The three major Democratic candidates vying to replace Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) are charting distinct lanes on Israel policy but only one of them, at a recent debate, offered support for Israel. The front-runner, former state Sen. Matt Little, is the Democrat positioning himself as most hostile to Israel in the race. 

Little’s views are at odds with Craig, who was one of 98 House Democrats who declined to support an amendment by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) that would have cut off $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel in 2027. (Craig is running for the Senate in a closely contested primary against a left-wing challenger.)

At a July 19 debate, Little called not only for the U.S. to stop sending military aid to Israel but also to impose an arms embargo “on the sale of all weapons to Israel,” preventing Israel from buying U.S. military systems — its primary source of armaments — with its own funds. 

He said he would have voted for the Massie amendment and would have offered it himself if he had the opportunity.

“This is an issue I’ve been speaking out about for over a year, ever since we started the campaign. I think that is a big difference in this race,” Little said. “I’m the first person in this race to call it a genocide because that is exactly what it is.”

State Sen. Matt Klein, running as a moderate and seen as most closely aligned with Craig’s own record, was the only one of the three candidates who did not express support for the Massie amendment at the debate. Klein additionally did not name the war in Gaza as a genocide and described Israel as an ally and friend of the United States.

“As a father and as a physician, I know that what is occurring in Gaza is a humanitarian disaster, and it is our obligation as an ally and a friend of the State of Israel to try to end that and come to a peaceful solution, a two-state solution that provides dignity and safety for peoples of that entire region,” Klein said.

“I am a supporter of our alliance with the State of Israel, just as I am a patriotic American who has deep difficulties with Donald Trump’s leadership,” Klein continued. “I am a supporter of our friendship with Israel, who deeply objects to the way [Prime Minister] Netanyahu has prosecuted this war.”

State Rep. Kaela Berg charted out something of a middle position, but she is still calling for a complete halt to U.S. taxpayer funding to Israel.

“That was an ill-written piece of legislation. It was political gamesmanship from the Republicans meant to divide, and it did,” Berg said of the Massie amendment. “We shouldn’t send one more tax dollar to Israel. We cannot be responsible for funding the genocide in Gaza. … Benjamin Netanyahu’s government should not be funded by the United States.”

She also described Netanyahu as “largely responsible” for the U.S. war in Iran.

Little repeatedly accused both Klein and Berg during the debate of being funded or supported by AIPAC, which both candidates denied. The group has not been involved in the race.

Little has been endorsed by the anti-Israel group A New Policy, and the anti-Israel super PAC American Priorities has spent $64,000 supporting him. Berg has been “primary approved” by J Street, and Klein is supported by Democratic Majority for Israel.

The little publicly available polling in the race has shown Little in the lead. A mid-May poll by Little’s campaign showed him with a wide lead at 41%, followed by Berg at 13% and Klein at 11%. A late May poll by Klein’s campaign showed Little with a narrower lead at 26%, followed by Klein at 19% and Berg at 16%.

Little also won the state party endorsement at a convention in May and is supported by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and former Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).

Little and Berg have both been leaning into appealing to the progressive party base, while Klein has argued that he’s more electable in a potentially competitive general election against GOP state Sen. Eric Pratt. The district was competitive in the past and was long held by Republicans prior to Craig, but is rated by the Cook Political Report as likely Democratic.

Klein’s campaign holds the lead in fundraising at $1.2 million, followed by Little at $923,000, with Berg trailing well behind at $391,000. The super PAC 314 Action Fund, which supports Democratic doctors and scientists running for office, has intervened aggressively to support Klein, spending nearly $2.5 million in the district.

Berg has been backed by EMILYs List and Our Revolution, a progressive campaign group founded by alumni of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) presidential campaign.

Klein’s campaign has come under scrutiny, and he was required to pay a $540 fine, after having been found to have bet on the outcome of the primary election on the prediction market Kalshi. Klein said he’d bet $50 that he would win the race.

Of the 103 House Democrats who voted to cut off the $3.3 billion in U.S. aid to Israel last week, few came as more of a surprise than Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), a Jewish Democrat who has generally been a reliable pro-Israel vote in the House.

Auchincloss, in an interview with Jewish Insider this week, said that he approached the vote as a protest of the war with Iran, and argued that the vote wasn’t anti-Israel.

“This president, in conjunction with Prime Minister Netanyahu, has launched an illegal, catastrophic war that nine out of 10 Israelis think has led to Iranian gains, and that even fewer of my constituents support,” Auchincloss said. “And foreign military financing is a form of appropriations for a war I believe to be illegal and unwise.”

He also pointed to comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for the U.S. to phase out aid to Israel over the next 10 years, arguing that Democrats can’t be expected to take a position on aid “to the right of Netanyahu” — though the Israeli prime minister hasn’t called for an immediate halt to aid.

“That grant of foreign military financing is a privilege that Congress grants annually to both our head of government and to counterparty heads of government,” Auchincloss said. “Every year, Congress has the right — Congress has the responsibility — to determine whether that privilege is warranted. Given Trump and Netanyahu’s decision-making about this debacle with Iran, I do not think it is warranted.”

He said he would evaluate his position on future FMF to Israel on a year-by-year basis depending on whether he believes such aid is deserved. “That’s not only my right as a member of Congress, that’s my responsibility — particularly when 18 Americans have died overseas.”

But he said that he continues to support the U.S-Israel relationship and said the U.S. should continue to work to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME), and suggested he would not, at this point, support a cutoff of support for Israeli missile-defense systems or an embargo on Israel buying U.S. systems with its own funds.

He said he also believes in continued U.S. support for the Abraham Accords and other efforts to bring Israel and the region closer together, including through the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC).

Some observers have seen Auchincloss’ vote as a concession to left-wing Democrats in his suburban Massachusetts district, in light of the party’s shifting stance on Israel and primary challenges to other pro-Israel Democrats. The district includes a substantial Jewish population.

Auchincloss himself won his first primary in 2020 with 22% of the vote, scoring a narrow victory over a divided field that included several candidates to his left. Some on the left still see him as vulnerable to a one-on-one challenge in a future race — or as a potential candidate for higher office in deep-blue Massachusetts.

“I represent a pro-Israel, anti-Netanyahu district and this is a pro-Israel, anti-Netanyahu vote,” Auchincloss asserted, arguing that he’s “confident … a majority of my Jewish constituents would agree with me.”

“I hear why people see this vote through the lens of primaries and the national Democratic scene,” Auchincloss said. “I represent about 100,000 Jewish constituents. They are super smart and engaged on this issue. If I try to take political votes or symbolic votes or too-clever-by-half 4D-chess votes, it doesn’t hang together. I have to be able to defend the internal logic of each and every vote to this community, and I am confident that I can say to this community on this vote: This is a rejection of Trump and Netanyahu’s decision-making to take away the credit card.”

Asked whether the U.S.-Israel relationship can be sustained and repaired while Netanyahu continues to lead Israel — as some prominent U.S. figures have suggested that Netanyahu being ousted in the upcoming Israeli elections is necessary to continued bilateral relations — Auchincloss said that the relationship should be bigger than any one leader.

“The U.S.-Israel alliance is deeper than personalities,” he said. “Certainly, you know, Congress and our decisions about appropriations and policy need to be calibrated to the individuals who are going to be executing that policy, right? But the U.S.-Israel alliance is based on shared interests, on common values, and a long history.”

He suggested he was unconcerned by AIPAC’s decision to halt fundraising for him following the vote, explaining that his votes aren’t shaped by endorsements or contributions and that he’s taken votes both supported and opposed by AIPAC over the course of his career.

Though he diverged from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on the Israel aid vote, Auchincloss praised the Democratic leader’s approach to the issue and called it a model for how the party as a whole should approach Israel policy going forward.

“Hakeem is pointing the way with a steady hand, which is to say, ‘We’re a party that supports qualitative military edge for Israel, which is surrounded by terrorists and the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and has a right to defend itself against those terrorists and needs QME to be able to do that, but we’re not a party that yields congressional oversight to Trump and Netanyahu as Republicans have,”’ Auchincloss said.

Asked about the possibility of conditions on further U.S. aid to Israel, Auchincloss said that the next U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding should be crafted around supporting Israel’s QME, expanding and supporting normalization and, critically, provisions that can garner support from both chambers of Congress and both parties.

Even as he sided with progressives in the party on the Israel aid vote, Auchincloss has also found himself vocally at odds with the left over his criticisms of former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.

Auchincloss long opposed Platner and faced strong backlash from the party in late May for saying that Platner’s tattoo and comments about it were “disqualifying” and saying he would support another candidate in the primary if he were a Maine voter.

“Character should matter in politics,” Auchincloss told JI. “Ten years ago, Republicans decided that it doesn’t. They’ve become a cult of personality, and Platner demonstrates to Democrats the hazards of agreeing that character doesn’t matter.”

“And I think it’s a problem for the Democratic Party to wrestle with [the fact] that it would have been more politically damaging for him to have a Star of David tattoo than to have a Totenkopf tattoo,” Auchincloss continued, an apparent reference to comments from a Platner supporter on the campaign trail earlier this year.

Auchincloss also said he remains concerned about surging antisemitism globally, and continues to be involved in other efforts to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment, including as one of a handful of Democrats who signed a letter earlier this week condemning plans by Malaysia to round up and expel Israeli citizens.

He said he’s been in discussions with Jewish community groups about the role of social media in promulgating antisemitism and is working on legislation to combat it, while also arguing that it will require a “multifaceted approach.”

“Antisemitism tends to mushroom in failed societies, and social media has become a failed society as one big online toxic brew. And politics is downstream of media and information and culture,” Auchincloss said.

He said that even as political leadership is necessary to call out and reject antisemitic candidates, leaders also need to look “upstream to media and culture and information,” particularly on antisemitism.

Auchincloss is making his own efforts to steer the direction of the Democratic Party, including as the chair of Majority Democrats, a new campaign group backing moderate and liberal Democratic lawmakers and candidates around the country.

In his view, Auchincloss said that he sees himself and the group as occupying a third corner of the party, separate from the left and the establishment. “There is the opportunity for a faction that will redefine the center of American politics and be disruptive of the establishment without being socialist,” Auchincloss said.

He said he believes his faction and the party as a whole should be focused on “the new American dream” — a robust primary and secondary education, the ability to own a home by age 30 and retire by 65 — as “partners to help you achieve that economic security.” Auchincloss said the party should also be aggressive about confronting corruption across the political spectrum and should not yield “faith, family and the flag” to conservatives.

“I don’t think Americans are going to vote for Democrats to lead this country if they don’t think Democrats like this country,” Auchincloss said. “And so we have to be the party of patriotism — not of blood and soil nationalism, but of true constitutional patriotism. And then, finally, we need a cross-ideological governing platform that is willing, even self-consciously celebratory, of dragging and dropping good ideas from across factions of American life.”

He also said that Democrats should be strongly supportive of public safety, including cracking down on petty crime, and support a national wealth tax.

Auchincloss pointed to Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), increasingly seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, as someone who he believes is a strong leader for the party, particularly on anticorruption issues.

He said that he sees an anti-establishment mood across the party — which he said will look different in deep-blue and purple seats, while emphasizing that Democratic Socialists of America members have won “about 1%” of Democratic Party primaries.” He said he believes that the extremism problem is much more severe on the GOP side, asserting that 2020 election deniers have won more than half of GOP primaries to date.

“American politics is horseshoeing, but it’s not horseshoeing symmetrically,” Auchincloss alleged.

Asked whether he’s comfortable being in the same political coalition as those DSA members, Auchincloss said that he’s “not a bouncer” and doesn’t have the capability to police who’s winning Democratic primaries.

“What I’m concerned about is less about being a bouncer at the door and more about do we have music at this party that people want to come and dance to? Like, are we filling the room? Because enrollments for Democratic Party are going down,” Auchincloss said.

He said that, as with Platner, character matters, but that Democrats also shouldn’t be fixated on a “checklist at the door” for who can and can’t be part of the party, and should instead concentrate on a “governing vision” that will attract voters.

A group of House Democrats urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday to pressure Malaysia to walk back plans to deport Israeli citizens by leveraging U.S. military assistance to the Southeast Asian nation.

Malaysia’s prime minister said last week that the country, which does not recognize Israel and does not permit Israeli passport holders to enter the country, would immediately deport any Israeli nationals in the country. The comments came in response to a report that Israeli dual citizens were participating in a technology retreat in the country, having entered using other passports.

“For millennia, Jews around the world have seen this playbook. The demonization and expulsion of Jews eventually leads to the worst case outcomes. It is necessary that the United States push back on this antisemitism,” the Democrats, led by Reps. Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), said in a letter to Rubio.

“Malaysia’s refusal to recognize Israel is troubling enough. But, it is totally unacceptable that a head of government has publicly declared that his country will hunt down and expel citizens of our close ally based solely on their nationality. It should not be underwritten by the American taxpayer,” the letter continues, further noting that Malaysia maintains ties with Hamas and that the terrorist group’s fighters have trained in Malaysia.

The lawmakers urged Rubio to make clear that the U.S. won’t tolerate the targeting of “the nationals of one of our closest allies” in light of U.S. security assistance to and military training for the Malaysian military, as well as Malaysian access to U.S. technology and markets.

“We, therefore, urge you to undertake a review of our security and economic relationship with Malaysia to ensure that it is serving the best interests of the United States,” the lawmakers said. “Should Malaysia refuse to reverse this discriminatory policy within 15 days, we urge you to suspend [International Military Education and Training] funding.”

They asked the State Department to articulate what steps it plans to take in response to the Malaysian policy and to “use every tool at your disposal to make clear that this conduct carries consequences.”

The letter was co-signed by Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA).

Landsman issued a statement last week condemning the Malaysian government’s plans.

“We’ve seen this all before. The purge of Jews has begun. Predictable, and just the beginning. We know where this leads,” Landsman said. “There is only one country in the world that will take all Jews kicked out of another country, and that’s Israel. The same people targeting Jews in their countries are also working to destroy Israel.”

He said that the U.S. “should make it clear that our aid comes with the expectation they won’t brazenly discriminate against our allies, and our office is reaching out directly to the Malaysian embassy.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said on Monday that the votes by more than 100 House Democrats last week in favor of an effort to end all U.S. aid to Israel indicates the party is “flirting with” making opposition to Israel the official party stance, something he said would lead him to leave the caucus. 

Fetterman, who has dismissed discussions about him leaving the party in recent years despite his increasing isolation from Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill, said in a series of media appearances last week that he would leave the Democratic Party if it called for opposing offensive or defensive aid to Israel or ending the U.S.-Israel relationship in its official platform.

“It’s very clear, if the Democratic Party becomes the official anti-Israel party, then that forces me to rethink my membership in that party,” Fetterman told Jewish Insider in an interview on Monday. “Candidates run on the platform, on whatever the platform is, any one member of it effectively agrees with it. If they put that in the platform that we will never vote for aid for Israel, or we describe Israel as a genocidal or apartheid state, then yes, you have to rethink it.”

The Pennsylvania senator said that the move by nearly half of the House Democratic caucus to vote for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)’s measure indicates the party is “flirting with” the idea of shifting its platform. 

“It’s absurd. The Democratic Party are increasingly voting not to support the only Democratic state in the entire region,” Fetterman told JI. “I’m saying, effectively, you are flirting with it. You are increasingly making it more official. Inculcate it into our platform, then that’s a fundamental betrayal of the Democratic Party’s core morality.”

“I’ve been warning — I have been. Maybe two years ago I said I’ll be the last man standing if it’s what’s necessary,” he continued. “In July of ‘24, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu had a joint address [to Congress]. I was the only Democrat that would engage him, shake his hand, get a photo with him, support the decision when every other Democrat was pushing for a ceasefire [in Gaza]. I mean, the Democratic Party was entirely wrong with that approach, and imagine what the security situation would be if Israel was pushed into a ceasefire.”

Fetterman referenced an Axios article published earlier Monday that credited the letter House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) sent to all House Democrats urging them to oppose the amendment with keeping 30 to 40 additional lawmakers from voting for the measure. 

“It could have been 150 Democrats to vote against that,” Fetterman said. “I mean, that’s the direction the party’s going. … My views aren’t controversial, or they shouldn’t be. What should be controversial is the trash that’s coming out from many Democrats and out of J Street.”

The Pennsylvania senator took pointed aim at J Street, referring to the progressive Israel advocacy organization as “the embodiment of the suicidal empathy against the Jewish state of Israel” and criticizing the group for associating with Hasan Piker, the far-left streamer who has a record of antisemitic remarks. 

“Nothing embodies suicidal empathy like J Street,” Fetterman said. “I wouldn’t describe them as cancer, but it’s vile the views that they are adopting, and they are becoming the useful idiots for the Hamas and Iranian propaganda machine. Are they gonna invite Hasan Piker to be on their board?”

“J Street is the group that said and gave political cover for Democrats so they don’t have to vote for Iron Dome [funding]. That’s a fact,” he continued. “They were trying to provide political cover for Democrats to say, ‘Well, J Street said it, so that seems pretty reasonable.’”

Fetterman had previously brushed off reports that efforts to recruit him to the GOP would be successful, writing in a Washington Post op-ed in May that he would “be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.” 

Questions about Fetterman’s future political plans began circulating again earlier this month, however, when he and Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) launched Common Ground PA, a joint fundraising committee combining two of each senator’s PACs and allowing them to fundraise together. 

Fetterman warned last week that he could become a deciding swing vote in the next Congress if the Democratic Party wins control of the Senate in November, which Democrats need to flip four seats to accomplish.

“If we flip those four seats, then I would be 51,” Fetterman said Wednesday at The Hill Nation Summit. “Watch what I do.”

Good Monday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how pro-Israel advocates are adjusting their approaches to Democratic lawmakers following last week’s failed vote to cut U.S. aid to Israel that garnered the support of 103 House Democrats, and report on antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker’s surprise appearance at a College Democrats of America convention over the weekend. We talk to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro about Israel’s ability to repair its relationships in the U.S., and look at U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack’s effort to create a Middle East trade alignment that excludes Israel. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, Michael Rubin and Judit Polgar.

We have also launched a new on-demand Live Briefing that you can access throughout the day via our new app (on Apple and Android) and on our website.

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

• Tensions in the Middle East continue to rise following the deaths of four U.S. service members resulting from Iranian attacks targeting U.S. bases in Jordan and Iraq. As the White House considers a broader offensive against Iran, it is moving dozens of military refueling planes to Israel.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, told reporters before departing for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in the Philippines on Sunday that the U.S. was still open to diplomacy with Tehran. “We’ve tried multiple times with Iran, and we’ll continue to try. If that door opens, we’ll be happy to see it open,” Rubio said. “Their behavior has to change in order for ours to change.”
• Before departing for Manila, Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is in Washington this week, where he’s slated to meet with President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
• Support is growing for former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson to succeed Graham Platner as the Democratic Party’s nominee to challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), with most of Jackson’s rivals dropping their bids ahead of the state party’s nominating convention set for Saturday. More below.
• Keir Starmer delivered his final address as U.K. prime minister today before formally submitting his resignation to King Charles III. Former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham then separately traveled to Buckingham Palace to meet with the king and accept his request to form a new government.
• In Israel, Yair Golan’s Democrats party is holding its primary today to determine its slate for the upcoming election.

What You Should Know

A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S JOSH KRAUSHAAR

July was scheduled to offer a break from primary politics, but two seismic developments this month — the collapse of scandal-plagued Graham Platner’s campaign in Maine and the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — are forcing both parties to deal with messy internal conflicts as they choose replacements in these key races.

The outcome of the July 25 Maine Democratic convention choosing an alternative candidate to run against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and the Aug. 11 special election primary to choose a GOP nominee for Graham’s seat are offering clarity on the ideological directions of the two parties as the November midterm elections approach.

Already, we’re seeing that Democrats want to nominate a candidate as ideologically similar to Platner as possible, with most of the convention delegates chosen this weekend gravitating towards former state Senate President Troy Jackson, an anti-Israel progressive who unsuccessfully ran for governor this year as a champion of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

As Maine counties completed the process of choosing delegates for the nominating convention, Jackson’s campaign expressed confidence that he rallied enough backers to secure a victory. Most of his leading rivals dropped out of the race on Sunday, indicating that the state party is clearly intent on pushing forward a candidate that shares Platner’s anti-establishment, left-wing worldview but without the personal baggage he brought to the table.

Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here.

TRUST FALL

House vote on Israel aid forces pro-Israel advocates to reassess trusted allies

After 104 members of the House voted last week in favor of an amendment to eliminate all $3.3 billion in annual military aid to Israel, pro-Israel activists across the country who have spent years building ties with lawmakers are now wondering how to approach those relationships following a vote that some see as a betrayal, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.

Looking ahead: Several friends and backers of the members of Congress who voted for the amendment told JI that a single vote on a measure that was sure to fail should not spell the end of years of friendship. But even as they acknowledged the seismic reverberations of the vote, many also spoke of the need to tread carefully at a politically uncertain moment. “Our issues are too important to not hold onto the ability to have a conversation with the person, because the votes are not going to end. It’s not going to all of a sudden stop,” Sam Lauter, a major Democratic donor and pro-Israel activist, said. He talked to several members of Congress in the days before the vote, urging them to vote no. 

Read the full story here.

Silent rebuke: AIPAC will no longer allow donations through its political action committee to 18 lawmakers it endorsed who voted in favor of the legislation. The group did not announce the change. But the endorsement page on AIPAC’s political giving portal — where supporters can donate to candidates who have been endorsed by AIPAC — removed the option for individuals to route money to those lawmakers.

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SPEAKER SCRUTINY

College Democrats’ conference, co-sponsored by J Street U, features Hasan Piker

J Street’s college group sponsored the College Democrats of America convention over the weekend that featured far-left, antisemitic influencer Hasan Piker. J Street U, the student organizing arm of J Street, “is proud to sponsor and participate in the College Democrats Convention,” Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, told Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen on Friday, hours after Piker was announced as the convention’s “surprise speaker.”

J Street’s position: “We had no role in the selection of speakers and we’re sure there will be speakers — including Hasan Piker — with whom we disagree,” said Ben-Ami. “Being in venues like this is even more important when there are participants with whom we disagree. Failing to show up would be an abdication of our responsibility to make the case for our pro-Israel views.”

Read the full story here.

Turning tides: Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) told CNN he left the Congressional Progressive Caucus last year — and decided not to run for reelection this year — in part because of the rise of socialist leadership in the caucus. The Democrat said there’s now a growing contingent of anti-Israel Democrats as well within the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which he said was not present when he first came to the Hill, JI’s Marc Rod reports.

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TRADE ROUTES

Tom Barrack promotes Middle East trade alignment cutting out Israel

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack on Friday promoted a new regional trade and security alignment in the Middle East centered around Iraq, Turkey and neighboring Arab states, appearing to sideline a similar regional project including Israel, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.

What he said: Speaking at the U.S.-Iraq Business Summit, Barrack told attendees that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who visited with President Donald Trump at the White House last week, is considering a transformative agreement. “What this young leader [al-Zaidi] has in mind — aligned with Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt — is a program that will make the Strait of Hormuz an afterthought in two years,” Barrack said. “We’re going from just-in-time delivery on boats through these minor straits to just-in-case delivery going the other way.”

Read the full story here.

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NO STRINGS ATTACHED

Lawmakers split on whether Trump should have tied Syria sanctions relief to Israel normalization

As the Trump administration moves to end the diplomatic isolation of Syria, dismantling decades of U.S. sanctions in the process, lawmakers are offering mixed assessments of whether Washington should have conditioned that relief on steps toward normalizing relations with Israel, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports. 

What they said: Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) said the Trump administration “should be urging” Damascus to improve economic and political relations with Jerusalem in exchange for sanctions relief, “but I would say that you’ve got to have a consistent standard.” Sherman noted he would “like to see Syria move in that direction,” toward joining the Abraham Accords, “even if they can’t join the accords yet.” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) agreed that the Trump administration should be pursuing normalization as part of its efforts with Damascus, but said the current focus on prioritizing stability is a “worthwhile objective” and “positive” effort. “I think a stable, democratic [Syria] may be too much of a hope, but a stable and non-terrorist-supporting Syria is important to the Middle East and to the United States of America and to some type of global stability,” Hoyer told JI.

Read the full story here, with additional comments from Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL), Troy Nehls (R-TX) and Tim Burchett (R-TN).

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HEARD AT ASPEN

Repairing Israel’s standing in the U.S. requires new leader in Israel, Dan Shapiro says

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod on the sidelines of the Aspen Security Forum last week that without new leadership in Israel — meaning a defeat for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s elections — he does not know how Israel can repair its reputation in the United States.

Notable quotable: “I don’t see a path to repairing Israel’s deteriorating standing in the United States on both sides of the aisle without a change of leadership in Israel,” Shapiro told JI, a sentiment he repeated during a panel on Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship at the conference. Speaking to JI shortly after more than 100 House Democrats voted to cut off U.S. military aid to Israel, Shapiro said that, while there’s “legitimate ground for concern and for criticism” of Israel’s operations in Gaza, cutting off all $3.3 billion wholesale is not “a very thoughtful way” to address concerns about civilian harm and that maintaining the U.S.-Israel relationship remains in America’s interests.

Read the full interview here.

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IRAN ADD-ON

Trump’s push to add Iran to Russia sanctions bill confuses Democrats

President Donald Trump’s call for Republicans to incorporate sanctions against Iran into the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) bipartisan legislation sanctioning Russia and countries that buy Russian oil was met with confusion by some of the Democrats supporting the bill, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.

