Plus, a wide-ranging interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham
Alex Brandon/AP Photo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, stand on the Blue Room Balcony during the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Washington.
Add JewishInsider on Google👋 Good Friday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we preview today’s meeting between Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud and Jewish leaders amid concerns over Riyadh’s pivot away from moderation, and sit down with Sen. Lindsey Graham to talk about his recent conversations with Saudi officials. We talk to friends, relatives and colleagues of Nat Lewin ahead of the attorney’s 90th birthday tomorrow, and report on the EU’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organization. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, David Brooks and Aviad Maizels.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud is slated to meet today with Jewish leaders as he concludes a two-day trip to Washington. More below.
- The Saudi defense minister’s meetings with senior Trump administration officials are expected to focus on ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran as President Donald Trump continues to mull military action against the Islamic Republic. The U.S. sent a sixth warship to the Gulf this week as it shores up its military assets in the region.
- Trump is expected to announce his pick for Fed chair today, with advisors to the president saying he plans to nominate former Fed governor Kevin Warsh.
- The Alfalfa Club is holding its annual dinner in Washington tomorrow night. In a personal first, Trump, who skipped the dinners during his first term as well as last year, will attend the black-tie dinner.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MATTHEW KASSEL
Jewish and pro-Israel organizations that have celebrated the Abraham Accords in recent years appear slow to recognize the role they could be playing within the Abrahamic coalition — particularly by leveraging their Washington clout and decades of experience engaging Congress — as countries in the accords face increasing criticism for their participation in the normalization framework.
In recent weeks, prominent Saudi social media figures and media outlets have amplified sharply critical and often inflammatory rhetoric aimed at countries that joined the Abraham Accords, particularly the United Arab Emirates, portraying normalization with Israel as a betrayal of regional interests and casting Abu Dhabi as a proxy for Israeli power.
Countries that joined the Abraham Accords do not have comparable grassroots advocacy in Washington, making the role of established Jewish and pro-Israel organizations potentially consequential to the broader normalization effort. Yet despite those long-standing relationships, the groups have mounted little effort to inform the conversation in Washington as the Abraham Accords and their signatories face growing attacks. This was evident from Jewish Insider’s reporting earlier in January, when pro-Israel lawmakers from both parties largely downplayed concerns about Saudi Arabia’s shift when asked for comment.
Several of the groups have voiced growing discomfort with the kingdom’s pivot away from what was perceived as its moderating force in the region. But their relatively cautious responses, particularly around Riyadh’s increasingly hostile posture toward Israel and traditional alliances, have also highlighted an awkward tension as they seek to maintain support for the long-sought but elusive goal of bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords.
That dynamic has come into sharper focus as a few major Jewish and pro-Israel organizations prepare to attend a sensitive meeting in Washington on Friday with Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, raising questions about how — or whether — the groups will more forcefully confront the growing rhetoric against the Abraham Accords.
Among the groups invited to the meeting were the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Zionist Organization of America, multiple sources familiar with the situation told Jewish Insider on Thursday, though it remains unclear which will attend. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies confirmed it would be attending a separate sit-down with the defense minister in the morning.
Notably, representatives from the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC weren’t set to attend, according to some sources familiar with the dynamics, hinting at some possible internal debate in the community regarding the wisdom of engaging with Saudi Arabia in spite of its troubling recent behavior. AIPAC declined to comment on the meeting when reached by JI on Thursday afternoon.
The AJC and ADL also declined to comment, and the Conference of Presidents did not respond to a request for comment. The Republican Jewish Coalition was invited to the meeting, one informed source told JI, but the group would not confirm its involvement.
The varying approaches suggest that Jewish organizations are strategically sensitive to alienating Saudi Arabia — as they hope for a change of heart on normalization with Israel. In turn, many groups haven’t directly confronted the antisemitic vitriol among influential figures in the kingdom.
Still, Abe Foxman, the former longtime national director of the ADL, stressed that efforts to court Saudi involvement in a diplomatic agreement with Israel need not obscure a broader commitment to strenuously denouncing the kingdom’s “anti-Israel expressions and antisemitism.”
“As much as we may want Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, that hope and desire should not inhibit our ability to criticize” its recent policies, Foxman told JI on Tuesday. “I recall that during the years we pursued peace between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan, we did not refrain from being critical of their anti-Israel policies or their embrace of antisemitism.”
SENATOR SAYS
Graham says conversation with Saudi leaders eased his concerns about kingdom’s pivot from moderation
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) expressed confidence on Thursday that Saudi Arabia is intent on maintaining its status as a moderating force in the Middle East amid growing concerns that Riyadh is entertaining more hard-line Islamism, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs, Marc Rod and Josh Kraushaar report.
Reassured: Graham met on Thursday morning with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud in Washington and spoke by phone on Wednesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. “After having met with the Saudis today, I understand their concerns better. I don’t agree with everything they’ve done, but I fundamentally believe that the vision is still the same,” Graham told JI in a wide-ranging discussion. “To all those who think like me and have been upset by what you’ve heard, I understand why you’re upset, but I would just say this: If I feel good, you should feel good.”
Another take: Meanwhile, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) warned on Thursday in comments to JI’s Marc Rod that the U.S. would need to reevaluate its entire relationship with Saudi Arabia if Riyadh pivots in the long term from efforts to normalize relations with Israel.
TEHRAN TALK
Trump amps up threats of military strike against Iran amid deadlocked diplomacy
President Donald Trump, over the last week, has gradually amped up threats of a military strike against Iran, pivoting away from talk of diplomatic negotiations amid continued intransigence from Tehran, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. Amid widespread reports of secret talks between Washington and Tehran through Omani mediators, CNN reported on Thursday that they made no progress on limiting the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and that Trump was once again weighing military action.
