Daily Kickoff
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to Israelis living in Ireland about the increasingly hostile relationship between Dublin and the Jewish state, and report on yesterday’s arson attack on a Montreal synagogue. We cover a new JINSA report calling on the incoming Trump administration to pursue nuclear negotiations with Iran, and report on the leadership vacuum in the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Mideast subcommittee. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: John Kirby, Rep. Michael McCaul and Leonard Lauder.
What We’re Watching
- The American Federation of Teachers Michigan, the local chapter of the second largest teachers’ union in the U.S., is holding a vote tonight to consider subsidizing a campaign affiliated with the radical anti-Israel organization Graduate Employees’ Organization, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen has learned. Since Oct. 7, GEO has led anti-Israel activism on University of Michigan’s campus, including its involvement in a coalition harassing a University of Michigan regent who is Jewish. If the vote passes at tonight’s finance committee meeting, AFT Michigan would, using members’ dues, fund GEO’s Graduate Student Research Assistants to the tune of several hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to minutes from an earlier meeting obtained by JI.
- In New York, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon is holding a Hanukkah reception.
- Torah Umesorah’s annual Presidents Conference kicks off today at the Trump Doral in Miami, Fla.
What You Should Know
When a U.S.-based Syrian human rights organization reported earlier this week that a mass grave containing the remains of some 100,000 Syrians — including American and British citizens — was uncovered outside of Damascus, no college students walked out of their classes. Progressive activists did not shut down major urban thoroughfares. Lawmakers weren’t shouted down at events across the country.
The response to the horrific war crimes of Syria’s ousted dictator Bashar Al-Assad has largely been met with silence from college students and the far-left activists who have been protesting Israel’s war against Hamas and Hezbollah, Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss reports.
Journalist Douglas Murray pointed out the double standard in an interview filmed last year with former Australian Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, which gained renewed attention this week. “Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of Muslims have been killed by Bashar al-Assad,” Murray said at the time. “There’s no one on the streets of Sydney or Melbourne. There’s no one on the streets of London. We have seen hundreds of thousands of people killed in the last decade in Yemen, Muslims being killed. There’s no one on the streets of Melbourne. Nobody is standing outside the Sydney Opera House calling, ‘Gas the Houthis, gas the Shia.’”
There is an argument being made that Assad’s ouster means that his regime’s crimes are no longer ongoing, and as such, should not garner the same kind of attention as Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas and other Iranian terror proxies. But in the decade-plus since Assad’s crackdown on pro-democracy forces, no “Free Syria” movement has emerged in the West.
The atrocities carried out by the Assad regime — more of which are being uncovered each day — have been met with the same silence as a number of other conflicts in recent years, among them: the roughly 30,000 people who have been killed in Myanmar as a result of that country’s ongoing civil war; the approximately 28,000 deaths in West and Central Africa during a series of terrorist insurgencies; and even the Mexican cartel wars, in which roughly 20,000 people have died in the last two years. In Sudan, fatality estimates vary widely but have been put as high as 150,000.
Yet none of these acts of war have been met with the same global reaction as Israel’s war against Hamas, which came in response to the deadliest attack on Israel in its history.
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has not requested that charges be brought against ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for his regime’s crackdown on pro-democracy forces that included the use of chemical weapons — a move that falls under the ICC’s definition of a war crime. Nor has Khan sought to sanction a single Syrian individual for the bloody civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and countless dissidents and others tortured in Assad’s vast prison system.
Earlier this month, Ireland requested that the International Court of Justice expand its definition of genocide — a tacit acknowledgment by Dublin (already beset by accusations of antisemitism — more on that below) that Israel’s actions in Gaza do not amount to the legal standard set. (Howard Lutnick, the incoming Trump administration’s nominee for Commerce secretary, this week suggested tightening tax loopholes that have benefitted Ireland’s economy.) A new report from Human Rights Watch, expected to be released today, will accuse Israel of genocide.
The Jewish community and Israeli authorities have long had concerns over the commitment of international institutions — including the U.N. and the ICJ, both of which were created in the immediate aftermath of WWII — to protect rule of law and act with a fair and just hand. Taken together, the ICC’s warrants, efforts to expand the ICJ’s definition of genocide and the U.N.’s own complicity in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks underscores the degree to which those concerns are valid.
breaking point
Ireland’s chilly relations towards Israel turning more hostile
Since the outbreak of war triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Ireland has emerged as one of the Jewish state’s fiercest critics and relations between the two countries have frayed. Israel finally lost its patience on Sunday, announcing the closure of its embassy in Dublin. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Ireland of “antisemitism based on the delegitimization and dehumanization of Israel.” The decision has unsettled Ireland’s small Jewish community, including hundreds of Israeli expats, Lianne Kolirin reports for Jewish Insider.
