Daily Kickoff
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on an apparent cease-fire violation in Lebanon hours after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a 60-day break in fighting, and look at New York City mayoral candidate Michael Blake’s about-face on Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks and ensuing war. We cover Occidental College’s agreement to implement the IHRA working definition of antisemitism on campus in response to a Title VI complaint and talk to Rep.-elect Rob Bresnahan on how he will approach Israel in Congress. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Randy Fine, Henry Wolfond and Shalom Nagar.
Ed. note: The next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Monday, Dec. 2. Happy Thanksgiving!
What We’re Watching
- White House senior advisor Amos Hochstein will brief the Jewish community at 11 a.m. ET today on the Hezbollah-Israel cease-fire that went into effect earlier this morning.
- Argentina’s defense minister, Luis Petri, arrived in Israel today for meetings with senior officials.
- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is also in Israel today for meetings.
- Iran’s deputy foreign minister is set to meet his European counterparts in Geneva on Friday, a week after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors voted to sanction Iran over its refusal to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
- Chabad-Lubavitch’s Kinus Hashluchim kicks off later today in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The annual conference of emissaries will be dedicated this year to Rabbi Zvi Kogan, who was killed last week in the United Arab Emirates. During tomorrow’s opening events, organizers will hold a ceremony in Kogan’s honor, and Sunday’s gala will include a tribute to him.
What You Should Know
Hours after Israel’s cease-fire agreement with Lebanon went into effect early this morning, the IDF shot at a vehicle believed to be violating the terms of the deal, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
The IDF fired warning shots at a vehicle carrying several people entering Kfar Kileh, near the Lebanon-Israel border, where the Iran-backed terrorist group was barred from entering under the terms of the cease-fire deal.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Hezbollah terrorists entered the village and that he “instructed the IDF to act aggressively and uncompromisingly against such phenomena and arrest anyone identified with Hezbollah who enters the no-go areas.”
David Azoulay, mayor of Metula, an Israeli town abutting the Lebanon border, said he saw eight vehicles and a motorcycle belonging to Hezbollah, and lamented that “nothing changed since Oct. 7.”
The IDF statement did not identify the suspects as Hezbollah members, but said that the military is prepared “to act against anyone who tries to break the cease-fire agreement and will not allow harm to the security of the residents of Israel.” Meanwhile, Lebanese media showed civilians returning to their homes in southern Lebanon, despite the IDF warning against doing so until troops withdraw and they are given permission to return.
Israel’s Home Front Command did not change its instructions for residents of northern Israel after the cease-fire went into effect at 4 a.m. today.
The agreement, brokered by the U.S. and France, reaffirms the principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War and said that Hezbollah must remain north of the Litani River, some 17 miles from the border with Israel. Under the terms of the agreement, the Lebanese Armed Forces and U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon were to move into that area to keep Hezbollah out, though the terrorist group was active in that zone soon after the war ended.
U-turn
Michael Blake’s 180-degree turn on Israel following Oct. 7, Gaza war
Michael Blake, a former New York state lawmaker who officially launched his campaign for mayor of New York City on Tuesday, is facing new scrutiny for posting anti-Israel commentary in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks and the ensuing Gaza war — marking a sharp rhetorical shift from his past statements on Middle East strife, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Notable switch: In the weeks following Hamas’ attacks last year, Blake, a Democrat, shared highly critical social media comments amid the escalating conflict, charging Israel with enacting “genocide” in Gaza and demanding a cease-fire without calling for the release of hostages who had just been abducted. While some political observers, speaking on the condition of anonymity to address a sensitive issue, said that Blake has long maintained ties with critics of Israel on the left, his recent comments represent a notable public break from previous statements in which he expressed more full-throated support for Israel. Blake, a 41-year-old former state assemblyman from the Bronx who worked in the Obama administration and served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, previously traveled to Israel on two trips led by an AIPAC-affiliated group as well as the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
Read the full story here.