State of play: Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told JI that Trump is engaged in “maximum-pressure negotiations,” which are “setting up the regime to say no.” Nadav Pollak, a lecturer at Reichman University and Israeli intelligence veteran, told JI that the latest developments were significant in that “Trump laid out terms for a deal and Iran said no, or didn’t say anything. It’s not surprising, because his terms — no nuclear program, no ballistic missiles over a certain range, no support for its proxies — are a surrender without concessions [from the U.S.], something the supreme leader can’t do.”
EVANSTON SHOWDOWN
House Education Committee chair accuses Daniel Biss of obstructing efforts to clear Northwestern encampment
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), the chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, accused Evanston, Ill., Mayor Daniel Biss on Wednesday of blocking city police from assisting Northwestern University in responding to the 2024 “antisemitic” encampment protesting the war in Gaza — against the school’s request, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Biss, who is running in a competitive race for an open Illinois House seat, pushed back, accusing Walberg of attempting to sabotage his primary campaign at the behest of AIPAC.
Inside story: In a letter to Biss, Walberg released internal communications by top Northwestern officials, including former President Michael Schill, about their communications with Biss and efforts to clear the encampment and conduct arrests. Schill indicated to colleagues that more police would be needed than the school had available to successfully clear the encampment, but the school had to halt plans to do so after Biss communicated to the school that his position on the situation would not change. Trustee Michael J. Sacks said in one message to Schill, “I know Biss well. If the winds blow in the wrong way he will throw you under the bus. No hesitation.”
TERROR TAG
EU designates IRGC as terror organization in policy reversal
The European Union designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization on Thursday, marking a significant shift in policy for European countries that had long been wary of irreparably harming ties with Tehran, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.
Unanimous vote: The 27 European Union foreign ministers convened in Brussels, where they voted unanimously to make the designation as a response to Iran’s violent suppression of nationwide protests. The decision puts the IRGC among the likes of al-Qaida, Hamas and the Islamic State on the EU terror list. The bloc also imposed new sanctions on 15 Iranian officials, including top commanders of the Revolutionary Guard, in addition to existing stringent sanctions. “Repression cannot go unanswered,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, wrote on X on Thursday following the decision. “EU Foreign Ministers just took the decisive step of designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation. Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.”
BOOKED AND BIASED
Driver who rammed Chabad Lubavitch headquarters charged with hate crimes
Police say the 36-year-old who ran his vehicle into the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn on Wednesday night had previously attended an event at the synagogue, and was again attempting “to connect with the Lubavitch Jewish community” — but will now face multiple hate crimes charges, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports.
What we know: At a Thursday press conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny disclosed that Dan Sohail of Carteret, N.J., was the driver who plowed his Honda Accord into the Crown Heights synagogue and yeshiva of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Kenny revealed that Sohail had “recently connected with the Lubavitch community” and attended a “social gathering” at the same location 10 days prior. The vehicle ramming occurred on Yud Shevat, the anniversary of the death of Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, a highly significant date for the Lubavitch community that draws large crowds to the Crown Heights area.
LEWIN’S LEGACY
The cases that made Nat Lewin — and the causes he made possible
Nat Lewin is one of the giants of the American legal profession: 28 oral arguments in front of the Supreme Court, the prosecution of union leader and alleged mob boss Jimmy Hoffa, responsible for the drafting of a historic amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a stint as a contributing editor at The New Republic. Now, decades after rising to the pinnacle of the American legal profession — following a complicated start as a promising Orthodox law student who was shut out of white shoe law firms that would not hire an observant Jew — Lewin and a cadre of high-profile friends and legal colleagues, allies and opposing counsel alike, are reflecting on his legacy ahead of his 90th birthday on Saturday, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
To 120: “I hope he lives to 120 and a few months. Nobody should ever die on their birthday, so that’s why I always say 120 and a few months,” Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz told JI of Lewin, who he has known for 70 years. “He is a Gadol Ha’dor, a giant of our generation.” (Coincidentally, the biblical character who lived to 120, and inspired Jews to wish the same for each other, was Moses.) Dershowitz is three years younger than Lewin, whom he considered a role model.
Worthy Reads
Technocrats in Gaza: The Washington Post’s David Ignatius expresses optimism about the ability of President Donald Trump’s newly created Board of Peace and the Palestinian technocratic committee that will oversee the reconstruction of Gaza to effect positive change in the enclave. “The Board of Peace event looked to some like a Trump stunt, with its pay-to-play board and its AI renderings of a futuristic ‘New Gaza’ meant to invoke the wonders of Doha and Dubai. But there’s a real plan here, anchored in a U.N. resolution and backed by a burgeoning ‘Civil-Military Coordination Center,’ based just east of Gaza in Kiryat Gat and run by U.S. Central Command, that now includes troops from 20 countries. … What’s interesting about Trump’s plans for Gaza is that Israel doesn’t play a big role. The key partners are Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. That’s one reason right-wing Israelis have blasted the plan. But the premise of the plan is that Gaza isn’t Israel’s problem anymore, but Trump’s and the international community’s.” [WashPost]
