Amman has resisted U.S. efforts to extradite Ahlam Tamimi, who has resided in Jordan since being released from Israeli custody in 2011
Courtney Kealy/Getty Images
Israeli soldiers check for explosives at the site of a Palestinian suicide bombing at a Sbarro pizzaria on Aug. 9, 2001 in Jerusalem.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleTwo U.S. ambassadors highlighted ongoing U.S. efforts to bring Ahlam Tamimi — who was convicted by Israeli courts for her involvement in the 2001 bombing of a Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem that killed 16 people, including three Americans — to face trial in the United States around the 25th anniversary of the terror attack.
Tamimi has resided in Jordan since being released from Israeli custody in 2011 as part of a deal that saw Israel free 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit, who was held hostage by Hamas for more than five years.
U.S. advocates have long pushed for Jordan to extradite Tamimi to face trial in the U.S. on a pending indictment by the Department of Justice, calling for Amman to enforce a 1995 extradition treaty with the U.S. signed by King Hussein. But Amman has refused, claiming the treaty was never properly ratified by its parliament and is therefore invalid.
Ambassador Yehuda Kaploun, the State Department’s antisemitism envoy, on Sunday called on X for Tamimi to face justice. Kaploun’s post was shared by the U.S. Embassy in Jordan, which is the body best poised to push the Jordanian monarchy to extradite Tamimi.
“Today, we mark 25 years since the Hamas terrorist attack at the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem,” Kaploun said. “We remember the 16 victims murdered — including Americans Judith Greenbaum, Chana Nachenberg, and Malki Roth — and the more than 120 others injured. The United States will never forget and remains committed to bringing the perpetrators, including Ahlam al-Tamini, to justice.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also posted on Sunday about Tamimi, sharing a link to the Department of Justice page offering up to $5 million for information that could assist in her capture.
“Twenty-five years ago today, a Hamas suicide bomber murdered 16 people and injured more than 120 at the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem. Among the victims were Americans Judith Greenbaum, Chana Nachenberg, and 15-year-old Malka Roth. May their memories be a blessing,” Huckabee said. “We stand with @Israel against terrorism in all its forms and remain committed to bringing every last fugitive of this heinous act to justice.”
Neither ambassador directly called on Jordan to extradite Tamimi to the U.S.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Anti-Defamation League and other U.S.-based advocates including Roth’s father renewed their calls for Tamimi’s extradition last week.
Yael Lempert, the Biden administration’s nominee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Jordan, pledged during her confirmation hearing in 2023 to “do everything in my power” to secure Tamimi’s extradition, while declining to say that the U.S. should withhold aid to Amman to secure her capture.
Despite reports in early 2025 that Jordan had changed its posture and would seek to expel Tamimi, there has been no apparent progress toward securing her extradition.
Plus, Larry David's fashion advice for Obama
Ilia YEFIMOVICH / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony commemorating Israel's Remembrance Day on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on April 21, 2026.
Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the split between Washington and Jerusalem over the White House’s 15-point plan to disarm Hamas, and spotlight the House and Senate primaries in Minnesota that are testing the power of the state’s far-left activists. We look at the congressional primary taking shape in Hartford, Conn., where Rep. John Larson aims to hold his seat against a challenger calling for generational change, and report on the American Psychological Association’s decision to table a vote to recognize a Jewish group within the organization. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Will Scharf, Noach Hacker and Dario Amodei.
We also have 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
- Todd Blanche will be sworn in as attorney general this afternoon, following last week’s 50-49 Senate vote to confirm him.
- We’re keeping an eye on the talks between Iran and Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after the weekend yielded little progress toward reopening the waterway. President Donald Trump told Axios on Sunday that, despite Iran issuing new demands to the U.S. in order to reopen the strait, Washington is “only semi-negotiating with them” and is “low-keying it,” relying on Tehran’s economic crisis to bring it to an agreement.
- In Tehran, Mohsen Rezaei, the newly tapped head of the Islamic Republic’s national security body who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the 1980s and ’90s, issued new demands, including the end of efforts to target Iranian proxies in the region and the cessation of U.S. threats to Iran.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S mELISSA WEISS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Jerusalem “does not accept the 15-point document” agreed to last month by the U.S.-led Board of Peace and Hamas that would see the eventual disarmament of the terror group and withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip — a rare public break with the White House, which has touted the plan since it was announced.
In comments to his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel “would not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.”
The White House and Jerusalem have largely been in lockstep on issues related to Gaza. The rupture over Hamas’ disarmament is one of the more significant policy breaks between President Donald Trump and Netanyahu.
Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF spokesperson who is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI that the mediating countries benefit from Hamas’ continued rule in the Gaza Strip and have no urgency to press for the terror group’s disarmament.
That lack of seriousness, he added, makes it unlikely that Hamas will take the necessary steps to disarm. “It’s all a show, it’s a charade, a spectacle,” Conricus said. “The only way that Hamas really ceases to control the Gaza Strip is if all of their weapons are handed in — not stored, not temporarily safeguarded somewhere else, but actually handed in, and if that is verified. As long as we won’t see that happening, I don’t think that Israel is going to agree with any charade.”
GOPHER BROKE
The latest Senate showdown between the center and the left set in Minnesota
In an echo of Michigan’s bruising Democratic Senate primary last week, the bitter Democratic primary for an open Senate seat in battleground Minnesota this week is pitting a moderate House member with a long-standing pro-Israel record, Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), against an outspoken progressive, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, whose attack lines have frequently centered on AIPAC, which spent over $30 million in its unsuccessful effort to help Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) in Michigan, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Neck-and-neck: Recent independent surveys have shown a statistical dead heat in the final weeks of the primary, with each candidate garnering around 40% of the vote. The candidates’ equivocations over AIPAC and individual ties to the group have also emerged as fault lines in recent weeks, complicating the ideological divisions that have shaped other primaries in which Israel and Middle East policy have featured prominently. In a reflection of the extent to which AIPAC is now viewed as a liability in Democratic primaries, Craig has distanced herself from the group, which has not officially made an endorsement in the race even as its donor network has contributed to her campaign.
