Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) is preparing for a primary rematch in her deep-blue Durham-area district, where Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, whom Foushee beat in 2022, announced she will challenge her once again. 

The race will look different this time around — four years ago, Foushee was one of the first beneficiaries of the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project super PAC, which spent more than $2.1 million to help her defeat Allam, who has an extensive history of anti-Israel activism. The pro-Israel group was Foushee’s single largest donor in that race, which became the most expensive Democratic congressional primary in North Carolina history. 

Since then, though, Foushee has taken her own anti-Israel turn, including supporting efforts to block the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel, voting against numerous measures cracking down on Iran, the Houthis and the International Criminal Court as well as the Antisemitism Awareness Act, and announcing over the summer that she will not take money from AIPAC in 2026. It remains to be seen how the “AIPAC factor” will play into next year’s rematch, as both candidates now vie for the anti-Israel vote…

More candidate déjà vu: Former Rep. David Trone (D-MD) launched a primary challenge today against Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-MD) to win back his old seat in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which he held from 2020-2024. Trone, the billionaire owner of Total Wine & More, has been a major AIPAC donor and was a staunchly pro-Israel member of Congress. 

During his failed 2024 Senate bid, though, where he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), he took a more critical line against Israel over its war in Gaza. Questioned at a campaign event by the anti-Israel group IfNotNow, Trone said, “What happened on Oct. 7 was absolutely horrendous and incomprehensible. But what’s happened since then is also horrendous and incomprehensible,” calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a large part of our problem”…

In nearby Virginia, local Jewish groups including the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington issued a joint statement this afternoon calling for Sam Rasoul, the state delegate with a history of inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric who announced he’s exploring a bid for Congress, to resign his position as chair of the Education Committee in the state’s House of Delegates.

Without mentioning his potential congressional run, the groups said Rasoul is “no longer fit to serve” as he “uses his position and platform to regularly spew vitriol toward the Jewish people”…

Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow and an ally of President Donald Trump, joined the Republican primary for governor of Minnesota today, hoping to challenge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who is running for a third term. Lindell, who rose to prominence for his promotion of the conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, ran for chair of the Republican National Committee in 2023, though Trump did not offer him his endorsement then…

In Indiana, Republican state senators dealt a political blow to Trump this afternoon when they joined together with Democrats to vote down a redrawn congressional map that would have given Republicans a leg up in the state. Trump and his allies had extensively pressured the GOP-held state Senate to pass the map with threats of primary challenges and potentially withheld federal funds…

With just weeks until his inauguration, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is expected to meet with the New York Board of Rabbis today, CNN reports, which is led by Reform Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. Hirsch was one of the foremost Jewish voices raising alarm bells during Mamdani’s election over his hostility to Israel. 

“Several rabbis who are attending are planning to propose a unified agenda, asking Mamdani to back away from his rejection of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state” and his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, invitees told CNN. Several Jewish leaders also said they “will put pressure on other New York officials like Gov. Kathy Hochul and incoming city council speaker Julie Menin to not work with Mamdani more broadly if he follows through on promised anti-Israel moves and doesn’t provide more reassurances to Jews in the city”…

Politico chronicles Mamdani’s attempt to influence the city council speaker’s race between councilmembers Menin and Crystal Hudson, where Mamdani asked power brokers and organizations to hold off on their endorsements until he was able to assess the race himself. The mayor-elect’s sway seemed to be limited, though, as Menin, who was seen as less aligned with Mamdani, announced she had garnered enough support to win next month’s election, where she will become the first Jewish city council speaker…

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) prepared a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog requesting he pardon Netanyahu, Talking Points Memo scooped, weeks after Trump did the same. Without confirming if he had sent the letter, Fetterman stood by it: “It’s a pointless distraction,” he said about Netanyahu’s ongoing court proceedings. “I fully support it and I stand on the letter.”

In the correspondence, dated Dec. 2, Fetterman wrote, “In a world this dangerous, I question whether any democracy can afford to have its head of government spending valuable hours, day after day, in a courtroom rather than the situation room”…

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee struck a new tone on Israel’s September strike in Doha, Qatar, on Hamas operatives, telling the Turkey-based outlet Clash Report, “There’s been some talk that Israel attacked the country of Qatar — it did not. … There was one missile, it was aimed at one person. Now, unfortunately, there were some people who were near that missile strike that were injured or killed from it, but that was not an attack on the nation of Qatar. If that’s the new standard, then the United States must apologize for going after Osama bin Laden while he was in Pakistan being protected by the Pakistanis.”

Huckabee’s comparison of Qatar harboring Hamas operatives to Pakistan harboring bin Laden differs from the Trump administration’s policy thus far, where it has embraced Qatar and forced Netanyahu to apologize for the strike…

The New York Times reports on Syria’s effort to rebuild its military, which was entirely dismissed upon the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad. 