Dem dismay: “Our Russia sanctions bill was meticulously crafted during painstaking, sometimes painful negotiations over many months,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who spearheaded the effort alongside Graham for over a year, told JI in a statement. “This bill should move forward as quickly as possible — as is — without additional provisions, which can be done separately.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Bloomberg’s “This Weekend” on Sunday that, “Sen. Graham never raised the concern about putting Iranian sanctions on the bill.”

Read the full story here.

Institution clash: Annalena Baerbock, the president of the United Nations General Assembly and former foreign minister of Germany, on Friday criticized the Board of Peace, the U.S.-led body responsible for managing the ceasefire in Gaza, JI’s Marc Rod reports.

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Worthy Reads

Swamp Creatures: In his Substack, Erick Erickson examines “self-dealing” among Trump administration officials who have personally financially benefited from their professional roles, despite President Donald Trump’s oft-repeated campaign pledge to “drain the swamp.” “It does not matter whether each arrangement is technically legal. The swamp was never a legal problem; it was a trust problem. When the party that promised to end influence-peddling instead perfects it — when access to the president can be bought with a memecoin and a black-tie ticket — the lesson every ambitious operator learns is that the spoils go to whoever holds power, and restraint is for suckers. That is the real cost.” [Substack]

Taking on Tehran Together: In the Arab News, former White House Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt posits that unified Gulf states — which over the last six months have all sustained attacks from Iran — can push back against the Islamic Republic’s malign behavior in the region. “The scale and consequences differed by country. The decision behind them did not. Six governments. One regime deciding, each time, that Gulf territory was a legitimate target. … The differing intensity of Iran’s attacks reflects Tehran’s country-by-country calibration of pressure. Iran weighs its own exposure, the relationships it still hopes to preserve, how much pressure it mistakenly believes it can place on Washington, and how much pressure it wants to place directly on each Gulf government.” [ArabNews]

The Future of Faith: In The Washington Post, David DeSteno considers how religiously engaged people are interacting with AI on issues of moral guidance. “As of yet, the data don’t show that people of faith are forsaking the moral teachings and advice of clergy in favor of that offered by AI; they’re utilizing both. But that might soon change. … According to Anthropic’s own research, its AI chatbot Claude just happens to be most sycophantic when it discusses spiritual themes, meaning that it could be especially persuasive while dispensing moral and religious advice.” [WashPost]

A larger selection of Worthy Reads is available in our Live Briefing.

Word on the Street

Joining President Donald Trump in his suite at MetLife Stadium for Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final were Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, First Lady Melania Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Andrew Giuliani, Barron and Eric Trump and Robert Kraft…

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) rejected claims, including those made recently by Vice President JD Vance, of Israeli influence over Trump’s decision-making on Iran, calling it “a fool’s run to place blame on him supposedly being dictated by others”… 

Abdul El-Sayed, who is up against Stevens in next month’s Michigan Democratic Senate primary, deflected a question from CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday’s “State of the Union” about audio in which El-Sayed was heard telling staff there were “a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad” over the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; in response, El-Sayed criticized the war with Iran and the recent deaths of U.S. service members…

Iran reportedly moved $6 billion in oil out of the country during the roughly four weeks that the Strait of Hormuz was open in accordance with the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran…

The Wall Street Journal looks at Iranian efforts to make Jordan a flashpoint in its war with the U.S., which stations thousands of soldiers at a base in the country — three of whom were killed in an Iranian ballistic missile attack last week…

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told The New York Times he was in “an active conversation” with legal officials regarding the potential arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to travel to New York in September for the U.N. General Assembly; Mamdani had said during his campaign for mayor that he would order the arrest of Netanyahu should the Israeli leader travel to New York, despite doubts from experts over the legality of such a move…

Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, who leads the Boca Raton Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation in South Florida, is urging members of his congregation to register as Democrats ahead of the upcoming Florida primary in order to help Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) fend off a far-left primary challenger, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin wrapped tefillin — reportedly for the first time — at Fanatics Fest in New York over the weekend…

eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross talks to Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, about the group’s engagement with education associations and unions on efforts to address antisemitism…

The Wall Street Journal profiles Emily Austin, a sports and pro-Israel influencer with deep ties to the Trump administration who leveraged her relationships in Washington to score a gig as a content creator for FIFA during the World Cup…

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced the nomination of Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgar, who is Jewish, to serve as the country’s interim president…

An Israir plane slated to depart from London’s Luton Airport last week was damaged by an aircraft tug — the third such incident involving an Israir flight at that airport in the last year — prompting concerns that the airline is being targeted by ground workers…

The Wall Street Journal does a deep dive into a $700 million effort by Israel to help improve its global public image, including a $45 million contract with Trump ally Brad Parscale, as well as through influencers and AI-generated texting campaigns…

Cisco is in advanced talks with Zafran Security to purchase the Israeli cybersecurity startup for between $150-200 million…

The Associated Press reports on how a conflict between the Bank of Israel and the Palestinian Monetary Authority as Israel caps the amount of shekels it takes back from the West Bank is causing cash surpluses in the territory…

Fortune compares and contrasts the power of the Israeli shekel and the Japanese yen as the former gains strength and the yen, once one of the world’s strongest currencies, drops in value…

NPR looks at efforts by Israeli paraglider Amnonn Hahn to help swifts during their migration to Israel for the spring nesting season as the global population of the birds faces a steep decline…

The New York Times spotlights the wedding of Pamela Soberman and Rabbi Beni Summers, who met at a Jewish singing retreat in upstate New York…

Simone Kanter, who previously worked for Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), is joining Tusk Strategies as a vice president in the group’s public affairs practice…

Israeli actor and singer Shoshik Shani died at 91…

Shoshana Bryen, the senior policy director at the Jewish Policy Center, died last week…

Pic of the Day

U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Peter Lamelas participated in an event on Saturday marking the 32nd anniversary of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.

Birthdays

Actor and comedian, Joey Bragg turns 30… 

Retired U.S. senator (D-MD), Barbara Mikulski turns 90… Professor emeritus of mathematics at Penn State University, Paul Baum turns 90… Retired president of the National Endowment for Democracy, Carl Gershman turns 83… Long-time Israeli diplomat, he served as Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Yoram Ben-Zeev turns 82… Former commissioner on the Civil Rights Commission, assistant secretary of HUD in the Clinton administration, presently vice chair of the Bank of San Francisco, Roberta Achtenberg turns 76… Senior U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts, Judge Patti B. Saris turns 75… New York Times weekly columnist and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Thomas Loren Friedman turns 73… Molecular geneticist at NYC-based Rockefeller University and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Jeffrey M. Friedman turns 72… Broadcast and digital media consultant, Farrell Meisel… Professor of sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Barbara Risman turns 70… Past president of the Women’s Department at the Jewish Federation of Detroit, she is the mother of fashion designers Matthew and Alex, Marcie Hermelin Orley… Head of a women-led political network for the U.S.-Israel relationship, also a mahjong instructor, Linleigh Ayn Richker… Public policy expert and author, Jane S. Hoffman turns 62… Former member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, she is a brigadier general in the IDF (res.), Nira Shpak turns 60… Member of Knesset for the United Torah Judaism party, Yitzhak Ze’ev Pindros turns 55… Attorney, Jack Achiezer Guggenheim… SVP, Washington bureau chief and political director of CNN, where he oversees the political coverage across all of CNN’s platforms, David Marc Chalian turns 53… Author of World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech, he is a staff writer at The Atlantic, Franklin Foer turns 52… Miami-based EVP at AIPAC, David Fox… Singer who came on the scene as a finalist on the fifth season of “American Idol,” Efraym Elliott Yamin turns 48… Assistant commissioner in the Community Affairs Bureau at the NYPD, Fred Kreizman… Co-founder and managing partner of the communications and branding firm of Main+Rose, Beth Doane… Co-founder and co-executive director of the progressive Indivisible movement, Ezra Levin turns 41… Former MLB player, he was a shortstop for Team Israel in 2023, Ty Kelly turns 38… Comedian and former regular player on “Saturday Night Live,” Chloe Fineman turns 38… Software engineer at Home Chef, Ashley Abramowicz Gibbs… Anesthesiologist, Dr. Sheila Ganjian Navi… VP of business development and operations at Thyme Care, Etan Raskas… Principal at Blackstone, Jonathan Tamir Alden… Intellectual property attorney at Ballard Spahr, Goldie Fields…

More than 100 House Democrats — just under half of the party’s caucus — voted to cut off all U.S. aid to Israel on Wednesday, marking another flashpoint in the party’s growing disillusionment with the Jewish state. It’s a result that would have been almost unimaginable even a year ago.

The fact that the number of anti-Israel votes included several longtime pro-Israel Democrats who had previously been endorsed by AIPAC — like Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) and Pat Ryan (D-NY) — is a sign that even some members in the mainstream wing of the party are running scared of a potential primary threat from the left. 

Combined with the Senate vote earlier this year in which 40 Democrats voted for a measure led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to block shipments of some weapons to the Jewish state, the message is clear: Israel can no longer count on reliable support from the Democratic Party.

And voting for the equivalent of a wrecking ball to the U.S.-Israel relationship — an amendment that even vocal critics of Israel described as flawed and a calculated political stunt by Republicans — is no longer a nonstarter for congressional Democrats. With a more carefully crafted amendment presented by a member without Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) baggage, the margin in support could have been greater.

Despite the significance of the Democratic defections on Israel, it’s also notable that nearly all of the Democrats in swing districts or running in closely watched battleground Senate races stood by their support of Israel and voted against the amendment.

Only two of the 16 House Democrats facing the most competitive races — districts the Cook Political Report rates as “Lean Democratic,” “Toss Up” or favoring Republicans — voted for the Massie amendment.

Those lawmakers were Reps. Derek Tran (D-CA) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM). Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) was absent, but would have opposed the amendment.

Expand that out to include “Likely Democratic” districts, and only two of those 10 lawmakers voted for the amendment: Goodlander and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV). Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR) voted present.

And nearly all of the Democratic candidates facing challenges from their left over their support for Israel stood their ground, even those running in deep-blue districts. That list includes Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Angie Craig (D-MN), who are both running for the Senate and facing fierce challenges from anti-Israel challengers. It also includes Reps. Wesley Bell (D-MO), Shri Thanedar (D-MI) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who have faced strong pushback from their opponents over their pro-Israel stances, but held firm on the issue.

The results mark a significant setback for AIPAC, which is struggling to maintain influence within the Democratic Party as support for Israel becomes a more partisan issue. More than a dozen of its endorsed candidates voted against its most central policy priority, including lawmakers like Ivey who won their House seats with significant AIPAC backing and had been seen as close to the group. A handful of others voted present.

Ryan, a onetime moderate who has drifted toward the left, also publicly went on the attack against AIPAC, engaging with the anti-Israel account TrackAIPAC, which has faced accusations of antisemitism, to declare that he no longer wants AIPAC’s support and plans to return donations from the group.

“We are deeply appreciative of the 314 Republicans and Democrats who voted to reject Thomas Massie’s latest anti-Israel effort and are disappointed by the 103 Democrats who voted with Massie to weaken America and our ally Israel,” AIPAC said in a statement.

AIPAC also warned that it and its members aren’t backing down and “will be actively engaged throughout this election cycle, and future election cycles, to support members of Congress of both parties who support a strong U.S.-Israel alliance and oppose those who don’t.”

It’s important to keep in mind that lawmakers’ stated rationale for supporting the amendment varies: some do seek to cut off any U.S. support for Israel and sever the relationship as we know it; some seek changes to how the relationship functions; and others sought to send a signal of their frustration with the current Israeli government and its prosecution of the war in Gaza with a largely symbolic vote they knew would not pass.

By the same token, many Democrats who voted against the amendment made clear that their votes were in part a reflection of their concerns with Massie’s approach, rather than a full-throated endorsement of the U.S.-Israel relationship as it currently exists. That was the position held by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), whose opposition to the amendment belied his overall concerns about the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Many Democrats called for changes in the relationship going forward, with Jeffries and other party leaders indicating they want direct military aid to end at the expiration of the current memorandum of understanding.

Observers also noted that the Congressional Black Caucus, which has traditionally held strong relationships with the Jewish community and pro-Israel world, was closely divided on the vote. Many of the caucus’ older or longer-tenured members voted to preserve aid to Israel, while newer and younger members for the most part voted against it.

The vote also underscored just how much of a role extreme voices have played within both parties in undermining relationships with allies under military threat. The right-wing grassroots hostility to Ukraine led to a number of party leaders — including a few Senate hawks — to vote against a 2024 funding bill for aid to Ukraine and Israel.

But even as there has been a strain of GOP opposition to Ukraine assistance, the Democrats’ turn against Israel has been more widespread. The fact that relatively few of the Democratic lawmakers who voted against the amendment offered a clear-throated defense of U.S. aid to Israel is a sign of just how politically toxic Israel has become within the party. 

“This vote should serve as a wake-up call [to Israel] that significant work is needed to repair its relationship with Democrats — not only to preserve bipartisan support in the United States, but also to protect Israel’s long-term security and prosperity,” Democratic Majority For Israel CEO Brian Romick said in a statement.

The House voted 314-104 on Wednesday to reject an amendment to the 2027 State Department appropriations bill that would have cut all $3.3 billion in annual U.S. aid to Israel. However, 103 Democrats, a near-majority of the caucus, voted in favor of the measure, with 98 others voting no and 10 voting present.

The record number of Democrats voting in favor of cutting off U.S. aid to Israel highlights the extent to which Democratic support for the Jewish state has eroded, and comes months after a vote in which 40 Senate Democrats backed blocking some weapons sales to Israel. 

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced the amendment last month to eliminate the $3.3 billion in annual foreign military financing provided by the U.S. to Israel as laid out in the 2016 memorandum of understanding between the two countries. The Kentucky lawmaker, who was defeated in his GOP primary this year, was the only Republican member to support the amendment.

Some Democratic officials — on both sides of the issue — described Massie’s amendment as poorly drafted and overly broad, warning that it would also impact non-military aid as well as U.S. Embassy operations in Israel. Democratic leadership ultimately did not whip members for or against the vote.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a letter on Tuesday that he planned to oppose the amendment and efforts to strip all U.S. aid to Israel, despite also noting that the relationship between the two countries requires “urgent change.” 

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) also voted no on the amendment. Aguilar told Jewish Insider last month that support for Israel’s right to exist in safety and security should continue to be a policy position of the Democratic Party, but cautioned that support for Israeli government policies would not be unconditional. 

Meanwhile, House Minority Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), in announcing she would vote yes, noted that the measure was “overly broad” and “not an attempt to have a serious and necessary debate about offensive military aid to Israel.” Despite her criticisms, she said her vote was a signal that the relationship needs to change.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), once a reliable supporter of Israel, supported the Massie amendment, but called it an “unfortunate choice.”

“The United States must be a force for security and stability. The American people are rightly demanding an end to a perpetual cycle of war, and the Netanyahu government cannot maintain its current course,” Pelosi said. “Therefore, while this amendment is ill-conceived, I vote yes for the message that it sends.” 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a critic of Israel who is a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2028, called the vote a “very important moment.”

“A majority of Democrats voted in favor of this Massie amendment. To me what this says is that the majority of the Democratic party is most in touch with the American electorate writ large … and the Republicans are not,” Cortez said. “This has been an issue where both parties have been resistant to change.” 

Ocasio-Cortez said lawmakers who voted against the amendment are “stuck in the past.” 

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement on Tuesday that he would support the amendment because the “American people are crying out for an end to U.S. tax dollars subsidizing Israel’s military.” Casar and the CPC whipped Democrats to support the amendment.

“At a time when millions are struggling to make ends meet, we are sending billions of dollars to a military that has killed tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon,” Casar wrote. “I am aware House Democratic leadership has a different position on this amendment … I respect their leadership.” 

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the former No. 2 House Democrat and a staunch supporter of Israel, opposed the amendment and argued it would “dangerously undermine America’s national security,” limit the U.S.’ ability to counter terrorist organizations and make it harder to leverage the U.S. relationship with Israel toward peace.

“I understand the frustration many members feel with some of the policies and actions of the current Israeli government — as well as their concerns about its commitment to the peace process and a two-state solution,” Hoyer said. “However, this amendment would embolden the enemies of peace, those who seek the complete elimination of Israel, and those looking for an excuse to murder Jews. It is a vote to weaken our ability to engage in the region, and it is a vote against American security, against American interests, and against Americans’ safety.”

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), who voted no, lambasted the amendment as having no legislative impact or role in helping the prospects for Middle East peace.

“This cynical Republican amendment was put forward to stoke division and divide people here in the United States, not end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians or provide a path forward,” Schneider said. “I will seek to understand how such a flawed legislative proposal — one that would hurt Israelis and Palestinians, as well as America’s standing in the world — generated support.”

He said that supporters of Israel must work to “rebuild a bipartisan consensus” in support of Israel as well as Palestinian self-determination.

Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA), who ultimately voted against the amendment, said that under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Israel has lost its way,” suggesting that Netanyahu had undermined Israeli security and damaged the U.S.-Israel alliance.

“Yet, as a Jewish refugee who fled oppression in the Soviet Union, I have long believed that Israel is a refuge for many families like mine,” Vindman said. “These convictions made this one of the most difficult votes I’ve cast because Israel needs to change course. However, I could not support an amendment as poorly written as this one that would eliminate key funding provisions that support Palestinian security forces, humanitarian aid, and defensive systems to protect innocent civilians.” 

Key Democratic committee leaders, including the ranking members of the Appropriations, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees, all voted against the amendment, while Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, voted in favor.

Several pro-Israel House Democrats who are facing contentious primary challenges in which Israel has become a key issue — including Reps. Wesley Bell (D-MO), Shri Thanedar (D-MI) and Ed Case (D-HI) — voted against the amendment.

Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Angie Craig (D-MN) also voted against the amendment, while Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) voted present. All three are running for the Senate.

But Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who is running against Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) in Massachusetts and has tried to tack to the progressive Markey’s left, said in a statement released prior to the vote that he would support the amendment, writing, “We simply cannot continue to condone Netanyahu’s actions that are against our moral conscience and our own national security interests by perpetuating the status quo.”

Other lawmakers who have generally been reliable supporters of Israel — including Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Laura Friedman (D-CA) and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) — voted for the amendment. 

“I just voted to block sending $3.3 billion of our taxpayer dollars to Netanyahu’s government. It’s wrong on every level,” Ryan said. “I expect groups like AIPAC will not support me in my future elections and frankly, I don’t want their support. Hardline stances that refuse to stand up to a corrupt and increasingly dangerous Netanyahu regime have no place in our politics.”

Auchincloss said that his vote to cut funding to Israel was designed to send a message to both President Donald Trump and Netanyahu. 

“With their disastrous war against Iran, their empowerment of settler violence in the West Bank, and their strategic incoherence against Islamist terrorism, both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have sacrificed [Congress’] trust,” Auchincloss said.

He said that the amendment is “not the ideal mechanism of action,” and raised concerns about Massie’s use of antisemitic tropes in his reelection campaign.

“I have weighed these problems against the central thrust of the amendment: there must be consequences for Trump and Netanyahu,” Auchincloss continued. “Those consequences should not impair the State of Israel’s right to defend itself against the atrocities of the terrorist regimes that threaten it. Israel and the United States have common interests, shared values, and a long history. Israel and the United States are allies.”

He also said that upcoming Israeli elections, the next memorandum of understanding with Israel and the long-term impacts of the Iran war offer “an opportunity to renew the U.S.-Israel alliance on shared principles and a bipartisan basis going into the 2027 appropriations process.”

Groups including AIPAC, J Street, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Democratic Majority for Israel and the American Jewish Committee all opposed the amendment, though J Street said the result sent a “strong message” that Democrats agree that the party should pursue a “fundamentally different American approach to the U.S.-Israel relationship and the region.”

Over a dozen Democrats previously endorsed by AIPAC, including Auchincloss, Clark, Friedman, Pelosi, Pettersen, Ryan, Smith and Reps. Gabe Amo (D-RI), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Josh Harder (D-CA), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Bill Keating (D-MA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Richard Neal (D-MA) and Joe Neguse (D-CO), voted for the amendment.

Good Friday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we have the scoop on a letter from House Democrats concerned that the U.S.’ warming relationship with Turkey is being driven by the personal interests of President Donald Trump and his family and associates, and report on a call from a bipartisan group of lawmakers urging FEMA to extend the nonprofit security grant application deadline. We look at the candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring to be Maine Democrats’ Senate nominee following Graham Platner’s withdrawal from the race, and report on Rep. Ro Khanna’s trip to Israel and the West Bank this week. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: David Lubin, Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Evan Bernstein.

We have also launched a new on-demand Live Briefing that you can access throughout the day via our new app (on Apple and Android) and on our website.

Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with an assist from Danielle Cohen-Kanik. Have a tip? Email us here.

For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: Rahm Emanuel, in Tel Aviv, says he is ‘not impressed’ by far-left wing of the Democratic Party; New psychology training program aims to combat antisemitism in mental health care; and AI models more lax with antisemitism when engaging in Persian, new ADL study finds. Print the latest edition here.

What We’re Watching

• We’re keeping an eye on the tense situation in the Middle East, amid hints from senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, that it is willing to reenter the fight against Iran and assist the U.S. More below.
• The Wall Street Journal reported last night that Israel had notified the U.S. of intelligence indicating that Iran was plotting a new assassination attempt against President Donald Trump, who, while in Turkey earlier this week for the NATO summit, repeatedly suggested that Iran considered him its “No. 1” target. “I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists,” Trump told reporters in Ankara. When the president returned from Turkey mid-week, he took one of the older planes home, rather than the refurbished Qatari luxury jet, which lacks some of the same security features as the older Air Force Ones.
• Turkey is expected to announce today that it will sell its Russian-made S-400 batteries to the United Arab Emirates, a move that would allow the U.S. to move forward on its sale of F-35s to Ankara.

What You Should Know

A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S TAMARA ZIEVE AND MATTHEW SHEA

After several days of watching from the wings as the United States has conducted strikes against Iran, Israeli officials have increasingly indicated that Jerusalem is ready to return to military action if it determines that circumstances demand it.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told CNN on Thursday that Jerusalem is “supportive of the position of the United States” and would “fly alongside U.S. aircraft” if called on to do so. 

At an Israeli Air Force graduation ceremony the same day, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF is prepared to “regain air superiority and carry out ‘blue-and-white’ [Israeli] strikes in Iran to remove threats — even for a third time,” warning that it would be with “even greater force” than before. Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told graduates that “on the drawing board are new plans. Major operations are still expected to lie ahead of us. Be prepared.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reinforced that message in his remarks at the ceremony. While celebrating the outcome of Operations Rising Lion and Roaring Lion, he made clear that Israel does not view the conflict with Iran as settled. “Our policy is clear: With an agreement or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said. He added: “The war is not yet over. Alongside old challenges, new ones are emerging. Axes fall, and axes rise. We are turning our attention to this. We are prepared for any scenario.”

Security analysts say the messaging reflects a desire to preserve military pressure without committing to another immediate campaign. Yoni Tobin, a senior political analyst at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told Jewish Insider, “While Israel isn’t exactly clamoring for more combat with Iran, particularly after nearly three years of multifront war, it is certainly ready for it.” Tobin noted that “Israel will likely feel comfortable acting against Iran if the United States does so as well, and if the two countries are aligned on objectives and strategy.”

David May, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the memorandum of understanding “should be seen as part of the process of ending the fighting between the United States and Iran, not the final agreement.” 

Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here.

SCOOP

Dems allege Turkey sanctions relief, F-35 deal being driven by Trump’s personal interests

A group of House Democrats wrote to President Donald Trump on Friday to express “strong opposition” to the administration’s plans to lift sanctions on Turkey and sell the country’s F-35 fighter jets, and suggested that the decisions may be driven by Trump’s or his family members’ financial interests, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

What they’re saying: The letter requests that Trump, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack and Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. preserve records relating to their relationships with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government, stating that, “In the coming months and years, Congress will continue to exercise our constitutional oversight authorities and thoroughly scrutinize this matter to ensure the interests of the American people and their security is protected” — suggesting a potential House investigation if Democrats retake the chamber in November.

Signed on: The letter was led by Reps. Wesley Bell (D-MO), Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Dina Titus (D-NV), joined by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Rob Menendez (D-NJ).

Read the full story here.

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SHORT NOTICE

Bipartisan group of lawmakers urges FEMA to extend nonprofit security grant deadline

Fifty-eight House members from both sides of the aisle urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday to extend the deadline for 2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program applications, arguing that the current timeline gives states and institutions “insufficient time to complete the application process” and fulfill the program’s goals, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Deadline dealings: Applications for the program were announced on June 24 and are due to the federal government from state emergency management agencies by July 24. Those state agencies must set their own earlier deadlines for individual institutions to submit applications. “It is essential that eligible applicants have a fair shot to apply for these funds and fully realize the program’s intended purpose,” the lawmakers, led by Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and David Joyce (R-OH), wrote in a letter to acting FEMA Administrator Robert Fenton. 

Read the full story here.

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IN QUEUE

Who are the candidates seeking to replace Graham Platner, and where do they stand on Israel?

The mad dash to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine is coming together so quickly and haphazardly that one potential replacement, Nirav Shah, is taking stickers from his failed gubernatorial campaign and cutting off the “for governor” line below his name before handing them to supporters, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.