Expat insight: Anat, an Israeli academic living in Ireland who asked that her last name not be used, told JI that the embassy’s closure “did come as a surprise because over the last year we’ve been super reliant on the embassy. They helped to navigate a lot of situations, but now we feel alone.” Anat has been exposed to the depth of hostility on campus. She said it’s impossible to say how many Jewish students attend her university as there is no official representation and many are too nervous to self-identify. “When the war started everything flipped,” she said. “Friends started sharing horrific stories on Instagram about what it means to be an IDF soldier and about all of us being part of a propaganda machine. It was heartbreaking to see this entire situation unfold in terms of people we knew.”
canada chaos
Montreal synagogue attacked for second time since Oct. 7 attacks
A synagogue in Montreal was targeted with arson early Wednesday morning for the second time since the Oct. 7 attacks. The incident marks the seventh instance in the last 14 months in which a Jewish institution in Montreal, Canada’s second largest city, has been attacked. Jewish leaders criticized elected officials on Wednesday for what they say has been a muted response in the face of rising antisemitism and warn that Canada is becoming increasingly unsafe for Jews, spiraling into “total chaos,” Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Ongoing investigation: Police were called to Beth Tikvah, a Modern Orthodox synagogue, in the city’s Dollard-des-Ormeaux suburb around 3 a.m. after receiving reports of fire, according to the Montreal Gazette. Police also discovered two smashed windows at the nearby Jewish community center that houses the offices of the Federation CJA and Hebrew Foundation School. No injuries were reported. A spokesperson for the Montreal police told JI that the investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
slip of the tongue
FBI admits error for saying graduating National Academy student from ‘State of Palestine’
A clip from a graduation ceremony at the FBI National Academy, in which an announcer described a graduating student as being from the “State of Palestine” — which the U.S. does not recognize — attracted attention online this week, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What happened: “During a recent graduation of the FBI’s National Academy, one student’s agency location was incorrectly stated. This information was submitted by the student on class completion paperwork in advance of the graduation ceremony,” an FBI spokesperson told JI. “The language was not in accordance with U.S. protocol, should not have been used and in no way reflects any change in U.S. policy. This graduate was from the Preventative Security Organization in the Palestinian Territories. The FBI has taken steps to assure this does not happen again.” Six students from the Palestinian security forces, nominated by local FBI legal attachés, have been invited to participate in the FBI National Academy, a law enforcement training program, a source familiar with the program said. Twenty-one Israeli students have participated as well.
pressure push
New report lays out guidelines for Trump to engage in nuclear talks with Iran
A new report by the Jewish Institute for the National Security of America urges the incoming Trump administration to pursue nuclear talks with Iran — but only under strict conditions and paired with a serious U.S. military threat to the regime’s nuclear program, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Recommendations: The JINSA report begins with a stark warning: “From the day President-elect [Donald] Trump takes office, he will have almost zero time or margin for error to prevent a nuclear Iran,” arguing that efforts to re-implement a maximum-pressure campaign “including credible threats of force” must begin before Trump is sworn into office. The report urges Trump to “at least consider Iran’s offer of talks seriously if only to build support” for stronger sanctions if the talks fall through. “To seize this unique but fleeting opportunity, President-elect Trump should join Israel in giving Iran an ultimatum at the outset of his presidency: agree fully and immediately to verifiably dismantle its nuclear weapons program, or invite its imminent and utter destruction,” the report continues, adding that a military strike on Iran now appears to be a credible possibility.
mideast matters
Who will lead House Democrats on a key Middle East policy subcommittee?
The Democratic leadership on the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia subcommittee has seen significant turnover in the past two years, and another shakeup is coming in the new year, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. It’s not clear yet who might fill the role.
Potentially in play: Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI) is the only Democrat remaining on the subcommittee who might be eligible for the slot. His office declined to comment on his potential plans. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), a Democratic leader on Middle East policy who previously pursued the role, may face a complicated path to a run since he’s not a permanent member of the committee, and must first obtain a waiver to serve on the committee in the new year. Should the committee’s other members choose to retain their current leadership slots on other subcommittees — which would make them ineligible to chair the Mideast subcommittee — other eligible candidates would include Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA). Five Democratic members are leaving the full committee, meaning that there could be other members joining the committee who could also be up for the slot in the new year.