“The military’s new command structure favors former fighters from Mr. al-Sharaa’s former rebel group [an Al-Qaida affiliate] — even over those who may have more expertise, according to many soldiers, commanders and analysts. And religious minorities have not yet been included in the military, although Syria is a religiously and ethnically diverse country that has already witnessed waves of sectarian violence,” the Times writes…

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for an interview with Soviet-born activist Izabella Tabarovsky on her new book, Be a Refusenik: A Jewish Student’s Survival Guide, in which she encourages Jewish college students to reclaim their Zionism and take inspiration from the Soviet refuseniks of the 1980s.

The Hudson Institute will host a daylong summit on “Antisemitism as a National Security Threat” tomorrow, with speakers including Sebastian Gorka, senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council; Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, former State Department special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism; author Walter Russell Mead; and CNN commentator Scott Jennings, among others.

The White House will host a meeting with representatives from Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the U.K., the United Arab Emirates and Australia tomorrow to kick off an initiative strengthening supply chains for AI development.

Saturday night, Alex Edelman will appear at Washington’s Sixth & I synagogue to perform his new show, “What Are You Going to Do,” with shows to follow over the next week in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Philadelphia.

On Sunday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will host a Hanukkah brunch reception at his official residence.

That evening, the annual National Menorah Lighting will take place on the Ellipse, in front of the White House. 

We’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat Shalom!

Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

As President Donald Trump pushes ahead in rolling out Phase 2 of his 20-point Gaza peace plan, the critical U.S.-led International Stabilization Force continues to be mired in confusion, even as a U.S. official told The Jerusalem Post that they expect the ISF to be deployed to Gaza “at the beginning of 2026, with one or two countries initially participating.”

Which countries that will include is unclear — U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz publicly named Indonesia and Azerbaijan as countries that may provide troops to the force last month, and Indonesia has indicated openness in public comments. 

But an Azeri official told The Times of Israel that the country has not committed to doing so and has many of the same reservations as the other Muslim-majority countries still holding out — namely, wanting to ensure that the ceasefire will help to advance a Palestinian state and that their troops will not be required to engage with Hamas. The U.S. has failed to properly explain what they are asking of these countries, the Azeri official said.

Adding to the uncertainty, the U.S. official told the Post that the ISF “will not be deployed in areas controlled by Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” contrary to the goals outlined for the force in the peace plan…

Speaking at the Post’s conference taking place on Capitol Hill today, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appeared to dismiss the feasibility of the ISF altogether: “There is no air force [that is] going to disarm Hamas. You will find a unicorn quicker. Only Israel can do it,” he said.

On the prospects of Saudi-Israel normalization, the South Carolina senator argued that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “is not going to recognize Israel until he gets an outcome better for the Palestinians, or he will get killed.” However, before Israel can cede ground on the issue, Graham said, “Hamas needs to go. Hezbollah needs to be disarmed. I am not even approaching normalization until Iran’s proxies cannot generate another Oct. 7”…

Also speaking at the conference, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar poured cold water on another one of the Trump administration’s priorities in the region — an Israel-Syria security agreement. “At the moment, the gaps between us and Syria have widened. They have raised new demands. Of course, we want an agreement, but we are now further from reaching one than we were a few weeks ago,” Sa’ar said, without providing details on the new developments…

Looking to the campaign trail, New York City Councilmember Alexa Avilés dropped her prospective primary bid against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) today, following the entry of Comptroller Brad Lander into the race.

Avilés, who had been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, said in a statement, “My neighbors know that the era of dark money in politics, of letting AIPAC and the real estate lobby call the shots, must end. … What’s clear from my years in public services is that Dan Goldman has fundamentally failed our communities. A split field runs too great a risk of allowing him another damaging term.” Avilés did not, however, offer Lander her endorsement.

Along with the exit of former state Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, who bowed out yesterday also to avoid a split progressive vote, the primary is unfolding as a head-to-head matchup between Lander (who appeared to get hacked today on X) and Goldman. 

In one of his first statements about the congressman since launching his challenge, Lander told the New York Daily News that he and Goldman “have some disagreements” about Israel and Gaza, but the issue is secondary to fighting back against Trump, which he feels he can do a better job of. The comments raised questions about Lander’s apparent strategy — one of Goldman’s biggest political strengths is his credibility with the Democratic base over his role leading the 2019 impeachment efforts against Trump… 

The New York Times digs into Trump’s decision not to dissuade Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman from joining the GOP primary for New York governor, where Trump ally Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is already running. 

“Mr. Trump’s refusal to use his influence to halt Mr. Blakeman — and his subsequent neutrality since the announcement — sent shock waves through Republican circles, where many party loyalists had already committed to supporting Ms. Stefanik and wish to avoid a primary,” the Times writes…

Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show” and close confidant of the slain conservative influencer, has placed Turning Point USA on the pro-Israel side of the right’s debate about the U.S.’ support for the Jewish state… with caveats.

Kolvet told the Christian Broadcasting Network that, despite the weaponization of Kirk’s legacy by anti-Israel actors, TPUSA stands firm that “Israel has a right to exist, that it has a right to defend itself, that we fully reject hatred of Jewish people, antisemitism, all that stuff.”