Following in his footsteps: Many of the candidates now seeking to succeed Platner on the general election ballot — which also include Troy Jackson, Paige Loud, Shenna Bellows, Dan Kleban and Jordan Wood — are commending the populist movement he built and looking to capitalize on it. Less than 24 hours into the contest, some had already made clear they will adopt a platform much like Platner’s when it comes to Israel — seeking to end U.S. weapons sales to the country and shunning donations from AIPAC — while others are remaining mum on that topic.

Read the full story here.

Into the woods: Wood, a former chief of staff to Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), shared his views with JI on Thursday about the U.S.-Israel relationship, saying that he considers Israel “our strongest ally in the Middle East” but that its government must be reined in. He entered the race after placing third in last month’s congressional primary to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME).

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SCOOP

Ro Khanna travels to Israel, West Bank during congressional recess

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) traveled to Israel and the West Bank this week while Congress is in recess, according to two individuals with knowledge of the trip, Jewish Insider’s Melissa Weiss reports. Khanna has not posted publicly about his trip, which is scheduled to conclude Thursday night. His office did not respond to requests for comment from JI.

Israel approach: The California Democrat has become increasingly critical of Israel since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks. In September 2025, he accused Israel of having committed genocide in Gaza. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said that Netanyahu did not meet with Khanna during this trip.

Read the full story here.

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SCENE IN SUN VALLEY

Jared Kushner, Yousef Al Otaiba, Naftali Bennett appear together at Sun Valley conference

Jared Kushner, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba and former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett participated in an off-the-record discussion on Thursday morning at Allen & Company’s annual Sun Valley conference, Puck News reported. The closed-door conversation was held before the conference’s invite-only audience of business, media and technology leaders, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.

Also in attendance: Later in the morning, Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) appeared together for a wide-ranging discussion. Meta COO Dina Powell McCormick, who is married to the Pennsylvania senator, is also in attendance at Sun Valley this week alongside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other senior Meta executives.

Read the full story here.

Bonus: In an op-ed in Time, Bennett posits that Israel is one of the “greatest assets” to U.S. foreign policy, describing the relationship between Jerusalem and Washington as “a partnership of equals — not in the size of our populations, but in the depth of our commitments.”

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TRANSITIONS

Jewish communal veteran Evan Bernstein tapped to take helm of B’nai B’rith International

In a generational change at the top of B’nai B’rith International, the organization has tapped Evan Bernstein as its next CEO, the group exclusively told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher on Thursday, as the longtime communal professional looks to breathe new life — and a spirit of innovation — into a 182-year-old legacy organization.

Drawing on experience: Bernstein, 51, will take the reins of B’nai B’rith on Aug. 24, succeeding longtime CEO Dan Mariaschin, 77. Bernstein brings with him 25 years of Jewish nonprofit experience at a host of communal organizations, including serving as the inaugural CEO of Community Security Service and in leadership roles at the Jewish Federations of North America, the Anti-Defamation League and AIPAC. In his first interview since accepting the position, Bernstein discussed how he will use his connections at past agencies to cultivate new partnerships for B’nai B’rith and how he will bring a startup mentality to the world’s oldest Jewish service organization.

Read the full interview here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.

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Worthy Reads

From Friends to Foes: Bloomberg‘s Ethan Bronner spotlights the dissolution of the “cross-cultural bromance” between Israeli entrepreneuer Eyal Waldman and Palestinian American tycoon Bashar Masri following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel in which Waldman’s daughter Danielle, who was attending the Nova music festival, was killed. “The Hamas attack effectively reset the historical clock so that in Israel today, all political and security discussions start on Oct. 7. … Waldman today says his views on coexistence haven’t changed. He continues to meet with the Palestinian leadership and advocate for two states. But he dismisses the notion that Masri might ever again be a partner. Convinced that Masri helped Hamas build the infrastructure that was set loose to such devastating effect, Waldman is doing everything he can to bring down his old friend through the U.S. lawsuit.” [Bloomberg]

Mojtaba’s MIA: The New York Times’ Yeganeh Torbati reports on Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s “looming absence at the top of the government” and failure to appear in public since he succeeded his father in March. “Without a strong central authority like the elder Ayatollah Khamenei, it has become even more unpredictable which faction will eventually gain the upper hand — and how the country will navigate its many crises. … ‘There’s no central authority in effect to reconcile the various factions that are fighting for control,’ said Ali Ansari, a historian of Iran at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.” [NYTimes]

Crowd Control: In The Free Press, Masih Alinejad posits that the coverage from within Iran of the funeral ceremonies for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not depict the reality on the ground. “The Islamic Republic has always treated mass mobilization as a proof of legitimacy: The bigger the crowd, the stronger the claim to power. But the crowds are an illusion. I know from experience how they are assembled: through force. This time is no different. … The Islamic Republic spent this week performing strength. But the regime has a problem: Almost everything about it — the chants, the flags, the scripted weeping at the coffin — is a performance. The people inside Iran, dancing in secret or driving north with 20 kilograms of rice they did not want, know this to be true.” [FreePress]

Word on the Street

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) withdrew as co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus, citing in part Madrid’s “hostile actions against Israel and the Jewish people”…

A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that fewer than half of Americans ages 18-29 — both Democrats and Republicans — view either Israelis or the Israeli government favorably…

A Pennsylvania man was arrested and charged with making antisemitic threats targeting Gov. Josh Shapiro; the Delco, Pa., resident, after entering the office of a state legislator to complain about taxes, threatened an arson attack at the governor’s mansion, 15 months after Shapiro’s residence was firebombed during Passover… 

The New York Times spotlights Notarikon Review Publisher Mendel Uminer, whose collection of some 10,000 books prompted his landlord to force him from his apartment…

David Lubin, the father of slain lone soldier Rose Lubin, an Atlanta native who was killed in a terror attack in Jerusalem in November 2023, opened the first U.S. chapter of Yad LaBanim, an Israeli group that supports bereaved military families, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim reports…

U.K. Labour MP Andy Burnham, who is poised to become the U.K.’s next prime minister, apologized for the party’s stance on Gaza, saying that London was “too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach”…

London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited the Nova music festival exhibition in the city, a week after the exhibition’s organizers told the Jewish News they were disappointed that the mayor had yet to attend; Khan was at the exhibition on the birthday of British-Israeli musician Jack Marlowe, who was killed at the music festival… 

Jewish Community Iceland—Beit Tovah Chabad opened the country’s first Jewish center, in the capital of Reykjavik, after years of operating out of the home of the local emissary…

The Wall Street Journal looks at the challenges and delays the International Stabilization Force in Gaza is facing in deploying troops to the enclave…

The IDF said it is investigating an incident in which a Palestinian detainee was stripped and bound, after an image of the man posted online last month by a Palestinian activist went viral; the IDF confirmed the photograph’s authenticity while not releasing any details about the circumstances surrounding it…

The Associated Press spotlights an Israeli effort to clear unexploded ordnance and other munitions off the coast of the city of Rishon LeZion, which has been used for decades as a military firing range…

Pic of the Day

Alongside former Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas (left), whose wife and sons were killed in captivity in Gaza after being taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet, installed a plaque through the My Tree in Israel program honoring Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas.

Birthdays

Co-founder of Imagine Entertainment, his films and TV series have been nominated for 47 Academy Awards and 217 Emmys, Brian Grazer turns 75 on Sunday… 

FRIDAY: Senior U.S. district court judge in the Southern District of Texas, Judge David Hittner turns 87… Retired attorney at the California Office of Legislative Counsel, Robert D. Gronke… Stan Udaskin… Folk singer-songwriter, Arlo Guthrie turns 79… NYC-born author of 13 novels, she has been living in Israel since 1971, Naomi Ragen turns 77… Partner in consulting firm Quorum, LLC and president at Regal Domestics, Barbara Goldberg Goldman… Author of 13 books, journalist, she is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, Julie Salamon turns 73… Editor of the Cleveland Jewish News, Columbus Jewish News and Akron Jewish News, Bob Jacob… Israel’s ambassador to Spain until 2024, Rodica Radian-Gordon turns 69… Past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey, Leslie Dannin Rosenthal… Partner in Holland & Knight’s public policy group, he was previously a member of Congress (D-FL-22), Ronald J. “Ron” Klein turns 69… Lobbyist, he was a member of the New York state Legislature: Assembly for 10 years and Senate for 14 years, Jeffrey D. Klein turns 66… National president of the American Jewish Committee, he is a founder of Lapin & Landa, a Houston-based civil litigation firm, Robert E. Lapin turns 66… Voice actor and impressionist who has voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat and dozens of others, Jeffrey Bergman turns 66… U.S. ambassador to his native Estonia, he is the former president of NYC’s Park East Day School, Roman Pipko turns 66… Critic at large for The New York Times Book Review, Anthony Oliver “A.O.” Scott turns 60… U.S. senator (D-MI), Elissa Blair Slotkin turns 50… NYC-based founding partner at Purposeful Advisors, Elie Jacobs… Member of the Knesset for the Shas party, Yinon Azulai turns 47… VP of politics and public affairs at Altice and Optimum Media, Rena Shapiro… Writer and comedian, his conversion from Mormon to Jew is the subject of a documentary, “Latter Day Jew,” H. Alan Scott turns 44… Senior policy adviser at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Morgan Deann Ortagus turns 44… Managing editor of The Bulwark, a center-right news outlet, Sam Stein… Multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker,and fine art photographer, she is the daughter of CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, Kimberly Ovitz turns 43… Television and film actor, Aviva Farber Baumann turns 42… Dance teacher at John Foster Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas, Kayla Sokoloff…

SATURDAY: Entrepreneur, investment banker, civil servant and political advisor, Stephen Berger turns 87… Developmental psychologist at Harvard, he was selected in the 1981 inaugural class of MacArthur genius fellows, Howard Gardner turns 83… Member of the U.K.’s House of Lords, he was PM Tony Blair’s special envoy to the Middle East for nine years, Baron Michael Abraham Levy turns 82… U.S. senator (D-MA), Ed Markey turns 80… EVP of the Milken Family Foundation and past chair of the board of trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America, Richard V. Sandler turns 78… Journalist covering classical music, he is the author of Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947, Norman Lebrecht turns 78… Founder in 1992 of Schnur Associates, a marketing, PR and lobbying firm, she spent 12 years as executive director of the Greater New York Coalition for Soviet Jewry, Zeesy Schnur… West Orange, N.J., resident, Jeffrey Maas… Actor, she portrayed Frau Farbissina in the “Austin Powers” film series, Mindy Lee Sterling turns 73… Singer-songwriter, known by his stage name “RebbeSoul,” Bruce Burger turns 69… Founder and retired CEO of Sidewalk Labs (an Alphabet company), he was previously CEO of Bloomberg L.P., Daniel L. Doctoroff turns 68… Group EVP of public relations for Discovery Channel and Science Channel from 2007 to 2023, Laurie Goldberg… Executive chairman of Aston Martin and the owner of the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team, Lawrence Stroll turns 67… Radiation oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvey Jay Mamon, MD, Ph.D…. General partner and head of research at CET Ventures, Barry Mannis… Former member of the Knesset for the Likud party, Yaron Mazuz turns 64… Former commander of the IDF’s Southern Command, now in the IDF Reserves, Maj. Gen. Shlomo “Sami” Turgeman turns 62… Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit since 2014, Judge Robin Stacie Rosenbaum turns 60… Retired tax attorney, she now bakes challahs on Manhattan’s UWS to benefit UJA-Federation of New York, Adina Tamar Spiro Wagman… Editor-in chief of the Forward, Alyssa A. Katz… Founder of Koz and Effect LLC, Lindsey Caren Kozberg… Consultant focused on social impact strategies, Joshua D. Wachs… Actor, podcaster and lead singer of the band Sun Spin, Michael Owen Rosenbaum turns 54… Ukrainian-born computer scientist and internet entrepreneur, Max Levchin turns 51… Founder and CEO of Wisconsin-based Good Karma Brands, Craig Karmazin turns 51… Principal at Civitas Public Affairs Group, Celine Mizrahi… Chabad rabbi at Washington University in St. Louis, Rabbi Hershey Novack… Comedian, podcaster and political commentator, Katherine Rose “Katie” Halper turns 45… Screenwriter and executive producer, Theodore Beren Bressman… Retired ice hockey forward, he played for 19 seasons in the U.S., Canada and Europe, now a businessman in Destin, Fla., Jacob Micflikier turns 42… Executive director of the New Democrat Coalition, Anne Sokolov… and her twin sister, a co-founder at Social Goods, Kate Sokolov (daughters of shopping mall executive Rick Sokolov)… Offensive guard in the NFL for eight seasons, his Hebrew name is Gedalia Yitzhak, Geoff Schwartz turns 40… Senior deputy associate counsel in the White House Counsel’s office during the Biden administration, Matthew J. Rosenbaum… Bryan Stone…

SUNDAY: Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, Rita E. Hauser turns 92… Former congressman (R-OK-5) for 16 years, Marvin Henry “Mickey” Edwards turns 89… Former executive director of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, Dan Botnick… Canadian journalist, social activist and author of three bestselling books, Michele Landsberg turns 87… Former member of the Florida House of Representatives for eight years, Franklin Sands turns 86… Best-selling author, screenwriter, and playwright, sister of the late Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron turns 82… Professor of religion at the University of Vermont, he was an advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on his 2016 presidential campaign, as an undergraduate at Yale his roommate was Joe Lieberman, Richard Sugarman turns 82… Obstetrical nurse and board certified lactation consultant in NYC, Rhona Yolkut… Founding executive director (now retired) of Newton, Mass.-based Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, focused on children with special educational needs, Arlene Remz… Co-owner of the Midland Group with holdings in steel, shipping, real estate, agriculture and sports, Eduard Shifrin turns 66… Former member of the Knesset for the Blue and White party, he grew up in Raleigh, N.C., as Albert Rosenthal, Alon Tal turns 66… Chief television critic for The New York Times, James “Jim” Poniewozik turns 58… Former chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, now executive director of the MIT Media Lab, Jessica Rosenworcel turns 55… Israeli journalist and former member of Knesset for the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Anastassia Michaeli turns 51… Founder of Innovation Policy Solutions, a D.C.-based health care consulting and advocacy firm, Jennifer Leib… U.S. senator (I-AZ) until January 2025, Kyrsten Sinema turns 50… Israeli news anchor, television presenter and journalist, Yonit Levi turns 49… Winner of an Olympic gold medal (Athens, 2004) and a silver medal (Sydney, 2000) as a freestyle swimmer, now in the product development software business, Scott Daniel Goldblatt turns 47… Senior reporter at CNN, Edward-Isaac Dovere… Partner in the Des Moines, Iowa-based public relations firm AdelmanDean Group, Liz Rodgers Adelman… Israeli media personality, sociologist and fashion and jewelry designer, Ortal Ben Dayan turns 45… U.S. senator (D-NJ), Andrew Kim turns 44… Founder and CEO of executive communications firm A.H. Levy & Co based in NYC, Alex Halpern Levy… Intensive care nurse now living in Jerusalem, Rena Meira Rotter… Benjamin Birnbaum… Actor, she is well known for playing a Jewish character on television (the title character in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), though she herself is not of Jewish descent, Rachel Brosnahan turns 36… CEO of Teach Coalition, an Orthodox Union affiliate, Sydney Altfield… Board member at Israel Policy Forum and member of the board of governors of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, Steven Koppel…

A group of House Democrats wrote to President Donald Trump on Friday to express “strong opposition” to the administration’s plans to lift sanctions on Turkey and sell the country F-35 fighter jets, and suggested that the decisions may be driven by Trump’s or his family members’ financial interests.

The letter requests that Trump, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack and Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. preserve records relating to their relationships with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government, stating that, “In the coming months and years, Congress will continue to exercise our constitutional oversight authorities and thoroughly scrutinize this matter to ensure the interests of the American people and their security is protected” — suggesting a potential House investigation if Democrats retake the chamber in November.

The letter was led by Reps. Wesley Bell (D-MO), Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Dina Titus (D-NV), joined by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Rob Menendez (D-NJ).

“Besides the legal limitations on your authority on this issue, we are perplexed by what you believe justifies this potential action,” the lawmakers said of the sanctions relief.

They emphasized that Turkey has only continued to “provoke our democratic allies, undermine regional stability, and support U.S. adversaries and their proxies — including Foreign Terrorist Organizations” since the sanctions were first imposed by Congress during Trump’s first term, and has still not resolved the issue that prompted the sanctions initially — namely, purchasing a Russian S-400 missile-defense system. This issue may be resolved on Friday, as Turkey is expected to announce that it will sell its S-400 batteries to the United Arab Emirates.

The lawmakers said that given the lack of “any reasonable explanation” for the change in policy, the decision “raises serious questions about your Administration’s personal dealings with the Turkish government.” 

“There exists no indication of Erdogan’s willingness to reform his rogue, authoritarian behavior — in fact, quite the opposite,” the letter states. “This lack of clear benefit to American interests leads us to the inevitable conclusion that you and those around you may be personally benefiting from this absurd arrangement.”

They highlighted a reported private meeting between Trump Jr. and Erdoğan in 2025 as reason for further investigation and alleged that Barrack “has a history of acting in his own self interests,” pointing to his past indictment for acting as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.

Other critics have also alleged that Barrack’s actions on policy and statements have suggested an excessive closeness with Erdoğan or even service to Turkey’s interests and priorities over those of the U.S.

The lawmakers demanded the administration answer questions about Trump Jr.’s visit to Turkey, the Trump and Barrack families’ business interests in Turkey, the administration’s plans regarding a potential F-35 sale, Turkey’s support for Hamas and the administration’s decision to drop an Iran sanctions evasion case against the Erdoğan-linked Halkbank.

The lawmakers argued that Turkey has not, as Trump has claimed, been a strong ally, but rather maintained ties with Russia and threatened and violated the territorial integrity of U.S. allies and risked U.S. security by maintaining the Russian missile-defense system.

“Erdoğan has made no attempt to hide his cozy relationship with our adversaries, including Iran and Russia. Despite sanctions on those countries, Turkey maintains significant economic and energy ties to both,” the lawmakers wrote.

The White House referred Jewish Insider to comments Trump had made during a press conference with Erdoğan this week and Trump Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.

Bell said in a statement to JI that Erdoğan has “made it perfectly clear that he advocates for our adversaries and their terrorist proxies in the Middle East,” but asserted that Trump’s actions are being driven by personal ties.

“Because of President Trump and his family’s ties to Erdogan’s regime, he is reopening a Pandora’s box that can only lead to more chaos in the region,” Bell continued. “President Trump ran on a platform of getting our nation out of continued conflicts in the Middle East. Instead, he has further destabilized the region — costing American service members their lives, wreaking havoc for our allies abroad, and eroding our global leadership. And this latest action only continues to advance his dangerous agenda.”

A group of House Democrats introduced a resolution last week that aims to block the sale of advanced jet engines to Turkey, as the Trump administration pushes ahead with the sale despite legal restrictions on U.S. military sales to the country.

The resolution is led by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), a vocal critic of Ankara, and co-sponsored by Reps. Chris Pappas (D-NH), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), George Latimer (D-NY) and Brad Sherman (D-CA).

“The regime of Turkish President Erdoğan has made repeated threats of military action against NATO allies and other partner nations throughout the Middle East,” Titus said on X. “I am introducing a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to stop the $700 million sale of F110 jet engines to Turkey which would undermine regional stability and pose a threat to U.S. allies.”

Titus also said on X that she’s working on a letter to House leadership “to prevent any attempt to readmit Turkey into the F-35 program,” urging a Republican colleague who is also critical of the Turkish government to support her initiative.

Several House Democrats, including in leadership and top progressives, remain divided or notably noncommittal over whether Israel’s right to exist in safety and security should continue to be a policy position of the Democratic Party moving forward.

The official 2024 Democratic Party Platform, released by the DNC for former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, stated that party leaders “believe a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States” and that the party’s  “commitment to Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself … is ironclad.” 

However, the Democratic Party has continued to face internal division over how to exercise that support, or to what extent that support should continue to exist at all. 

When asked on Tuesday whether support for Israel’s right to exist in safety and security should continue to be an official policy position of the Democrat Party moving forward, House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was noncommittal and avoided the question. 

He instead told Jewish Insider that Democrats are “continuing to focus on driving down the high cost of living, fixing our broken healthcare system and cleaning up corruption in an environment where the Trump cartel is the most corrupt administration in American history.” 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) also did not provide a concrete answer, instead telling JI she is “less concerned with slogans” and more interested in “what it would mean in terms of policy.” 

“I think what is being litigated, and what has been litigated, is that it’s a vague statement,” Ocasio-Cortez said on whether the Democratic Party should affirm Israel’s right to exist as an official platform position. “I’m less concerned with slogans and more about the United States’ commitment in honoring its own laws and defending and protecting human rights and preventing war, catastrophe and needless death across the board.” 

Ocasio-Cortez said that the main “ideal” behind the party’s approach to Israel is that “Palestinians are safe, that Israelis are safe” and that conflict in the region is “de-escalated.”

“I think that when we start litigating phrases that are not attached to the material commitments, then we create a lot of conflict where there doesn’t need to be,” she added. 

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), who chairs the House Progressive Caucus, said that the party’s position is clear on supporting the safety of Israeli civilians, but argued that there is a difference in providing funds to an Israeli government that some Democrats disagree with. 

“Democrats have been very clear — every Democrat I’ve spoken to has been very clear that security, peace and safety for Israeli civilians is a priority and is our position,” Casar said. “It’s just that I don’t think that giving $3.3 billion in weaponry to the Netanyahu regime actually helps with that cause.” 

Casar said he believes “deeply in the safety and security of everyday folks in Israel.”

“What I think is at issue here is the human rights violations that have occurred because of decisions by the Israeli government and the Israeli military, and the fact that I think America’s national security interests, as well as, in my view the security interests of everyday people in Israel … are being harmed by Netanyahu’s decisions.”

Meanwhile, other House Democrats expressed strong backing for continued support of Israel. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), the No. 3 Democrat, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, said support for Israel’s existence and security should “absolutely” remain part of the Democratic Party platform moving forward.

“I think that supporting a free Jewish state is important for Democrats and it’s important for our country,” Aguilar said. “Israel is a lone democracy in the region.”

“That doesn’t mean that we agree with everything that Israel is doing, and we shouldn’t sign onto a policy statement that says that, and we wouldn’t,” Aguilar continued. “But do they have a right to exist and defend themselves? Yes, but the manner in which they conduct [themselves] that matters a great deal to Democrats.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), similarly said: “Absolutely, of course it should be.” He criticized “right-wing politics and right-wing government” for having “undermined” Israel. “We’ve got to stand up for the democratic forces in Israel and against all of that reactionary politics.”  

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) stated that while “everybody [in congress] … all have their own individual opinion” on the subject, he believes that “Israel has a right to exist” and that “[Israel’s] security should be ensured.” Still, the Massachusetts congressman issued sharp criticism of the Jewish state’s handling of the war in Gaza and said the Democratic party platform should “stand loud for human rights.”

“I also believe that what Netanyahu is doing against Palestinians are war crimes and they need to stop,” McGovern said. “So I think we need to, in our party platform, make it clear that we stand loud for human rights, that we are committed to the human rights of every single individual on this planet.”

A Pew Research Center poll published in April of this year found that 8 in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents responded as having an unfavorable view of Israel. Among Democrats 76% of those 50 years or older hold unfavorable views of Israel, while 84% of Democrats 18-to-49 years old  held negative views. 

Earlier this year, the DNC referred a resolution on Israel – which would have labeled the Jewish state’s actions in Gaza as a genocide and called for conditioning U.S. military aid to Israel – to a working group on the Middle East. 

House Democrats remain divided over a push by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to slash $3.3 billion in military aid the U.S. is set to provide Israel in the 2027 State Department funding bill, and top Democratic leaders are continuing to keep their own positions vague. 

But when that vote comes to the floor is still uncertain, as a handful of hard-line Republican rebels have pushed normal House business to a halt. Some senior House Democrats indicated that, even if they don’t support this particular effort, they still seek changes to the U.S.-Israel relationship.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) continued to withhold his position on the amendment, after saying a day prior he might have more to share on the subject after a caucus meeting on Tuesday morning.

“Those conversations are ongoing,” Jeffries said. “We had a very productive meeting today, and as I’ve indicated, there’s a lot that needs to happen differently to get to a place where there’s a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and we all need to focus on actually achieving a two-state solution once and for all.”

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), the No. 3 House Democrat, said at a press conference on Tuesday that Democrats had continued to air a variety of views on the issue at the caucus meeting. But he again declined to offer Democratic leadership’s view on the subject, pending whether the amendment would actually come up for a vote.

“Whether you are supportive or in opposition to the Massie amendment, that doesn’t mean that we feel everything is going well in that region, and that doesn’t mean that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has a blank check,” Aguilar — generally viewed as one of the more staunchly pro-Israel members of Democratic leadership — said. “It also doesn’t mean that our aid and support will go on forever, and we will continue to work through that.”

He said that Democratic leaders would have more to share if and when the amendment comes up for a vote. Pressed on how and whether Democrats can explain their decision on the issue, Aguilar called it “tough and emotional for the American people,” before pivoting to criticize GOP policies.

The timing of the vote on the amendment remains in question, as right-wing Republicans have stalled the House floor for the second week in a row, blocking the procedural measure that would advance consideration of the State Department funding bill, as well as the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) — the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee — joined his counterparts on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees in opposing the amendment, putting the top Democrats on each national security committee in agreement. But he said he would support conditioning U.S. aid to Israel.

“The Massie amendment is way too overbroad,” Himes told Jewish Insider. “I am all in favor of making sure that the Israelis don’t get weapons that can find their way into settlers’ hands in the West Bank, [and] put some conditions on the way they conduct their wars in Gaza and in Lebanon. But this proposal is way overbroad.”