ISRAEL ANGLE
Democratic primary for Craig’s House seat in Minnesota showcases Israel divide within party
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, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The split: 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 amendment, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to cut all U.S. aid to Israel and would have offered it himself if he had the opportunity. 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. State Rep. Kaela Berg charted out something of a middle position, criticizing but supporting the Massie amendment and calling for a complete halt to U.S. taxpayer funding to Israel.
CONNECTICUT COMPETITION
Longtime Connecticut congressman faces primary challenger making generational case for change
Longtime Rep. John Larson (D-CT) is facing a serious challenge to his political survival from former Hartford, Conn., Mayor Luke Bronin, the latest in a wave of challengers to make the argument for generational change in the House of Representatives. Larson, 78, has held his House seat since 1999, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Divide: Larson was among the House Democrats who voted last month against an amendment to cut off all U.S. aid to Israel, and is endorsed by AIPAC. At the same time, he’s been critical of the human rights situation in Gaza and opposed the Iran war. The district is home to the largest concentration of Jews in the state, largely in the Hartford area. Bronin, 47, criticized Larson for his vote, adding that if elected, he would not support any further offensive aid to Israel, though he said he supports defensive systems that protect civilians such as the Iron Dome.
TALKING TURKEY
New defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan concerns U.S. national security experts
A coalition of Sunni regional powers signed a historic joint defense pact on Friday, but national security experts expressed deep unease over the arrangement, arguing that it reflects U.S. shortcomings in the Middle East while raising serious questions about its practical military feasibility, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports. The agreement, dubbed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, was signed in the Saudi holy city of Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Raising concerns: Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British diplomat and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, emphasized that the pact poses strategic complications for both Jerusalem and Washington, while raising alarms for regional actors. “For Israel, it is further confirmation of Turkish ambitions, which are explicitly directed against Israeli interests,” Fitton-Brown said. “For the U.S., it is questioning how reliable or permanent it is viewed as a player in the region. Stirring up a hornet’s nest in the Gulf and then appearing unsure about an endgame, or even clear red lines, has left American allies uncertain about the future and willing to hedge their bets.”
TRANSITIONS
Trump taps Will Scharf as White House counsel
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf will replace David Warrington as White House counsel effective Sept. 1, Jewish Insider’s Melissa Weiss reports.
Trump’s announcement: In a Truth Social post, Trump praised Scharf, whom he said has done “an amazing job” as staff secretary, as “Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law.” Scharf, who is Jewish, has served as White House staff secretary, a lower-profile role that includes managing the paper flow to the president, since early 2025. At the time of his appointment to the position, Trump described Scharf as “a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team.”
IN LIMBO
American Psychological Association postpones vote recognizing Jewish representation
The American Psychological Association delayed its vote on Friday to recognize the Association of Jewish Psychologists within its organization, marking the second time this year the organization has postponed the decision to recognize Jewish representation in the organization, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
State of play: The APA has six official ethnic associations, representing Arab Americans, Black psychologists and Asian Americans, among other minority groups. Proponents of the proposed Jewish group within the APA argue that Jewish psychologists deserve to be included as well, especially given the rise of antisemitism within the organization. On Friday, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Medical Association condemned APA’s decision to postpone the vote again.
Worthy Reads
The Takeover of the Democratic Party: In The Free Press, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) warns of the Democratic Socialists of America’s “hijacking” of the Democratic Party, and the refusal by many colleagues to stand up against the group’s growing influence. “What’s most worrisome is not just the ignorance underlying so much of the heated, abusive, and violent anti-Jewish sentiment. It’s also the cowardly amplification and kowtowing by the political class. As a Democratic member of Congress, I can attest that for a growing number of my colleagues, being anti-Israel has now become a nonnegotiable moral litmus test.” [FreePress]
Pat’s Politics: Politico’s Jason Beeferman spotlights Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), a West Point graduate and former Army intelligence officer who has shifted leftward as the party has moved in the same direction. “Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Mamdani ally who trounced Goldman by harnessing voters’ anger with Israel’s war in Gaza, was invited to be one of Ryan’s five featured speakers at his campaign kickoff rally last month. ‘I’ve known Pat for 10 years, and I hate to say this,’ said one Democratic official, granted anonymity to speak candidly about their colleague. ‘But I couldn’t tell you a single thing that he genuinely, sincerely cares about or believes in, other than advancing his own political career.’” [Politico]
Failing Grade: The Washington Post’s Megan McArdle reflects on the American Association of University Professors’s decision last month to endorse Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in the state’s Democratic Senate primary. “Frankly, I’m not sure the AAUP’s endorsement even mattered. But to the extent it did, the net effect was probably a small boost for Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers. The endorsement of El-Sayed will also send a message about the AAUP to legislators in other redder states, where races are often decided in the Republican primary and El-Sayed’s flavor of politics is poison.” [WashPost]
Find more Worthy Reads in our Live Briefing via our new app (on Apple and Android) and website.