campus beat
Occidental College reaches agreement with Dept. of Education over Title VI complaint
In response to a federal Title VI complaint filed against Occidental College in April alleging a “hostile environment” for Jewish and Israeli students, the Los Angeles-based private liberal arts college agreed on Tuesday to implement a series of initiatives to mend the campus climate, including the adoption of the widely used International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Complaint’s content: The complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) by the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law on behalf of four Occidental students, stated that since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, the university enforced policies against Jewish students while ignoring antisemitic declarations and violations on campus. Examples provided in the complaint include Jewish and Israeli students being accosted and harassed by demonstrators on campus, being “unable to carry out” their jobs on campus as a result of antisemitic behavior and an allegation that that Occidental faculty “engaged in hateful rhetoric that emboldened the student protestors.”
florida run
Randy Fine enters race to succeed Mike Waltz in Congress with Trump endorsement in hand
Florida state Sen. Randy Fine, an outspoken Jewish Republican and staunch supporter of Israel with a history of inflammatory comments, announced his campaign for Florida’s 6th Congressional District on Tuesday, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
About his record: Fine, 50, is aiming to replace Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), who will leave the House in January to become President-elect Donald Trump’s national security advisor. Fine entered the race with Trump’s endorsement — Trump announced he’d back Fine before he even announced his campaign. Fine has long been an outspoken supporter of Israel and helped lead a series of high-profile bills combating antisemitism in the Florida Statehouse, including codifying the International Holocaust Remembrance’s Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism and formalizing procedures for Jewish day schools to receive state security funding. Fine has also faced criticism and accusations of Islamophobia for his heated commentary on Israel-related issues.
meet the freshman
Rob Bresnahan, who unseated Matt Cartwright, says U.S. should ‘trust the IDF’
Rep.-elect Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) has roots that run deep in northeastern Pennsylvania. He was born and raised in the 8th Congressional District, a blue-collar, purplish area that stretches from Scranton to Wilkes-Barre to Hazleton. He attended the Methodist Wyoming Seminary in Kingston and the University of Scranton and soon after took over his grandfather’s construction company based in Exeter, also in the district. But as the 34-year-old freshman lawmaker — who unseated Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) in the Nov. 5 election — was en route to the congressional new member orientation last week, Bresnahan turned his gaze to matters far removed from northeastern Pennsylvania, including thorny conflicts abroad where his vote could be crucial in the thin Republican majority in the House. In an interview with Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod, Bresnahan indicated that he’ll be a reliable friend of the Jewish state on the Hill.
Deferring to Israel: “We have to trust the IDF, and we need to provide them the resources that they need to eradicate Hamas,” Bresnahan said. “Those [hostages] need to be returned and Israel needs to be able to have the resources to defend themselves. They are our only ally in the Middle East and we need to be there for them.” He said that the U.S. should defer to Israel on what it needs and what strategies are best for it, rather than trying to dictate policy to Israel.
Worthy Reads
Rahm’s Road: The Chicago Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet spotlights U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel as he mulls his political future in the final weeks of his tenure in Tokyo. “He told the Sun-Times he is weighing his options about the next ‘best way to serve.’ Emanuel texted me: ‘First come home second talk and listen to folks at home about best way to serve and build what we care about.’ Emanuel ponders his future from Tokyo as Democrats are at a low point, reeling from Donald Trump taking the White House again and bringing with him a Republican Senate and House. I’ve talked to people who know about some of the conversations Emanuel is having, and what is clear is, I’m told, he is interested in another political role. Emanuel’s been a House member, White House chief of staff, mayor and is winding up a stint as an ambassador. Emanuel, who turns 65 on Nov. 29, is not about to retire.” [ChicagoSunTimes]
Crime and Punishment: In the Washington Times, Gabriel Scheinmann calls on Qatar to arrest and extradite, rather than expel, Hamas officials from Doha so that they can stand trial for their crimes against Israelis and Americans. “For Qatar, this moment is an opportunity to align its actions with its claims of opposing terrorism. By arresting and extraditing Hamas leaders, Qatar can demonstrate a commitment to justice and distance itself from the stain of association with mass murderers. Merely expelling them would perpetuate the cycle of evasion that has allowed such figures to escape accountability for decades. The October 2023 massacre was a crime of unimaginable horror, and the world owes its victims more than words of condemnation. Hamas leaders should not be permitted to melt into the shadows, free to plot further atrocities. Qatar can turn this moment into a milestone in the fight against terrorism, but only if it chooses to act decisively. Exile is not enough. Justice demands more.” [WashingtonTimes]