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) criticized Republicans for allowing the amendment to come to the floor at all. Republicans blocked another Massie-led amendment aiming to strip U.S.-Israel cooperation provisions out of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act from coming to the House floor.

“I still hope that [House Speaker Mike] Johnson (R-LA) pulls it,” Landsman told JI. “The other side allowing this to come to the floor is truly a mystery to me. My hope is that ultimately Johnson appreciates how terrible this is and the kind of conflict and division it creates. It hurts us, it hurts our partner [and] everything we’re working to do in the Middle East.”

He said he believes Republicans are allowing the amendment to move forward as a deliberate wedge to divide Democrats.

“You don’t play around with issues like this,” Landsman said. “This stuff can become very dangerous very quickly. … Why does he keep using Israel this way? It’s not right, and I think he’s getting a lot of calls from his supporters saying, ‘Stop doing this. Leave this issue alone unless you’re actually voting on something meaningful, but don’t give Thomas Massie airtimes for his grievances as it relates to an entire community of people.’”

Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) told reporters that he expects a “significant number of Democrats” to support the amendment. He said there’s a “growing number of members” that do not support providing additional weapons “for Netanyahu” but “I respect that others may have a different opinion.”

“What I think we’re all trying to get united around is the idea that everybody in the Democratic caucus should be working towards there being peace in the region, stability for Israeli and Palestinian civilians alike, and working to make sure that the Israeli government does not drag us back into war with Iran,” Casar said.

Asked about Democratic leadership’s silence on the issue, Casar said “the leadership should listen to our members, listen to our voters and do their best to provide guidance and information.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said that “after witnessing U.S.-funded weapons help perpetuate genocide of Palestinians,” the American people “want to see more accountability into where public taxpayer dollars are going.”

Nearly all House Democrats voted for a Lebanon war powers resolution on Tuesday that aimed to block U.S. support for Israeli operations against Hezbollah, though the legislation failed to secure a  House majority, with nearly all Republicans and 22 Democrats voting against the measure.

It was the second time that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has forced a vote on a Lebanon war powers resolution, though her first resolution faced opposition from key Democratic leaders who viewed it as poorly drafted and overbroad.

Tuesday’s resolution directed the removal of U.S. armed forces from “any hostilities in Lebanon,” but included exemptions for continued security cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the protection of U.S. diplomatic facilities in Lebanon. Tlaib’s original resolution, which failed in early June, directed the administration more broadly to “remove the United States Armed Forces from Lebanon.”

Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Don Davis (D-NC), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Jared Golden (D-ME), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Adam Gray (D-CA), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Greg Landsman (D-OH), George Latimer (D-NY), Susie Lee (D-NV), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Norma Torres (D-CA), Juan Vargas (D-CA) and Marc Veasey (D-TX) were the only Democrats to oppose the resolution.

Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) were the only Republicans to support it.

In comments on the House floor on Monday evening, Tlaib appeared to criticize Lebanese diplomatic negotiations with Israel, which have been aimed at a shared goal of disarming and defanging Hezbollah.

“To the Lebanese government: Learn the lessons of the countries before you and the lessons of Lebanon’s own history. The Israeli government does not abide by any agreements. They have violated every single ceasefire in all the so-called peace agreements,” Tlaib said. 

“Wake up, the so-called agreement is not protecting Lebanese people. This is about apartheid government and structure expanding into your country,” she continued. “Do not abandon your land and your people and become another subcontractor for the Israeli occupation.”

She asserted that the Lebanese government is letting “outsiders divide your people” and foment “greater instability and another civil war.” She continued to dismiss the role of Hezbollah in the conflict — including its own repeated violations of ceasefire agreements — and claimed that the Lebanese people broadly, rather than Hezbollah, are Israel’s target.

Tlaib argued that the U.S. “is currently engaged in illegal and unauthorized hostilities in Lebanon” by providing intelligence to and coordinating with Israel, further claiming that the U.S. is exercising command and control over Israeli operational decisions. She suggested that the U.S. provision of spare parts and maintenance for Israel’s Air Force also constitutes hostilities in Lebanon.

Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the updated resolution “corrected the flaws” of the previous one and “will not infringe upon America’s national security interests in Lebanon, while ensuring we stay out of another forever war that is not in our interest.”

But, unlike Tlaib, Meeks emphasized that he’s not aware of any U.S. forces engaged in hostilities in Lebanon. He said the resolution would prevent any forces from being deployed in such a capacity without congressional support.

Meeks expressed support for efforts by Israel and Lebanon to ensure their citizens’ safety and security but said “this does not justify disproportionate airstrikes which have killed too many civilians, including medical workers and journalists, as well as destroyed civilian infrastructure throughout Lebanon.”

He also praised the recent framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon, signed under the auspices of the U.S.

Schneider, one of the few Democrats who opposed the resolution, said that the resolution “has surprised many of my colleagues, who have noted that the U.S. is not engaged in hostilities in Lebanon,” and called it “unprecedented and deeply irresponsible.”

He said that Tlaib is “advancing a novel, controversial and counterproductive theory” that intelligence sharing and targeting assistance constitute U.S. involvement in hostilities in Lebanon, which would implicate the U.S. in hostilities in many places around the world, including in Russia. He said that passing such a war powers resolution “undermines the purpose” of the War Powers Act and “weakens Congress’ ability to check the Trump Administration.”

Schneider also warned that passing the resolution would embolden Hezbollah and Iran and undermine the recent Israel-Lebanon framework deal, potentially encouraging the two to launch a full-scale war against the Lebanese government.

The top House Democrats on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees said Monday that they will oppose efforts led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to cut the $3.3 billion in U.S. aid to Israel expected under the memorandum of understanding if and when they come to a vote on the House floor.

The effort is splitting the Democratic Caucus, and reportedly driving significant angst among rank-and-file Democrats in closed-door caucus meetings.

Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, told Jewish Insider he plans to oppose the effort to strip the aid out of the 2027 State Department Appropriations bill, calling it a “got-me vote the Republicans are trying to play with.” 

Meeks said there are “so many unanswered questions” about the implications and effects of the amendment. “I know there is still danger [in Israel]. I don’t want Israel to be without what they need,” Meeks said. He also noted that many of the weapons that would be purchased with the funding would not be built for years to come.

He said that the amendment leaves significant room for interpretation by the State Department.

“There’s just too many factors to say … ‘We’re taking away $3.3 billion,’” Meeks said, noting the U.S. provides military aid to other countries like Egypt and Jordan. “I don’t think that it would be the wise thing … not good policy.”

But Meeks also highlighted his criticisms of Israeli tactics during the war in Gaza, including the use of heavy bombs to destroy buildings and the deaths of innocent civilians, “so we need to make sure that we are talking about and moving forward in those things.”

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, also told JI he plans to oppose the amendment to cut the $3.3 billion.

“I’m against that,” Smith said of the attempt to cut the $3.3 billion. “I don’t think it has support because it cuts off humanitarian aid, military aid — all aid for Israel. So I don’t think there’s support for it, but we’ll see.”

Comments by Meeks and Smith closely echo warnings from Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee about the amendment — a sign that House Democratic leaders are coalescing around opposition to the amendment even as discussions in the caucus continue.

Meeks said he also planned to oppose a separate amendment that would strip a provision on U.S.-Israel cooperation from the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, another bill that is also expected to be considered this week. Massie is also leading that effort. Unlike Meeks, Smith has said he plans to support efforts to take the cooperation provision out of the NDAA, after previously opposing them.

But the House Rules Committee rejected that amendment to the NDAA, and it will not receive a vote on the House floor, sidestepping a vote that had the potential to divide House Democrats but potentially raising the salience of the vote of the $3.3 billion in aid as Democrats’ only opportunity to vote on the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, declined to disclose her position on the amendment to cut the $3.3 billion in aid.

“We’re talking about it,” DeLauro said. “I’m looking at what the Massie amendment is and where … we can try to move forward — what it means and what it doesn’t mean.”

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), the chair of the House Progressive Caucus, said he plans to support the amendment, regardless of the potential unintended consequences.

“I am aware that the amendment as written may cut off both military weapons (~$3.3 billion) and some diplomatic funding (~$50 million). While I would prefer to vote on an amendment that stripped just military funding, I think opposing the billions in military funding is what’s most important here,” Casar said.

Casar continued, “The Israeli government committed war crimes in Gaza and helped drag America into war with Iran. Americans should not be financing more weapons for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.”

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, responsible for electing House Democrats, downplayed concerns about the party’s response to antisemitism in the wake of New York City elections that elevated several far-left candidates.

Asked repeatedly about Jewish Democrats’ concerns in an interview on former NBC News anchor Chuck Todd’s program “Sunday Night with Chuck Todd” on the platform Noosphere, DelBene repeatedly brushed those concerns aside. She said that Democratic leaders’ condemnation of and efforts to defeat openly antisemitic candidate Maureen Galindo in Texas show that the party has been strong in response to rising antisemitism.

But the response from Democratic leadership to New York congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier — who attended an anti-Israel rally a day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, shared a post rejecting the existence of Israel and was an organizer of anti-Israel encampments at Columbia University — has been muted.

DelBene avoided commenting on Chevalier, who defeated incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), directly. “If you look across the board and talk to individual candidates, that’s not representative of where other candidates land.”

“I think folks have been very forceful across the board. I think there always is a focus on what any one individual said, but I think if you look collectively at what people have said and stood for across the country, I think people have been very clear on many issues on where they stand.”

DelBene dismissed the New York City results as unrepresentative of the rest of the country.

Asked broadly if democratic socialists are welcome in the Democratic Party, DelBene said, “We’re a big tent. I want to make sure that our big tent is a tent that is in the majority and that we have the gavels.” 

Pressed if her response indicates socialists are welcome, the Washington congresswoman again demurred: “People, voters are choosing people across the country, and those are part of folks who are being elected, and they’re going to come and join the caucus. I gotta tell you, we have just incredible candidates running and my job, our job, is to make sure we have those gavels so we can do the work of the American people.”

Good Wednesday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we break down the results of yesterday’s Democratic Senate primary in Maine, and look at how senior House Democrats are suggesting they’re unaware of New Jersey congressional candidate Adam Hamawy’s controversial past. We have the exclusive on the introduction of the Jewish American Security Act by Reps. Dan Goldman and Mike Lawler, and report on a new survey from the Israel Democracy Institute that found that Israeli confidence in President Donald Trump’s commitment to Israel’s security hit a new low. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Gwyneth Paltrow and Somaliland President Abdirahman Irro.

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

• We’re continuing to watch the situation in the Middle East after Iran fired at U.S. installations in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain overnight, following what the U.S. described as “self-defense strikes” targeting Iranian radar and air-defense sites in response to Iran’s downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter with two crew members on board (both were rescued).
• Shortly after the U.S. strikes, President Donald Trump shared a clip from an episode of “The West Wing” in which the fictional President Jed Bartlet debates “the virtue of a proportional response.”
• Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi is in the United Arab Emirates today, where he’s slated to meet with senior officials in the Gulf state. He will travel to Israel over the weekend to formally inaugurate Hargeisa’s embassy in Jerusalem.
• Back in Washington, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to mark up the HEAL Act this morning.
• The annual Congressional Baseball Game is taking place this evening at Nationals Park, rain or shine.
• The Israel Allies Foundation is holding a belated Jerusalem Day reception this evening on Capitol Hill.
• In New York, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is holding its annual convening on antisemitism today.
• Elsewhere in New York, the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is holding its annual gala tonight, where the group will honor New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and former Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot.
• The Democrats running in the NY-07 congressional race — Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, City Councilmember Julie Won and New York state Assemblymember Claire Valdez — will square off tonight in a debate hosted by PIX 11.

What You Should Know

A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S JOSH KRAUSHAAR

Maine Democrats rallied behind scandal-plagued oyster farmer and military veteran Graham Platner as their Senate nominee against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in Tuesday’s primary, turning to a left-wing outsider running against the political and institutional establishment as its standard-bearer for the general election. 

Platner — whose controversies, including his now-covered Nazi tattoo and abuse allegations, have unnerved many Democrats — will be a political test over whether his brand of progressive populism can win over swing voters in a state critical to the Democrats’ hopes of winning back the Senate.

“In trying so hard to understand me, [the media] failed to understand that this is not about me at all. This is a movement about us, about the far too many, working far too hard and struggling far too much,” Platner said in his victory speech. 

Attacking “forever wars,” Platner railed against the Trump administration’s war in Iran, and slammed Collins for “closing hospitals while using our tax dollars to destroy them halfway around the world.” (The line was an apparent attack against Israel’s targeting of Hamas terror infrastructure that was often lodged in medical facilities during the war in Gaza.)

Platner won about 72% of the primary vote despite Gov. Janet Mills remaining on the ballot, a solid enough showing amid all the controversies that should mute any calls for him to drop out of the race. In a statement on Platner’s victory, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) reiterated their support for the nominee: “In November, Maine voters will elect Graham Platner, and we will win a Senate majority.” 

Mills, for her part, did not mention Platner at all in her statement about the election results.

Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here.

SIDESTEPPING QUESTIONS

Senior House Democrats profess ignorance of Hamawy’s controversial past

Top House Democrats are mostly avoiding questions about Adam Hamawy, the controversial Democratic nominee in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District claiming they are unfamiliar with his background, including his association with Omar Abdel-Rahman, the terrorist mastermind known as the Blind Sheikh and his service with a nonprofit in Bosnia shuttered as an al-Qaida front group, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Responses: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) sidestepped multiple questions about Hamawy in an interview on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing” this weekend. Reps. Greg Meeks (D-NY) and Jim Himes (D-CT), who are both in line to lead key national security committees if Democrats retake the House, told JI they did not have enough familiarity with Hamawy and his history to comment. But Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) joined other moderate Jewish Democrats in raising concerns, lamenting that he wants leaders, “who don’t have Nazi tattoos or close ties with convicted terrorists. It’s really not too much to ask.”

Read the full story here.

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EXCLUSIVE

Goldman, Lawler lead bipartisan group of lawmakers on House version of comprehensive antisemitism bill

Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) are leading 28 colleagues in introducing a House version of the Jewish American Security Act, the package of antisemitism-related legislation introduced by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK) last month in the Senate, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Notable quotable: “Words of condemnation are no longer enough,” Goldman said in a statement. “Since the October 7th attacks, there has been a systematic failure in Congress and in our communities to counter the threat posed by surging antisemitism across this country.” Goldman, a co-chair of the House antisemitism task force, said the bill would change that pattern: “Whether on campus, at synagogues, or online — the Jewish American Security Act will provide the tools necessary to help secure our at-risk communities to practice their faith without fear. American Jews cannot be asked to bear this burden alone. As Americans, we must stand shoulder to shoulder with those under siege by hate.”

Read the full story here.

Funding increase: The House Appropriations Committee approved a $40 million increase in its funding proposal for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program for 2027, boosting its recommendation to $355 million, in a Tuesday night session that stretched into Wednesday morning, JI’s Marc Rod reports.

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SCOOP

Stefanik, Gillen introduce bill to reform campus antisemitism adjudication procedures

Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Laura Gillen (D-NY) this week introduced the Student Protection and University Accountability Act, which aims to compel schools to institute clear policies for addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, or lose their federal funding if they fail to do so, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

What it does: The bill requires schools to designate a specified Title VI coordinator and to develop clear procedures, including providing timely notifications to complainants, for investigating student complaints and publicize those procedures, as well as to publicly display guidance from the Department of Justice on Title VI complaints. Schools would be required to certify annually to the Department of Education that they are complying with these provisions, and would be ineligible for federal funding if they fail to comply for two years in a row.

Read the full story here.

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CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE

Israeli confidence in Trump’s commitment to Israel’s security falls to new low

The share of Israelis who believe the country’s security is a primary consideration for President Donald Trump has plummeted to a new low, according to a new poll, revealing a sharp shift in public attitudes as the U.S. and Israel diverge on their strategies and ultimate goals of the war with Iran, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.

Survey says: The survey, conducted by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute from May 31 to June 5, found that 44% of Israelis believe Israel’s security is a central consideration for the Trump administration, a decline from the 60% recorded in March at the beginning of the Iran war.  The drop was even more pronounced among Jewish Israelis, where confidence fell 23 points over the same period, from 64% to 41%.

Read the full story here.

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MONEY IN MICHIGAN

UDP jumps into Mich. Senate race with $2 million ad buy supporting Stevens

Nearl

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LASHING OUT

Micah Lasher says he’s ‘exhausted’ by political ‘obsession’ with Israel

Micah Lasher, a Democratic New York state assemblymember running to fill the seat of retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in Manhattan, raised concerns on Monday that “the political dialogue” in his primary “is obsessed with Israel,” a key topic of discussion in the heavily Jewish 12th Congressional District, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. Lasher made the remarks while participating in a candidate forum at B’nai Jeshurun, a synagogue on the Upper West Side. 

Fed up: During the forum on Monday night, the moderator, New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg, asked Lasher where he stood regarding continued U.S. aid to Israel — a question that has been repeatedly posed to him and his opponents throughout the race. Lasher has said he backs funding to boost Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system and opposes efforts to condition U.S. aid to Israel that single out the Jewish state. Rather than answering Goldberg’s question directly, Lasher sounded increasingly frustrated as he described feeling “exhausted by the obsession on a plot of land the size of New Jersey.”

Read the full story here.

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Worthy Reads

Mae Alsalama: The Associated Press’ Melanie Lidman spotlights Avichay Adraee, who is retiring next week as the IDF’s first Arabic-language spokesperson, having pioneered the position more than two decades ago. “The military’s claim to have found Hamas infrastructure under a luxury hotel in Gaza made little impact, but Adraee said his satirical video of a Hamas leader leaving a Trip Advisor review for the tunnels was widely shared. He has sent birthday messages to singers and holiday greetings to Arab influencers, even exchanging public messages with Lebanese journalists who work for Hezbollah-linked outlets. ‘We want people to be exposed to the really important and serious messages, the information we’re trying to convince them of, but if you want them to remember you, you have to be more creative,’ he said.” [AP]

The Platner Paradigm: The New York Times’ Bret Stephens suggests that Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s candidacy could end the “inconsistent standards selectively applied” to fit certain political biases. “If Platner can pass muster among Democratic primary voters, then the differences between him and Donald Trump are mainly of degree, not of kind. You may still agree with Platner’s politics, and if you’re in Maine, you may still think he’s a better choice than Collins. What you can no longer do, at least not with any intellectual integrity, is to use moral litmus tests to try to disqualify political figures from the opposing party. To be fine with Platner, knowing what you know now, should also require burying #MeToo in the graveyard of discarded progressive shibboleths.” [NYTimes]

Bibi’s Blind Spot: The Wall Street Journal’s William Galston observes the steep drop in support for Israel among broad swaths of Americans. “More than a decade ago, Mr. Netanyahu abandoned his country’s longstanding policy of cultivating bipartisan American support and made a hard right turn toward the Republicans. Today, Republicans over 50 are the only demographic group to give him and his country majority support, even as controversy about American policy in the Middle East rises among younger Republicans, along with anti-Jewish attitudes on the MAGA right and the radical left. Here as elsewhere, Israel’s veteran prime minister has been tactically clever but strategically foolish, leading his country into a political cul de sac.” [WSJ]

Police the Platforms: In the Washington Times, Sander Gerber and Shawn Chenoweth call for the implementation of federal reforms to address malign behavior on social media platforms. “Algorithms do not distinguish between civic contributions and coordinated manipulation by U.S. adversaries. They optimize for attention. The result is a feedback loop that brings fringe narratives into the mainstream and, ultimately, sows national division. The risks are not just to our national security. They are also commercial. The issue is not what people are allowed to say; it is whether users and advertisers know who is speaking and how much of the apparent public reaction is real.” [WashingtonTimes]

Word on the Street

President Donald Trump met with former Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski in the Oval Office on Tuesday; Braslavski, who was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza last October, had been unable to join a group of hostages who met with the president late last year, soon after the release of the remaining living hostages…

Senior officials in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reportedly told employees to expect widespread staff cuts in the coming months as part of Trump’s directive to interim DNI Bill Pulte to further shrink the office, which initially saw layoffs following outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation last year…

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) poured cold water on suggestions that he mount another presidential bid; Sanders, who will be 87 on Election Day 2028, said at a National Press Club event that he “suspect[s] that’s not going to happen”…

The Trump administration‘s plans for a $1.5 trillion defense budget seem increasingly shaky as top Senate Republicans on the Appropriations Committee said Tuesday that they do not believe a third reconciliation bill — expected to fund a portion of the defense budget, among other matters — can pass this year, even as House Republicans say they plan to charge ahead…

Speaking at an Agudath Israel of America event on Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said that the Department of Justice will soon file charges in another hate crime case targeting the Jewish community, adding that the DOJ is also looking into cases relating to antisemitic discrimination by local planning departments and commissions in the Northeast…

Progressive activist Randy Villegas, who is running to unseat Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) in California, claimed victory on Tuesday in the jungle primary over Jasmeet Bains, a moderate Democrat who had been favored by pro-Israel leaders as well as the party’s national leadership, JI’s Matthew Kassel reports…

Some Democratic lawmakers are threatening to withhold their dues to the DCCC over its boosting of Bains, which included a $135,000 ad buy…

Politico reports that Sherif Soliman, who was tapped by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani earlier this year to head the city’s Office of Management and Budget, may have violated ethics laws when he briefed a group of Democratic Socialists of America members on the city’s finances…

Harvard University will expand its kosher food offerings following a $100 million gift from the Zimmer Family Foundation that will go in part to bringing kosher dining options to the school’s Eliot House; Stuart Zimmer, who made the donation with his wife, Jennifer, said they hoped “to ensure that every Jewish student feels genuinely welcomed and at home on campus”…

Jewish groups in the Tampa, Fla., area are joining calls for local officials to cancel two upcoming Kanye West shows in the city, amid a wave of cancellations of the rapper’s concerts in Europe tied to his past antisemitic rhetoric…

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for sending an antisemitic message to a Jewish public official in the state telling the official to “[g]o back to Israel or better yet, exterminate yourself and save us the trouble. … We will not stop until your kind is nonexistent”…

In response to the viral image of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg coming face-to-face with Jose Alvarado when the Knicks guard crashed into spectators during Monday night’s NBA Finals game, Bloomberg posted on X, “Great to meet NYC’s homegrown star, @AlvaradoJose15. But next time, Jose, just call me. Let’s go Knicks!”…

Actor Gwyneth Paltrow is the celebrity face of a new advertising campaign promoting Aviv Melisron’s 51 PARK development in Herzliya, Israel…

Berlin’s Babka & Krantz Jewish bakery shuttered its flagship shop, six months after the eatery, which was opened by Polish and Israeli immigrants, closed its second location; the owners cited, in part, “constant verbal abuse” faced by employees in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks…

New York-based real estate owners Michael and David Shabsels declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New Jersey last Thursday, both personally and under their umbrella group, Simad Holdings, a move that could affect thousands of Jewish campers just as the summer season is getting underway, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher reports…

U.K. officials charged a fifth individual — a teenager — in connection with a March arson attack targeting Hatzola ambulances in the heavily Jewish London suburb of Golders Green…

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that France had banned Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, saying that the far-right Israeli official “actively promotes the annexation of the West Bank … [as well as] the creation of new settlements in the West Bank, [and] the recolonization of Gaza”…

The Associated Press does a deep dive into the tensions surrounding the unknown whereabouts of a Palestinian man with Ukrainian citizenship who had escaped Hezbollah custody in Beirut after having been accused by Lebanese officials of plotting attacks in the country; the disappearance of Khaled al-Aydi comes as Hezbollah cracks down on Israeli efforts to infiltrate the terror group…

Iran’s national football federation said that U.S. officials had revoked the ticket allocation for the team’s soccer fans planning to attend the Islamic Republic’s three U.S. matches…Oscar-winning costume designer Albert Wolsky, who as a teenager fled Nazi Europe and went on to accumulate scores of film credits, including “Sophie’s Choice” and “Grease,” died at 95…

Pic of the Day

Agudath Israel of America celebrated the retirement of Rabbi Abba Cohen (fourth from left), the longtime director of the group’s Washington office, and the opening of the group’s new D.C. headquarters near the Capitol. In addition, the organization announced at Tuesday’s event that Rabbi A.D. Motzen will be taking Cohen’s place as the new head of the Washington office.

Birthdays

Actor and the older sister of comedian Sarah Silverman, Laura Silverman turns 60…Author of award-winning books about her experiences before, during and after the Holocaust, Aranka Davidowitz Siegal turns 96… Emmy Award-winning TV journalist who has worked for CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN and PBS, he is the author of 14 books, Jeff Greenfield turns 83… Musician, producer, composer and conductor for film and television, Randy Edelman turns 79… Physical therapist at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Andrea Sachs… Cathy Farbstein Miller… Senior director of communications for CoGenerate, Stefanie Weiss… Former attorney general and then governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer turns 67… Director of strategic accounts at Pharmacy Management Solutions, Avi H. Goldfeder… Blogger and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, Neil Steinberg turns 66… Film, television and stage actor, Gina Gershon turns 64… President and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), Michael Makovsky… Israeli film and TV Actor, Avital Abergel turns 49… Veteran of nine NFL seasons as an offensive tackle, he is now the athletic director of Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif., Mike Rosenthal turns 49… VP of strategic partnerships at the Birthright Israel Foundation and director of community education at NYC’s Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, Rabbi Daniel Kraus… Professor at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, Yascha Mounk turns 44… Economic commentator on Israel’s Channel 13, Matan Hodorov turns 41… Publisher of The New York Sun, he is also honorary chairman of The Algemeiner, Dovid Efune… Actor, producer, writer and director, Joseph Paul “Joey” Zimmerman turns 40… CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area, Tyler Gregory… Singer, composer and entertainer in the contemporary Jewish religious music industry, Simcha Leiner turns 37… CEO of NYC-based Encounter Programs, designed to transform communal engagement with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yona Shem-Tov… Belgian singer and songwriter, known as “Blanche,” Ellie Noa Blanche Delvaux turns 27…

Top House Democrats are mostly avoiding questions about Adam Hamawy, the controversial Democratic nominee in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, saying they are unfamiliar with his background, including his association with Omar Abdel-Rahman, the terrorist mastermind known as the Blind Sheikh, and his service with a nonprofit organization in Bosnia shuttered as an al-Qaida front group.