Word on the Street
Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the “Lebanon Sanctions, Stabilization and Support Act,” which sanctions those involved in supporting Hezbollah, provides funding for state-run infrastructure and civil services and expands aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, conditioned on progress in countering Hezbollah…
The Senate on Friday passed a bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to sanction Russia and extend existing sanctions on Iran by an 86-11 vote, with a handful of mostly Democratic lawmakers objecting over new tariff powers granted in the bill…
Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), one of the most moderate Democrats in Congress, easily fended off a primary challenge from state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, who had argued during the campaign that the state’s 1st District was in need of generational change…
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Israel was “not aligned with U.S. national security objectives,” noting, “I want there to be a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. I support Israel. I cannot support this government’s actions”…
James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee in Texas, said he would not vote to send further military aid to an Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that aid beyond that should be conditioned on Israeli policies in Gaza and the West Bank, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Haverford College settled a lawsuit filed by a handful of students and the group Jews for Haverford over administrators’ handling of antisemitism on the Pennsylvania liberal arts campus…
The Information profiles Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, diving into his unorthodox leadership style and his tendency to rely on a small inner circle while ignoring outside advice — as the company approaches its IPO. Also detailed: Amodei’s South Florida meeting with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who had become friends with Amodei’s wife, Camilla Clark, about potential Anthropic funding (Kushner passed).…
Chabad of the Upper East Side and Park East Synagogue announced a new partnership that will see Chabad clergy, including longtime Rabbi Ben-Tzion Krasnianski, join the leadership of Park East alongside Rabbi Arthur Schneier…
The New Yorker reviews Wendy Wasserstein’s “An American Daughter,” a revival of which is now in previews at the Pershing Square Signature Center…
The Associated Press spotlights the Jews of Cochin, India, as the last remaining members of the community — the majority of which moved to Israel in the 20th century — work to preserve remnants of the past…
The Israeli government signed off on the redirection of approximately $333 million to the Ministry of Defense — including some $283 million from the Ministry of Economy — for urgent needs; the funds had originally been earmarked for Intel’s since-frozen expansion in Kiryat Gat…
The New York Times does a deep dive into Israeli and U.S. efforts to target Hezbollah’s funding sources and financial lifelines…
The Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco refinery amid increasing tensions between the Iran-backed group in Yemen and Riyadh; the Saudi Energy Ministry confirmed a fire at the site but did not say what caused it…
Apollo Global Management in recent months appointed partner Reed Rayman to lead its AI sector and develop relationships to help the firm land more large AI infrastructure financings, The Information reports…
The founders of Israeli AI startup Decart are in advanced talks to sell the company to a major international technology company for approximately $6 billion-$7 billion, Calcalist reports…
Noach Hacker is joining the Israel Democracy Institute as vice president of policy…
Bill Goichberg, the founder of the Continental Chess Association who grew the field of competitive chess, died at 83…
Pic of the Day
In the season finale of Larry David’s “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” former President Barack Obama joins David for a sketch about the infamous tan suit that stirred controversy during a 2014 press conference. Watch the seven-minute clip of David and Obama here.
Birthdays
Former director of the Jewish Museum of Vienna, she was a founder of the German-language magazine Nu devoted to Jewish politics and culture, Danielle Spera (middle) turns 69…
CEO at Royal Health Services in Beverly Hills, Calif., Robert N. Feldman… Professor emeritus of biochemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Shimon Schuldiner turns 80… NYC-based real estate developer, he is the founder and principal of Clipper Equity, David Bistricer turns 77… Former governor of the South African Reserve Bank, the first woman to hold that position, Gill Marcus turns 77… Conservative rabbi who served as executive director of the Interfaith Alliance, Rabbi Jack Moline turns 74… Retired co-leader of the securities litigation practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, he is the co-president of NYC’s Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, Joseph S. Allerhand… Certified registered nurse anesthetist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Salkind… Author, media consultant and former film critic for The New York Post and The New York Daily News, Jami Bernard turns 70… Former member of the California state Senate, Steven Mitchell Glazer turns 69… Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel and Rishon LeZion since 2024, Rabbi David Yosef turns 69… Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-MI), now a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Andy Levin turns 66… Professor of physics and astronomy at Tel Aviv University, Yaron Oz turns 62… Tech entrepreneur, he served as a Washington state senator until 2023, Reuven Michael Carlyle turns 61… Former member of the Florida state Senate, he authored a book about his time as one of the first employees of Yahoo, Jeremy Ring turns 56… Deputy attorney general of Israel, Sharon Afek turns 56… Regional chief technology officer in the South Texas office of Technologent, Jason P. Reyes… Senior director of development for the NYC-based Tikvah Fund, Eytan Sosnovich… Marketing and editorial consultant, Sophie Vershbow… SVP of commodities compliance at Citibank, Jacob Cohen…
'At the end of the day, the Board of Peace is a game for Washington, and life or death to Israel,' Danielle Pletka, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told JI
Prime Minister's Office
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on July 28, 2026.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Jerusalem “does not accept the 15-point document” agreed to last month by the U.S.-led Board of Peace and Hamas that would see the eventual disarmament of the terror group and withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip — a rare public break with the White House, which has touted the plan since it was announced.
In comments to his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel “would not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.”
The White House and Jerusalem have largely been in lockstep on issues related to Gaza. The rupture over Hamas’ disarmament is one of the more significant policy breaks between President Donald Trump and Netanyahu.
Trump announced in late July what he described on his Truth Social site as a “HISTORIC” agreement, saying that the parties, through mediation by Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, had achieved a “critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people.”
Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF spokesperson who is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI that the mediating countries benefit from Hamas’ continued rule in the Gaza Strip and have no urgency to press for the terror group’s disarmament.
That lack of seriousness, he added, makes it unlikely that Hamas will take the necessary steps to disarm. “It’s all a show, it’s a charade, a spectacle,” Conricus said. “The only way that Hamas really ceases to control the Gaza Strip is if all of their weapons are handed in — not stored, not temporarily safeguarded somewhere else, but actually handed in, and if that is verified. As long as we won’t see that happening, I don’t think that Israel is going to agree with any charade.”