The Haredi Way: Amid a wave of scrutiny following YouTuber Tyler Oliveira’s hostile video targeting the Hasidic town of Kiryas Joel, N.Y., Shtetl founder Naftuli Moster, who previously led a push calling for reforms in the Haredi yeshiva system, explains in The Wall Street Journal why he chose to send his children to a Jewish day school. “Education isn’t only about math and reading. It’s about belonging to a community that draws its strength from shared beliefs. This is something the Haredi world understands deeply — and something our broader culture has largely forgotten. While outliers in many respects, the Haredim and towns like Kiryas Joel reflect how humans have lived for thousands of years: having children, building families, forming larger tight-knit communities, passing on values, and caring for one another. Few groups in the U.S. have figured out how to build stable families and vibrant communal life better than the Haredi community has. … Few Haredim would oppose any group of Americans trying to build a community around shared values, traditions and faith. Most would applaud such an effort — and gladly offer advice.” [WSJ]
After the USAID Cuts: eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher does a deep dive into the ripple effects of the Trump administration’s cuts to USAID a year after funding was first frozen. “For Jewish organizations in the humanitarian aid and international development field, the past year has been particularly challenging, according to [OLAM CEO Dyonna] Ginsburg. ‘This is a compounding crisis, because many of these organizations…experienced funding cuts due to philanthropic shifts, Jewish philanthropy moving towards Israel or combating antisemitism and non-Jewish philanthropy distancing itself from Jewish or Israeli organizations doing this work,’ Ginsburg said. … Still, the international aid workers and organizations on the ground are resilient and adapting to the current landscape, [American Jewish World Service’ Shari] Turitz said. No AJWS partners have shuttered due to the cuts. ‘We are already seeing organizations coming together and saying, “What did we do before we had all this money? We need to go back to those first principles,”’ she said. [eJP]
Word on the Street
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) officially launched her campaign for governor in Minnesota, aiming to succeed Gov. Tim Walz, who opted against a third bid for the seat amid a federal investigation into alleged widescale fraud in the state’s Somali community…
A new Emerson College poll found Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow leading the Democratic primary field in the state’s open Senate race; McMorrow, at 22%, is ahead of Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), with 17%, followed by Abdul El-Sayed with 16%…
An Alabama man described by the Justice Department as a “Free Palestine radical” is facing federal charges of interstate stalking for allegedly planning to assassinate then-President Joe Biden during a 2024 presidential debate in Atlanta…
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced the launch of a bipartisan task force to combat antisemitism; the body will be led by Councilmembers Eric Dinowitz and Inna Vernikov…
A group of Jewish artists is spearheading an effort to keep the government’s Wilbur J. Cohen Building, which contains frescos and other works by Jewish artists, from sale and potential demolition…
eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher previews a new four-part PBS docuseries from Henry Louis Gates Jr. on the history of Black-Jewish relations in America…
The University of Texas is launching its Ackerman Program on Jewish and Western Civilization and Rosenthal-Levy Scholars program housed in the school’s School of Civic Leadership, beginning in the fall…
Apple acquired Aviad Maizels’ Q.ai facial-recognition startup in a valuation estimated to be $2 billion…
Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians following the repatriation of Israeli hostage Ran Gvili’s remains earlier this week, marking the end of the exchange of bodies between Israel and Hamas in accordance with the October 2024 ceasefire agreement…
David Brooks is joining The Atlantic as a staff writer after 22 years at The New York Times; Brooks will also host a weekly video podcast for the publication…
Pic of the Day
President Donald Trump and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft greeted attendees from the presidential box at the Kennedy Center last night during a screening of Brett Ratner’s new documentary “Melania.”
Birthdays
Israeli singer, songwriter and music producer, Assaf Amdursky turns 55…
FRIDAY: Chairman of The Cordish Companies, David S. Cordish turns 86… Artist, she paints brightly colored biblical narratives based upon her Torah study, Barbara “Willy” Mendes turns 78… Professor at the school of pharmacy of The Hebrew University, Meir Bialer turns 78… Teacher and communal leader, Judith Friedman Rosen turns 74… Broadcaster for MLB’s Oakland Athletics and author, Kenneth Louis Korach turns 74… Upton, Wyo., resident, Heather Graf… Former VP of corporate engagement at the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation in New Hyde Park, NY, Lina Scacco… CEO of the Jewish National Fund, Russell F. Robinson turns 70… Member of the California state Senate from 2014-2019, now a member of the Nevada state Senate, Jeffrey Earle Stone turns 70… Philadelphia-area psychologist, Dr. Rachel Ginzberg… Managing partner of lobbying and law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Richard B. Benenson… Director of public relations for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Zalman Shmotkin turns 57… Associate professor in the electrical engineering department at Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Guy Gilboa turns 55… Publicist, manager and socialite, she runs an eponymous NYC PR and management firm, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Grubman turns 55… Special projects editor at The Week Junior, Bari Nan Cohen Rothchild… At-large member of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Council, Evan M. Glass turns 49… Dallas resident, Gisele Marie Rogers… Managing director at Westbrook Global Advisory, Joshua M. Kram… Administrator of the EPA in the Trump 47 administration, Lee Zeldin turns 46… National correspondent for ABC News Radio, Steven Portnoy turns 45… Israeli actor, director and author, he is known for starring in “Shtisel” and as the host of the popular reality TV show, “The Voice Israel,” Michael Aloni turns 42… CEO at Harvesting Media and host of the “Kosher Money” podcast, Eli Langer… Media professional and communications strategist, Alyona Minkovski turns 40… Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives since 2019, he is the eldest son of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Matthew S. Blumenthal turns 40… Partner in Avalanche VC and strategic advisor at Array Education, Eric Scott Lavin… Deputy national security advisor to then VPOTUS Kamala Harris for her last three years in office, Rebecca Friedman Lissner turns 39… Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, Kate Lynne Bock Love turns 38… Senior principal at Publicis Sapient, Max Delahanty… Professional ice hockey defenseman, he played on Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics and recently left EHC Red Bull München, Jonathon Blum turns 37… Principal at Blue Wolf Capital Partners, Jared Isenstein… Ice hockey forward for four seasons at Northeastern University, she is now playing in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, Chelsey Goldberg turns 33… Digital marketing manager in South Florida, Alexa Smith…
