iran Is Losing. That May Matter More Than Israel’s Mistakes” by The New York Times’ David French… “How Israeli spies penetrated Hizbollah” by the Financial Times’ Mehul Srivastava, James Shotter, Charles Clover and Raya Jalabi… “The Killing of Nasrallah — and the Virtue of Escalation” by The Free Press’ Eli Lake… “What Israelis Deserve” by Commentary’s Seth Mandel… “Israel’s Deterrence Lesson for Biden” by The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board…
white house reaction
Biden, Harris offer strong defense of Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah
President Joe Biden called the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday “a measure of justice for his many victims,” and added that the United States “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.” Biden added that he hopes Israel deescalates the conflicts with both Hezbollah and Hamas through diplomacy. “Ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means,” Biden said in a statement, Jewish Insider’s Josh Kraushaar reports.
Harris’ statement: In a separate statement, Vice President Kamala Harris offered a strong defense of Israel’s actions, describing Nasrallah as “a terrorist with American blood on his hands.”Harris continued, “Across decades, his leadership of Hezbollah destabilized the Middle East and led to the killing of countless innocent people in Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and around the world. Today, Hezbollah’s victims have a measure of justice.”
Notable quotable: Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, cheered Israel’s killing of Nasrallah and other top Hezbollah leaders — and argued Israel must be allowed to finish defeating the Iranian proxy. Kushner, who called Nasrallah’s death “the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough,” criticized calls from the Biden administration — which supported Israel’s right to defend itself from Hezbollah in a statement — for emphasizing a cease-fire and calls for de-escalation.
hill reaction
Bipartisan cheer for Israel’s takeout of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle welcomed Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other top leaders of the terror group in its military operations. Outside of some far-left detractors, word of the IDF taking out Nasrallah and his leadership team in a series of strikes in southern Beirut last week has been met with praise from leading lawmakers, including those who have been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Schumer’s statement: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement, “Hezbollah has the blood of hundreds of Americans on its hands. The world is safer and better off without Nasrallah’s terrorism and oppression, and I will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism. The United States and its partners must maintain efforts to ensure Israel’s security, deter and prevent Iranian-backed actors from expanding this conflict, and pursue regional stability,” Schumer added.
Read the full story here for additional comments from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
New York, New York
NYC Orthodox Jewish leaders looking at Andrew Cuomo as alternative to embattled Mayor Eric Adams
Even before Eric Adams was indicted last week, Jewish leaders supportive of the embattled New York City mayor had already initiated a series of informal private discussions to express concerns about his prospects in a looming and increasingly crowded primary election, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Cuomo’s comeback: Now that Adams is facing five felony counts amid a widening legal quagmire that has ensnared his administration, multiple Jewish community activists who spoke with JI indicated that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been privately mulling a comeback campaign, is emerging as the favored alternative among Jewish leaders, citing his moderate to conservative record and outspoken support of Israel. Even as Cuomo remains on the sidelines, he is widely expected to run, according to several informed sources.
Read the full story here.
bernie’s bid
Most swing-state Democrats disavow Sanders’ bid to block aid to Israel
Senate Democrats facing competitive reelection this year are largely distancing themselves from a bid by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to block a spate of arms sales to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
How they responded: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) vowed to “do everything in my power” to block Sanders’ effort. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) said that backtracking on congressionally approved aid “would be reckless and irresponsible.” A spokesperson for Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) said he opposes the resolutions. A spokesperson for Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said Brown “has some concerns about Senator Sanders’ approach.” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) was the only vulnerable Senate Democrat who didn’t explicitly criticize Sanders’ effort. “Senator Baldwin has been steadfast in supporting Israel’s right to defend themselves and will continue to push the Biden administration to ensure that U.S. aid is used in line with our values and humanitarian law,” a Baldwin spokesperson said. “She will review the proposals but her priority remains ending the war in Gaza, bringing hostages home, and surging aid to civilians.”
pledge of support
AG Garland: High Holidays ‘should not be a time of fear’
Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged in a speech on Friday to stand by U.S. Jewish communities ahead of the High Holidays and the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, committing to “aggressively investigate and prosecute acts and threats of violence fueled by antisemitism and by hatred of any kind” as Jews gather in synagogues this week for Rosh Hashanah, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
‘Time to gather together’: “And as we approach one year since the Oct. 7 attacks, we do so at a time when Jews across the country will soon be observing the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,” Garland said on Friday in a press conference announcing the results of an unrelated criminal matter. “For Jews, this is a period of solemn reflection and prayer. It is a time to gather together to worship and to be in community with each other. It should not be a time of fear.”
Q&A
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum makes first trip to Israel since taking office
The last time North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was in Israel in the early 1980s, shortly after he completed graduate school, Hamas had not yet come into existence. Neither had Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror organization fighting Israel on its northern border. But both groups dominated the North Dakota Republican’s first trip to the Jewish state as governor. The former GOP presidential candidate arrived in Israel a day before the back-to-back pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah officials in Lebanon, meeting with senior officials as the operations were playing out. Burgum spoke to Jewish Insider’s Melissa Weiss earlier this month — before Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — about his time in Israel and how it has affected his approach to foreign policy.