A small number of moderate Jewish Democrats have spoken out against Hamawy, expressing concerns about his potential elevation to the House, and frustration with what his and others’ rise signals about the state of the Democratic Party.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who congratulated Hamawy on his victory last week — as he traditionally does with most Democratic nominees — sidestepped multiple questions about him in an interview on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing” this weekend.

“I haven’t spoken to him, he’s going to have to speak for himself and address these allegations,” Jeffries said in response to a question about Hamawy’s testimony in defense of Abdel-Rahman, before criticizing the administration over the war in Iran and high gas prices.

Asked again, he criticized Republicans for their own controversial comments, and the administration over cost-of-living issues.

Though some Democrats and high-ranking Republicans have raised concerns about Hamawy’s fitness to serve on committees related to national security, Democrats poised to lead some of those committees told Jewish Insider they aren’t familiar with him.

Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told JI he hadn’t been following Hamawy’s primary race and hadn’t yet spoken with him.

“I’d have to have a conversation with someone like Bonnie Watson Coleman or somebody that might know him, or tell me a little bit about it before I can say anything in that regard,” Meeks said, referring to the retiring congresswoman whom Hamawy is seeking to replace. “I don’t like to talk about somebody I don’t know, and I’ve not looked at his background or anything else of that nature.”

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) declined to comment last week, saying he did not know enough about Hamawy to discuss the situation.

Other Democrats, including Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), have expressed concerns about Hamawy and his election, and Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) joined them this week.

“I’m a simple guy, and want leaders that will help us fix this broken economy and keep Americans safe … and who don’t have Nazi tattoos or close ties with convicted terrorists. It’s really not too much to ask,” Landsman told JI.

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) said when asked about Hamawy’s fitness to serve on national security-related committees, “We’ll cross those bridges when we get there.”

“I have concerns about his past associations, and we’ll measure him on what he does, if and when he gets here,” Schneider, a co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, told JI. “That was a decision the voters of New Jersey made. That’s how our democracy works.”

Hamawy’s campaign has insisted in statements that his “entire career and life have been defined by his patriotism and deep love of this country,” and described his testimony in defense of the Blind Sheikh as his “civic and legal duty,” carried out while Hamawy was a member of the Army.

“At the time, the man in question was one of very few religious figures in what was then a very small Muslim community in New Jersey — he saw him speak in religious settings in his early 20s. Dr. Hamawy condemns that man’s violent rhetoric and actions, and all violence, hatred and terrorism — and he will always. Dr. Hamawy had no contact with this person after they were arrested.”

The campaign has dismissed criticisms of his involvement with Benevolence International, the organization closed down as an al-Qaida front years after he volunteered, as “desperate,” “absurd” and “gross and bigoted.” It has stated that he volunteered to provide medical assistance to victims of the Bosnian genocide, and that Benevolence International was approved at the time by the Bosnian mission to the United States and the United Nations.

House Democrats are set to name Reps. Wesley Bell (D-MO), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Jewish Insider has learned.

Bell and Wasserman Schultz are both strong supporters of Israel, while Pocan is an outspoken critic, joining a panel that features outspoken voices on both sides of the Israel policy debate. None of the three offices responded to requests for comment. 

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), a Jewish Republican and strong supporter of Israel, also recently joined the panel.

Wasserman Schultz is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee who has long been deeply involved in foreign policy issues, particularly in support of Israel. She is also a co-chair of the House Abraham Accords Caucus.

Bell, first elected in 2024, also serves on the House Armed Services Committee. Bell defeated anti-Israel former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) with support from the Jewish and pro-Israel communities both in St. Louis and nationally, and faces a primary challenge from her this year.

Pocan has long been among the most vocal critics of Israel in the House. He was a lead sponsor of the Block the Bombs Act when it was first introduced a year ago, and voted against supplemental aid to Israel in 2024. He also frequently sparred with AIPAC on social media, at times invoking antisemitic tropes accusing Israel and its supporters of relishing in the deaths of civilians and children.

House Democrats and Jewish groups welcomed the passage of $300 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) on Thursday, while warning that funding for the program remains insufficient to fully protect the Jewish community and places of worship amid a surge in antisemitism.

The appropriation was passed through a bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security, approved in the House on Thursday after receiving approval in the Senate. The move ends the monthslong shutdown of agencies including the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which operates NSGP.

While lawmakers welcomed the fact that funding marks an increase from the $274.5 million provided in fiscal year 2025, they cautioned that the $300 million still falls short of the need within the Jewish community, given the threat level. The grants are used to harden institutions, including synagogues and day schools, against physical attacks.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) told Jewish Insider that $300 million is “nowhere near enough.” 

“It is just unacceptable that we are going in the wrong direction,” Wasserman Schultz said. “$300 million is backwards. We need a billion dollars with the explosive growth in antisemitism and antisemitic attacks.” 

Jewish communal groups as well as a bipartisan group of 150 House members called for an increase in funding for the program of up to $1 billion following several attacks including the car-ramming and shooting attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., in March.

“We need to make sure that every person who attends not just a Jewish institution, but any religious or community organization — that no one should have to fear being attacked in a public space like that,” Wasserman Schultz added. “We need to make sure that the funding is adequate to keep people safe.” 

The Florida lawmaker noted that she hopes Congress can unlock more funding for the program, saying that there is an “appropriations process that is ongoing, so hopefully we’ll be able to.” 

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) told JI that the development is “good news,” adding that “hopefully we [Congress] will get these resources out the door as quickly as possible to protect our religious institutions.” 

“It’s better than nothing, right?” Gottheimer said. “It’s good news to get these resources out the door, and we certainly need to get them out the door, and so this is an important step.”

Still, Gottheimer said the amount is not enough. He stated that he plans to “push for a lot more for next year” and that he has “already taken action, written letters and laid down clear markers that we need a lot more.” 

“I think we need more because right now we’re running less than 50% fulfilled in terms of [grant] requests,” Gottheimer said. “So, obviously it’s not enough, especially with the threats out there. When you look at antisemitism and the surge in the rates, we obviously need to get a lot more help for our religious institutions so we can ensure religious freedom and protect our synagogues.” 

Gottheimer also expressed frustration with what he described as former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “holding up the resources.” However, he said he hoped that the department’s newly installed secretary, former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, would mark an improvement. 

“She [Noem] had put a review on all of the resources, so a lot of the money didn’t get out the door because they were looking at all the procedures and so the money was being held up,” Gottheimer said. “I’m optimistic that our new secretary, and I spoke to him, will get these resources out the door.” 

Rep. George Latimer (D-NY) said he was unsure whether the newly allocated amount was the “right number,” but stated that he believed it could have a “positive effect.” 

“The synagogues and the Jewish day schools in my district and around me are really concerned about the rise of antisemitism,” Latimer said. “I’m not Jewish myself, but I can see that there’s a pointed effort to try and make people feel afraid in doing things that we believe everybody should be able to do.”

“I suppose you could always use more [funding],” Latimer added. “But if it’s going to go to the right purpose and it’s done without extra strings attached, as you never know how this administration will operate — but I would certainly say that Jewish communities should have this extra support and protection.”

Jewish communal organizations similarly applauded the funding, but urged for more down the line.

“This increase over last year’s funding level is an important and very welcome step,” Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, said in a statement. “While sadly even more funding is needed for Jewish community security, this increased level of funding will surely help. We will continue working with members of Congress and our allies to fund NSGP at even higher levels in 2027 to meet demand.”

Lauren Wolman, senior director of government relations and strategy at the Anti-Defamation League, called the funding “an important step in protecting vulnerable communities amid evolving threats.” 

“NSGP is a proven, lifesaving program, but demand continues to far outpace resources. As antisemitic threats reach record highs, funding must keep pace. Turning our attention to FY27, we urge Congress to fund NSGP at $1 billion,” Wolman continued. “Now that DHS has reopened, we urge the Administration to ensure FY25 funds are disbursed promptly and [open applications for 2026 grants] in a timely manner.”

The Jewish Federations of North America also welcomed the move, saying in a statement that the funding will “restore critical operations at a moment when threats facing Jewish communities and other vulnerable populations remain alarmingly high.” It also encouraged the administration to release funds allocated for 2025 and open applications for 2026, and indicated that the organization would “fight for $1 billion for FY2027.” 

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), one of the few House Democrats who has supported strikes on Iran and opposed a war powers resolution to bring it to an end earlier this month, now says he wants to see the war wrapped up, and will vote for an upcoming resolution to end the conflict.

“It’s time to finish the operation in Iran. It’s time to be done,” Landsman said in a statement on Friday. “No expansion of the original operation. No ground troops.”

Landsman’s statement comes in advance of an anticipated vote on another war powers resolution to end the conflict next week, led by Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY). Landsman said he plans to vote for the war powers resolution, and urged colleagues to do the same. 

Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Jared Golden (D-ME) and Juan Vargas (D-CA) were the only other Democrats to vote against the previous war powers resolution earlier this month.

“The fact is, in three weeks, we have destroyed nearly all of the regime’s missile and drone launch capacity and eliminated their ability, for now, to produce ballistic missiles and drones,” Landsman said. “This means the objective to destroy the weapons shield built to protect their underground nuclear enrichment facilities has been achieved.”

“The cost of inaction was far too high to tolerate. But now it’s time to be done,” he continued, adding that U.S. military officials have successfully executed their mission, so it is “now it is time for the administration to end the operation before we become entangled in a conflict with no strategic logic.”

The Ohio congressman criticized the Trump administration for its communication around the war, while praising military officials for how they have conducted the U.S. operations.

Cuellar, Golden and Vargas did not comment on how they plan to vote on the next war powers resolution. Assuming full attendance, just three other lawmakers who opposed the previous war powers resolution would need to flip to allow the next one to pass.

Landsman, Cuellar, Golden and three other moderate House Democrats are also co-sponsoring an alternative war powers resolution that would limit the duration of the war to 30 days from its inception, which also should be eligible for a vote in the House soon.

That 30-day deadline from the war’s beginning — March 30 — is quickly approaching, raising the likelihood that other Democrats like Cuellar and Golden might support ending the war, based on the timeline they laid out.

In a surprise vote on Thursday afternoon that baffled some observers in Washington, 53 House Democrats voted against a resolution “reaffirming Iran remains the largest state sponsor of terrorism.” For some, their opposition traces to a desire not to give President Donald Trump rhetorical, or potentially legal, justification for continuing the Iran war, lawmakers said.

The resolution passed by a vote of 372-53, with two members voting “present.” 

Most of the lawmakers voting against the resolution — like Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) —  are progressives, many of them frequent critics of Israel.

But a handful of others who ended up voting against the resolution are relative moderates who have taken more hawkish stances on Iran, such as Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Rob Menendez (D-NJ) and Steve Cohen (D-TN), who also voted against the resolution. 

Many of the more moderate lawmakers who voted against the resolution are facing either competitive reelection races with challengers from their left or, in Krishnamoorthi’s case, running for higher office.

Newly elected Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX), who had thus far not encountered any House votes on Middle East policy and faces Rep. Al Green (D-TX) in a member-on-member primary runoff, also voted no, as did Green.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), a Democratic rising star who is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told Jewish Insider he felt the legislation was meant to provide additional support for the war.

“Right now there’s an active situation that I oppose,” Garcia said. “That [resolution is] just meant to provide more pressure on that action. I think that right now, it’s a purely political stunt, and something that I won’t agree with.”

Another House Democrat, who asked to remain anonymous, explained that they were concerned about two clauses in the legislation, which they said could provide Trump with legal justifications for continuing the war.

One clause notes that “Tehran continues to harbor a network of senior al-Qaeda leaders, providing them with sanctuary space to fundraise in support of its fighters.” Given that the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force that approved the Afghanistan war includes language allowing the use of military power against any nations that harbored the organizations or individuals responsible for planning, carrying or aiding in the 9/11 attacks, the Democrat said that Trump could use the language “as a legal justification” for the war.

The other clause describes Iran as a “direct and persistent threat to the United States,” which the Democrat said could trigger the president’s self-defense authorities under Article II of the Constitution.

“Iran is a leading state sponsor of terrorism led by a regime that represses its own people and poses real dangers we must confront. We must ensure it never obtains a nuclear weapon. I will continue to support targeted efforts to counter the threats posed by Iran, but I voted against a separate resolution on Iran that President Trump may soon use to politically justify this war,” Krishnamoorthi said.

“Iran is obviously a state sponsor of terrorism. There’s no debate on that. The issue is that Republicans are using this to claim that Iran is harboring Al Qaeda (sound familiar?) and is a direct and persistent threat to the U.S. so they can legally justify this reckless war,” Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) said on X.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), a progressive Israel critic who voted against the resolution, called it a “political messaging bill” designed to take attention away from the war powers resolution that failed in the House shortly after.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee — who supported the resolution — said in a statement, “I agree with the principal assertion of this resolution that Iran is a bad actor. Iran’s malign and destabilizing actions in the region and treatment of its own citizens should be denounced. I have never contested this. What I do contest is that going to war is the reasonable response to this assertion. I support this resolution. I do not support the president’s war of choice with Iran.”

A group of six moderate House Democrats introduced an alternative war powers resolution on Iran, which — rather than demanding an immediate end to the ongoing U.S. operation — would give the administration 30 days in which to either end the campaign or come to Congress to seek approval for continued strikes.

The resolution is sponsored by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Jared Golden (D-ME) and Jim Costa (D-CA). It signals concern from the group of hawkish pro-Israel House Democrats about the efforts by their colleagues to demand an immediate end to operations in Iran, though at least some of the sponsors of the resolution still plan to vote for the existing war powers resolution this week as well.

“Iran is actively firing drones and ballistic missiles at U.S. troops, our embassies, allies, and is targeting civilians across the region,” Gottheimer said on X on Tuesday. “This new Democratic War Powers Resolution will uphold Congress’s constitutional authority — while also ensuring the U.S. can defend our troops, embassies, and allies from Iranian aggression.”

Landsman said that the resolution “allows for the short-term, targeted strikes on the regime’s missiles and bombs, requires Trump to come to Congress for a vote, and specifies ‘no ground troops.’ Destroy the [regime’s] ability to destroy more lives or cause any more mayhem or violence. Nothing more.”

In a press release, Gottheimer’s office pointed to concerns that the resolution led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), which is set to receive a House vote this week, would pull out U.S. forces even as Iran is targeting U.S. troops, assets, facilities and allies. “It is vital that we allow for a safe transition, that protects our service members, embassies, and allies, not a potentially precarious withdrawal,” the statement reads.

Lawmakers supporting the war powers resolutions in both chambers have largely not articulated what an immediate end to the war would entail or the potential consequences of abruptly pulling out U.S. forces.

The new resolution includes specific language forbidding the administration from deploying ground troops into Iran “in a combat role, including for regime change, or for occupation unless explicitly authorized by Congress,” but includes an exception for search and rescue and intelligence operations.

Gottheimer’s press release argues that an “open-ended commitment” and a potential commitment of ground troops would both be “unacceptable,” while also warning that “it is equally unwise to act in a precipitous way and endanger America’s security and put our service members in additional harm’s way.”

The Gottheimer-led resolution also contains language that would allow the U.S. to continue to defend its facilities, personnel and allies from “imminent attack;” keep forces in the region “for defensive purposes” and who are engaged in other missions and continue sharing intelligence with partners.

The war powers resolution that is set to receive a House vote later this week does not include similar language to specifically allow for continued intelligence sharing and defensive operations protecting allies, which could raise concerns for pro-Israel Democrats.

The Senate version of the resolution does include such protections.

While Gottheimer and Landsman have said they oppose the Massie-Khanna resolution, Panetta said on Tuesday that he would support it, despite also backing the Gottheimer resolution.

“The President has not abided by our Constitution when it comes to invading foreign sovereign states,” Panetta said in a statement. “That is why Congress must fulfill our obligations under the constitution by supporting this week’s bipartisan War Powers Resolution.”

Asked about the Gottheimer resolution, Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasized that the Massie-Khanna legislation will be coming to the floor on Wednesday. “That’s the one we have. This is continuing right now. We need to vote on this resolution tomorrow. I’m not considering any other [resolution].”

Jeremy Bash, a former chief of staff at the Department of Defense and Central Intelligence Agency under the Obama administration, told JI that the Khanna-Massie resolution is reckless.

“We have U.S. servicemembers in harm’s way. Some are flying combat sorties as we speak. We can’t call them in the cockpit and say ‘Congress has prohibited you from completing this mission. Please turn around and stop what you’re doing.’ If that sounds a little strange, it is because the Ro Khanna resolution requires that very strange outcome,” Bash said. “An immediate withdrawal is dangerous for our troops. Any pullback needs to be orderly and safe. We need to give the combatant commander at least a few weeks to do this safely.”

He said that Congress can and should be involved in debating the war and providing oversight, but “for a war powers resolution to be credible, it has to build in several days for the commanders to act responsibly to protect their troops. This cannot be done immediately.”

Bash called Gottheimer’s resolution a “very sensible alternative that will protect our troops.”

Daniel Silverberg, a former advisor to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), emphasized that a similar effort to cut off the U.S.’ Libya operations led by “one of the most ardent anti-war activists in the House,” then-Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), included a 15-day wind-down provision. 

“The Massie-Khanna resolution lacks it. The notion that Democrats would not, at a minimum, support that amendment to allow for a responsible withdrawal of forces is problematic from a national security perspective and from a messaging perspective,” Silverberg said.

Amb. Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and senior State and Defense Department official, said that the resolution could serve as a “fallback” if the Massie-Khanna resolution fails, one which might have a chance of attracting GOP support.

“The 30 day clock … arguably addresses a concern that some members might have about troops who are actively engaged and in the field, and would need some window of time … to wind down and safely conclude operations,” Shapiro said.

Several moderate House Democrats said they were concerned and frustrated by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s account, which emerged over the weekend, of being questioned by Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, as part of his vetting as her potential running mate, about whether he had ever been an agent of Israel.

Some progressives have defended the questioning by pointing to a subsequent report that the campaign had asked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the eventual vice presidential nominee, about whether he had served as an agent for China, where he once lived. 

But Shapiro, who volunteered on a kibbutz and briefly on an Israeli army base while in high school, also said that the campaign had pressured him to walk back condemnations of antisemitism on college campuses, and emphasized that he took offense to the scope and persistence of the questioning he faced about Israel.

“Totally insane,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) told Jewish Insider. “I don’t know how else to describe insanity. Literally insane.”

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) said the questioning was “concerning” and that he was “glad Josh had the courage to say what happened.”

“Hopefully people will appreciate that you shouldn’t do that. … It’s a longstanding antisemitic trope that we’re all agents of the Israeli government, that we’re all working for this global Jewish cabal. And so that’s problematic,” Landsman, who is Jewish, continued. “Antisemitism is complicated. There’s a lot of pieces to it. They all get very dangerous for us. I do think that people should be open to say, if Jews say it’s antisemitic — even if some say it’s not — let’s just assume it is and be done and not do it.”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) called the revelations “incredibly disturbing,” while saying she didn’t believe Harris would have approved the line of questioning.

“The process that allowed for those kinds of questions to be asked is disturbing to me. I’ve known Josh Shapiro for a really long time, and I understand how he felt and would have felt the same way,” Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the Democratic National committee, told JI. “It’s a little bewildering that that would be the kind of question line that they would take, given that Vice President Harris’ husband is Jewish. From what I know and experienced of both she and he, separately and together, that doesn’t seem like a line of questioning that she would have approved of. Hopefully it was a rogue question, rather than something that was sanctioned.”

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) praised Shapiro personally and said he took issue with the questions he faced in the vetting process.

“I’ll give you my reaction to Josh Shapiro: This is someone who knows who he is, he’s confident in his identity and proud of where he comes from and strong in what he believes. I think he gave the right answers, and I think it was wrong that those questions were even raised.”

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) said that the questioning of Shapiro was not appropriate, calling it “very disturbing” and “unfair.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said in a statement over the weekend that Shapiro’s account was “nothing short of outrageous, and, if true, demand[s] an immediate explanation from the Harris campaign.

“That kind of insinuation and  targeting is antisemitism, plain and simple. No one should be judged or discriminated against because of their faith. We must do better,” Gottheimer continued.

Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) said on CNN over the weekend, “If that question was asked of Governor Shapiro, it should have been asked to every other candidate who was vetted.”

Others largely withheld criticism of the Harris campaign.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), a co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, said that it sounded like other potential nominees had also been asked about foreign ties, but described the line of questioning as “bizarre.”

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) withheld judgment when asked about Shapiro’s revelations, telling JI, “It’s obviously very interesting. I don’t know whether the person asking the vetting questions really reflected Kamala Harris’ personal opinions at all, so I’ve got to read more about it.”

Rep. Madeliene Dean (D-PA) said she didn’t want to comment on the situation without having read Shapiro’s book coming out next week, in which he describes the encounter, or having been present for the conversations in question, but said that she has known Shapiro for a long time and praised him as a man of “[faith], family and a belief in the American system.”

At a press conference outside the Capitol on Tuesday, House Democrats called for action by the U.S. government to ensure free internet access and telecommunications for Iranians amid a crackdown by the Iranian regime, but largely withheld comment on whether the administration should undertake military strikes on the regime in support of the protesters, as President Donald Trump has floated.

“People cannot reach loved ones, plan and organize or reach unbiased information. They are literally being kept in the dark by their own government, and it could very well be permanent,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), the daughter of Iranian immigrants and the first Iranian-American Democrat in Congress, said. “It’s why long-standing bipartisan efforts to ensure internet access in Iran cannot be left on the back burner. This access could save lives, and this is all very personal to me.”

She thanked colleagues for signing on to a bipartisan resolution expressing support for the Iranian protesters, condemning the Iranian regime, calling for unrestricted internet access and urging the U.S. and allied governments to “implement concrete measures” to deter further killings of protesters.

“To the people of Iran: know that you are not alone. Members of Congress and the United States see your incredible courage, and your resolve, your fight for freedom, democracy and self determination has inspired millions around the world. The future of Iran belongs to you and to no one else. The United States and the international community must continue to stand with the people of Iran and support a democratic Iran free from the tyrannical Islamic Republic,” Ansari continued.

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) highlighted the bipartisan support for the protesters and asked the administration to take “concrete action to break through the communications blackout, to allow the people to succeed and to allow the people of Iran to control its destiny.”

He said that restoring communications access is critical to allowing Iranian dissidents to coordinate with each other and to share their experiences with the rest of the world, and for them to be able to see the support they have received from around the world.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) praised the protesters, referencing slogans used in previous Iranian protest movements, and accused the Iranian regime of depriving and stealing from its own citizens in order to “serve as a terrorist banker” and “destabilize the Middle East and terrorize the world.”

“I hope that we can breach the internet blackout so the people will know that their protests these past three weeks have been [an] inspiration to us all,” Suozzi continued.

Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) said, “We, the United States, this Congress, in a bipartisan way, has a moral obligation to amplify [the protesters’] voices when their own government tries to silence them, and we will make clear that we see them, we hear them, and we stand unequivocally with them.”

Asked by reporters about the possibility of military action, the Democratic lawmakers largely deflected.

“My personal belief is that any military action needs to come before Congress. That is the law of the United States within our Constitution,” Ansari said. “But no such action has been proposed or has been put forward by the president. No briefing has been had, no real formal proposal by the president of the United States has come to Congress when it pertains to Iran. So if he has any proposals, I know that many colleagues would be interested in hearing them.”

Trump has dialed back his rhetoric about the immediacy of the situation and the likelihood of strikes in recent days.

When pressed on whether she would support a proposal for military action if it were presented, Ansari reiterated that her “focus is the fact that there is no internet in Iran, and Donald Trump has done absolutely nothing to support internet freedom in the country,” criticizing the president for pulling funding from organizations supporting Iranian dissidents as part of the USAID shutdown last year.

She called for that funding to be “resumed immediately” and for Congress to act on legislation to restore internet and cellular access and her resolution in support of the Iranian people. She said she’s hopeful for a vote on the resolution this week.

“Right now we’re holding together a bipartisan coalition so we can’t go off in all different directions,” Suozzi said. “Right now, we have very strong support for the United States Congress standing by the people of Iran in their protest, and we have strong bipartisan support for providing internet access to the people of Iran. We need to hold that coalition together and get those steps done. And then we can move on to the next.”

The members of the Congressional Jewish Caucus — every Jewish House Democrat — wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Wednesday urging her to rescind new conditions — presumably related to immigration enforcement and diversity programs — instituted earlier this year on recipients of Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding.

“We are writing to you today to express our strong desire to ensure that the NSGP is adequately funded and unimpeded by new requirements that are unrelated to the security of grant recipients and their communities,” the letter reads. “Insufficient funding or unnecessary obstacles to obtaining grants could undermine the right of every religious community to freely and peacefully worship and congregate without fear.”