SATURDAY: Israeli nuclear physicist and professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Igal Talmi turns 101… Scion of a leading rabbinic family in pre-World War II Poland, former assistant U.S. solicitor general, now a private attorney with an active Supreme Court practice focused on religious liberty issues, Nathan Lewin turns 90… Classical music composer as well as acclaimed movie score composer, Philip Glass turns 89… Associate professor emeritus of Talmud and rabbinics at The Jewish Theological Seminary, Mayer Elya Rabinowitz turns 87… Senior partner at Trombly & Singer, PLLC and an advisory board member of Tzedek DC, Kenneth M. Trombly turns 76… Chair emeritus of global management consultancy Bain & Company, Orit Gadiesh turns 75… Chief rabbi of Norway while also serving as a member of Knesset from 1999-2009, Michael Melchior turns 72… Founder and CEO of MikeWorldWide, a PR firm headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., Michael W. Kempner turns 68… Former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for 20 years, Matt Kisber turns 66… Founder and CEO of Oneg, Jeanie Milbauer… CEO at Gracie Capital, Daniel L. Nir… Dermatologist who served as the U.S. ambassador to Iceland from 2019-2021, he was a candidate for U.S. Senate from Nevada in the 2024 election, Jeffrey Ross Gunter turns 65… Co-founder and senior chairman of Meridian Capital Group, Ralph Herzka turns 64… Organization of American States commissioner to monitor and combat antisemitism, Fernando Lottenberg turns 64… Neurosurgeon and chairman of the Rockland County (NY) Board of Health, Jeffrey Sable Oppenheim turns 64… Fourth-generation real estate developer, he is a founding partner of Redbrick LMD, Louis Myerberg Dubin turns 63… Classical cellist, her debut in Carnegie Hall was at 17, Ofra Harnoy turns 61… Host of NPR’s news quiz “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!,” his older brother is a rabbi, Peter Sagal turns 61… Canadian-born businessman, best known for founding American Apparel, Dov Charney turns 57… CEO of Tel Aviv’s Anu Museum of the Jewish People and former mayor of Efrat, Oded Revivi turns 57… CEO of City Cast, he was previously CEO of Atlas Obscura and Slate, David Plotz turns 56… Actress best known for her role in the Showcase series “Lost Girl,” Anna Silk turns 52… CEO at Affiliated Monitoring, Daniel J. Oppenheim… Senior advisor at Orchestra, Michael Rabinowitz-Gold… SVP of insights and measurement at NBC Universal Media, Matthew Gottlieb… Film producer and founder of Annapurna Pictures, Megan Ellison turns 40… Singer, who won Israel’s “Kokhav Nolad” (A Star is Born) song contest in 2008, Israel Bar-On turns 37… General partner at NYC’s 25madison, Grant Silow… Israeli singer, songwriter and television actor, Eliad Nachum turns 36… Director of programs and strategy at the Kraft Group and affiliates, Clara Scheinmann… Associate at Covington & Burling, Eli Nachmany…
SUNDAY: Retired Israeli educator, she is the only sibling of Yitzhak Rabin, Rachel Rabin turns 101… Executive vice chairman emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Malcolm I. Hoenlein turns 82… Mediator and arbitrator, he is a past president of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, Howard S. Fredman turns 82… Academy Award-winning producer and motion picture executive, Zvi Howard Rosenman turns 81… Midtown Manhattan physician, affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital, specializing in nephrology and internal medicine, Mark H. Gardenswartz, MD… Laureate conductor of Orchestra 914 from 2002-2018, and author in 1994 of The Jewish 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Jews of All Time, Michael Jeffrey Shapiro turns 75… Far Rockaway, N.Y., resident, Maurice Lazar… President and part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was previously president of the Atlanta Braves and then the Washington Nationals, Stan Kasten turns 74… Publisher of Baltimore Jewish Life, Jeff Cohn… Recently retired after 18 years as the CEO of the Charleston (S.C.) Jewish Federation, Judi Corsaro… Born in Derbent in southern Russia, now living in Albany, N.Y., he is an artist whose oil on canvas paintings have many Jewish themes, Israel Tsvaygenbaum turns 65… Director for policy and government affairs at AIPAC, David Gillette… 25-year veteran of the Israeli foreign service, now a scholar-in-residence at American University in Washington, Dan Arbell… EVP and chief program officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Becky Sobelman-Stern… One of Israel’s top soccer players of all time, successful on both Israeli and European teams, Eli Ohana turns 62… Co-founder of Brilliant Detroit (helping children out of poverty), Carolyn Bellinson… Actor, comedian, director, writer and producer, Pauly Shore turns 58… Voting rights and election law attorney, he advises the DNC, DSCC, DCCC and the DGA, Marc E. Elias turns 57… CEO of Momentum, Tara Brown… Managing director of Pickwick Capital Partners, Ari Raskas… Canadian actress, her stepfather is a rabbi, Rachelle Lefevre turns 47… Experimental jazz guitarist, bassist, oud player and composer, Yoshie Fruchter turns 44… Venezuelan journalist, writer and TV and radio presenter, Shirley Varnagy Bronfenmajer turns 44… Libertarian political activist, radio host and author, Adam Charles Kokesh turns 44… Comedian, writer, actress and illustrator, best known for co-creating and co-starring in the Comedy Central series “Broad City,” Abbi Jacobson turns 42… General manager and head of public affairs at Semafor, Andrew Friedman… Sportscaster and sports reporter who covers the New York Mets for SNY, Steven N. Gelbs turns 39… VP of government and industry relations at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, Stephanie Beth Cohen… Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-CA-51) since 2021, Sara Josephine Jacobs turns 37… Ob-Gyn physician in Atlanta, she is married to U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alisha Sara Kramer turns 36… Israel-based director of growth marketing at SchoolStatus, David Aryeh Leshaw… Television and movie actress and model, Julia Garner turns 32…
RE’EIM, ISRAEL — Visitors pay tribute at the site of the Nova music festival massacre.
Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to Jewish communal officials, thought leaders, American lawmakers and Israeli experts about the ways in which the world — and the Jewish community’s place in it — has changed in the two years since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel. We report on the latest in ceasefire talks, cover the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s delaying of its confirmation hearing for Hamtramck, Mich., Mayor Amer Ghalib to be U.S. ambassador to Kuwait and talk to senators about the Trump administration’s unilateral offer of defense guarantees to Qatar. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Marc Rowan, Adam Presser, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev.