But, “when it comes to how much we should fund Israel,” he warned, “should the status quo, the foreign policy status quo be continued, should it be altered? Those kinds of things are worthwhile debates to have,” otherwise “you’re going to alienate the young people that Charlie worked so hard to bring into the fold.”

Kolvet also asserted that the conservative tent, while continuing to embrace Israel’s right to exist, should be big enough to accommodate those who don’t. Kirk was “committed” to having Tucker Carlson speak at TPUSA’s annual AmericaFest, taking place next week in Arizona, Kolvet said, “and that is not going to change.”

But even as Carlson appears on opening night, so will Ben Shapiro, and “maybe the coalition needs to find a way to stay together and be big enough to have both of those perspectives in it, because I think if not, then we’re going to find ourselves in a really tricky spot in 2026, 2028”…

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for an interview with anthropology student-turned founder of the Movement Against Antizionism, Adam Louis-Klein. 

On the Hill, the House Homeland Security Committee will hear from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent and Michael Glasheen, operations director of the national security branch of the FBI, on “worldwide threats to the homeland.”

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the U.S. response to crimes against humanity in Sudan amid its ongoing civil war. 

Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is set to launch a primary challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) as soon as tomorrow, Politico reports, with an endorsement from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — after Mamdani declined to give him a position in his administration. 

Goldman was one of the New York Democratic holdouts who did not endorse Mamdani during his election, largely over concerns about his rhetoric on Israel, but Goldman’s district, which covers Lower Manhattan and a section of Brooklyn that includes the progressive enclave of Park Slope, voted overwhelmingly for the mayor-elect.

The primary matchup will likely serve as a test of the Democratic electorate’s support for continued mainstream pro-Israel representation in New York City, as Goldman and Lander, both of whom are Jewish, take markedly different stances on Israel. Political strategists told Jewish Insider in October that Lander will be a formidable candidate, though Goldman, who is an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, will have the financial and incumbent advantage…

Axios unpacks the “Tea Party-style revolt” by progressives in the Democratic Party after the last-minute entry of Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) into the Texas Senate primary yesterday and amid concerns by party leadership that their favored midterm candidates in Maine, Michigan and Iowa are falling behind expectations. 

“Some Democratic senators are openly questioning their party’s leadership and working against [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer in primaries. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have spoken to, or plan to speak to, candidates challenging the party establishment’s picks, sources familiar with the discussions told Axios”…

Pressed on his position about AIPAC, Democratic Majority for Israel and the “Israel lobby” at large, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, considered a top 2028 presidential contender, told progressive Gen Z podcaster Jack Cocchiarella that AIPAC “has never been involved with me, I’ve never received a dollar from them in my entire political career, so I’ve had an opinion on that going back decades now.” 

Asked if he would take AIPAC funds at any point in his political future, Newsom said, “I don’t take tobacco money, oil money, I’ve never taken AIPAC money, there’s certain absolutes that are the lines that have been drawn for decades for me, and those will continue.” The pro-Israel group has not been involved in gubernatorial nor presidential races…

FBI Director Kash Patel signed bilateral security agreements with Qatar today, in a move that is drawing renewed scrutiny to potential conflicts of interest surrounding his past lobbying for the Gulf emirate, the details of which he has failed to disclose, JI’s Matthew Kassel reports.

During a meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha, Patel signed two memorandums of understanding with his counterpart “to advance mechanisms of security cooperation and coordinate efforts in training, the exchange of information and capacity-building,” according to Qatari state media. Neither Patel’s visit to Doha nor the agreements with Qatar have been publicly announced by the FBI. 

Patel, whose brief tenure leading the FBI has been mired in ethics controversies, drew scrutiny during his confirmation over undisclosed consulting for the Qatari government — provoking accusations that he improperly avoided registering as a foreign lobbyist…

The Columbia University task force overseeing efforts to combat antisemitism on campus released its fourth and final report today, spotlighting Columbia’s lack of full-time Middle East faculty who are not “explicitly anti-Zionist,” JI’s Haley Cohen reports.

According to the report, “Columbia lacks full-time tenure line faculty expertise in Middle East history, politics, political economy and policy that is not explicitly anti-Zionist.” The absence of ideological diversity is having an impact on course offerings — in listening sessions, the task force said it heard from students that classes at the university more often than not treat Zionism as entirely illegitimate…

On another New York campus facing allegations of antisemitism, New York City Jewish leaders sent a letter to the chancellor of the City University of New York yesterday condemning a recent interfaith event on campus that devolved into an antisemitic tirade by a Muslim leader as well as the school’s lackluster response, The Times of Israel reports. 

The signatories — which include New York City Councilmember Eric Dinowitz; Mark Treyger, head of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York; Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York; and Miriam Elman, head of the Academic Engagement Network, among others — called for CUNY to amend its student code of conduct…

Responding to a video that purports to show the Syrian Army chanting in support of Gaza amid celebrations on the anniversary of the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli wrote on social media, “War is inevitable.” The Trump administration has been working to deescalate tensions between Jerusalem and Damascus…

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana met with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on the Hill today where the two “officially launched their effort to rally Speakers and Presidents of Parliaments around the world to join them in nominating President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2026,” according to a joint statement. 