The lawmakers charge that new conditions for the grant program promulgated in April “create onerous new compliance requirements for recipients that will divert limited funds and restrict the religious conscience of synagogues, schools, and other institutions pivotal to our community,” and call on Noem to issue new guidance waiving any terms “that do not directly relate to the grant’s purpose, which is to help qualified institutions improve their security against increasing threats.”

The letter does not directly spell out which conditions the lawmakers are addressing, but congressional Democrats and some in the Jewish community have previously raised concerns about new language in some grant materials indicating that grants may be contingent on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and eliminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.

“[W]e reject any efforts to force Jewish and other houses of worship and institutions to choose between vital security funding and expression of their core religious freedoms, as well as their faith teachings and values,” the lawmakers wrote. “In this time of increased hate crimes against minorities, and in particular rising antisemitism, we believe it is crucial that NSGP remains a critical resource accessible to all communities in need and free from partisan politicization.”

The lawmakers also emphasized that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have supported a “streamlined, effective program with minimal red tape and compliance requirements.”

The letter was signed by Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Brad Schneider (D-IL), the co-chairs of the Jewish caucus, and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Becca Balint (D-VT), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Mike Levin (D-CA), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Laura Friedman (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).

“The Nonprofit Security Grant Program has been a lifeline as we face rising antisemitism, hate, and extremism — but these politically-motivated grant requirements threaten to force our communities to choose between their safety and their core religious values,” Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO  Amy Spitalnick said in a statement about the letter, which specifically referenced the immigration and DEI language. “The fact is that the NSGP is simply too important to be politicized to advance the administration’s agenda..”

JCPA has previously urged the administration directly to repeal the conditions.

A coalition of major Jewish communal and security organizations, including the Jewish Federations of North America, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Anti-Defamation League, Secure Community Network, Community Security Initiative and Community Security Service issued a joint statement in September urging institutions to apply for the grants in spite of any concerns that they may have about the new criteria.

A group of more than 30 House Democrats wrote to leaders at the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday criticizing their management of the 2025 Nonprofit Security Grant Program, saying that a lack of information provided by DHS is severely hampering applications to and implementation of the critical program.

The lawmakers criticized DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for publishing the application for the grants months behind schedule, and, they allege, failing to provide “basic information necessary to move the application process forward and to fruition,” including specific timelines for the grants and applications, which the Democrats said still have not been provided.

“States have repeatedly asked FEMA for this information, and they have received no response,” the lawmakers continued. “This has also created a chilling effect on faith-based and nonprofit organizations that are hesitant to participate in an opaque application process.”

The lawmakers stated that the delays in allocating 2025 funding are concerning given the ongoing spate of attacks on religious institutions across the country, including a Catholic church in Minneapolis, a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan and the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.

They also said that FEMA has failed to engage in educational and outreach programs to prospective applicants about the grants and the application process — programs that are required under law.

“Because of FEMA’s delays and lack of coordination and communication with States, many States have already opened and closed the application period for nonprofit organizations, meaning that any outreach from FEMA at this point would be too late,” the letter continues. “Other States have not opened the application process and have not communicated with faith-based and nonprofit stakeholders, leaving the process and the potential applicants in limbo.”

The Democrats criticized DHS for ignoring bipartisan requests from Congress to share the names of organizations awarded NSGP funding under a supplemental funding round earlier this year, which had been standard procedure in the past.

They also said DHS has added burdensome new requirements on state administrators for nonprofits that are seeking reimbursements for security costs from grants that have already been provided, slowing down reimbursements, increasing administrative costs and discouraging further applications.

The letter also raises concerns about language included in some NSGP materials suggesting that the grants could be conditioned on compliance with immigration enforcement efforts and alleges that DHS may be attempting to ban Muslim organizations from receiving security funding. The administration has already pulled funding from some Muslim groups with alleged ties to terrorism.

“FEMA must take immediate steps to get the FY 2025 NSGP back on track so that FY 2026 can proceed without the present delays, inconsistencies and uncertainties, and lack of uniformity and predictability that have previously been the hallmarks and guardrails for a program serving several thousand faith-based and nonprofit applicants each grant cycle,” the letter concludes.

The lawmakers urged DHS and FEMA to take immediate action to rectify the series of concerns they outlined and move the 2025 grant process ahead quickly. 

The letter was led by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, and co-signed by Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Lou Correa (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Tim Kennedy (D-NY), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Julie Johson (D-TX), Nellie Pou (D-NJ), Troy Carter (D-LA), Al Green (D-TX), James Walkinshaw (D-VA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Ed Case (D-HI), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Andre Carson (D-IN), Dina Titus (D-NV), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Laura Friedman (D-CA) and Dave Min (D-CA), and Dels. Pablo Hernandez (D-PR) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

“It is absolutely unacceptable that the Trump administration is dragging its feet on the awarding of these vital security grants,” Pou said in a separate statement. “As domestic extremism and terrorist threats to synagogues and other religious and community centers explode, Congress appropriated these grant funds to help support readiness. Americans have an unshakeable right to worship in peace and security. Congress deserves answers and our nation deserves action from this administration.”

A group of 21 House progressives, led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), introduced a resolution accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

The legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Becca Balint (D-VT), Andre Carson (D-IN), Greg Casar (D-TX), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Al Green (D-TX), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Summer Lee (D-PA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).

Khanna, Ocasio-Cortez and Pressley are all seen as likely to seek higher office.

Dexter, notably, was elected on a generally pro-Israel platform with significant support from AIPAC’s United Democracy Project super PAC in a race against a candidate viewed as more anti-Israel, but has turned increasingly critical of the Jewish state in recent months.

Frost had previously told Jewish Insider he hesitated to use the term “genocide” himself, though he said he did not criticize others for doing so.

Casar is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, while McGovern is the ranking member of the House Rules Committee.

Balint is the only Jewish member cosponsoring the resolution.

The resolution is backed by a slew of anti-Israel groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America, Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, the Quincy Institute, Sunrise Movement, Amnesty International, Code Pink, CAIR, American Muslims for Palestine, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and DAWN.

The resolution asserts that “the overwhelming evidence is clear that the State of Israel has committed acts (actus reus) within the scope of the Genocide Convention against Palestinians in Gaza.”

It states that the U.S. must “prevent and punish the crime of genocide wherever it occurs,” and must therefore halt the transfer of any weapons or equipment to Israel, impose sanctions on Israel and individuals and companies involved in “facilitating the commission of genocide or incitement to commit genocide,” support efforts at the United Nations to punish Israel, cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s investigation of Israel and lift sanctions on the ICC, enforce the International Court of Justice’s decisions against Israel and ensure funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency — which was halted following findings that UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.

It also states that the U.S. should “ensur[e] that individuals and corporations in the United States and within United States jurisdiction are not involved in the commission of genocide, aiding and assisting the commission of genocide, or incitement to commit genocide, and investigat[e] and prosecut[e] those who may be implicated in these crimes under international law.”

Among the various sources the resolution cites in accusing Israel of genocide is the International Association of Genocide Scholars, describing the group as the “world’s leading subject matter experts on genocide.” 

But supporters of Israel found, after the group’s vote to condemn Israel, that the association had an essentially open membership policy with no requirements of any actual subject matter expertise, beyond paying a membership fee of as little as $30.

The resolution also cites Amnesty International and other groups, which reinterpreted the legal definition of genocide in order to level that charge at Israel, as well as the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Israel, whose members have repeatedly faced accusations of blatant antisemitism.

Forty-seven progressive House Democrats, led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), signed onto a letter to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for the U.S. to recognize a Palestinian state on the heels of similar decisions by European allies last week.

“It has long been acknowledged by much of the international community and previous U.S. administrations of both major political parties that a Palestinian state recognized as a full and equal member of the community of nations is necessary to fulfill the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people and ensure the state of Israel’s survival as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people,” the letter, which was first reported on by Jewish Insider, reads.

The lawmakers argue that because the current Israeli government opposes a two-state solution — a position currently shared by much of Israeli society — and is “actively undermin[ing]” the prospects of an independent Palestinian state, “meaningful action is necessary to join the majority of the world in codifying Palestinian statehood and to unlock the potential for a broader regional peace and security arrangement.”

Trump vowed last week week that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.

The letter also claims that recognizing Palestinian statehood would make reform of the Palestinian Authority “far more achievable and sustainable.”

Signatories to the letter include Reps. Becca Balint (D-VT), Donald Beyer (D-VA), André Carson (D-IN), Greg Casar (D-TX), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Bill Foster (D-MA), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Chuy García (D-IL), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Robert Garcia (D-CA), Al Green (D-TX), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James McGovern (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Emily Randall (D-WA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).

Dexter and Garcia were both beneficiaries of significant outside spending from AIPAC’s United Democracy Project super PAC in their primary races, running against farther-left anti-Israel opponents.

Balint and Schakowsky are both Jewish. Davis, Evans and Schakowsky are retiring from Congress at the end of their current terms.

Many of the furthest-left lawmakers in the House, including some of the Jewish state’s most outspoken critics, did not sign onto Khanna’s letter, nor did some of the more moderate Democrats backing a concurrent effort to place strict restrictions on U.S. aid to Israel.

The letter is backed by groups including American Muslims for Palestine, DAWN, Emgage Action, Indivisible, J Street, MoveOn, MPower, Muslim Public Affairs Council, New Jewish Narrative and the Quincy Institute.

There is a notable split on this issue within the Democratic caucus: Khanna’s letter follows a letter from 30 moderate pro-Israel Democrats condemning unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state as “performative” and saying that doing so risks “emboldening Hamas, entrenching division, and undermining the very legitimacy and peace such recognition purports to advance.”

A group of 30 House Democrats urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to leverage a joint statement from the Arab League this summer — which called for Hamas’ disarmament and removal of power, the release of hostages and a path toward a two-state solution — as a potential diplomatic breakthrough for the region.

The lawmakers also condemned the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state recently undertaken by several close U.S. allies.

“While there is much we disagree with in the statement, we do believe that this breakthrough presents a rare and urgent opportunity to ensure Israel’s security and create a brighter future for innocent Palestinians free from Hamas through American leadership,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Rubio on Thursday, emphasizing that it is the first time the Arab League has explicitly rejected Hamas.

“The statement made at the conference offers a unique opportunity — one that strengthens both Israel’s long-term security and Palestinians’ aspirations for self-determination under accountable, nonviolent leadership,” the letter continues. “While we once again emphasize that we do not endorse everything in the text, we recognize the unprecedented nature of the declaration and believe it presents a positive shift that opens the door to productive diplomacy and long-term solutions.”

The lawmakers urged Rubio to work with Israel to bring together regional and international partners to broker an agreement that would immediately and unconditionally free the hostages, remove Hamas from power in Gaza and achieve a “responsible deescalation of the conflict” in Gaza that would allow for rebuilding, governmental reform and peace.

They said that such an approach would be “far more constructive than recent unilateral and performative recognitions of a Palestinian state by other nations, which risk emboldening Hamas, entrenching division, and undermining the very legitimacy and peace such recognition purports to advance.”

“With regional partners signaling readiness to help facilitate both security and governance transitions, the United States has a pivotal role to play in turning principle into progress toward a two-state solution,” the letter reads. “This is a chance to protect Israel — our strongest ally — and align American values with regional momentum, and also leave a lasting legacy.”

The letter was led by Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Tim Kennedy (D-NY), joined by Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Angie Craig (D-MN), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), George Latimer (D-NY), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Darren Soto (D-FL), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Shri Thanedar (D-MI) and Wesley Bell (D-MO).

Craig, Pappas and Stevens are all running for the Senate in their respective states.

Democratic Majority for Israel supported the letter.

“The U.S. must act quickly to seize on this diplomatic opportunity which presents a unique opening to both ensure Israel’s security and create a future for Israelis and Palestinians free from the terrorist group Hamas,” the group’s CEO, Brian Romick, said in a statement. “While there is much we disagree with in the Arab League statement, its historic nature is unprecedented. By calling for the release of hostages, condemning the October 7 attacks, disavowing Hamas and endorsing a two-state path, Arab countries have signaled a potential willingness to be part of a new, constructive chapter for the Middle East.”

“At the same time, we call on all leaders to reject unilateral performative recognition of a Palestinian state which risks emboldening Hamas rather than advancing peace,” Romick continued.

Most House Democrats, including all of the current and former top Democratic leaders, signed on to a letter on Thursday to Israeli leaders warning them against unilaterally annexing territory in the West Bank or Gaza.

At a time when Democrats are increasingly divided over the U.S.-Israel relationship and its direction, the letter highlights a strong degree of unanimity within the party against annexation, among both Democrats who largely remain supportive of Israel and those who have become more critical over the war in Gaza. President Donald Trump reportedly told Arab leaders on Tuesday that he would pressure Israel against annexation.

“As long-standing supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Israel’s security, and Israel’s future, we are deeply opposed to proposals for unilateral annexation of territory in the West Bank,” the 178 lawmakers, led by Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), said. “Such a move would not only violate international law but undermine decades of bipartisan U.S. policy and threaten the progress of the Abraham Accords, which offer Israel and its neighbors the opportunity to build a more secure, cooperative, and prosperous regional future. Unilateral annexation of the West Bank would plunge the region, already reeling from tens of thousands of deaths in the horrific Gaza war, into further chaos and violence.”

The letter is addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. Included among the signatories are House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA), as well as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and former Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC).

The signatories highlighted that leaders from the United Arab Emirates have expressed that West Bank annexation would be a red line for them that would endanger regional normalization and integration with Israel.

“Moves toward annexation would undermine Israel’s progress on normalization, prevent international cooperation to rebuild Gaza after this devastating war, risk instability in Jordan, and even further strain ties with key European partners,” the letter continues.

They added that annexation of territory in Gaza, as discussed by some Israeli ministers, “would not only violate international law but exacerbate humanitarian and diplomatic challenges at a moment when broad international support for Israel is at risk.”

The lawmakers stated that they are “convinced that unilateral steps by either side,” including Israeli annexation of territory in the West Bank or Gaza, would be an impediment to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians toward a two-state solution and make a “just, sustainable peace” harder to attain.

“We respectfully urge your government to refrain from steps toward unilateral annexation and to recommit to a negotiated outcome consistent with U.S. policy and the regional vision embodied in the Abraham Accords,” the letter concludes. “That path best safeguards Israel’s security and democratic ideals, advances regional cooperation against shared threats, and offers Israelis and Palestinians the possibility of living side by side in peace and dignity, freed from perpetual attacks on civilians and the threat of war.”

Schneider, a co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, has been a leader in the moderate pro-Israel wing of the party, though he has expressed concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and previously warned individually against annexation. The progressive Raskin is a co-sponsor of legislation that would severely restrict many critical arms transfers to Israel.

Signatories to the letter similarly span the spectrum from consistent supporters of Israel to vocal critics.

Other signatories include Senate candidates Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH); No. 4 House Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA); Jewish Caucus co-chair Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY); and Reps. Greg Meeks (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA) and Rosa DeLauro, the ranking members of the Foreign Affairs, Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, respectively.

Some of Israel’s most vocal far-left critics, as well as some of its most ardent centrist defenders, did not sign onto the letter.

Some congressional Republicans, meanwhile, have shown signs of increasing openness to recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

Good Monday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the fallout from a series of Palestinian statehood recognitions and highlight a letter drafted by a group of House Democrats calling on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to request a peacekeeping operation to secure Gaza aid convoys. We cover Tucker Carlson’s eulogy for Charlie Kirk, whose assassination he compared to the killing of Jesus, and report on the investigation into the shooting at a country club in New Hampshire on Saturday night. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Mike Waltz, Jocelyn Benson and Edan Alexander.

Ed. note: In observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Daily Kickoff will be back in your inboxes on Thursday. For our premium subscribers, the Daily Overtime will return Thursday as well. Shana tovah! 

Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by Jewish Insider Israel Editor Tamara Zieve and U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik with an assist from Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.

What We’re Watching

• Diplomats from around the world are en route to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, which officially begins tomorrow. 
• On the sidelines of the UNGA, France and Saudi Arabia are chairing a summit calling for a two-state solution. More below on diplomatic moves by Paris, Ottawa, Canberra and Lisbon to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state.
• Also this morning, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and retired Gen. David Petraeus will take part in a fireside discussion on democracy, security and geopolitical risk at the Concordia Annual Summit.
• Eleven members of the Syrian Jewish community in New York attended a meeting with al-Sharaa last night.
• U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack, who is serving as special envoy to Syria, and Counselor of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Morgan Ortagus will also participate in a discussion at the Concordia summit this afternoon on diplomacy and America’s role in the world. 

What You Should Know

A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S TAMARA ZIEVE AND LAHAV HARKOV

In a move that has sent ripples through diplomatic circles and sparked outrage in Jerusalem, multiple countries officially recognized a Palestinian state yesterday. The coordinated announcements by the U.K., Canada, Australia and Portugal, with more to come, mark a significant shift in the West’s posture — one that, while largely symbolic, underlines concerns about growing efforts to isolate Israel diplomatically.

“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognizes the State of Palestine,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

While Starmer said that the move toward a two-state solution “is not a reward for Hamas, because it means Hamas can have no future,” the terror group hailed it as “a gesture to the struggle, steadfastness and sacrifices of our people on the path to liberation and return.” 

In President Donald Trump’s meeting with Starmer last week, Trump described the statehood push as “one of our few disagreements.”

The chain of Palestinian statehood recognition is unlikely to bring any immediate changes on the ground. As U.K. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said yesterday in an interview with Sky News, “any decision to recognize a Palestinian state … does not make a Palestinian state happen overnight. That has to be part of a peace process, it has to be based on 1967 borders, it has to be based on a shared capital in Jerusalem.”

Israel and many of its supporters have slammed the move as rewarding terrorism, as the country continues its war against Hamas in Gaza, where 48 hostages kidnapped during the group’s Oct. 7, 2023 attacks remain in captivity.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has “a clear message to the leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the terrible massacre of Oct. 7: You are giving a massive prize to terror. … It will not happen. There will not be a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River.” Netanyahu hinted that Israel will increase settlement activity in response. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and several other coalition members went a step further by calling for annexation of the West Bank, which Saudi Arabia has reportedly said would have “major implications.” Read more on Netanyahu’s reaction and upcoming UNGA speech here.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) delivered a scathing assessment of the statehood development, writing on X: “80 years after the end of WWII, where over 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis for simply being Jewish, the so-called civilized world is rewarding modern day religious Nazis with an arbitrary Palestinian state designation,” pointing to the lack of defined borders, leadership, and security arrangements.

Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here.

GROWING PRESSURE

Israel battles proposed EU sanctions

Israel’s Foreign Ministry and Economy Ministry, which oversees foreign trade, have been pushing back against proposed European Union sanctions over the war in Gaza. The European Commission proposed the roll-back of relations between the bloc and Israel after it “found that actions taken by the Israeli government represent a breach of essential elements relating to respect for human rights” given “the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza following the military intervention of Israel, the blockade of humanitarian aid, the intensifying of military operations and the decision of the Israeli authorities to advance the settlement plan in the so-called E1 area of the West Bank, which further undermines the two-state solution,” Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.

What’s at stake: The proposal, if accepted, would suspend free trade between Israel and the European Union, its largest trade partner. A source in Brussels estimated that the move would cost Israel 227 million Euros ($266 million) in customs duties per year. A date has not yet been set for voting on the suspension of free trade, which requires a qualified majority, also known as a “double majority,” meaning 55% of member states, and states representing 65% of the EU population, with at least four states opposed. Hungary and the Czech Republic said they would oppose the proposal, following calls between their foreign ministers and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. 

Read the full story here.

Soccer scramble: The Israel Football Association is reportedly working to thwart a Qatar-led effort to expel it from Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) events.

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AID ISSUE

House Democrats call for U.N. peacekeepers to protect Gaza aid convoys

Citing United Nations statistics showing that the vast majority of U.N. aid convoys are diverted or looted before reaching their intended destination, a group of House Democrats is set to call on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week to request a peacekeeping operation to secure those convoys, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Draft letter: “We write to you with an urgent call to request a resolution from the United Nations Security Council authorizing the deployment of a UN Peacekeeping operation to secure your aid convoys in Gaza, ensuring their safe passage,” a group of 15 Democrats, led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), wrote in a draft letter obtained by JI. “Please do not continue to allow aid trucks to be robbed by Hamas while civilians struggle to get food. As we know, Hamas diverts and sells aid and is not focused on feeding innocent Palestinian families and children.” The letter will continue to circulate for additional signatures until later in the day Monday.

Read the full story here.

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SCOOP

Republicans urge allies to reconsider ‘dangerous’ decision to recognize Palestinian state

A group of 28 Republican lawmakers in the Senate and House wrote last week to the leaders of Australia, Canada, France and the U.K. ahead of their moves to recognize a Palestinian state this month, threatening potential retaliation if they proceeded, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

What they said: “This is a reckless policy that undermines prospects for peace. It sets the dangerous precedent that violence, not diplomacy, is the most expedient means for terrorist groups like Hamas to achieve their political aims,” the Republicans, led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), wrote. “Accordingly, we respectfully request that you reconsider your decision, especially as Hamas continues to hold Israeli citizens hostage while still refusing to agree to a ceasefire.”

Read the full story here.

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MEMORABLE MEMORIAL

In charged eulogy, Tucker Carlson ties Kirk’s assassination to killing of Jesus

Right-wing political commentator Tucker Carlson, who has hosted Holocaust deniers and antisemitic influencers on his podcast, used his address at the memorial for conservative influencer Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday to compare Kirk’s assassination to the killing of Jesus, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. The former Fox News host began his remarks to the more than 70,000 people in attendance at State Farm Stadium in Glendale by noting that the political engagement brought on by Kirk’s killing “actually reminds me of my favorite story ever,” before offering an account of how Jesus was killed in Jerusalem. 

Tucker’s talk: While he never brought up the Jewish people by name, he made references to Jewish culture to suggest that he was referring to the antisemitic trope that Jews were responsible for the killing of Jesus. “It’s about 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem and Jesus shows up, and he starts talking about the people in power, and he starts doing the worst thing that you can do: just telling the truth about people, and they hate it, and they just go bonkers. They hate it, and they become obsessed with making him stop. ‘This guy’s got to stop talking. We’ve got to shut this guy up,’” Carlson said. “I can just sort of picture the scene in a lamp-lit room with a bunch of guys sitting around eating hummus, thinking about, ‘What do we do about this guy telling the truth about us?’”

Read the full story here.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE ATTACK

N.H. shooting suspect yelled ‘Free Palestine,’ witnesses said

Authorities said on Sunday that they believe the suspected gunman in the fatal shooting at a country club in New Hampshire on Saturday night shouted “Free Palestine” in order to “create chaos” at the scene, suggesting they do not view the case as motivated by antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. 

Details: Hunter Nadeau, a 23-year-old Nashua, N.H., resident, was apprehended and taken into custody near the Sky Meadow Country Club on Saturday. Shortly before, Robert Steven DeCesare, 59, was killed in the shooting while attending dinner at the club, located about 40 miles north of Boston, and two other adults, another restaurant patron and an employee were injured. The employee was in stable but critical condition as of Sunday, Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke said. Four other restaurant patrons were wounded as a result of the chaos as people tried to escape the shooting.

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CONFIRMATION COMPLETE

Waltz confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations

The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on Friday to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, capping off a monthslong confirmation process that was marred by delays with just days before the start of the U.N. General Assembly this week, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. 

For and against: Waltz, a former congressman from Florida and a Green Beret, was confirmed by a 47-43 vote in the Senate on Friday afternoon, with three Democrats and one Republican crossing party lines. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Fetterman (D-PA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) voted in favor of Waltz’s nomination, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican to oppose. 