Ed’s note: In observance of Sukkot, the Daily Kickoff will be back in your inboxes on Thursday. For our premium subscribers, the Daily Overtime will also return on Thursday. Chag sameach!
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- Israeli negotiators, led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, are meeting with representatives of Hamas today in Cairo for discussions centered around President Donald Trump’s peace proposal. More below.
- We’re keeping an eye on the situation in the U.K., following a deadly terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur in which two members of the city’s Jewish community were killed.
- We’re also tracking developments in Paris, where French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his government resigned weeks into his role and less than a day after the Cabinet was appointed.
- Around the world, events marking the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks are being held this week. In Washington this morning, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is convening a conversation marking the anniversary and the impact of the attacks and ensuing war on Israel, the Middle East and U.S. policy. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dana Stroul, former White House official Dennis Ross, counter-terror expert Dr. Ali al-Nuaimi and author Yossi Klein Halevi are slated to speak.
- In New York tomorrow night, former hostage Eli Sharabi will speak at Manhattan’s Temple Emanu-El. The English-language version of Sharabi’s new autobiography, Hostage, will be released tomorrow.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S GABBY DEUTCH
When the world woke up two years ago to news of a vicious, wide-scale terror attack taking place across southern Israel, it was immediately clear that this was different from previous bursts of violence near the Gaza Strip. But we could not yet fathom the massive changes that would soon reverberate around the world.
As negotiators now appear close to a deal to release the hostages and end the war, it’s clear the Middle East will not return to the pre-Oct. 7 status quo. Nor will American society. The changes wrought by the events of that day will linger long after the last bullet is fired.
On Oct. 7, 2023, terrorists killed 1,200 people, took more than 250 hostages and launched a war that has upended the Middle East, fundamentally altered global politics and culture and reshaped the Jewish community.
Anti-Israel activists descended into the streets of Manhattan one day after the attacks, celebrating with chants of “resistance is justified when people are occupied.” Students at America’s top universities signed onto letters blaming Israel for the bloodshed. Jews looked on with alarm: At our moment of greatest need, this is the response?
Two years later, Jewish Insider is reflecting on all that has changed since the Oct. 7 attacks.
Iran has been weakened and Hezbollah decapitated, while a degraded Hamas, not yet defeated, fights on in Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed and a humanitarian crisis persists. The U.S.-Israel alliance has come under strain from growing forces on the far left and right who wish to see an end to American military support for Israel. A vast anti-Israel protest movement swept across college campuses, presenting university leaders with a test — how to balance freedom of expression with protecting Jewish students — that many failed.
Yet despite the myriad challenges that have emerged from this war, Jews around the world were instilled with a new sense of pride in defense of Jewish peoplehood. More people are going to synagogue and celebrating Jewish holidays now than before Oct. 7. Judaica sales spiked as people yearned to represent their faith proudly, even as antisemitism surged around the world.
To mark the second anniversary of that solemn day, we are publishing a special project examining five key areas that have been utterly transformed by Oct. 7 and its aftermath: American politics, the U.S.-Israel relationship, higher education, Jewish advocacy and Israel’s relations with the world. We asked dozens of leading thinkers and practitioners to offer their thoughts on the biggest changes that have taken place in Jewish life over the last two years.
You’ll hear from Democratic and Republican lawmakers; officials who served under Presidents Trump, Biden, Obama and Bush; rabbis and writers; Europeans, Americans and Israelis; and activists and philanthropists. You’ll find optimism, frustration and everything in between. We are all still experiencing the ripple effects left in the wake of that indescribable day, even as an end to the war may yet be in sight. We hope these insights help you reflect on the world in which we now live.
TWO YEARS ON
How Oct. 7 changed the world
Some of the dozens of reflections we received:
ABE FOXMAN: “All political conventions of advocacy and predictability have been shattered.”
NIKKI HALEY: “Lost in the focus on the painfully long war in Gaza is the vast improvement in Israel’s regional security since Oct. 7.”
ELIOT A. COHEN: “What is possibly most surprising is how little Oct. 7 changed the fundamentals in the U.S.-Israeli relationship; it may have accelerated some trends or damped down others, but that is it.”
DANA STROUL: “From a military perspective, the U.S.-Israel relationship reached new heights in the post-Oct. 7 period.”
DAN SHAPIRO: “Arab states who previously were willing to look past the Palestinian issue now insist on a credible path to a Palestinian state. That poses a huge challenge to Israeli society.”
nearing the end zone
Cautious hope in Israel ahead of talks for Hamas to free all hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hostage families and others in Israel expressed cautious optimism over the weekend, after Hamas agreed to enter talks to free the 48 remaining hostages in exchange for a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. An Israeli team consisting of Strategic Minister Ron Dermer, diplomatic advisor Ophir Falk, Coordinator for the Hostages and Missing Gal Hirsch and representatives of the Mossad and Shin Bet are expected to head to Cairo on Monday for proximity talks to negotiate the implementation of President Donald Trump’s 20-step plan to end the war. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, who has been involved in the talks, will represent the U.S.
What to expect: Netanyahu said in a video statement Saturday night that Israel and the U.S. intend to “limit this negotiation to a few days” and that it would be about “technical details” of the Trump plan. The details likely to be negotiated include the precise line to which Israel will withdraw initially and, at the end of the process, which countries will make up the International Stabilization Force meant to be the “long-term internal security solution” to keep Gaza demilitarized and prevent the resurgence of terrorism, according to the Trump plan, and who will be part of the transitional technocratic committee meant to govern Gaza.
Bonus: Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan and Abraham Accords Peace Institute CEO Aryeh Lightstone are being considered for senior roles in Trump’s proposed Gaza International Transitional Authority that will administer the enclave in a post-war scenario.
doha dealings
Senators say defense guarantees to Qatar deserve scrutiny
Several senators said Friday that the administration’s unilateral offer of defense guarantees to Qatar — similar to those the U.S. has made to protect its NATO allies — deserves scrutiny from Congress, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report.