Ohana also met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, also visiting Capitol Hill, met with Fetterman and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID)… 

The bilateral meetings continued overseas as well: Mike Waltz and Danny Danon, the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors to the U.N., respectively, continued their joint visit to Israel today with stops at Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, the Kerem Shalom humanitarian aid crossing into Gaza and the U.S.-led Civil Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat. They also held a meeting with the family of Ran Gvili, the last deceased hostage still held in Gaza…

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for reporting on U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack’s off-message comments on the Middle East putting him at odds with Washington.

On the Hill, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will host the Congressional Menorah Lighting, with remarks from Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad).

 The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Understanding Judea and Samaria: Historical, strategic, and political dynamics in U.S.-Israel relations,” with speakers including Eugene Kontorovich, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation; Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America; and Jon Alterman, chair in global security and geostrategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Elsewhere in Washington, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar will meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Also taking place downtown, the Aspen Security Forum will hold its Washington meeting featuring remarks from Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Mike Turner (R-OH), John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL); Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal; NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska; and representatives from the Heritage Foundation, American Jewish Committee and American Enterprise Institute, among others.

Across the river, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington will host the Virginia edition of its annual “Lox and Legislators” breakfast, headlined by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA).

Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

President Donald Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Dec. 29 at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports. 

Netanyahu is expected to depart Israel for what will be his fifth meeting with Trump in the U.S. this year on Dec. 28 and return on Jan. 3, meaning that the prime minister will begin 2026 stateside. Palm Beach is the only expected stop during the trip, according to Israeli media. 

The agenda for the end-of-year meeting has not been announced, though it is likely to cover implementation of the second phase of Trump’s peace plan, Hezbollah’s rearmament in Lebanon and efforts to reach a potential security agreement in Syria…

As 2025 winds down and we head into a midterm election year, headlines abound on the campaign trail: Sam Rasoul, a Palestinian American Virginia state delegate with a history of inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric, announced today that he is considering running for Congress in 2026, pending the outcome of a redistricting effort in the state, JI’s Gabby Deutch reports.

Rasoul, a Roanoke Democrat who chairs the Education Committee in the House of Delegates, came under fire from prominent Jewish Democrats in the state earlier this year for a series of posts on social media, including ones in which he claimed “Zionism has proven how evil our society can be” and that Zionism is a “supremacist ideology created to destroy and conquer everything and everyone in its way.”

In a fundraising email announcing his intention to formally explore a congressional run, Rasoul made his opposition to Israel a central part of his pitch. “Virginians are looking for bold, experienced, progressive leadership that meets this moment and delivers results by … ending all military aid to Israel, which has waged a genocide in Gaza using our taxpayer dollars in violation of American law,” Rasoul wrote…

In Texas, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) filed paperwork to run for the Senate this afternoon, just hours ahead of the state’s deadline. She’s set to hold a press conference this evening formally announcing her candidacy.

The progressive lawmaker, seen as a tough sell for a general election in a solidly Republican state, hopes to take the seat of Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is facing his own high-stakes primary. But first, Crockett will need to prevail in the Democratic primary against state Rep. James Talarico, considered a rising star in the party, who raised over $6 million in the first few weeks after his launch in September and has taken a critical view of Israel in his campaign.

Anticipating Crockett’s entry into the race, former Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) announced this morning he’s switching his candidacy from the Senate to Texas’ newly drawn 33rd Congressional District, which he used to represent parts of in the House. He’ll now face a primary against Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX), who is running in the 33rd after her seat in the neighboring district was redrawn…

In Colorado, far-left candidates are lining up to take on establishment Democrats: Denver-area state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, launched a primary challenge to Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) today, and Melat Kiros, an attorney who was fired in 2023 for criticizing her own firm in anti-Israel social media posts, secured the Justice Democrats’ backing last week for a primary bid against Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO)…

Hill watchers are waiting to see when Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) will host members of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party, which she said on social media last month would be happening in December… 

Politico’s Ian Ward discusses the intra-MAGA movement to turn the Republican Party away from Israel with the figures leading the charge: Curt Mills, editor of The American Conservative; former Trump advisor Steve Bannon; podcasters Tucker Carlson and Dave Smith; and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

Mills said “he sometimes feels like a moderate compared to some of the Gen-Z conservatives. ‘They’re hardcore,’ Mills told me. ‘Frankly, some of them are so radicalized that they are, like, openly sympathetic to Hamas, which [they see as] close to pure freedom fighters’”…

On that note, a new survey by the Yale Youth Poll found that younger voters, and especially the conservatives among them, hold overwhelmingly more critical views of Israel and of the Jewish people than older generations, JI’s Danielle Cohen-Kanik reports. 

In a list of antisemitic statements — including “Jews in the United States are more loyal to Israel than to America,” “It’s appropriate to boycott Jewish American-owned businesses to protest the war in Gaza” and “Jews in the United States have too much power” — 70% of respondents overall disagreed with all three; however, only 57% of 18-22-year-olds and 60% of 23-29-year-olds said the same. 