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Worthy Reads

The Conspiracies Around Kirk: In The Free Press, Matthew Schmitz puts forth a theory as to why antisemitism conspiracy theories abounded in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. “The term antisemitic, like racist, has lost its sting for many people. Indeed, an idea’s association with antisemitism now gives it a strange appeal on those parts of the right that are most eager to seem independent of and opposed to the establishment. In order to build their audiences, independent media figures must distinguish themselves from established institutions. One way to do this is to discuss the supposed truths that ‘they’ want to hide from you. For this reason, independent media tend to traffic in what the political scientist Michael Barkun calls ‘stigmatized knowledge’: claims that are regarded as having truth value precisely because they are denied by institutional authorities. … For a person who instinctively mistrusts official knowledge, and tends to believe whatever the authorities deny, the very fact that antisemitic claims are subject to public condemnation makes them worth considering. This is why, as Barkun notes, some members of the UFO subculture, which initially had nothing to do with Jews, have ended up claiming The Protocols of the Elders of Zion are true.” [FreePress]

What College Can Still Do: In The Atlantic, Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock posits that higher education has a continued important role to play in society, even as universities lose public trust and AI changes the face of information. “Despite the reforms that our institutions of higher education must embark on to ensure that we are teaching our students how to think — and not what to think — a four-year residential-college experience remains one of the most powerful human environments for cultivating human qualities. As Dartmouth’s president, I see this up close. Our small, tight-knit academic community promotes interdisciplinary collaboration in ways that are both intentional and serendipitous. For more than 20 years, our faculty in Jewish and Middle Eastern studies have co-taught classes and built deep trust with one another and their students. It was this trust that allowed them to hold difficult, sometimes painful, but ultimately enlightening conversations about the heinous terrorist attacks of October 7 and the brutal war in Gaza that has followed. This type of dialogue is virtually impossible to produce in online environments that are fragmented and hostile, on platforms engineered to reward outrage, where it is far too easy to dehumanize those with whom we disagree.” [TheAtlantic]

No Pardon for Amnesty: The Free Press’ Charles Lane exposes Amnesty International infighting over a long-delayed report on the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, which some staff members are arguing against publishing in the coming weeks. “‘Our concern is about timing and impact,’ Usman Hamid, the section director for Amnesty in Indonesia, emailed the organization’s top officials on August 8. ‘The situation in Gaza is at a peak of humanitarian crisis, famine is unfolding, and the Israeli security cabinet has just approved plans for full occupation. In this climate, there is a real risk the report could be used to divert attention from the current crisis or justify ongoing genocide.’ Such blatant politicization of what is supposedly an impartial human rights reporting process stunned even critics who have long seen anti-Israel bias in Amnesty’s coverage of the Middle East. The group has produced a 2022 report finding Israel guilty of apartheid and another in 2024 accusing it of genocide in Gaza.” [FreePress]

The Reign in Spain: Journalist Éamann Mac Donnchada explores Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s “fundamentally pragmatic” anti-Israel turn in “The Almagro School” Substack. “His government faces significant political challenges that help explain this strategic pivot. His coalition lacks a reliable parliamentary majority, making him dependent on various regional and leftist parties for survival. With the autumn and winter parliamentary session beginning, he needs to relaunch his government and energise his political base. The Palestinian cause offers an apparently low-cost way to mobilise left-wing voters while positioning himself as a principled international leader. … Supporting Palestinian rights allows the Spanish left to position itself as a champion of the oppressed while ignoring Spain’s own complicity in ongoing oppression closer to home. It also has modest economic costs, while confrontation with Morocco would threaten Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s north African enclaves, and exacerbate irregular immigration.” [Substack]

Word on the Street

The White House is seeking authorization from congressional leadership to proceed with a nearly $6 billion arms sale to Israel, including 30 Apache helicopters and over 3,000 infantry assault vehicles…

The Trump administration announced new guidelines for journalists covering the Pentagon, threatening to revoke the press credentials of reporters who gather information that hasn’t been expressly authorized for public release, even if it is unclassified…

President Donald Trump is set to meet with a group of Arab and Muslim leaders tomorrow on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York to discuss ways to end the war in Gaza, Axios reports…

During Rosh Hashanah tomorrow, when Israeli officials will be observing the Jewish high holiday, the U.N. Security Council will hold a critical meeting on the Gaza war… 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is preparing to run either for president or for U.S. Senate in 2028, according to Axios, as she holds town halls and rallies outside her district, raises significant funds and has hired former senior advisors to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)…

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is still unsure whether to endorse New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, sources told The New York Times, weighing his responsibility in helping elect Democrats across the country as well as donors’ disapproval of Mamdani’s stance on Israel, among other considerations…

New York Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs told Politico that he will resign if Gov. Kathy Hochul requests it, after she endorsed Mamdani and he declined to do so…

New York magazine charts a potential path to victory for Andrew Cuomo in his battle against frontrunner Mamdani to be New York City mayor…

The Congressional Progressive Caucus voted to endorse the “Block the Bombs Act,” which places severe restrictions on many offensive weapons transfers to Israel. To endorse legislation, the caucus requires a simple-majority vote of its nearly 100 members. The bill currently has 50 sponsors…

Edan Alexander, the Israeli American former hostage who was released from Hamas captivity in May, announced he will return to IDF service next month…

The IDF said this morning that it had killed Iyad Abu Yusuf, deputy commander of Hamas’ naval police, who participated in the Oct. 7 massacres, in a strike in central Gaza…

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the county’s first Jewish mayor, is coming under intense pressure to divest the county from its $151 million portfolio of Israel bonds, including from her son, organizer Ted Cava. “I decided to kind of take our family disagreement public,” he told the Miami Herald, “knowing that some of her opponents could use it in bad faith against her”…

The Wall Street Journal reviews Mark Mazower’s new book On Antisemitism…

The Canadian government is planning to propose legislation criminalizing the display of designated terror and hate symbols in public…

“Riefenstahl,” a new play at the Avalon Theater in Washington, explores the life, legacy and complicity of Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, using 700 boxes of her newly uncovered personal artifacts…

Palestinian Authority officials in the West Bank arrested a man wanted in connection with a 1982 bombing of a Jewish deli in Paris, in which six people, including two Americans, were killed…

Pic of the Day

The newly remodeled Samantha Woll Center at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit hosted the 10th annual Jewish Expat Reception over the weekend. The gathering drew former Detroiters and community leaders including Detroit City Council President and mayoral candidate Mary Sheffield, Secretary of State of Michigan and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson (pictured addressing the gathering), investor-philanthropist Roger Ehrenberg and philanthropic advisor Kari Alterman.

Birthdays

President of Israel since 2021, Isaac “Bougie” Herzog turns 65… 

Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, Jay Kanter… Former president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for 16 years, now a consultant at the L.A.-based Diane and Guilford Glazer Philanthropies, John Fishel… Research laboratory director, biochemist and professor in medicine based in Jerusalem, Yosef Gruenbaum turns 76… Professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former reporter for The New York Times, Ari L. Goldman turns 76… Former publisher of The New York Times, Arthur Ochs “Pinch” Sulzberger Jr. turns 74… Senior political analyst at CNN from 2007 until 2024, Gloria Borger turns 73… Clarinetist who performs klezmer, jazz, classical music and avant-garde improvisation, David Krakauer turns 69… U.S. Ambassador to Romania during the Trump 45 administration, Adrian Zuckerman turns 69… Nobel Prize laureate in 2011, astrophysicist and professor at UC-Berkeley, Saul Perlmutter turns 66… Director of development at the Los Angeles Conservancy, Elizabeth “Liz” Leshin… Editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg turns 60… Former member of the Knesset for Likud, Osnat Hila Mark turns 58… Senior writer and historian for the Jewish Federations of North America, he is the author of Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli, Ted Merwin… Founder and CEO of Terravet Real Estate Solutions, Daniel Eisenstadt… Founder and CEO at P3 Media, he has won three Emmys, a Peabody Award and a Polk Award, Adam Ciralsky turns 54… Arlington, Virginia resident, Karen Elyse Simpson… Journalist and screenwriter, she has reported for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and is the author of Chasing Hillary, Amy Chozick turns 47… Former minister of defense of Georgia, now an entrepreneur in the U.K., Davit Kezerashvili turns 47… Actress and theater director, she is best known for her role as Quinn Perkins in the ABC political drama series “Scandal,” Katie Lowes turns 43… Film director, producer, screenwriter and television director, Jordan Charles Vogt-Roberts turns 41… Hungarian politician who once served as a member of the European Parliament, Csanád Szegedi turns 43… Founder and CEO of Henry PR, Bryan Leib… Founder of Golda, a Jewish lifestyle newsletter, Stephanie Taylor Butnick… Former entertainment reporter, journalist and fashion designer, now a VP at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, Baruch Yehudah Shemtov turns 38… Partner at Winning Tuesday, a political marketing agency, Jared Sichel… Associate director for antisemitism policy at AJC Global, Alyssa Weiner Sandler… Co-founder of Leman Mercer, Kyle Price…

Citing United Nations statistics showing that the vast majority of U.N. aid convoys are diverted or looted before reaching their intended destination, a group of House Democrats is set to call on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week to request a peacekeeping operation to secure those convoys.

“We write to you with an urgent call to request a resolution from the United Nations Security Council authorizing the deployment of a UN Peacekeeping operation to secure your aid convoys in Gaza, ensuring their safe passage,” a group of Democrats, led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), wrote in a draft letter obtained by Jewish Insider. “Please do not continue to allow aid trucks to be robbed by Hamas while civilians struggle to get food. As we know, Hamas diverts and sells aid and is not focused on feeding innocent Palestinian families and children.”

The letter calls the diversion and looting problem “beyond a breakdown in logistics. It is a failure of the UN to execute its mission,” and says that situation has “led to huge issues.”

The letter also calls on the U.N. to work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — which the U.N. has refused to do — to create a distribution network “utilizing the security of GHF distribution with the know-how and reach of the UN” and to “accept Israeli offers of coordination where they can provide security, contrary to the current posture of rejection.”

The letter asserts that the U.N.’s refusal to work with Israel on security “empowers the armed actors in Gaza, while forcing desperate civilians to risk their lives with no choice but to jump onto moving trucks to access aid,” leaving vulnerable people without aid.

“If the United Nations is serious about bringing relief to Gazans, it will do what is necessary to achieve that goal, not accept a nearly 90 percent failure rate. Authorizing peacekeepers to protect aid convoys is a crucial step toward that end,” the letter reads. “This moment calls for bold leadership. You must step up and lead the call for UN members to prioritize the needs of Gazan civilians, not Hamas.”

The letter notes that the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food has similarly suggested that U.N. peacekeepers escort food convoys and that the recent General Assembly resolution on a two-state solution “called for the protection of aid without offering solutions toward that end.”

The letter calls for Guterres to “take decisive action” because “we have no time for bureaucracy.”

Gottheimer and other lawmakers who have recently traveled to Israel have emphasized the need to better protect aid shipments inside Gaza. Gottheimer argued in an op-ed, “The problem is not a lack of aid — it’s that too little of it ever reaches the people who need it most.” He praised the GHF’s model and secure distribution sites.
The letter will be circulating for additional signatures through Monday, and is set to be sent later in the day. It currently has 15 signatories, including Gottheimer, consisting of moderate pro-Israel Democrats: Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Greg Landsman (D-OH), George Latimer (D-NY), Susie Lee (D-NV), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Juan Vargas (D-CA).

Two senior pro-Israel House Democrats, who are co-chairs of the House Abraham Accords Caucus, warned on Wednesday that any moves that would prevent the ultimate establishment of a two-state solution could endanger the survival of the Abraham Accords.

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) said at an American Jewish Committee event in Washington that his concerns about Israeli movements toward annexing the West Bank remain. Israel agreed to put those moves on hold five years ago when it sealed the Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates. Schneider said that any attempt at a one-state solution would create a permanent violence and conflict.

“Jump ahead five years, there are still folks in Israel who are again talking about annexation,” Schneider said. “The UAE has made clear that if Israel goes down that path it has the likelihood — not the possibility, but the likelihood — of cleaving the Abraham Accords to such a point that they may not be recoverable.”

At the same time, Schneider said he also opposes moves by European countries to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state.

“Recognizing a Palestinian state before the elements necessary to be successful as a state — the institutions, having elections, having responsive government, having control of all security under one authority — it’s not there yet,” Schneider said. “To even be talking about recognizing a Palestinian state before other steps have been taken, giving the perception [to Israelis] of rewarding the actions of Hamas on Oct. 7, that creates a dynamic that is also a threat.”

He said that the U.S. should be offering “more robust leadership” to sideline “extremists” and “maximalists” on both sides.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) similarly said at the AJC event that “we are at a crossroads with the Abraham Accords” and warned that “progress could be squandered by any steps that permanently foreclose a two-state future.”

“We should seize diplomatic opportunities to expand the Abraham Accords and think carefully before taking any actions that would cause setbacks,” she continued.

She noted that a key threat to the Abraham Accords is that acceptance of those agreements has not filtered down from the government into the public in the Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel — which in many places continue to hate Israel and would not mourn the death of the Abraham Accords.

“Making sure that we are fostering those dialogues and being able to have that harmony and those relationships seep deeper down into society will make it easier and take the pressure off of those leaders to issue statements that some of them issued after Oct. 7 that were less than condemnation and that were even worse than that,” Wasserman Schultz said.

The Florida lawmaker also said that the U.S. and its partners should pursue “near-term openings with countries like Mauritania and with Azerbaijan,” countries that already have ties with Israel, to bring them into an “[Abraham] Accords Plus framework,” as well as continue “patient, serious tracks of engagement with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Oman.”

Last year’s election cycle marked a high point for pro-Israel groups, buoyed by the ouster of two virulently anti-Israel House Democrats (former Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman in New York), the defeat of a House Republican who opposed funding to Israel (former Rep. Bob Good of Virginia) and the success of mainstream Democrats in numerous contested primaries. 

But the political environment for next year’s midterms is looking somewhat choppier in the Jewish world, amid growing anti-Israel sentiment in the Democratic Party, an anti-establishment, transgressive mood in both parties and the reticence of moderate voices to speak up.

In this less hospitable landscape, pro-Israel groups will be playing more defense than offense — ensuring like-minded incumbents are able to avert serious primary challenges, while working to prevent virulently anti-Israel voices from emerging as nominees in key races.

One of the biggest potential showdowns is developing in St. Louis, where Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) faces the prospect of a rematch against Bush, whom he comfortably defeated by six points in last year’s primary. With the benefit of incumbency, Bell would be favored in any rematch, but he is facing an organized campaign by anti-Israel protesters who disrupted his recent town hall after he returned from a trip to the Jewish state. 

AIPAC’s super PAC spent over $8 million against Bush in the 2024 race, and would be expected to prioritize Bell’s reelection as a top priority if she ran again. Bush, for all her celebrity in leftist spaces, has numerous vulnerabilities that haven’t gone away since her last defeat — from her calls to defund the police, lackadaisical constituent service and ethical improprieties involving the use of campaign funds in paying her husband to provide personal security.

Still, in a sign that advocating against Israel can get far-left candidates some traction in deep-blue districts, a Bush comeback will be worth monitoring closely. Indeed, any pro-Israel Democrat running in an urban district with a distinct progressive bent will have to pay attention to any real or prospective primary challenges. 

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), one of the most stalwart pro-Israel Democrats, is already facing two primary challengers running to his left. And while neither has made Israel a major part of their platform, neither challenger shares the incumbent’s long-standing support for the Jewish state. (Sherman’s district is solidly Democratic, but also heavily Jewish, making his Israel advocacy a political asset.)

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), representing a Lower Manhattan district that Zohran Mamdani comfortably carried in the New York City mayoral primary, will have to be attuned to any challengers on his left. Goldman has done an effective job of locking down his seat since first winning with just 26% in a crowded 2022 primary. But he could face a credible threat from Comptroller Brad Lander, a Mamdani ally who finished third in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary.

Other contests Jewish groups are watching warily include the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, where Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has been rallying support for anti-Israel candidate Abdul el-Sayed, as many party leaders have rallied around the mainstream Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), a strong pro-Israel ally. 

Pro-Israel groups are also concerned about the candidacy of Graham Platner in the Maine Senate race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), whose reelection would become an even bigger priority if he emerged as the Democratic challenger.

As notable in assessing the political environment are the primaries we’re not talking about. The original members of the anti-Israel “Squad” — Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Summer Lee (D-PA) — aren’t currently facing serious primary opposition even though they’ve been vulnerable in past elections. 

It’s a clear sign that this will be an election cycle focused on protecting hard-fought gains more than one where pro-Israel groups have the luxury to challenge the remaining worst offenders.

Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), who serves as the House Democratic whip, the No. 2 Democratic leader in the chamber, described the war in Gaza as a “genocide” in an event this week, based on video of the event that has been shared online.

“We each have to continue to have an open heart about how we do this, how we do it effectively, and how we take action in time to make a difference, whether that is stopping the starvation and genocide and destruction of Gaza, or whether that means we are working together to stop the redistricting that is going on, taking away the vote from people in order to retain power,” Clark said in a brief clip from an event that was first reported by Axios. 

Clark spokesperson Joy Lee has said in a statement provided to multiple outlets that Clark’s “position on the war has not changed,” including that she supports a permanent ceasefire, the return of all hostages and an increase of aid to Gaza.

“It should not be controversial to say that Israeli children did not deserve to be kidnapped and murdered by Hamas, nor should it be controversial to say that Palestinian children, who bear no responsibility for Hamas’ atrocities, do not deserve to be killed by war or starvation,” Lee’s statement reads. “A secure future for Israeli and Palestinian children demands a real two-state solution and a permanent end to efforts to deny their rights to exist.”

Clark’s office did not respond to a request for comment seeking further clarity.

Lee told The Boston Globe that Clark’s comments came in response to protesters at the event. The brief clip shared online does not include the context of Clark’s remarks.

Only a small number of far-left and far-right lawmakers have described the situation in Gaza as a genocide, and none who serve in leadership roles in Congress.

Clark was speaking at an event organized by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a lobbying group of the Quaker movement, which has been heavily critical of Israel and supported efforts in the Senate to block arms sales to Israel.

Clark’s office did not respond to a question about whether she supports efforts to block some or all weapons sales.

The group’s criticism of Israel predates the war in Gaza, and it lobbied in favor of the Iran nuclear deal. It also advocates more broadly against militarization generally, including pushing for shrinking military spending.

Clark has been endorsed by AIPAC and is featured alongside each of the other top House leaders on the group’s PAC website.

A group of 14 House Democrats, including 11 first-term lawmakers, are currently visiting Israel with the AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation.

The group includes Reps. Tim Kennedy (D-NY), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Josh Riley (D-NY), Nellie Pou (D-NJ), Wesley Bell (D-MO), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), Luz Rivas (D-CA), Herb Conaway (D-NJ) and George Latimer (D-NY).

They make up a third of the 33 freshman Democratic members of the House — a sign of AIPAC’s continued pull among more centrist pro-Israel Democrats even as progressives have sought to make the group politically toxic. An AIEF-sponsored Republican trip which visited Israel last week included around the same number of freshmen lawmakers.

The trip comes at a time when tensions, even among Israel’s most vocal Democratic supporters, and the Israeli government are at a high point, amid concern with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s newly finalized plans to expand the war and conduct a military takeover of Gaza City.

The Democratic delegation also includes Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Pete Aguilar (D-CA) and Brad Schneider (D-IL). Aguilar is the No. 3 Democrat in the House.

The Democratic group met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday, who said that the “visits show the bi-partisan, steadfast alliance between the United State[s] and Israel, and of the true shared values between our peoples.”

“I told them that Israel continues to operate in accordance with international law, that it was dramatically increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and that Israel continues to strive with all its might and in every way possible to bring our hostages home,” Herzog said in a statement. “I also made clear that Hamas continues to hold, starve, torture and abuse the hostages, holding 50 still in captivity, in a deliberate and flagrant crime against humanity. I told them it was Hamas which was looting and stealing the aid, preventing the distribution to the civilians in Gaza. And that Hamas was blocking and rejecting a deal that would bring an end to the suffering.”

The Democratic group also appears to have visited the City of David.

Reps. Maxine Dexter (D-OR) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC), two House Democrats who received significant backing from the AIPAC-aligned United Democracy Project super PAC in their primary races against far-left opponents, announced this week that they would support efforts to block the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel.

They join a third UDP-supported Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who indicated his potential support for such a policy more than a year ago.

The latest moves highlight the growing anger among Democrats with Israel’s continued war operations in Gaza — and the limited efficacy in advocating for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship towards liberals at a time when public support for the Jewish state within the Democratic party is declining. 

Dexter, who represents a deep-blue Portland, Ore. district, benefitted from more than $2 million in UDP donations provided during her 2024 primary race to other PACs supporting Dexter and attacking her opponent, Susheela Jayapal. 

Dexter said in a statement this week that the U.S. “must halt the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel and ensure immediate, sufficient and sustained humanitarian aid into Gaza,” also stating that “Palestinians and Israelis alike have the right to security, safety, self-determination and peace. Netanyahu’s war crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza shatter any path toward those aims.”

She added that “Netanyahu clearly believes U.S. support comes without conditions. Israel has the right to defend itself from attack, but it does not have the right to commit gross violations of human rights or obstruct humanitarian aid to innocent civilians. Netanyahu’s government is doing both and worse. … We must use all means necessary to stop Netanyahu’s government from perpetuating these crimes against humanity.”

Jayapal, the sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), supported conditions on U.S. aid to Israel during her campaign. Dexter, in an interview during her campaign in 2024, told Jewish Insider she would not support imposing additional conditions on U.S. aid to Israel that don’t apply to all U.S. allies.

Dexter said “Israel had the right to defend itself, they were obligated to defend itself” while also calling for a negotiated ceasefire and raising concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. She said she did not believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was interested in peace.

Asked about her apparent turnaround on the issue, Dexter said in a statement to JI that she would apply a similar standard to any ally.

“It is clear to me that Israel has violated international humanitarian law in the way it has prosecuted this war,” Dexter said. “The withholding of offensive arms, in light of these violations, is a standard to which I would and will continue to hold any American ally. The safety, security, and peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike depend on Netanyahu’s government being held accountable.”

Dexter also voted earlier this year against sanctions on the International Criminal Court, the first major Israel-related vote for new members in the current Congress.

Foushee, whose Durham, N.C.-based district is among the most progressive in the state, was among the first beneficiaries of UDP assistance during her 2022 primary campaign. The group spent $2.1 million supporting her campaign against progressive Nida Allam and former “American Idol” finalist Clay Aiken. Allam had a record of anti-Israel activism even before her campaign for Congress.

Foushee this week announced she would sponsor legislation “to prevent the sale of offensive weapons to Israel.”

“A ceasefire and de-escalation are urgently needed to ensure the sufficient flow of aid into Gaza and protect innocent civilians at aid delivery sites from military attacks,” Foushee said on X. “We simply cannot continue to provide the Israeli government with weapons when they are not being used in accordance with international law to maximize the protection of civilians in Gaza.”

Foushee’s campaign said this week that she would not accept further support from AIPAC.

Her new stance on U.S. aid to Israel comes as the culmination of a series of more critical stances she’s taken since first being elected to office, though she maintained AIPAC’s endorsement in the 2024 cycle.

In June 2023, Foushee signed onto a letter opposing Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program, but subsequently told Jewish Insider she’d done so by mistake. As early as December 2023, Foushee signed onto a letter calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

She has voted against numerous measures since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel cracking down on Iran, the Houthis and the International Criminal Court. And she voted against several measures to combat antisemitism including the Antisemitism Awareness Act and a resolution describing the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as antisemitic.

Even so, she traveled to Israel in March 2024 with an AIPAC-affiliated delegation and voted in favor of supplemental aid to Israel.

In December 2024, she signed onto a letter led by other lawmakers accusing Israel of failing to fulfill the conditions of U.S. arms sales policy and law, and co-led a resolution in June condemning the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Foushee’s office also did not respond to a request for comment.

Asked about Dexter and Foushee’s positions, AIPAC didn’t address them directly, but said that the U.S. should not abandon Israel.

“If American leaders desire to end the conflict, they should take concrete steps to pressure Hamas to free the hostages and surrender,” the group said in a statement. “This is not a moment to abandon an American ally that is battling Hamas terrorists who launched this war with the barbaric attack of October 7.”

A UDP spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Garcia — who was backed by around $500,000 in UDP spending in 2022 — has also taken a more critical stance since taking office. Though he ran as the more moderate Democrat in his campaign, Garcia has frequently aligned with the left since taking office.

He signed onto a letter in April 2024 calling for the U.S. to withhold offensive arms transfers from Israel if it “fails to sufficiently mitigate the harm to innocent civilians in Gaza … and if it fails to facilitate — or arbitrarily denies or restricts — the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

His office did not respond to a request for comment on whether he currently supports suspending offensive aid. He voted, after that letter, in favor of supplemental aid for Israel and traveled to Israel with the AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation.

Garcia called for a ceasefire on Nov. 11, 2023, and announced last year he would boycott Netanyahu’s address to Congress. Like Foushee, he has opposed many of the measures the House has voted on in the past two years aimed at countering Iran and its proxies, and several of the antisemitism-related measures.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), in a private meeting with House Democrats in Washington on Wednesday, avoided confronting Zohran Mamdani, the far-left Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, over his controversial defense of calls to “globalize the intifada” and fierce opposition to Israel.

Gottheimer, a moderate Jewish Democrat who is among the most outspoken supporters of Israel in the House, has not been shy about publicly calling out members of his own party when disagreements over Israel and antisemitism have arisen in recent years.

But during the breakfast meeting this week, Gottheimer did not bring up his objections to the 33-year-old democratic socialist, according to a House aide familiar with the matter, even as his views on Israel have raised alarms among Jewish voters and faced pushback from Democratic leaders who have so far withheld endorsements in the New York City mayoral race. 

In a statement, Gottheimer reiterated his concerns about Mamdani’s progressive policy proposals and his acceptance of rhetoric that Jewish leaders have condemned as antisemitic. But the New Jersey congressman suggested he was willing to hear from the mayoral nominee about his stunning primary upset that has rattled the political establishment.

“I don’t think higher taxes, anti-job creating socialism, and an acceptance of antisemitic rhetoric is the right direction for America,” Gottheimer told Jewish Insider, echoing comments he shared in an interview with CNBC on Thursday morning and elsewhere in recent weeks. “That said, I am always open to learning how I can reach more people with my commonsense, problem-solving approach.”

He declined to comment further on the meeting to JI on Thursday. “I don’t have anything to say beyond what I put out,” the congressman said.

Later on Thursday, Gottheimer announced he was introducing a bipartisan resolution condemning the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which Mamdani has refused to condemn. The motto chanted frequently at anti-Israel demonstrations is “hate speech, plain and simple,” the congressman wrote in a statement that did not mention Mamdani, arguing such words “incite violence, fuel hate and put Jewish families at risk.”

Still, Gottheimer voiced no such disapproval in the Wednesday breakfast hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — which included several progressive House Democrats and was promoted as a “communication and organizing” session as the party rethinks its messaging strategy ahead of next year’s midterms.