What they’re saying: Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), a top Republican voice in favor of reclaiming congressional war powers, said that the deal “certainly strikes me as unconventional and the sort of thing that the Foreign Relations Committee might want to hold a hearing on. … it does strike me as worthy of attention and explication in a public setting.” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said he’s “very troubled” by the deal.” “It just looks like it was a trade for the jet. Maybe it’s not that, but that’s the way it looks,” he continued, referring to Qatar’s gift of a luxury jumbo jet to serve as Air Force One. “You can’t confer Article 5 protections by executive order, and I don’t think there’d be any appetite at all [in Congress] to do that through a treaty,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said.
nomination hurdles
Hamtramck mayor’s nomination as ambassador to Kuwait delayed amid Senate scrutiny
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced last week that the nomination of Amer Ghalib, the mayor of Hamtramck, Mich., as U.S. ambassador to Kuwait has been delayed, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report. Ghalib has faced scrutiny for his anti-Israel history, including questioning reports of Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7 and supporting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and for liking antisemitic comments on social media.
On hold: Shaheen told Agence France Press last month that Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the Foreign Relations Committee chairman, had agreed to postpone consideration of Ghalib as lawmakers gathered additional information about his background. Asked about the delay by JI, Shaheen said that “there were some questions” about Ghalib to which committee members are awaiting written answers. She said she did not recall the subject of the pending questions. “SFRC has worked at a historic pace to move President Trump’s nominees through our committee,” Risch said in a statement to JI on the nomination. “That pace continues along with our commitment to thorough vetting, and this vetting sometimes means that certain nominations will take longer to process.”
survey says
ADL/JFNA study: Over half of American Jews experienced antisemitism in the past year
A majority of Jewish Americans see antisemitism as a common Jewish experience, according to a new joint study, released on Monday, commissioned by the Jewish Federations of North America and Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. According to the “Portrait of Antisemitic Experiences in the U.S.,” which relied on two nationally representative surveys of Jewish Americans and was conducted in partnership with Columbia University researchers, 55% of those surveyed experienced at least one form of antisemitism over the past year.
By the numbers: Over half (57%) also said antisemitism is now a normal Jewish experience. The immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel and the start of the war in Gaza fueled a record-breaking wave of antisemitic incidents. Such incidents increased by 5% in 2024, according to the ADL’s tally. The results mark a nearly nine-fold increase over the past decade. Over one-third (36%) of those surveyed witnessed actual or threatened antisemitic violence, and 44% had experienced exclusion or minimization based on their Jewish identity. One in five respondents (21%) who have witnessed an antisemitic attack reported signs of depression.
exclusive
AIPAC to air ad on MSNBC featuring hostage testimony
AIPAC is set to begin airing an ad on MSNBC on Monday featuring testimony from former hostage Ohad Ben Ami, who was held by Hamas in Gaza for 491 days. The ad — while largely non-political — constitutes a notable outreach from AIPAC to the liberal Democratic base, a demographic that polls show is growing increasingly antagonistic toward Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Details: The ad will air in the Washington area 14 times over seven days, seven times on morning shows and seven times during the evening. “Doctors said that if I would have stayed another two weeks or three, I would have not survived. We are in the dark, no food, no medicine. Like, you are in hell,” Ben Ami states in the ad. “It is more than 200 days [since] I [got] out. If you want to bring [the remaining hostages home] alive, we must do it fast.”
Worthy Reads
How the War Was Won: In his “Clarity” Substack, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren posits that the conclusion of the Israel-Hamas war is likely to be decided in the diplomatic arena, rather than on the battlefield. “The terrorists want to negotiate an arrangement in which, in return for freeing the hostages, they can remain in Gaza and keep their guns. Achieving those goals means, in essence, Hamas will win the war. In response, the president ordered the IDF to halt its Gaza City offensive and instructed his diplomatic team to enter into talks — albeit indirectly, through Qatar — with Hamas. Rather than strengthening the twenty points, these negotiations could result in watering them down. Hamas could conclude that Trump wants the Nobel Prize and will make serious concessions to secure it. But Trump, the master dealmaker, may be counting on Hamas to overplay its hand and provide him — and Israel — the justification for delivering it the coup de grâce.” [Clarity]
London’s Lapse: The Jewish News’ Daniel Sugarman suggests that the Yom Kippur terror attack on a Manchester synagogue was inevitable given U.K. leaders’ approach to antisemitism, the country’s Jewish community and Israel. “What do you think is going to be the end result when people receive absolutely no censure or comeuppance for openly ranting about how ‘Jewish supremacists’ control this country and stating that there are no anti-Zionist synagogues or schools in the UK? What do you think is going to be the end result when a band which called for ‘death to the IDF’ at the U.K.’s most celebrated music festival this summer follows that up at a performance two weeks ago by saying ‘F**k the Zionists! Get out there and fight them! Get out there and meet them in the street. Get out there and let them know that you do not stand by them’? … What do you think is going to be the end result? We all knew. Jews have two thousand years of experience of what such words and sentiments inevitably lead to.” [JewishNews]
Lessons from History: In the Washington Jewish Week, Karen Paikin Barall, the chief policy officer at the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law,, considers the lessons that can be learned from the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank as “Parade,” which sets Frank’s story to music, closes at the Kennedy Center in Washington. “When university presidents claim ‘neutrality’ as students chant for the destruction of Israel, they abdicate their responsibility. Courage is calling out that hate, ensuring Jewish students are safe and making it clear that intimidation has no place on campus. When CEOs dismiss antisemitic remarks in the boardroom or excuse bias in the workplace, they signal tolerance for hate. Courage is setting a zero-tolerance standard and backing it up with action. And when health-care leaders allow Jewish doctors, nurses or patients to be singled out or harassed because of their faith, they betray their mission of care. Courage is making sure that hospitals and medical institutions remain safe places for everyone, and where bigotry has no place. Leo Frank’s story shows what happens when hatred and silence prevail.” [WJW]