Foreign policy take: “Hearing stories on the ground about some of the things that are happening right now where the U.S. is applying sanctions on individual Israelis,” Burgum told JI. “The hypocrisy seems incredible, and that kind of left-leaning approach to lawfare, which we know is being applied at home in our own country, against political enemies. But the activity with international criminal courts, the U.N., UNRWA funding. I mean, if you take a look at all these international organizations that essentially have developed and funded many anti-Israeli programs, which, again, are helping the terrorists. It was sort of renewing, for me, the importance of U.S. leadership, that we don’t have our adversaries using under the brand of supposedly neutral global organizations really acting on behalf of our adversaries in coordinated and strategic ways. I mean, is sort of this international lawfare, as opposed to the kind of lawfare we’re seeing at home.”
Worthy Reads
Hands-off at Harvard: In The Wall Street Journal, author Dara Horn reflects on her experience as a member of Harvard’s disbanded advisory group on antisemitism. “At our advisory group’s first meeting last October, a senior Harvard administrator admitted, ‘Students are very ignorant about the Middle East or Israel or Zionism.’ If only there were an educational institution with a $50.7 billion endowment that could address that ignorance. No one in the advisory group argued against free speech. Students can chant ‘globalize the intifada’ all they want. As the screaming students point out, ‘intifada’ simply means “uprising.” True. Also, ‘Sieg Heil’ simply means ‘Hail victory,’ and Confederate flags are simply regional symbols. Students can scream whatever racist things they like. But this evades the question: Why is Harvard full of screaming racists? Our recommendations sought to address this question, but Harvard’s only major reforms since have been rules around protests — suggesting that Harvard believes it plays no role in shaping its students’ ideas.” [WSJ]
Word on the Street
Former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake, a Republican who previously served in the Senate from Arizona, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris…
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) and more than 100 House and Senate Democrats urged the administration to launch an independent investigation of the killing of U.S. citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank…
The Justice Department indicted a former contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration — who was a naturalized citizen despite his past membership in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — on charges of acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Iran…
University of Pittsburgh police, with the assistance of the FBI, are investigating an incident in which a Jewish student was assaulted by a group last week; university police categorized the incident as a “Hate crime/Assault”…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law three Legislative Jewish Caucus priority bills dealing with Holocaust education, protecting Jewish students on campus and ensuring Jews are not excluded from DEI programs, California state Sen. Scott Wiener announced…
The Hamas terror group said today that its leader in Lebanon, Fatah Sharif Abu al Amin, who was also an UNRWA staff member, was killed in an Israeli strike in Tyre, alongside his wife, son and daughter…
Also today, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization said three of its leaders were killed in a rare Israeli strike in central Beirut…
Israel struck Houthi infrastructure in the Yemeni ports of Hodeidah and Ras Issa; the strikes come after a series of missile and drone attacks from the Yemen-based militia…
The U.S. conducted strikes in Syria that killed 37 members of ISIS– and al-Qaida-affiliated groups…
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set out what he described as a choice for the nations of the Middle East and the world, between the “blessing” of expanded regional normalization or the “curse” of Iran, its proxies and Oct. 7…
USA Today spotlights Brigham Young University junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who had led the team to four straight wins this season…
Comedian Andy Samberg made his first appearance as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live”…
The New York Times reviews “Giant,” the new film about Roald Dahl’s antisemitic comments around the First Lebanon War in 1982, which the Times describes as “an admirably evenhanded treatment that walks a delicate tightrope”…
The Red Cross visited the 25-member crew of the Galaxy Leader ship, which was hijacked in November 2023 by the Iran-backed Houthis and remains hostage in port in Yemen; it was the international aid group’s second visit to the hostage crew…
Benjy Spiro and Leah Lousky Spiro welcomed Tamar Libby Spiro…
Hannah Morris, director of government affairs at J Street, and Gabriel Band welcomed a baby girl…
Pic of the Day
People lay stones on Sunday at the Babyn Yar memorial to mark the 83rd anniversary of the mass execution of Jewish men and boys at the Ukrainian site.
Birthdays
Chairman and CEO of AMC Entertainment, he is a co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, Adam Maximilian Aron turns 70…
Former prime minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert turns 79… IT developer and business analyst, Sanford Kadish… Actress and activist, now in her second term as president of the SAG-AFTRA trade union, Fran Drescher turns 67… Professor of mathematical logic at Oxford, Ehud Hrushovski turns 65… Founder and president of the Menomadin Group and president of the Menomadin Foundation, Haim Taib turns 64… Journalist for Haaretz, Allison Kaplan Sommer… Professor of healthcare economics at MIT and an architect of Romneycare and Obamacare, Jonathan Gruber turns 59… Leora Lily Ihilevich Usman… Lisa K. Robbins… Israel’s U.N. ambassador until seven weeks ago, now global president of Magen David Adom, Gilad Erdan turns 54… Consultant to nonprofits, Anastasia Goodstein… Russia and Eastern Europe editor for the Washington Post, now a journalism fellow at Harvard University, David Herszenhorn… CEO of Via Trading Corporation, Jacques Stambouli… President and CEO of Hadar Institute in Manhattan, Rabbi Eliezer “Elie” Kaunfer… Founder and partner at Artemis Strategies, Hildy Kuryk turns 47… Host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Ari Michael Shapiro turns 46… Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Daniel Grossberg turns 46… Screenwriter, director, producer and actor, Jonathan Peter Kasdan turns 45… Founder of the Jerusalem-based Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, Yonatan Neril turns 44… Co-founder and president of Palantir Technologies, Stephen Cohen turns 42… Head of breaking news at The Wall Street Journal, Steven Russolillo… Mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Natan Levy turns 33… Past president of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, she is on the board of The Tikvah Fund, Shelly Kassen…
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