Gottheimer’s reticence to speak out directly during the in-person meeting stands in contrast with his past denunciations of Mamdani, whose defense of the “intifada” phrase — seen by critics as a violent provocation to target Jews — he has called “insane and unacceptable” amid rising antisemitic activity.

The divisive slogan “is a well-known antisemitic chant that calls for the eradication of Israel and violence against Jews,” Gottheimer said in a social media post a week before the primary last month. 

“Zohran Mamdani’s pathetic, hateful lies are a blatant slap in the face of the Jewish community,” he added. “He must apologize immediately. I also suggest that he visit the Holocaust Museum in the coming days and learn why these words are so dangerous.”

Even as no discussion of Israel or antisemitism was raised at the Wednesday gathering, top Democrats have continued to signal their hesitation regarding Mamdani’s approach to such issues, particularly his stance on the “intifada” slogan that he has defended repeatedly as an expression of Palestinian rights.

For his part, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who did not attend the breakfast but is expected to meet with Mamdani in New York City on Friday, has said that the nominee’s comments about the phrase will be a part of their discussion — suggesting that his support is likely contingent on a change in tone.

Mamdani, who has faced questions about the phrase in other meetings this week, has privately indicated he plans to take a more calibrated stance with regard to the matter, a key point of tension as he now works to expand his coalition in a crowded race that includes Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both running as independents. 

The Democratic mayoral nominee said in a private meeting with business leaders earlier this week that he would “discourage” use of the phrase but still did not go so far as to condemn it himself, according to reports of the closed-door discussion on Tuesday.

Additional reporting contributed by JI senior congressional correspondent Marc Rod

House and Senate Democrats are pushing ahead with efforts to bring forward votes this week in both chambers on resolutions that aim to constrain the administration from taking any further military action against Iran in spite of President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

Trump’s diplomatic breakthrough is creating some political awkwardness for Democrats who had insisted the president would escalate the war, but many are still likely to support the resolutions, which reflect their dissatisfaction with the president’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without congressional authorization. 

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the lead sponsor of one war powers resolution in the House, said he no longer plans to force a vote on it, explaining, “if we’re not engaged in hostilities, I think it’s a moot point.” He said he had told House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that he would not attempt to bring the resolution to the floor.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Massie’s lead co-sponsor, said, “The anti-war advocacy of the left and right broke through. I am glad cooler heads prevailed and Trump seems committed to stopping this war. I spoke with Rep. Massie this evening and we are taking a wait and see approach about whether a vote will be needed now on our War Powers Resolution.”

But a group of senior House Democrats introduced a separate resolution on Monday evening, which they are expected to continue to advance.

The U.S. strike, Massie’s resolution and broader questions about the situation in Iran have been causing heartburn for many House Democrats, particularly supporters of Israel, Democratic staff sources told Jewish Insider earlier Tuesday.

Democratic staffers not authorized to speak publicly explained that, behind the scenes, the largely unified public Democratic opposition to the strikes has been driven by several factors, including the perceived lack of political support for the strikes, concerns about an escalating war and frustration with the Trump administration.

“I think a lot of members support the strike privately but see this as a politically vulnerable issue for [Trump],” one Democratic staffer said.

Another staffer said that Democrats are afraid of echoes of the Iraq war: If the U.S. ends up in a full-scale, protracted, politically unpopular war with Iran, they don’t want to be on record as having supported it.

And, the staffer said, there’s a deep level of distrust for the Trump administration, which acted largely unilaterally in the strikes, did not make efforts to keep congressional leaders informed about the strikes and hasn’t yet presented any evidence to Congress of the need for the strikes or their success.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, who worked with other top Democrats on an alternative war powers resolution, said the resolution effort should continue “if United States forces remain engaged.”

Himes, along with Reps. Greg Meeks (D-NY) and Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrats on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, introduced their own war powers resolution Monday evening, after the ceasefire was announced.

Whether that resolution will come to the floor remains an open question. The House speaker was reportedly working on a procedural plan that would strip the Massie resolution of its privileged status, sidestepping a vote on the House floor, and could potentially use the same tactic to defuse the new Democratic resolution.

On the Senate side, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said he also plans to push forward with his efforts, and said that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is working with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to facilitate a vote.

“Whether or not a ceasefire between Israel and Iran comes to fruition — and I hope it does — I will move forward to force a vote on my resolution to require Congress to debate and vote on whether or not the United States should engage in a war with Iran,” Kaine said in a statement to JI. “Americans don’t want matters of war and peace, bombing and ceasefire, to rest upon the daily whims of any one person.” 

“That’s why the Framers of our Constitution decided that war should only be declared following a public debate and congressional vote,” Kaine continued. “Congress must affirm its commitment to that principle and send a clear message: no more endless wars.”

Other Democrats agreed that a war powers resolution should still receive a vote in spite of the ceasefire.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told JI, “At the end of the day, I think that a war powers resolution makes good sense to vote on and for Congress to finally reassert what is in black-and-white letters in the Constitution, which is that only Congress and the consent of the American people can start a war.”

Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), a former Army intelligence officer, argued that the uncertainty of the situation necessitated that Congress step in.

“It’s a very volatile situation, which, to me, makes it even more urgent that we make clear and reassert what the Constitution of the United States says, which is that it is the Congress that has the authority to declare war or authorize the use of [force],” Ryan told JI.

He added that it “should be concerning to every American that multiple days after doing — not even a preemptive strike — a preventive strike, there’s still no legal justification, there’s still no clarity about the effectiveness.”

A memo sent by Trump to the Senate cited presidential foreign relations authorities enshrined in the U.S. constitution as the legal backing for the strike.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), among the few House Democrats who supported the strikes, told JI that he wants to see Congress reclaim its power but that the administration also has the ability to take defensive action without consulting Congress. He said that the war powers resolution push is likely no longer relevant if the ceasefire continues.

“Based on the ceasefire that was announced, it if holds, it appears that the issue in this current climate is moot, but overall, still important,” Moskowitz said. “[The war powers resolution] is no longer relevant to this particular purpose. It would be more of a general ‘us reasserting our authority as Congress.’”

Kaine told reporters earlier in the day that his resolution in the Senate would come up for a vote on Thursday or Friday.

Kaine said that the vote was “fluid” but he expected to see Republican support, and that he expected nearly all Democrats, with the exception of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), to support it.

“I think the fluidity and change is something that I think warrants — this is why you get a congressional discussion, because these things can escalate,” Kaine said. “They can move in ways that are hard to predict, and that’s why a discussion and a vote is a good idea.”

He said that, “my colleagues on the Democratic side, regardless of whatever they feel about Iran, [believe] wars without Congress, wars that bypass us, are a bad idea.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) confirmed he planned to support the resolution as well, arguing that the Constitution is clear that war powers are vested in Congress and that his position on the issue has been consistent across administrations.

“There have always been people who argue the president can do whatever he wants,” Paul said. “The problem is, that’s a recipe for chronic intervention. It’s a recipe for endless war.”

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a pro-Israel Democrat, also said he supported the resolution.

Ahead of the ceasefire, some specific concerns with the wording of the Massie resolution had split Democrats, one Democratic staffer said. That prompted the separate resolution from Meeks, Himes and Smith. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) claimed at a press conference on Monday that he hadn’t reviewed the Massie resolution yet, indicating that he would not be supporting it. 

A Democratic staffer explained that there were fairly widespread concerns that Massie’s resolution could block the U.S. from continuing to support Israel’s defense.

The Democrat-led resolution includes a specific exception allowing the U.S. to defend itself or any ally or partner from “imminent attack,” whereas Massie’s resolution only allowed for continued defense of the United States and intelligence sharing with allies. The Democrats leading the resolution emphasized in a statement that it would allow U.S. forces defending Israel to continue their activities.

“What we’re trying to get clarity on is to ensure that there’s no ambiguity or doubt about our ability to fully support the defense of Israel and the Israeli people, that we can continue … intelligence sharing and information sharing, cyber,” Ryan said earlier, of the Massie resolution. “There are key dimensions where we have to continue to be very closely aligned.”

“My concern is less about the language of the resolution and more about who introduced it, frankly,” Ryan continued. Massie has a history of comments that colleagues on both sides of the aisle have condemned as antisemitic.

Jeffries, at his press conference, largely focused on the fact that the Trump administration had failed to inform Congress about the strikes in the normal manner and had still not provided a proper justification for the strikes or accounted for Iran’s nuclear material.

He also argued that the administration’s claims to have destroyed Iran’s nuclear program completely couldn’t be trusted.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), a former House majority leader and perhaps the most prominent Democratic supporter of the strikes, told JI that his support for the strikes was consistent with unilateral action taken by administrations dating back to President Bill Clinton. 

He added that it would be “hypocritical” not to support the strikes now, when administrations have said for decades that they will not permit a nuclear Iran, and said that the recent International Atomic Energy Agency report showed that Iran was “too close” to a nuclear weapon and “stopping them was the right thing to do.”

Hoyer also noted that Congress moves more slowly than the executive branch and that a slow public debate over a potential strike in Congress over strikes would have “incentivized [Iran] to move ahead as quickly as possible.”

He said that as a general matter, however, he believes that it is important for Congress to be able to put a check on the administration’s ability to go to war, though he said that the decision to strike Iran was a long time coming.

Fetterman, the only Senate Democrat who has announced he plans to oppose the war powers resolution, blasted some colleagues who have called the strikes unconstitutional. He said he would have opposed the Kaine resolution before the strikes.

He noted that previous Democratic administrations had conducted similar “one-off” strikes and argued that congressional approval would only be needed if the U.S. was going to start a broader, protracted war.

Fetterman also blasted Democrats for joining Massie’s effort calling him, “that weirdo from Kentucky.”

Among Republicans, Massie’s resolution may have seen some additional support from a handful of isolationist Republicans, but likely not many. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), the Republican who, alongside Massie, has been most outspoken against the U.S. strike, told Punchbowl News she would not support the effort.

But she also said she wanted to push to cut off U.S. aid to Israel, and has previously condemned Israel’s military action against Iran. 

A group of four House Democrats introduced legislation on Wednesday that aims to exempt Israel and Ukraine from the recent global tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed by executive order.

Trump announced a 17% tariff on Israel in April, above the global 10% minimum tariff that the president said he would apply to U.S. trading partners.

The Trump administration is “alienating some of our closest allies around the world, including those that are currently facing aggression from hostile nations,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), the bill’s lead sponsor, said in a statement. “I support efforts to increase domestic manufacturing, but those efforts shouldn’t come at the expense of our global standing, our national security, and the strength of our economy. Congress has to stand up to the destruction these tariffs are threatening against American families and our allies Israel and Ukraine, and I’m leading the charge to do it.”

The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).

Moskowitz accused the administration of placing on Americans “the largest tax increase since 1968” through the tariffs, describing them as “a tax on American families that makes goods inaccessible, threatens retirement accounts, and takes a sledgehammer to U.S. economic growth.”

The legislation is a companion to a bill Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced in early April. She sought unanimous consent in the Senate at the time to pass the bill, but was blocked by Republicans.

“Both these countries are currently under attack. They need the United States to be standing with them, not hitting them with nonsensical tariffs that could cause them even more harm,” Cortez Masto said at the time. “It is outrageous that my Republican colleagues blocked an opportunity to fix this and come together to protect our allies.”

Some Republicans have been critical of the administration’s decision to place tariffs on Israel, particularly since Israel announced it would lift all of its own tariffs on the United States, but most have opposed efforts by Democrats in the Senate to force votes on legislation to block the tariffs.

The administration has delayed the implementation of tariffs and multiple federal courts have ruled that the president does not have the unilateral authority to impose them.

A group of 22 left-wing House Democrats introduced legislation pushing for a series of sweeping and unprecedented new restrictions on U.S. aid to Israel, requiring specific authorizations from Congress for each transfer of numerous key weapons and guarantees from Israel about their use.

The legislation would prohibit the administration from transferring or selling a series of arms to Israel including several types of bombs, bomb guidance kits and tank and artillery ammunition without the passage of a distinct law from Congress authorizing the individual transfer.

The bill would require Congress, in those authorizations, to identify “the specific purpose or purposes for which such articles or services may be used for.” And Israel would have to provide “written assurances satisfactory to the President” that the weapons would be used in accordance with those specified purposes, as well as in line with existing U.S. arms sales law — which is already binding on Israel — and international law.

The proposal, which stands no chance of passing in the current Congress, goes beyond the conditions that have previously been proposed for U.S. arms sales to Israel or in place for any other recipients of U.S. aid. It contains no emergency waiver provision for the administration, should Israel face an attack.

Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Military and Political Power and a former Senate staffer, told Jewish Insider that the bill “would be an extraordinary measure targeting Israel alone in a unique manner with the clear purpose of depriving Israel of some of the munitions it needs most” and is “among some of the most concerning anti-Israel legislation we’ve seen in recent years.” 

He said that, while Congress has placed conditions on arms transfers to other nations in the past, the requirement of specific congressional approval for each transfer is “particularly aggressive.” He described the bill as “part of a campaign on the far left in this country focused on depriving the world’s only majority Jewish state of the means of self defense.”

“If it were to become law, it essentially is an arms embargo against Israel for these munitions,” Bowman said, making it “incredibly time consuming” to provide those weapons and slow the transfers down by months, and giving anti-Israel members opportunities to further derail the process through procedural means.

The bill is led by Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) and co-sponsored by Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Becca Balint (D-VT), Andre Carson (D-IN), Greg Casar (D-TX), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Summer Lee (D-PA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).

A Ramirez spokesperson told JI that Ramirez introduced the legislation prior to the news of the murder of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington last week. “Out of an abundance of respect and care for the communities and loved ones impacted by the murders of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, Ramirez and the cosponsoring legislators decided to hold any plan to discuss it publicly, honoring the intention of the legislation to uphold our shared humanity and interconnectedness. We will be sharing more information on the legislation once members return to DC,” the spokesperson said.

Bowman noted that the group in support of this bill is nowhere near a majority in either chamber, but “could be increasingly problematic” as their numbers grow and members gain leadership roles in key committees.

He said the weapons in question are critical for Israel’s operations against Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as for preventing imminent launches of rockets toward Israeli cities. And, he noted, some of the weapons included, like the bomb guidance kits, are designed to improve targeting and decrease civilian casualties, making the effort counterproductive.

A group of 41 pro-Israel House Democrats released a statement on Wednesday praising the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza as helping to refocus international attention on releasing the hostages and calling for a comprehensive plan for postwar Gaza.

The statement, first shared with Jewish Insider, argues that the renewed delivery of aid, which began on Monday, was “essential to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, so that the primary focus of the international community can return to releasing the hostages that remain in captivity.”

“We strongly believe that there can be no lasting peace while Hamas remains in power. Its tyrannical rule over Gaza must end. To achieve that objective, the United States, Israel, and key Arab partners must agree upon a serious and credible political and security plan to govern Gaza after the war,” the lawmakers added. “Then, with the hostages returned and Hamas removed from power, the rebuilding process can begin to ensure lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

The statement highlights that Israel has facilitated the entry of 1.78 million tons of aid into Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, and states that aid “must be disbursed swiftly and safely to Palestinian civilians and not Hamas, which has been stealing aid since the start of the war.”

It notes that Hamas continues to hold 58 hostages, saying, “Every day that goes by without the hostages’ release is a dagger in the hearts of their families.”

“We call on President Trump and his administration to do everything within their power to secure the release of the hostages, facilitate the disbursement of aid, and bring a swift end to the war,” the statement concludes.

The statement was organized by Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), in cooperation with Democratic Majority for Israel.

The statement was co-signed by Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Dina Titus (D-NV), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) Don Davis (D-NC), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Wesley Bell (D-MO), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Angie Craig (D-MN), Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Grace Meng (D-NY), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), George Latimer (D-NY), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), Mike Levin (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Jim Costa (D-CA), Laura Friedman (D-CA), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Sarah McBride (D-DE), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Josh Riley (D-NY) and Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) and Ted Lieu (D-CA).

“This statement from 41 congressional Democrats, spearheaded by DMFI, reflects a clear-eyed understanding of the moral and strategic imperatives at stake in the continuing Israel–Hamas war,” DMFI President Brian Romick said in a statement. “Hamas’s continued captivity of 58 hostages after some 600 days, including the remains of American citizens, is a humanitarian outrage that demands the world’s attention. At the same time, aid intended for Palestinian civilians must not be diverted by Hamas to fuel terror and prolong this devastating war.”

“Their voices send a powerful message: the United States must remain steadfast in its commitment to our ally Israel, to the return of the hostages — both living and dead — and to a post-conflict vision that rejects terror and embraces peace,” Romick continued.

House Democrats urged Education Secretary Linda McMahon not to make cuts to the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights as employees work through the backlog of cases, which includes scores of civil rights complaints from Jewish students alleging discrimination at their universities since the Oct.7, 2023, attacks on Israel. 

After Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) accused McMahon and the Trump administration of being broadly unconcerned with civil rights, citing the Office of Civil Rights and the Education Department “being decimated,” McMahon responded: “It isn’t being decimated. We have reduced the size of it; however, we are taking on a backlog of cases that were left over from the Biden administration.”

Asked why she’d reduce resources to the office given the backlog from the previous administration, McMahon replied, “Because we’re working more efficiently in the department.”

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) similarly urged McMahon not to make cuts to OCR “if you are sincere about fighting antisemitism and also all kinds of unlawful discrimination.” Frankel also referenced several other programs she wanted McMahon to protect, a number of which McMahon expressed openness to considering. 

After recounting an experience of a Jewish friend who took their children out of the Washington, D.C., public school system due to its unwillingness to address concerns about antisemitism, Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) offered McMahon an opportunity to speak about the rise of antisemitism in primary and secondary education. 

“Certainly the president has made it very clear that he does not condone any kind of discrimination — racial and especially, we’ve seen religious, we’ve seen it across our college campuses, some of the most elite in the country. We took very strong and very decisive action against those universities who clearly were not protecting Jewish students against antisemitism,” McMahon told the committee. 

“When you see students barricaded in a library, and others pounding on the glass going, ‘Death to Jews. Death to Israel. Death to United States,’ that is unacceptable at our college campuses. And we reacted,” she continued.

McMahon went on to discuss her engagement with Columbia University, praising its acting president, Claire Shipman, for her response to student protesters involved in the takeover of the school’s main library earlier this month.

“We reacted to Columbia first. This incident happened at Columbia, and I met with the president of Columbia. I’ve had two conversations now with the current president of Columbia. We’ve talked about things that we need to do at those universities. We want to be able to be supportive, but those universities, albeit they’re private, do receive federal funding. We have leverage to withhold some of that federal funding or to cancel some of the grants, and we would do that unless it could be proven that these colleges and universities are going to respect all rights and set their policy in place and enforce them,” McMahon said.

“I was complimentary to the acting president now at Columbia, Claire Shipman, when I talked to her last week, and I said, ‘You reacted just as you said you would to the recent uprising on campus. You were looking at whether or not– you’ve suspended students, are you going to expel them?’ And that’s still what she’s looking at. So we’ve seen that that kind of action can deliver results,” she continued. 

Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) was home in Rhode Island during the congressional recess late last week, “stewing” about Tucker Carlson’s widely viewed interview with a vocal Holocaust revisionist.

In response, he sent a text to a group chat of Jewish Democratic members of the House suggesting they speak out, which led, in a matter of days, to a joint statement from all 24 Jewish House Democrats, a rare example of unanimity from a group including members from both ends of the Democratic Caucus.

“My concern was that this kind of embrace of literal fascism is happening in plain sight on the far right, and people have become so desensitized to it that they are treating it as normal, and we cannot let it become normal,” Magaziner told Jewish Insider on Tuesday.

He emphasized that he was concerned not only about the interview itself, which garnered millions of views, but also that it was promoted by Elon Musk and that Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) refused to condemn it.

Magaziner said he drafted a statement on Friday and his colleagues were eager to join the statement.

“I’m very pleased that we were able to come together as a group, because it is an extremely ideologically diverse group, even when it comes to matters related to Israel, related to antisemitism, related to what it means to be Jewish in America,” Magaziner said. “It’s a very diverse group with often diverging opinions. But I’m glad that we were able to come together on this and come together quickly.”

Magaziner said there had been some discussion among the members of whether to mention Musk in the statement, given that the X owner deleted his post promoting the interview, but said the lawmakers ultimately decided to include the tech billionaire because he “never disavowed what Carlson and Cooper said” and “this is — just to be blunt — not the first time that Musk has dabbled with antisemitic ideas and statements.”

Magaziner acknowledged that Jewish House Democrats haven’t spoken in a similar unified voice to condemn antisemitism on the left, explaining that it was “easier in this case to find language that all members were comfortable with.”

But he said that he believes each of the Jewish Democrats has condemned antisemitism on the left “in the way that they felt was appropriate,” although there are differences of opinions of when and how to do so, and “what rises to the level of antisemitic versus perhaps misguided.”

Magaziner said, “we hope we can get our colleagues on the other side of the aisle” to speak out about Carlson and the interview, but noted that the Democrats didn’t reach out to their Jewish Republican counterparts about joining the statement.

“I thought it was important that J.D. Vance be included in the statement because he is running to be vice president,” Magaziner said. “And the reality is that our Republican colleagues were not going to sign on to a statement that was critical of J.D. Vance.”

Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN) and Max Miller (R-OH) declined to comment last week on the Carlson interview, and didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about the statement.

Magaziner, when running for Congress, said he does not practice Judaism and highlighted his mixed heritage — his father is Jewish and his mother is Catholic. But he’s been involved with various efforts by Jewish House Democrats, particularly since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. His office described the statement on Carlson as a “statement from Jewish members of the House.”

The Rhode Island Democrat explained that other Jewish Democrats approached him early in his term about joining regular informal meetings and discussions among Jewish Democrats.

“I said to them, ‘I don’t know whether or not it’s appropriate for me to be a part of that,’” but the lawmakers “were very welcoming, and they recognized that even though I don’t practice, that I do have Jewish heritage, that my family has experienced the antisemitism and the many traumas that have come with being Jewish through the years and and they welcomed me into those discussions.”

He said he would have deferred to a more senior member if they had wanted to lead the Carlson statement, but the lawmakers asked him to draft it.

The House Democratic leadership team, Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Pete Aguilar (D-CA) and Ted Lieu (D-CA), in a joint statement issued on Sunday evening rejected comments by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) describing Israel as a “racist state.”

Jayapal, speaking at the Netroots Nation conference in Chicago on Saturday, said, “I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy, that the dream of a two-state solution is slipping away from us, that it does not even feel possible.” Jayapal’s remarks came in response to chants from pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupted the event.

“Israel is not a racist state,” the Democratic leaders said. “As House Democratic leaders, we strongly support Israel’s right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people.”

“Certainly, there are individual members of the current Israeli governing coalition with whom we strongly disagree. That is also the case with respect to some on the other side of the aisle who we serve with in the United States Congress,” they continue. “Government officials come and go. The special relationship between the United States and Israel will endure. We are determined to make sure support for Israel in the Congress remains strongly bipartisan.”

They also stated that they “look forward to welcoming Israeli President Isaac Herzog” for his speech before a joint session of Congress this week. At least four Democrats are expected to boycott Herzog’s speech. Lieu is a CPC member, the first to publicly distance himself from Jayapal’s comments.

Jayapal walked back her remarks on Sunday evening, stating, “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist. I do, however, believe that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government.”

She said that she was attempting to “defuse a tense situation” and was “on a very human level… responding to the deep pain and hopelessness for Palestinians and their diaspora communities when it comes to this debate, and I in no way intended to deny the deep pain and hurt of Israelis and their Jewish diaspora community.”

Separately, seven pro-Israel Democratic lawmakers have signed onto a draft statement saying they are “deeply concerned about” Jayapal’s  “unacceptable comments about our historic, democratic ally Israel.”

The statement, which was still circulating for additional signatories as of Sunday evening, has been signed so far by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Dean Phillips (D-MN), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Kathy Manning (D-NC). A draft was obtained by Jewish Insider. 

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism provides as an example of antisemitism, “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” 

In the joint statement, the lawmakers said they “appreciate [Jayapal’s] retraction.”

They continued, “Regardless of extremist views from groups aligned with either party, efforts to rewrite history and question the Jewish State’s right to exist, or our historic bipartisan relationship, will never succeed in Congress. We remain committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians to establish two-states that exist side-by-side in peace, prosperity, and mutual security.”

They also state that they “will never allow anti-Zionist voices that embolden antisemitism to hijack the Democratic Party and country” and that “efforts to delegitimize and demonize [Israel] are not only dangerous and antisemitic, but they also undermine America’s national security.”

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement that Jayapal’s initial comments were “rashly inaccurate” and “reckless,” adding that ADL “welcome[s] Rep. Jayapal’s clarification.”

“We see again and again how hostile rhetoric can spawn hateful actions, so we would hope that an elected official at her level would choose her words far more carefully,” Greenblatt said. “While we vehemently disagree with many of Rep. Jayapal’s characterizations of Israel and its policies, we share her hope of an ultimate two-state solution to the conflict.”

Greenblatt also offered to travel to Israel with Jayapal “to share with her a diverse, vibrant country where Jews, Muslims, Christians and Bahais; Arabs and Israelis; gay and straight; and essentially people of all ethnicities, faiths and persuasions are living and working side by side.”

Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of J Street, which has endorsed Jayapal, praised her walk-back statement.

“Thank you @RepJayapal. You are staking out a thoughtful space on a tough issue,” Ben-Ami tweeted. “You’re defending @janschakowsky, expressing your support for the state of Israel and voicing important critiques of its government’s policies. Twitter may not value nuance but the world needs it.”