The agreement released by the Board of Peace states that none of Hamas’ weapons “shall be transferred or handed to Israel or non-Palestinian parties” and they will instead “be decommissioned and stored” by the Palestinian technocratic government in Gaza.
Conricus described the dynamic as “a very unfortunate diplomatic situation” in which Israel is being “presented as the side that is turning down the 15-point deal, [at the same time as] Hamas appears to be getting away with not implementing the deal.”
But Netanyahu’s response, Conricus said, “reeks of petty Israeli politics” and was “much more political posturing for local politics than anything else.”
Danielle Pletka, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told JI that the break between Trump and Netanyahu was “inevitable” — and that Jerusalem and Washington have differing approaches to the future of the Gaza Strip.
“U.S. policy in the region is a circus, with grifters, diplomats, terrorists and a few well-intentioned bit players all making occasional appearances,” she said. “At the end of the day, the Board of Peace is a game for Washington, and life or death to Israel.”
Similarly to Iran, Pletka continued, “Israel is in it to win it. The Trump administration’s intentions are less clear. As a result, there are going to be public breaks, reconciliations and more breaks. Each country will pursue its interests as it sees them. That’s the way it has always been, and it isn’t going to change.”
Netanyahu is also running up against the deadline of the Oct. 27 election in Israel, walking a political tightrope as he aims to preserve his close public ties with the White House while running a reelection campaign.
The Israeli leader, Israel Policy Forum senior analyst Dan Rothem told JI, “is carefully maneuvering between Trump and the constraints of Israeli politics.
“The sequencing in the 15-point roadmap on withdrawal and disarmament does not directly contradict the 20-point plan [Netanyahu] endorsed in October 2025, and Israel was briefed throughout the negotiations,” Rothem said. “Yet three years of a ‘total victory’ narrative, combined with the political pride taken in the IDF’s control of roughly 60% of Gaza, has sharply narrowed his room to maneuver. Publicly rejecting the document lets him signal toughness to his base ahead of elections while still keeping channels open with Washington.”
Rothem added that the on-the-ground reality will matter more than election-season rhetoric. “The public rejection [by Netanyahu] serves clear electoral needs,” he said, noting that Israel had scaled back its attacks in Gaza in recent days following a meeting between Netanyahu and Board of Peace head Nickolay Mladenov, and that the Israeli Cabinet signed off on the framework for the Board of Peace’s International Stabilization Force.
Qatar applauded the gathering for its effort to ‘preserve [Jerusalem’s] Islamic and Christian identity’
Government of Qatar
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani greets Jordanian King Abdullah at foreign ministers summit.
A coalition of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries met in Jordan on Wednesday to launch a coordinated campaign against Israeli policies in Jerusalem — a gathering marked both by the notable absence of key regional players and rhetoric that dismissed Jewish ties to the city.
The meeting brought together diplomats from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Algeria, Iraq, Tunisia, Somalia and Morocco, alongside representatives from the Arab League, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia. Missing from the Amman summit were several close U.S. allies including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait.
In a joint statement, the group denounced what it called an “unprecedented Israeli escalation in occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” accusing Israel of trying to alter “the Arab Islamic and Christian identity of occupied Jerusalem and its legal and demographic status” — omitting any mention of Jewish historical or religious ties to the city.
The ministers also claimed that Israel “has no sovereignty” over east Jerusalem.
The statement accused Israel of discriminatory practices against Christians, including “restrictions on access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the observance of religious rites therein; interference in the affairs of churches and restrictions imposed on their institutions and properties; and attacks targeting clergy, worshippers and religious symbols.”
The ministers also warned that “Israeli attacks against Islamic holy sites in occupied Jerusalem constitute a blatant provocation to the sentiments of around two billion Muslims worldwide, and push towards a religious conflict with repercussions that will extend beyond the region and threaten regional and international peace and security.”
To operationalize their response, the ministers announced a coordinated international campaign — including a dedicated media platform — to document alleged Israeli violations against holy sites with a plan to present them to international organizations.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry lauded the meeting, where it said the countries discussed “the Israeli escalation in occupied Jerusalem, and the joint efforts to preserve its Islamic and Christian identity.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry forcefully denounced the joint statement, noting its exclusion of Jewish ties to the city.
“The declaration endorsed by the Foreign Ministers of the Arab Ministerial Committee, convened by Jordan, is built on false accusations, historical distortions, and a complete disregard for the facts,” the ministry said.
“It is particularly cynical to accuse Israel of violating freedom of worship while declaring that the entire Temple Mount is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, ignoring the Jewish people’s historic connection to Jerusalem and its holiest sites,” the statement continued. “Under Israeli sovereignty, Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the State of Israel, has never been more open and accessible to worshippers of all faiths. Israel remains committed to preserving freedom of worship, maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount, and taking all necessary measures to ensure public order and the safety of all visitors.”
Plus, Vance alleges Israeli influence campaign to extend Iran war
Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images
The sun sets behind the U.S. Capitol Building on July 8, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
Good Wednesday afternoon.
This P.M. briefing is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
More than 100 House Democrats, about half of the caucus, voted in favorof Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) amendment to strip all U.S. aid to Israel out of the State Department appropriations bill this afternoon, including several leaders of the caucus such as Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), the No. 2 House Democrat, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
While the amendment was overwhelmingly defeated, 314-104, the large segment of Democrats supporting the measure indicates a growing shift away from the party’s historic support for Israel…
Vice President JD Vance, in an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” released today, stated repeatedly that Israeli actors are engaged in a “very discreet, very well-funded” influence campaign to extend the war in Iran: “There are some people within their system we know beyond a shadow of a doubt who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely. Again, not towards any objective, but just indefinitely,” he alleged.