Word on the Street
FBI Director Kash Patel called the Anti-Defamation League “an extreme group functioning like a terrorist organization,” saying in an announcement hours before Yom Kippur that the FBI had cut all formal ties with the anti-hate group, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports…
The Information reports on speculation that TikTok’s Adam Presser, who was recently named the head of the company’s U.S. Data Security unit, will be tapped to head the new joint venture, established by a recent executive order, that would oversee TikTok’s U.S. operations…
David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance is expected to name Bari Weiss the editor-in-chief of CBS News this week as part of the acquisition of Weiss’ Free Press for $150 million…
Leaders at a Brookline, Mass., synagogue said an incident last week in which a Harvard Law School visiting professor shot a pellet gun near the synagogue was not fueled by antisemitism; the professor said he was shooting at rats near his home, which he was unaware was in close proximity to a synagogue…
The Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus slammed the decision by student government officials at the University of Maryland to hold a vote on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel on Yom Kippur…
In The Wall Street Journal, Yeshiva University’s Stuart Halpern reviews Michael Hoberman’s Imagining Early American Jews, which dives into the Jewish American experience in the first decades following the establishment of the United States…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the country would withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is banned from the competition; France, Austria and Australia have voiced opposition to the effort to ban Israel from participating, which participating countries will vote on next month…
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli clashed with the U.K.’s Board of Deputies of British Jews over the Diaspora Ministry’s hosting of far-right U.K. activist Tommy Robinson in Israel this week…
The Daily Mail interviewed former Israeli hostages Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev about their experiences during the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks and ensuing 15 months in captivity…
The Washington Post talks to Israeli reservists and mental health professionals about the rise in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the Oct. 7 attacks and ensuing war in Gaza…
Israel is deporting dozens of activists, including Greta Thunberg who attempted to illegally enter Gaza by sea on a 45-vessel flotilla last week…
Israeli journalist Amit Segal reports from his Channel 12 colleague Ehud Yaari that Qatar reached an understanding with the United States to “reduce the amount of incitement” that state-owned Al Jazeera spreads in its coverage; one Israeli intelligence official told Segal that “if this is a real shift, it’s a huge game changer”…
The Wall Street Journal reports on efforts by China to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Iran through a series of conduits that allow Beijing to receive oil from Tehran in exchange for the building of Chinese infrastructure in the Islamic Republic…
Iran executed six prisoners accused of spying on behalf of Israel, part of a broader effort in the country to crackdown on alleged spies following the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June…
Iran’s parliament approved a measure that would deduct several zeros from the country’s currency as it faces rising inflation and days after the Iranian rial hit a record low…
Time does a deep dive into the water-scarcity issues facing Iran amid record-breaking temperatures and economic instability…
Czech writer Ivan Klima, whose writings recounted his childhood experiences in the Treblinka death camp, died at 94…
Pic of the Day
Players from Manchester City and Brentford FC observed a moment of silence on Sunday in memory of the two Jewish men killed in a terrorist attack at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur ahead of the teams’ Premier League match in Brentford, U.K.
Birthdays
Awarded a Ph.D. at UCSD in space science, consultant to NASA and author of many science fiction novels, David Brin turns 75…
Owner of Lancaster, Pa.-based industrial supplier Samuel Miller & Son, she is a past president of Women of Reform Judaism, Rosanne Selfon… Former chairman and CEO of CBS, he is a great-nephew of David Ben-Gurion, Leslie Moonves turns 76… Retired justice of the Supreme Court of Israel, Uzi Vogelman turns 71… Director of philanthropy at Temple Emanu-El of Westfield (N.J.), Elliot B. Karp… Bexley, Ohio-based real estate agent, Jan Kanas… Correspondent on the networks of NBC and author of best-selling books on Presidents Obama, FDR and Jimmy Carter, Jonathan Alter turns 68… Spiritual leader emeritus of Congregation Ner Tamid in the Las Vegas suburbs since 1988, Rabbi Sanford Akselrad… Former member of the New Jersey General Assembly, he is now the managing director of Quest Associates, Joel M. Weingarten turns 66… Mayor of Jerusalem since 2018, Moshe Lion turns 64… Founder and CEO of Coalition Strategy Group and community relations specialist at JFNA, Jeffrey Mendelsohn… Attorney in Lakewood, N.J., where he is active on the boards of many local businesses, civic organizations and charitable institutions, Samuel Zev Brown… Member of the New York City Council representing Yorkville, Lenox Hill and Roosevelt Island, Julie Menin turns 58… Member of the Florida Senate until 2020, now an insurance agent in Boca Raton, Kevin J.G. Rader turns 57… Former member of the Arizona House of Representatives, now founder and CEO of Buzze, Aaron Lieberman turns 54… Director of sales at Convergence Workforce, Sean “Shmop” Weisbord… VP of community relations at JFNA, following a stint as CEO of Community Security Service, Evan R. Bernstein turns 51… Actor and comedian, Brett Gelman turns 49… SVP of community strategy and external relations at UJA-Federation of New York, Hindy Poupko… Senior advisor for Israel Strategies at the William Davidson Foundation, Deena Eisenberg Pulitzer… and her twin sister, global event planner, Elisheva Eisenberg Goldman… Actress best known for her role in “Dredd” and more recently in “Oppenheimer,” Olivia Thirlby turns 39… Legislative director for the governor of Nevada, Madeline S. Burak…
To mark the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, the Jewish Insider team asked leading thinkers and practitioners to reflect on how that day has changed the world. Here, we look at how Oct. 7 changed American Politics
Worawat/Adobe Stock
The United States Capitol with reflection at night Washington DC USA
The former ADL director said he is ‘troubled’ by the ‘demonizing’ of immigrants and attacks on universities
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Holocaust survivor and former National Director of the Anti-Defamation League Abraham Foxman delivers remarks during the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on April 23, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Abe Foxman, the former Anti-Defamation League national director, offered pointed criticism of the Trump administration in a Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration at the Capitol on Wednesday.