Among those ages 18-34 who self-identified in their responses as “extremely conservative,” a sizeable majority of 64% said they agreed with at least one of the listed statements, far more than any other subgroup of younger voters — 38% of 18-34-year-olds overall said the same, already a notable minority…

The newly merged Paramount Skydance launched a hostile takeover bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery today, after Netflix announced it had acquired the media giant last week. Paramount said in an initial press statement that its bid — which values Warner Bros. around $108 billion, compared to the Netflix deal, which valued it around $83 billion — was backed by the Ellison family (David Ellison co-founded Oracle, while his son, David, runs Paramount) and investment firm RedBird Capital. However, a securities filing shows the bid is also backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the Emirati-owned L’imad Holding Company, the Qatar Investment Authority and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners…

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for updates on executive and legislative efforts to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Armayo will hold a signing ceremony in Washington tomorrow for an agreement to renew diplomatic relations between the two countries, which have been largely frozen since 2009.

The Jerusalem Post will kick off its conference on Capitol Hill, with a theme of “The U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance: Security, Technology, and Strengthening Ties with American Jewry.” Headlining the two-day event are Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder, several Israeli officials and U.S. lawmakers.

Nearby, B’nai B’rith International is marking the 50th anniversary of the infamous U.N. resolution equating Zionism with racism on the Hill. Israeli President Isaac Herzog will address the gathering by video, along with remarks by B’nai B’rith CEO Dan Mariaschin, historian Gil Troy, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Ben Cohen and former Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen (R-FL).

On everyone’s minds and calendars: The yearly Washington-area holiday party scramble begins this week. Tomorrow evening, the Jewish Democratic Council of America will host its fourth annual Hanukkah party and the Vandenberg Coalition will hold its holiday party.

Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

With one foot already out the door of Gracie Mansion, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced at the North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism last night that he’s signing an executive order barring city agencies from participating in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. His message to his successor, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani? “If the incoming administration wants to reverse [the executive order], that is on their watch.”

Mamdani responded today, telling reporters, “The mayor is free to issue as many executive orders as he’d like with the less than 30 days that he has in office, and then we will be taking a look at every single one once we actually enter into City Hall”…

Several democratic socialists are eyeing a run for New York’s deeply progressive 7th Congressional District, a Brooklyn and Queens-area seat where Democratic Rep. Nydia Velázquez is retiring, The New York Times reports. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso entered the race today, though he said the Democratic Socialists of America, which he had approached to support his candidacy, conveyed it is looking to “run one of its own members,” setting up what’s likely to be a tense intra-faction race. Velázquez has held various anti-Israel positions during her decades in Congress, including recently co-sponsoring a Code Pink-backed resolution accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza…

The federal government announced today that anyone who was employed by Columbia University between Oct. 7, 2023-July 2025 and experienced discrimination based on “their Jewish faith, Jewish ancestry, and/or Israeli national origin, and/or because they objected to or complained about such harassment” can now apply to receive part of a $21 million fund Columbia was required to create as part of its agreement with the federal government.

“This resolution represents the largest [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] public settlement in nearly 20 years for any form of discrimination or harassment. In addition, in the EEOC’s 60-year history, this is both the largest EEOC settlement for victims of antisemitism to date, as well as the most significant EEOC settlement for workers of any faith or religion,” the commission said…

Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the “Uncommitted” movement and previous chief of staff to former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), declared his candidacy for the Michigan state Senate today. “When the establishment was funding genocide abroad while failing to deliver for working families here at home, I took action and led a historic anti-war movement that mobilized one million pro-peace Democratic voters to demand change,” he said in his campaign launch video…

Israeli media reports President Donald Trump will announce the beginning of the second phase of his 20-point Gaza peace plan in the next few weeks, according to senior American officials. The move is thought to take place before Christmas, shortly after which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House for the fifth time since the beginning of the year…

The head of an anti-Hamas Palestinian militia in Gaza that received backing from Israel was killed in a “clash” today, an Israeli official told The New York Times. Israel said it provided arms to his group, the Popular Forces, as a counter to Hamas, which the militia denies…

The U.S. declined to sanction Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other PA officials for payments to terrorists under its “pay-for-slay” policy, which the White House had threatened to do last month, after Abbas fired the minister responsible for authorizing the payments, The Times of Israel reports…

Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia announced their intent to boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after organizers declined requests to hold a vote to boot Israel from the competition. Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed Israel’s continued participation, saying the country “deserves to be represented on every stage around the world”…

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a profile of the first Hasidic Jew to serve in a government role that required Senate confirmation.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is taking place at the Kennedy Center in Washington tomorrow, with President Donald Trump expected to attend. Iran now plans to send representatives, its sports minister said, after initially boycotting the draw when several members of its delegation were denied visas to enter the U.S.

Meanwhile, the two-day Reagan National Defense Forum will kick off in Simi Valley, Calif. Among the guests and speakers at the national security confab: Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget; Reps. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Adam Smith (D-WA); Sens. Jim Banks (R-IN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH); Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorganChase; Gen. Michael Guetlein, director of the Golden Dome at the Department of Defense; Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of 8VC; Leon Panetta, former secretary of defense; and many more representatives of the U.S. military, European nations, defense contractors and think tanks.