Vance also said that the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein “clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence” and to “elements of the Israeli deep state that were left of center”…
The U.S., Israel and Lebanon, wrapping up talks in Rome this week, agreed on the structure and guidelines for implementing the two pilot zones the parties agreed to create in southern Lebanon, a State Department official said today, without specifying a timeline for the IDF’s withdrawal. The parties will now engage in expanded technical talks to implement the trilateral agreement reached in the last round of negotiations…
CENTCOM began another round of strikes against Iran this afternoon; coming after strikes earlier in the day, the pace of the operations appears to be gaining momentum. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering expanding U.S. military efforts to include more airstrikes, utilizing ground forces and targeting nuclear sites again, according to The Wall Street Journal…
Three senior U.S. officials connected to the Board of Peace, the Trump-led body created to resolve the conflict in Gaza, have been meeting with congressional offices this week to request $200 million for the International Stabilization Force, two people with knowledge of the meetings told Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch. The meetings mark the first time that Board of Peace representatives have approached Congress with a funding request…
Ahead of today’s deadline, candidates have begun releasing their fundraising reports for the second quarter. In Georgia, where some in the Jewish community have felt torn between two less-than-ideal options in Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and his opponent, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), Ossoff holds a commanding fundraising advantage: The senator reported raising$20 million this quarter with $42 million in the bank, while Collins raised $2.1 million, leaving him with $2.2 million in cash on hand…
Meanwhile, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed released his 2025 tax returns, which he is not legally obligated to do but was pressured to do by his opponent in the Democratic primary, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI). El-Sayed’s reported total income was over $680,000, nearly $300,000 of which was unspecified as to its source…
The anti-Israel American Priorities super PAC made an initial investment of $375,000 to boost El-Sayed in the race; El-Sayed has repeatedly railed against super PAC involvement in politics — particularly that of AIPAC’s United Democracy Project, which is spending heavily in favor of Stevens…
Rep. Hilary Scholten (D-MI), speaking to Semafor about electability concerns in the Democratic Party, criticized progressives who “prop up other candidates who have said really problematic things.” The moderate congresswoman added that El-Sayed, who has been criticized for comments about Stevens seen as misogynistic, “has a problematic record with women”…
A new Quinnipiac poll of Pennsylvania voters found Gov. Josh Shapiro leading his Republican opponent in his reelection race by 13 points, 53-40%, with a 56% overall approval rating. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) had a 77% approval rating among Republicans, but only 19% among voters in his own party. Nearly half (49%) of voters said the Democratic Party has moved too far to the left, while 42% said the Republican Party has moved too far to the right…
Former White House senior official Brett McGurk is releasing a book, Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7 Hostages, on his role leading U.S. efforts under former President Joe Biden to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, due out on Oct. 6 to coincide with the third anniversary of the attacks…
The New York Times examines the role that Hollywood superagent Ari Emanuel could play in the potential presidential run of his brother, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, as politicians increasingly seek access to media as part of their campaigns; among those close to Ari Emanuel are the UFC’s Dana White, commentator Joe Rogan, pundit Stephen A. Smith as well as Elon Musk…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye on Jewish Insider for a look at what this afternoon’s vote on Massie‘s amendment to cut all U.S. aid to Israel means for the future of Israel policy in the Democratic Party.
At least eight Democratic candidates vying to replace former nominee Graham Platner on the ballotfor U.S. Senate in Maine will take the debate stage tomorrow evening in their first chance to pitch themselves to voters, ahead of the state Democratic Party’s nominating convention later this month.
President Donald Trump will give an address to the nation in the evening, which he has said will largely focus on American election security.
The American Federation of Teachers’ annual convention will kick off in Washington. The second largest teachers’ union in the U.S., the AFT has previously featured anti-Israel resolutions at its gatherings.
The Aspen Security Forum continues with several panels on the Middle East, including speakers such as Akif Çağatay Kılıç, top advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister; Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT); Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee; Dan Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel; Rahm Emanuel; Anne Neuberger, former deputy national security advisor; and Salam Fayyad, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.
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Plus, Dem leaders split on Israel aid
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) questions U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as he testifies before the House Armed Services Committee April 29, 2026.
Good Tuesday afternoon.
This P.M. briefing is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Iranian leaders, as military hostilities escalate between Iran and the U.S.: “Do not count on there being calm if you attack us,” Netanyahu addressed Tehran, while speaking today at a conference in southern Israel. “Do not expect a repeat of what happened before, because there will be no repeat. … Any further attempt to harm us will be met with a different response — far more powerful”…
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump walked back his announcement that the U.S. would institute a 20% toll on all cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying in a post on Truth Social that Middle East leaders had agreed to additional trade and investment deals with the U.S. to replace the fee…
CENTCOM announced it began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran this afternoon “to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the strait, and officially reinstated a blockade on Iranian ports. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it launched missile and drone attacks in retaliation against bases in Kuwait and Bahrain…
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said he would oppose an amendment led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to strip all aid to Israel out of the 2027 State Department appropriations bill, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. But Jeffries also argued for “urgent change” to the U.S.-Israel relationship, including suggesting that direct U.S. military aid to Israel should end when the current memorandum of understanding expires.
Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), on the other hand, said he plans to vote yes on Massie’s amendment, writing in a “Dear Colleague” letter that the “American people are crying out for an end to US tax dollars subsidizing Israel’s military”…
Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev announced today that the U.S. will only be permitted to station 20 military refueling aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport, while the rest must be parked at Israeli Air Force bases, in order to facilitate commercial travel for Israelis over the summer…
U.N. official Ramiz Alakbarov accused Hamas forces of interfering at a humanitarian aid distribution site in Gaza, saying armed men had entered a warehouse and “endangered humanitarian personnel,” leading the organization to suspend its operations at the site. “These incidents are not isolated. They are completely unacceptable and reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction,” Alakbarov said…
Trump asked Netanyahu in a phone call last week to pull IDF forces back from Syria and Lebanon, Axios reports; the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu in turn emphasized Israel’s need for security zones along its borders…
The Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area issued a statement today on Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-CA) recent encounter in the West Bank, where he claims he was detained by violent settlers as well as the IDF. The group said it has “conveyed our concerns to the Congressman in how he is representing the district and our community on foreign policy issues” and called on Khanna “to exercise the same urgency he has brought to criticizing Israel to address the hostile climate many Jewish Americans face every day”…
Pressed repeatedly by writers with the Hamas-sympathetic outlet Drop Site News to offer support for the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks and Palestinians’ “right to kill Israeli soldiers,” Khanna said he is “not for violence in any way”…
Asked about legislation imposing sanctions on Russia that was championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Trump said in the Oval Office today that lawmakers “may be adding Iran to it … They may add Hezbollah, too.” He said there’s a “good chance” it will pass “in honor of Lindsey”…
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were spotted in the Senate chamber during the swearing-in this afternoon of Darline Graham Nordone to fill Graham’s seat…
The AIPAC-linked United Democracy Project super PAC sent direct mail to voters in Michigan highlighting far-left Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s refusal to condemn extreme rhetoric from antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker and El-Sayed’s efforts to “rationalize” the attack on Michigan’s Temple Israel earlier this year…
Columbia University anti-Israel protest leader Mahmoud Khalil filed a civil rights lawsuit against Trump administration officials, the Heritage Foundation and pro-Israel groups Canary Mission and Betar, alleging they “sought to terrorize” him to “intimidate and silence the growing movement for Palestinian rights”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye on Jewish Insider for an interview with Avi Loeb, the Israeli Harvard scientist leading Trump’s search for answers that may be out of this world.
Trump will headline the last day of Sen. Dave McCormick’s (R-PA) Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College, with additional remarks from Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.
The Aspen Security Forum in Colorado will feature fireside chats with former Navy Secretary John Phelan and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Also on tomorrow’s agenda: a live taping of the “What the Hell is Going On?” podcast hosted by the American Enterprise Institute’s Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen, in conversation with former National Security Advisors Stephen Hadley and Robert O’Brien as well as Michèle Flournoy, former under secretary of defense for policy.
Jay Clayton will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for his confirmation hearing to be director of national intelligence, after Trump abruptly canceled his hearing originally scheduled for last month.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) will speak at the Hudson Institute on the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East..
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Shady Alassar/Anadolu via Getty Images
Commercial vessels and oil tankers preparing to transit through the Strait of Hormuz maintain their wait in the Gulf of Oman, on June 17, 2026.
Good Monday afternoon.
This P.M. briefing is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump declared today that the U.S. will take control of the Strait of Hormuz and will institute a 20% fee on all cargo passing through the waterway “for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World,” Jewish Insider’s Christina Sher reports. The move comes after Trump and his administration insisted for months that no country is permitted to charge fees to transiting ships…
Trump also announced he is reinstating a blockade of Iranian ports, which was lifted when the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding last month. CENTCOM said the blockade will resume tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET and will be enforced “against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas.”
CENTCOM also revealed that it successfully deployed sea drones in combat operations for the first time yesterday, using the unmanned vessels to strike an Iranian submarine at the Bandar Abbas Naval Base…
Trump notified Congress on Friday that fighting with Iran officially resumed last week, further stoking tensions between the executive and legislative branches as lawmakers already approved a war powers resolution calling for an end to American operations in Iran.
Trump’s letter to congressional leadership said U.S. “ground forces are not involved in these strikes” — which he described as “limited, measured, planned, and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties” — and said he is acting “pursuant to [his] constitutional authority as Commander in Chief”…
The Mossad spent years grooming former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an intelligence asset to be installed as Iran’s leader after a post-Khamenei regime change, including paying for his housing and travel and arranging a meeting with then-Mossad chief David Barnea under cover of a climate conference in Budapest in 2024, American and Iranian officials told The New York Times.
As the Iran war broke out on Feb. 28, Mossad operatives rescued Ahmadinejad from an Israeli airstrike on his Tehran compound and took him to a safe house, but he balked and left — Ahmadinejad is now reportedly under house arrest by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps…
The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Yemen’s international airport today, with a spokesperson saying the action “will not go unanswered,” threatening a tenuous truce enacted several years ago between the terror group and the Saudis. A spokesperson for the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is backed by Riyadh, said the Houthis subsequently fired ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia…
U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced on Monday that the country designated the IRGC as a terror organization, with those found guilty of supporting the group facing up to 14 years in prison. The government also banned the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, which No. 10 Downing St. said was behind a number of attacks on British Jewish sites…
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced at a press conference this afternoon that he is appointing Darline Graham Nordone, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) sister, to serve out the rest of Graham’s term. Trump had voiced his support for Nordone, who shared an exceptionally close bond with her brother, as “a fabulous tribute to Lindsey.” Fox Newsreported that Nordone could be sworn in as soon as Wednesday…
The Trump administration plans to launch a major diplomatic offensive against the International Criminal Court, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced today, the latest move in the White House’s longtime battle against the international organization.