Worthy Reads
House of Cards: The Atlantic’s Arash Azizi suggests that the fall of the Assad regime in Syria dealt a “knockout blow” to Iran’s “Axis of Resistance.” “With Assad gone, Iran faces a reckoning. Why did it spend tens of billions of dollars and thousands of lives on a regime that collapsed like a house of cards? Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivered a defiant speech last Wednesday, insisting that the Axis was alive and well. He chalked up the fall of Assad to an ‘American-Zionist plot’ and said that Tehran would have saved his regime if it could have, a significant admission of his own regime’s weakened capacities. He called on his supporters to ‘not fall into passivity’ and pledged that the ‘resistance’ would yet expel the United States from the region and ‘uproot Zionism, with the grace of God.’ But Khamenei’s bravado isn’t fooling anyone. Israel had already battered the Axis, and Syria’s Turkey-backed Sunni Islamists have completed the job. Khamenei is barely able to respond to Israel’s repeated attacks on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and even Iran itself. His policy has failed.” [TheAtlantic]
Druze Views: The Wall Street Journal’s Dov Lieber spotlights the Druze communities in northern Israel and around the Syrian border that are concerned about the incoming government in Syria. “Both Israel and the Druze minority in Syria fear that despite the moderate messaging of Syria’s new Islamist leaders, they represent a serious future threat. To that end, Israel occupied the buffer zone between the two countries and in recent days destroyed Syrian military assets to prevent them from falling into potentially hostile hands. Should Syria splinter or descend into further rounds of factional fighting, current and former Israeli officials say Israel could help protect Druze communities in Syria, and in turn, the Druze could act as a buffer against enemies wishing to encroach on Israel’s borders. ‘Israel is looking for good neighbors, and the Druze don’t want anyone to threaten their existence, honor, land or religion,’ said Brig. Gen. (Res.) Hasson Hasson, a Druze and former senior Israeli military official.” [WSJ]
Democrats’ Direction:The Free Press’ Ruy Teixeira posits that Democrats’ refusal to listen to voters opposed to identity politics and political culture hyperfocused on cultural issues will set the party up for failure in future elections. “Far too many Democrats simply believe they are on the ‘right side of history’ when it comes to policies around immigration, crime, race, and trans issues. This mistaken assumption has been a disaster for the party. Voters overwhelmingly believe illegal immigration is wrong and should be deterred — not indulged. They believe crimes should be punished and public safety is sacrosanct. They believe, like Martin Luther King Jr., that people should ‘not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,’ and therefore oppose discrimination on the basis of race no matter who benefits from that discrimination. They believe biological sex is real, that spaces limited to biological women in areas like sports and prisons should be preserved, and that medical treatments like drugs and surgery are serious interventions that should not be available simply on the basis of declared gender identity, especially for children.” [FreePress]
Eye on Africa: Bloomberg’s Simon Marks and Mohammed Alamin look at the role that Iran and Russia are playing in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. “Both Russia and Iran have held talks in recent months with the army to build military bases in Port Sudan, according to two Sudanese intelligence officials and four Western officials. Those discussions have gained significance as Russia risks having its main airbridge to Africa severed by the potential loss of two bases in Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, and as Iran finds itself weakened by Israel’s sustained attacks on its proxy force Hezbollah in Lebanon. … Most of the international pressure – including at the UN Security Council – has focused on UAE support for the [Rapid Support Forces], which is driven by its longtime opposition to political Islam given the army’s ties to Islamists, according to US and EU officials. Little attention has been paid to the role of Russia, which after years of supporting the RSF via the Wagner Group – the Kremlin-linked mercenary company – shifted its allegiance to the army at the beginning of this year. Its engagement in Sudan’s war in many ways goes far beyond its use of proxy forces like Wagner in other African countries.” [Bloomberg]
Word on the Street
Secretary of State Tony Blinken said in a Foreign Affairs podcast released yesterday that Israel-Saudi normalization could only move forward with a “credible pathway to a Palestinian state”…
The Biden administration signaled that it will not sanction Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, after mulling potential sanctions in recent months…
The Wall Street Journal looks at efforts by President Joe Biden’s aides and others in his inner circle to maintain normal White House operations despite the president’s diminishing physical and mental acuity…
The Senate unanimously passed a bill raising criminal penalties for those involved in crimes on U.S. soil at the behest of foreign adversaries, legislation that was aimed at responding to Iranian efforts to target U.S. leaders and dissidents…