Word on the Street
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security advisor, suggested that reinforcing the first Trump administration’s maximum-pressure campaign on Iran would “not only … help stability in the Middle East, but it will help stability in the Russia-Ukraine theater as well”…
Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) on Tuesday introduced legislation, the Protect Economic Freedom Act, that would make schools that engage in commercial boycotts of Israel ineligible for federal student aid…
New Jersey attorney Adeel Mangi was among the judicial nominees dropped from a bipartisan agreement meant to push forward a number of Biden administration nominees during the lame-duck session; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Mangi and the other nominees to the federal bench lacked the votes necessary for confirmation…
German officials charged four members of Hamas — two from Lebanon, one from Egypt and one from the Netherlands — with attempting to procure and store weapons in Europe for use by the terror group…
Canadian businessman Henry Wolfond wore a yellow hostage pin during his first trip on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket…
Tevi Troy’s The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry was named to The Economist’s list of the best books of 2024…
Amsterdam banned fans of the Lazio Rome soccer club from attending an upcoming home game against Ajax, following a spate of coordinated attacks on Jewish and Israeli attendees of an Ajax game earlier this month in the city; a statement released by the city cited the high “risk of extreme-right, antisemitic, racist expressions and disturbances”…
A civil commission of inquiry founded by Oct. 7 survivors and families of the remaining hostages faulted Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for a series of decisions and practices the commission suggested led to last year’s Hamas attacks…
U.S. troops struck Iran-linked targets, including a weapons-storage facility, in Syria in retaliation for attacks on U.S. forces in the region…
Israeli cloud startup Eon closed a new funding round with a $1.4 billion valuation…
TechAir, a new Israeli airline backed by leaders of Israel’s tech movement, released registration forms and ticket prices for its three-times-a-week nonstop flights between Israel and New York…
Shalom Nagar, the executioner who carried out the death sentence of Adolf Eichmann, died at 86…
Pic of the Day
Israeli President Isaac Herzog (center), attending the shiva of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in Jerusalem on Wednesday, participated in the writing of a Torah scroll in honor of Kogan, who was killed last week in the United Arab Emirates.
Birthdays
Prize-winning longtime business writer, Allan Sloan turns 80…
Attorney, insurance executive and real estate investor, Brian J. Strum turns 85… Founding partner of TPG Capital and its Asian affiliate, Newbridge Capital, he is a co-majority owner of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, David Bonderman turns 82… Jewish Electorate Institute board member and secretary, Corrine Parver turns 80… Literary journalist, literary critic and author of six books, Ronald Rosenbaum turns 78… Principal at ESL Catalyst, Lawrence Greenberg… Economist and university professor at Northwestern University, Charles Frederick Manski turns 76… Treasurer of JCC MetroWest in West Orange, N.J., Joyce Goldstein… Former collegiate and professional (Maccabi Tel Aviv) basketball player, he then practiced corporate law at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in NYC, Louis Grant Silver turns 71… Founder, chairman, and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, Barry Stuart Sternlicht turns 64… Founder and host of “This Magic Life” podcast, Andrea Koppel turns 61… Academy Award-winning documentary producer, actor and director, known professionally as Fisher Stevens, Stephen Fisher turns 61… Mayor of Englewood, N.J., and immigration attorney, Michael Jay Wildes turns 60… Film director, producer, writer, dancer, author and choreographer, Adam Michael Shankman turns 60… Executive chairman of Hudson’s Bay Company, Canada’s oldest corporation (chartered in 1670) and owner of Saks, Richard Alan Baker turns 59… Film and television actor, known for his 95 episodes as Michael Vaughn on ABC’s “Alias,” Michael S. Vartan turns 56… Dentist practicing in Stevenson, Md., Joshua P. Weintraub, DDS… Co-host of Seasons 2 through 9 of “Dancing with the Stars” and then a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight, Samantha Harris Shapiro turns 51… Former NFL player who appeared in 143 games over 10 seasons for the 49ers, Lions and Cowboys, Kyle Kosier turns 46… Israeli model and beauty pageant winner, she represented Israel in the 2005 Miss Universe pageant, Elena Ralph turns 41… Managing director at S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, Joel Braunold… Multilingual singer, songwriter and actress, she is the national anthem singer for the NHL’s New York Islanders, Nicole Raviv turns 31… DJ Levy…
BIRTHWEEK: Executive director of Council for a Secure America, Jennifer Sutton (was yesterday)…
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