In Qatar, the Doha Forum will begin Saturday, a diplomatic gathering cosponsored by a panoply of elite institutions featuring discussions on Israel, Gaza, Iran, Syria, Ukraine, international tribunals and other topics of geopolitical interest. Among the high-profile speakers are Tucker Carlson, in conversation with the Qatari prime minister; Carlson’s business partner Neil Patel; and Carlson’s investor Omeed Malik, who will speak alongside Donald Trump Jr. Read more about the gathering from JI’s Matthew Shea.

Nearby, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to arrive in Israel Saturday night for his first visit since taking office, weeks after Germany announced it would lift its partial arms embargo on Israel. Merz is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and visit Yad Vashem. 

We’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat Shalom!

Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR) apologized in a letter to Portland’s Jewish community for a recent House floor speech in which she appeared to compare the war in Gaza to the Holocaust, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports, while maintaining her support for a resolution describing the war as a genocide.

Dexter said that she “should not have discussed” the war in Gaza and the Holocaust “during the same speech” and acknowledged that the speech “gave many the impression I was comparing them” when she did not intend to do so. 

Bob Horenstein, chief community relations and public affairs officer at the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, told the Jewish Review that, in a meeting with Dexter, the congresswoman “reinforced Israel’s right to exist and to self-defense. However, she believed the Netanyahu government went too far and thus would not withdraw her co-sponsorship of the misguided congressional resolution”…

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted this morning to advance Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun’s nomination to be the Trump administration’s antisemitism envoy, clearing the way for a full Senate vote on his confirmation, JI’s Emily Jacobs reports.

All 12 Republicans on the committee voted in favor, while eight of the 10 Democrats on the panel were opposed. The two Democrats who voted to support Kaploun were the committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a close ally of the Jewish community…

The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to advance a bill designating the entire Muslim Brotherhood globally as a terror organization this afternoon; all committee Republicans as well as Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Jim Costa (D-CA), George Latimer (D-NY) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) voted in favor…

Congressional Democrats aren’t giving up on their opposition to embattled Trump appointee Paul Ingrassia: six Democratic members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee sent a letter to the White House today calling for Ingrassia’s “immediate removal” as acting general counsel at the General Services Administration, Politico scooped. 

Ingrassia was appointed to the GSA last month after he withdrew his own nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel when antisemitic and racist text messages of his were unearthed. The senators, led by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), referenced these messages among their concerns in the letter, including Ingrassia’s claim that he has a “Nazi streak”…

Speaking via video at The New York Times’ annual DealBook summit, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would visit New York City despite Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s threat to have him arrested on war crimes charges if he does so, JI’s Lahav Harkov reports. As to whether he would meet with Mamdani, Netanyahu said: “If he changes his mind and says we [Israel] have a right to exist, that’ll be a good opening for a conversation”…

New conditions by the Trump administration have caused a stall in negotiations with Harvard over a deal to restore its federal funding, The New York Times reports, an agreement that seemed close to fruition over the summer. Federal officials are now pushing for some of a $500 million penalty from Harvard to be paid as a fine directly to the government, rather than solely for workforce development programs, as the university had agreed to…

Israel and Lebanon sent diplomatic delegations to meet with the U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring committee for the first time today — as opposed to military representatives — amid increased military action by Israel in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah reportedly begins rearming. Netanyahu sent a member of his National Security Council, Lebanon sent former Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Simon Karam and Morgan Ortagus, U.S. deputy special envoy to the Middle East, represented Washington…

Five IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in an attack today by terrorists near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Netanyahu said Israel would “respond accordingly” and the IDF carried out an airstrike against a Hamas operative in the area…

At the same time, Israel announced today it would begin allowing Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing; Egypt denied the move, claiming the ceasefire agreement requires that the border be opened to both incoming and outgoing movement, enabling Gazans displaced to Egypt to return to the enclave…

The New York Times profiles the operatives at the center of a leaked Kansas Young Republicans group chat filled with racist and antisemitic language. “Looking back, Mr. [William] Hendrix sees how his texts could be offensive. But he said he did not intend them that way. This was his generation’s breaking of taboos, he said. He would never use this language with someone he did not know or did not like, he said, but saying it to a close friend feels transgressive and fun”…

A report by the Pentagon watchdog found that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth risked endangering American troops by sharing sensitive information in a non-secured message thread on Signal earlier this year, CNN reports, though it also notes he has the authority to declassify information as he sees fit. The unclassified version of the report is set to be released to the public tomorrow…

Guinness World Records confirmed reports today that it is not accepting new world records from Israel: “We are aware of just how sensitive this is at the moment. We truly do believe in record breaking for everyone, everywhere but unfortunately in the current climate we are not generally processing record applications from the Palestinian Territories or Israel, or where either is given as the attempt location, with the exception of those done in cooperation with a UN humanitarian aid relief agency,” the organization said.