The Senate also passed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act by an 85-14 vote, including a range of new programs related to the Middle East, sending it to the president’s desk…
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the outgoing chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s selection as the Trump administration’s director of national intelligence was a “baffling” choice, citing her “history of comments that appear to be pro-Putin and pro-Assad”…
The FBI apprehended a Virginia man accused of transmitting information about how to conduct a terror attack against Israel’s consulate in New York; Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan reportedly sent the instructions to an FBI informant who had responded to a social media post of Hassan’s expressing support for ISIS…
The NYPD arrested a New York man in connection with a robbery and hate crime assault following an incident earlier this month in which the man, identified as Tarek Bazrouk, punched a Jewish Columbia student in the face and stole his Israeli flag during a demonstration near the Manhattan campus…
The Wall Street Journal reports on the internal backlash at ABC News following the decision by parent company Disney to settle a defamation lawsuit brought on by President-elect Donald Trump…
A stone tablet dating back approximately 1,500 years and believed to have the oldest inscription of the Ten Commandments fetched $5 million at auction…
The New York Times spotlights philanthropist and art collector Leonard Lauder’s efforts to transform how museums acquire valuable works…
Israel conducted airstrikes targeting several Houthi-controlled facilities in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa and the city of Aden; the strikes came shortly after the Houthisfired a ballistic missile at Israel, triggering warning sirens across parts of the country…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a written assurance to the mother of American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012 but is believed to be alive, that Israel is not striking facilities near where Tice is believed to be held…
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority said that the cost of repairing the damage to nature sites in the country’s north that were damaged by fires started by Hezbollah projectiles could cost upwards of NIS 100 million ($28 million)…
Amb. Richard Murphy, a State Department Arabist who as an assistant secretary of state helped broker the end of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, died at 95…
Pic of the Day
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby recited the prayer for hostages last night at the Israeli Embassy in Washington’s annual Hanukkah reception.
Birthdays
Co-chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel, she was the communications director in the Clinton administration, Ann Frank Lewis turns 87…
Journalist and playwright, he worked as a foreign correspondent for The New York Times based in Saigon, London, Nairobi and New Delhi, Bernard Weinraub turns 87… NYC-based real estate investor, Douglas Durst turns 80… Ardsley, N.Y., resident, Ruth Wolff… Israeli computer scientist and high-tech entrepreneur, she is a director of technology at Google Cloud, Orna Berry turns 75… Former town justice in Ulster, N.Y., and a past president of Congregation Ahavath Israel, Marsha Solomon Weiss… Host of RealTalk MS Podcast, he was previously the publisher of the Long Beach Jewish Life in California, Jon Strum… SVP at the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, Eli Schaap… CFO at wine importer and distributor, New York Wine Warehouse, Jane Hausman-Troy… Former U.S. senator (R-OH), Rob Portman turns 69… British cellist, distinguished for his diverse repertoire and distinctive sound, Steven Isserlis turns 66… Author of 25 best-selling thriller and espionage novels whose main protagonist is an Israeli intelligence officer, Daniel Silva turns 64… Member of the Knesset for the Meretz party until 2022, Moshe “Mossi” Raz turns 59… Israeli high-tech entrepreneur, he is the founder and CEO of MyHeritage, Gilad Japhet turns 55… President and chief creative officer of Rachel G Events, Rachel L. Glazer… EVP of global government affairs at American Express, Amy Best Weiss… Acclaimed actor, his mother is Jewish, he reports that on his 13th birthday he performed a “bar-mitzvah-like act without the typical trappings,” Jake Gyllenhaal turns 44… Film and television actress, Marla Sokoloff turns 44… Deputy Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe, Tal Kopan turns 38… Head of scaled programs at LinkedIn, Callie Schweitzer… Co-founder and CIO of Aption, Aaron Rosenson… Actress, best known for her role in Amazon Prime’s “Sneaky Pete,” Libe Alexandra Barer turns 33… Member of the Minnesota Senate, she is a daughter-in-law of former Sen. Norm Coleman, Julia Coleman turns 33… Consultant at Boston Consulting Group, Haim Engelman… Reporter for The New York Times focused on the impact of billionaires on society, Theodore Schleifer… Freshman at the University of Chicago, Sarah Wagman turns 20… and her brother, exactly two years younger, a senior at the Dalton School, Daniel Wagman turns 18… David Ginsberg…
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