The push appears to be rooted in concerns that the ICC will seek to prosecute American servicemembers, JI’s Gabby Deutch reports. Such actions would not only be “a grave overreach of its purported authorities,” Rubio wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, “it would mean the death of the U.S. as a sovereign and independent nation”…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani vowed that he would maintain ties with Morris Katz, the controversial political operative behind Mamdani’s own victory as well as the imploded campaign of former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, JI’s Will Bredderman reports, despite calls from members of the Democratic Socialists of America to boycott the consultant’s services…
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a member of the Squad and a vocal detractor of Israel, endorsed far-left Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed today, joining fellow Squad members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Summer Lee (D-PA) and Delia Ramirez (D-IL) in backing him less than a month before the primary…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye on Jewish Insider for a look at the surging anti-Israel candidate in the Democratic primary for Michigan‘s swing 7th Congressional District.
The sixth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon are slated to begin tomorrow in Rome, despite Beirut’s reported threat not to attend if the IDF did not vacate two pilot zones in southern Lebanon before the discussions. Israeli media reported that this week’s talks will focus on the timeline for the withdrawal.
The Aspen Security Forum, the high-profile annual gathering of national security leaders, policymakers and foreign policy experts, begins tomorrow afternoon in Colorado. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will speak on a panel on the “state of the world.”
The two-day Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, hosted by Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), will kick off at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., with a keynote address from Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
Some House Republicans were invited to a dinner tomorrow night with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to Punchbowl News, as the Trump administration is seeking more than $67 billion for the Pentagon in its supplemental funding request.
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Israeli officials have increasingly indicated that Jerusalem is ready to return to military action if it determines that circumstances demand it
Ma'ayan Toaf (GPO)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the graduation ceremony of the IAF pilots' course, July 9th, 2026
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.”
“Washington needed the Strait of Hormuz opened urgently, but Iranian provocations have prevented the strait’s return to normal. Iran has always tried to cheat on the margins of deals with the United States — even with favorable agreements — to test American resolve,” May continued. “With the terms of the MOU so favorable to Iran, Tehran would have been wise to abide by the deal but didn’t, thanks in part to internal divisions. The renewed fighting will hopefully lead to the MOU being scrapped and replaced by a more reasonable peace agreement.”
“Israel has enjoyed the relative quiet and is feeling a bit shaky over its exclusion from ceasefire talks,” May posited. “But open conflict with the Islamic Republic remains a likely possibility.”
At the same time, the current situation may be more complicated than the public rhetoric suggests. Ran Zimmt, director of the Iran and Shiite Axis research program at the Institute for National Security Studies, wrote in an op-ed for Ynet that both Washington and Tehran would prefer to avoid a return to full-scale war.
“In this reality, the most likely scenario at this stage appears to be a continuation of the current situation: not a full-scale war, but also not a long-term diplomatic arrangement,” Zimmt wrote. “From Israel’s perspective, this reality seemingly has clear advantages. The military option remains on the table, and Iran does not enjoy a broad package of economic benefits that could strengthen the regime and allow it to invest significant resources in rebuilding its power.”
Zimmt warned, however, that while the status quo “may be preferable in the short term,” it does not “provide a stable solution, but at most a temporary pause,” during which Iran can rebuild its military capabilities.
Plus, Labour's leftward turn on Israel
Israeli Ministry of Defense/Anadolu via Getty Images
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz holds a security situation assessment meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior commanders in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 07, 2026.
Good Thursday afternoon.
This P.M. briefing is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
Appearing on CNN this morning, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said Jerusalem is “supportive of the position of the United States” regarding renewed strikes on Iran, and said Israel would “fly alongside U.S. aircraft” if called on to do so.
He added that Iran had violated its “only obligation” under the memorandum of understanding — to keep the Strait of Hormuz open — and that if the Iranians “persist in their malign intentions,” the war could resume “in full swing”…
Israeli military leaders are also hinting at potential Israeli involvement: At an Israeli Air Force graduation ceremony, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF is prepared to carry out independent strikes “to remove threats” in Iran. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF’s chief of staff, told the graduates that “new plans” are “on the drawing board” and that “major operations are still expected to lie ahead of us. Be prepared”…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he spoke with President Donald Trump today and was updated by the president “on American moves in the Gulf.” According to a statement from the PMO, Netanyahu again raised the issue of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan‘s hostile rhetoric toward Israel…
The Wall Street Journal examines the “root of the dispute” over the Strait of Hormuz — the “poorly worded” fifth article in the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding that says Tehran will “make arrangements” to restore shipping in the waterway and then work with Oman on a plan to administer it going forward.
“Notably, the paragraph says nothing about the U.S. making arrangements for the safe passage of vessels, which Iran has seized on to attack ships that use a U.S.-coordinated route,” a U.S. official told the outlet…
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is in Israel and the West Bank this week while Congress is in recess, according to two individuals with knowledge of the trip. Khanna has not posted publicly about his visit, which is scheduled to conclude tonight, JI’s Melissa Weiss reports…
While wrapping up his trip, Khanna, who was one of Senate candidate Graham Platner’s most vociferous defenders until a rape allegation was made against the Maine Democrat earlier this week, told MS NOW that he’s endorsing former state Sen. Troy Jackson to take Platner’s place on the ballot. Jackson, who previously ran for governor, is a progressive seen as aligned with Platner…
But Platner’s potential replacements will have to wait a few more days: The candidate told campaign staff he intends to wait until the very last day — Monday — to officially file his paperwork to drop out of the race, Axios reports…
The Journal profiles Cheyenne Hunt, the progressive influencer and activist who played a key role in bringing to light the sexual assault and misconduct allegations that ultimately saw the ouster of Platner and the resignation of former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)…
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) withdrew as co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus due to what he called Madrid’s “escalating, hostile crusade” against Israel…
Andy Burnham, widely expected to become Britain’s next prime minister, told The Guardian that the response of his Labour party to Israel’s military actions in Gaza “has too often not been good enough” and that the U.K. has “got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government,” including sanctions and potentially banning trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Burnham also said there is “increasing evidence” that Israel committed war crimes, though he did not use the word genocide, and said the determination should be left to international courts. His comments mark a shift to the left of Labour’s outgoing leader, Keir Starmer, who was slower than other European leaders to back a ceasefire and recognize Palestinian statehood…
Among those speaking at the closed-door Allen & Company retreat in Sun Valley, Idaho, today were Jared Kushner, UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) as well as Ken Griffin, the hedge fund manager and GOP megadonor.