“As a [Holocaust] survivor, my antenna quivers when I see books being banned, when I see people being abducted in the streets, when I see government trying to dictate what universities should teach and whom they should teach. As a survivor who came to this country as an immigrant, I’m troubled when I hear immigrants and immigration being demonized,” Foxman said, to sustained applause from the audience.
Foxman, who led the ADL for nearly three decades, made the comments while delivering an address at the 2025 Days of Remembrance, which was organized by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
Foxman also praised the Biden administration and the second Trump administration for each committing to addressing antisemitism. “We live in very chaotic times, where our values, our history, our democracy are being tested. As a survivor, I’m horrified at the explosion of antisemitism — global and in the U.S. I’m appreciative of President Biden’s historic initiative on antisemitism and thankful to President Trump’s strong condemnation of antisemitism and his promise to bring back consequences to antisemitic behavior,” Foxman said.
“We look around us and what do we see? Rampant antisemitism on college campuses and in cities worldwide in the aftermath of that horrific terror attack on our cherished Jewish state, Israel. We see social media algorithms that promote extreme views, conspiracy theories,” Foxman continued, adding that “online conspiracy theories are just one click away from antisemitism.”
“We also see forms of antisemitism that seemed unthinkable: Holocaust denial, distortion, civilization, exploitation and even glorification. We look around and see here in America antisemitism on both the far left and far right. The 20th-century history of Nazism and communism should be an alarm bell as to just how dangerous this is, and not just for us Jews, but for all of society, for all who care about democracy, individual freedom and dignity,” he said.
Foxman also noted that the scourge in domestic antisemitism was reminiscent of how Jew hatred worsened for years prior to Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. “Antisemitism [is] not so different from the conspiracy theories that permeated Europe for centuries, long before Hitler was born and helped make the killings of two-thirds of our people possible,” he said.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also spoke at Wednesday’s reception, where he described the Holocaust as a “failure of humanity” and argued that the evil that perpetrated it was akin to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
“The Holocaust was a failure of humanity. But as we all know, no matter how hard we try, that kind of hatred continues to exist, just in many, many other forms. It shows up in different ways, and it shows up at different times,” Lutnick said.
The Oct. 7 attack, Lutnick argued, was “carried out with the same genocidal hatred that fueled Auschwitz, and it’s that same disregard for human life that fueled the Sept. 11 attacks. It’s just the same hate, it just comes at a different time with a different name.”
Becoming emotional, Lutnick vowed “in very, very clear and plain language” that Trump “will never back down from defending the Jewish people, never.”
BIBI MEETS THE PRESS: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, said that both the radical Shi’ites, led by Iran, and the radical Sunnis, led by al-Qaida and ISIS, should be weakened: “Weaken Both Sides: I think that there are two actions you have to take. One is to take the actions that you deem necessary to counter the ISIS takeover of Iraq, and the second is not to allow Iran to dominate Iraq the way it dominated Lebanon and Syria. So you actually have to work on both sides. As I say, you try to weaken both. There are actions that could be taken. Whatever I have to say on specific actions, I’ll obviously pass along to President [Barack] Obama and the U.S. Administration in other means, not even on Meet the Press…” (more…)
David Ignatius: Q&A with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister – Washington Post: Q: David Ignatius: Let me begin by asking about the state of the negotiations. After your delegation left technical negotiations in Vienna on Friday, your colleague Abbas Aragchi said that the U.S. announcement of a move to strengthen enforcement of existing sanctions “is against the spirit” of the Geneva deal” and said that Iran was evaluating an “appropriate response.” Can you clarify that and explain what you think Iran’s position should be.
A: Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian foreign minister: We are committed to ensuring that the process that we started — and it required a lot of courage on our side to reach his agreement — will lead to a satisfactory conclusion that would address the requirements as stated in the [Geneva interim] agreement — that is, to have an enrichment program in Iran while at the same time both concerns as well as restrictions imposed by the international community will be removed. This is the objective. Since we believe our program is exclusively for peaceful purposes, we have no desire to leave any ambiguity about the exclusively peaceful nature of our program. So on our side, we believe it is very easy to reach an agreement. Of course it requires serious political will and good faith in order to reach that agreement.” [WashPost]
Iranian Foreign Minister says no trace in Iran of missing Jewish ex-FBI agent: “There are no traces in Iran of the former FBI agent who disappeared there six years ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday.” [Reuters] (more…)
Top Talker – Report: Iran and Israel met for secret talks – “Iranian and Israeli diplomats, as well as those from the U.S. and Arab countries, participated in a secret meeting last month to discuss the possibility of an international conference on banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East, according to The Jerusalem Post. Diplomats told the Israeli newspaper Tuesday the meeting occurred Oct. 21-22 in a hotel in Glion, Switzerland. The envoys expressed their positions, but the Israeli representatives had no direct communication with the Iranians and Arabs, the report says. An Arab diplomat told Reuters, however, “that they were there, the Israelis and Iran, is the main thing.”
–More than a dozen delegations attended the meeting along with Jaakko Laajava, Finland’s undersecretary of state, who is responsible for organizing the conference, a diplomat said in the reports. The source also described the meeting as “quite constructive,” and suggested another meeting would take place in November. “This was a completely procedural meeting,” a foreign ministry official in Jerusalem told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. President Obama tasked Secretary of State John Kerry with navigating peace talks with the Iranians on their nuclear program. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in September he would not produce nuclear weapons and told Obama he’s open to negotiating the limits of his country’s program with the international community. During his international trip Tuesday, Kerry said in Poland the U.S. does not yet have a deal with Iran. The G-5 — the U.S., France, Britain, Russia and China, plus Germany — are slated to hold a new round of negotiations in Geneva on Thursday and Friday.” [The Hill] (more…)
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