“The policy has been in place since November 2023. However, we are monitoring the situation carefully and the policy is subject to a monthly review. We hope to be in a position to receive new enquiries soon.” However, at least one new record has been recorded in Israel this year…

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for reporting on a trip by a New York City charter school system to Auschwitz and a dispatch from this morning’s Lox & Legislators breakfast with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, where Maryland Gov. Wes Moore pledged new hate crimes funding.

The UJA-Federation of New York, in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and other Jewish groups, is hosting a solidarity gathering near Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, after the synagogue faced disruptive protests last month over an event promoting immigration to Israel. 

The Milken Institute will kick off its two-day Middle East and North Africa Summit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, covering topics including the “great AI adoption race,” venture capital, philanthropy, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, global food security and more.

Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

A new federal lawsuit filed on behalf of families of victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks accuses the crypto giant Binance of knowingly facilitating the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars to U.S.-designated foreign terror organizations on an “industrial scale,” Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. The family members allege that Binance’s actions helped contribute to the deadly incursion in Israel that killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages…

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — the controversial U.S.- and Israel-backed aid mechanism launched earlier this year to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza from a source other than the United Nations — announced on Monday that it would shut down. GHF said in a statement that it had distributed 187 million meals, marking a “successful completion of its emergency mission”…

Thomas Rose, the U.S. ambassador to Poland, delivered an address last week saying claims that Poland was complicit in Nazis’ crimes against Jews in the country during the Holocaust are a “grotesque falsehood,” which he likened to a “blood libel against the Polish people and Polish nation,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports. The remarks from Rose, a former publisher of The Jerusalem Post, have reignited a heated debate about whether Poland bears responsibility for the country’s treatment of Jews during World War II — or if the country had itself fallen victim to the Nazis…

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited Park East Synagogue on Shabbat, days after antisemitic demonstrators gathered outside the Manhattan synagogue to protest an event promoting immigration to Israel. Tisch told congregants that the NYPD “fell short” in ensuring people could “easily enter and leave shul,” according to a report from the Shabbat service…

The Pentagon is investigating and threatening to court-martial Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a retired U.S. Navy captain, following his appearance in a video posted last week by several Democratic lawmakers urging U.S. military servicemembers to disobey illegal orders, according to a new statement from the Department of Defense. President Donald Trump has called the lawmakers’ actions “seditious” and “treasonous,” and suggested they should face trial. Kelly said he won’t be “silenced by bullies”…

As Democrats take stock of their electoral losses last year, longtime Democratic strategist James Carville argues in a New York Times op-ed published Monday that Democrats need to abandon the “era of performative woke politics” and instead “embrace a sweeping, aggressive, unvarnished, unapologetic and altogether unmistakable platform of pure economic rage” as the “only way out of the abyss”…

Senior BBC leaders addressed questions about the network’s impartiality during a parliamentary committee hearing in London on Monday afternoon. The inquiry comes as the broadcaster faces down the threat of a lawsuit from Trump, who is unhappy with what BBC critics have described as a deceptively edited clip of the president. The BBC is facing further criticism after a former advisor to the British news organization accused it of bias on topics including Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and transgender issues…  

Talks between the U.S. and Ukraine on a Ukraine-Russia peace plan are at a “critical moment,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, after high-level negotiations between the two countries over the weekend. A joint statement from the White House and Zelensky’s office, released Sunday night, said the talks were “highly productive” and that “meaningful progress” had been made, after an early draft of the proposed peace deal sparked concerns that it did not demand enough concessions from Moscow. Zelensky has not yet agree to the deal…

Seventeen Hamas terrorists were killed or captured by Israeli forces in eastern Rafah on the IDF’s side of the Gaza ceasefire lines on Sunday, after over 200 of them were trapped there when the ceasefire went into effect…

An ongoing public dispute between Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir about investigations over military failures around Oct. 7 continued on Monday, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reportedly invite the two for a private meeting with the goal of resolving the feud…

The Gaza terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad said on Monday that it had “found” the body of another deceased Israeli hostage, though the group did not publicly indicate if or when it plans to hand over the body — one of three remaining in the Gaza Strip…

A federal judge in New York tossed out separate criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, arguing that Trump’s appointment of the prosecutor in those cases was not valid…

The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced new rules to limit the influence of audience voting, following allegations that Israel meddled in the vote…

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye out in tomorrow’s Jewish Insider for a look at the status of Iran’s nuclear program amid a series of recent reports that have raised questions about whether the Islamic Republic is seeking to rebuild — with Russia’s help — the nuclear sites that sustained extensive damage from June’s U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.

We also will be reporting on lawmakers’ reactions to the revelations that a significant share of anti-Israel and antisemitic content on X — on both the far right and far left — is being produced overseas. 

And we’ll be talking to ESPN college football commentator Paul Finebaum about his possible interest in running in Alabama’s Senate race, as he discusses how his Jewish upbringing shaped his worldview.

Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking

Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, had his confirmation hearing today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Kaploun leaned into the importance of education as a tool to counter antisemitism. “We must, educate, educate, educate about the history of the Jewish community in America and the Judeo-Christian values our country was founded on,” Kaploun told senators. The Chabad-trained rabbi and businessman largely sidestepped a question about Trump’s recent praise for Tucker Carlson after the conservative podcaster hosted neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes for a friendly interview…

After a Muslim speaker led a walkout during an interfaith event at City College of New York, saying he refused to sit next to the executive director of Baruch College Hillel, whom he described as a “Zionist,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday described the incident as “antisemitism, plain and simple.” Hochul, a Democrat, said she expects university administrators to “act swiftly to ensure accountability.”

Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, called the incident “deeply concerning” and said the Justice Department “will look into” it… 

Also in New York, Jessica Tisch said she would stay on as police commissioner in New York City when Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor. The decision builds a bridge between Mamdani, who has a history of sharp criticism of the police, and a law enforcement leader with a record of reducing crime in the city.  

“Now, do the Mayor-elect and I agree on everything? No, we don’t,” Tisch wrote in a letter to the NYPD’s more than 45,000 employees. “But in speaking with him, it’s clear that we share broad and crucial priorities: the importance of public safety, the need to continue driving down crime, and the need to maintain stability and order across the department. We also agree that you deserve the city’s respect and support”…

Iranian nuclear scientists traveled to Russia last year as part of an attempt to access technology that could potentially be used for nuclear weapons — their second covert visit, according to U.S. documents obtained by the Financial Times. The documents offer the first evidence of Russia and Iran engaging in concrete information-sharing that could relate to nuclear weapons… 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington continued on Wednesday with meetings with lawmakers and a high-profile appearance at an investment summit with Trump at the Kennedy Center. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sat down with MBS, who also attended a breakfast reception with a dozen members. Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are meeting with the Saudi leader at his hotel this afternoon after a larger bipartisan Senate meeting was canceled. 

Trump said at the investment forum that $270 billion in deals were being signed with “dozens of companies.” The list of deals has not yet been made public. The CEOs of Chevron, Qualcomm, Cisco, General Dynamics and Pfizer attended the event, according to an event program, along with senior executives from IBM, Google, Salesforce, Andreessen Horowitz, Boeing, Halliburton, Adobe, Aramco, State Street and Parsons Corp. 

At the Kennedy Center, Trump also said that he expects MBS to serve as a “distinguished member” of the Trump-led “Board of Peace,” which was part of the president’s 20-point peace plan approved by the United Nations Security Council this week…

Democratic Majority for Israel’s president and CEO, Brian Romick, criticized the outcome of Trump’s meetings with MBS, saying in a Wednesday statement that “any substantial upgrade in the U.S.-Saudi relationship,” including closer defense ties and the acquisition of U.S. weapons, “must be tied to meaningful, measurable progress toward Saudi-Israel normalization.” Romick said Congress must play a role in ensuring “Israel’s qualitative military edge is preserved”…

In a Truth Social post after the investment forum, Trump said MBS asked him “to use the power and influence of the Presidency to bring an immediate halt to what is taking place in Sudan,” which he described as “the most violent place on Earth.” 

“We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan,” Trump wrote…

The Senate Armed Services Committee postponed expected votes on Alex Velez-Green and Austin Dahmer, both nominated to be deputies to Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy, viewed as one of the leading isolationist policymakers in the Trump administration. The confirmation hearings for both men exposed deep dissatisfaction among Republicans with Colby and his office.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) told JI’s Marc Rod he believes there was a “broad consensus” on the committee that more time was needed to process Velez-Green and Dahmer’s nominations. “I don’t think it was one or two people holding it up, or anything like that. … My impression was the committee felt the support there was not ready yet, but … we didn’t want to hold up anybody else”…

Iran freed an oil tanker that its forces had seized near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, the first time Iran had seized a ship in its waters since April 2024. Iranian state media said the ship, which was freed without its cargo, had committed “violations,” but did not say what they were…

An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead

Keep an eye on Jewish Insider tomorrow morning for a look at two Republican political figures in Texas who have faced censure by national Jewish groups over allegations of antisemitism, but who may be making comeback bids in this year’s Texas congressional primaries.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told President Donald Trump on Tuesday that he wants to join the Abraham Accords, but that a path to a two-state solution is needed. We’ll have a story tomorrow on what the two leaders’ meeting means for the future of Israel-Saudi normalization.

Tomorrow, nearly all of the 20 hostages released by Hamas last month will be in Washington for a meeting with Trump at the White House. Three of them spoke publicly for the first time earlier this week at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly, including Avinatan Or, who shared a harrowing account of his attempt to escape from Hamas’ tunnels. In an interview that aired today on Israel’s Channel 12 News, freed hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal described enduring a sexual assault at gunpoint while in captivity.

Vice President JD Vance is slated to join Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle for a fireside chat at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington. We’ll be watching to see whether he discusses ongoing GOP tensions over Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes and right-wing antisemitism. 

Washington notables will remember former Vice President Dick Cheney at his funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. Former President Joe Biden will be in attendance, and former President George W. Bush will deliver remarks, along with Cheney’s daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).