Asked whether he would support Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the 2028 presidential election, Griffin said he’d be inclined to back Rubio…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye on Jewish Insider for a look at Platner’s potential replacements, as a handful of Maine Democrats are already jockeying for the position less than 24 hours after Platner announced he intends to drop out of the race for U.S. Senate.
We’ll be watching to see if U.S. and Iranian strikes continue into the weekend, or if the current flare-up has run its course. Prior to the outbreak in hostilities, Saudi media had reported that talks between Washington and Iran would restart on July 11, after the dayslong funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wraps up today. Trump said this morning that the Iranians had called and “want to make a deal so badly,” but it’s unclear whether the two sides intend to meet.
We’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat shalom!
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The ambassador announced that the next round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations will take place next week in Rome
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter
Jerusalem and Beirut see their trilateral agreement signed with the U.S. last month as “superseding” the memorandum of understanding signed between the U.S. and Iran, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said on Monday.
“Whether the United States does, you’ll have to ask the administration spokesman,” he added, speaking at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
Leiter specifically referenced the first clause of the MOU, to which Israel and Lebanon were not parties, which called for an end in hostilities around the region, including Israel’s war against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Leiter acknowledged that Iran — as well as mediating countries Pakistan and Qatar — views the MOU differently and believes it overrides the Israel-Lebanon framework deal.
The next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place on July 14 and 15 in Rome, Leiter said, and revealed that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on July 21.
Leiter described the MOU as primarily a mechanism to reopen the Strait of Hormuz rather than a broad peace deal, and urged a “wait and see” approach to future negotiations regarding long-term limits on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The deal is “clearly an agreement to get the strait open. This is not an agreement to end the nuclear weaponization of Iran,” he said.
“We have to wait and see what that looks like when it’s done, whether that’s 60 days, 90 days or after the midterms,” he continued. “I’m quite sure the administration didn’t go to war to go back into a situation where Iran has a pathway to once again try and produce nuclear weapons [and] ballistic missiles.”
Leiter added that Trump has said any deal with Iran would have to curtail its support for proxies and its ballistic missile program, though such issues were not mentioned in the MOU. He also warned against U.S. sanctions relief that could fund Tehran’s proxies.
“All we can do is weigh in,” Leiter said of Israel’s role in U.S.-Iran negotiations. “We can’t be part of that decision-making process. That’s too big for us. We know our size.”
Leiter dismissed as exaggerated reports of a rupture in Israel-U.S. relations.
“Media loves drama. So, if the president and the prime minister have 100 conversations that are pleasant, and then there are two conversations in which the president is having a bad day, is a little irritable and makes that known — that becomes the tenor of the relationship between the two men,” he said.
“I’ve been in all those conversations, all the meetings … arguments happen among people who are close. The relationship is good, the relationship is solid. There are differences along the way, and those are legitimate,” Leiter said, pointing to Israel’s opposition to the proposed U.S. sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. Leiter said that Israel has made its position clear and that the U.S. has the right to decide how it wants to proceed.
He rejected claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dragged the U.S. into the war with Iran, dismissing such accusations as “sheer stupidity” rooted in antisemitic conspiracy theories.
“We presented our case as any self-respecting country does and it’s up to the United States to make a decision whether or not to embark on a war,” said Leiter. “It doesn’t do that because of AIPAC or other diabolical Jews.”
Leiter also dismissed a recent claim from Vice President JD Vance that Trump is the only world leader sympathetic to Israel. “It’s just not true. We just had an invitation to India. The relations we have with the United Arab Emirates have never been stronger. We have wonderful relations with Azerbaijan … our relations with Armenia now are quite good … and Somaliland.”
Alongside navigating divisions over Israel, the Democratic Party is currently grappling with “the Mamdani effect,” said Leiter, referring to a string of primary victories by progressive and democratic socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“Israel is part of a much larger social metamorphosis,” he said.
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog told JI, 'President Trump, who has been a hero to many Israelis, is now openly criticized from within the Israeli government, including Netanyahu's close circle.'
Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images
A billboard depicting an image of President Donald Trump with a message thanking him, is displayed on the side of a building in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on March 12, 2026.
The long love affair between Israelis and President Donald Trump, on the rocks over the last few weeks as the U.S. and Iran hammered out an end to the war, appears to be over, with humiliations mounting for Jerusalem. “I call all the shots,” not Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said earlier this month. More recently, the Israeli leader’s bombing campaign in Beirut was “vicious,” Trump said. And perhaps most humiliating of all, Trump suggested that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa could better take care of Hezbollah than the IDF.
The Israeli public — the spurned lover who once hailed the U.S. president with billboards hung in the center of Tel Aviv reading “Thank you God & Donald Trump” — is not taking it well. Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog told JI, “President Trump, who has been a hero to many Israelis, is now openly criticized from within the Israeli government, including Netanyahu’s close circle.”
And this criticism is not only expressed behind closed doors. Channel 14, the popular right-wing outlet that promotes Netanyahu, has been criticizing Trump resolutely, with some of its anchors publicly cursing Vice President JD Vance and the president’s close advisors, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
It was not always this way. For most of the time since Trump reentered the White House in January 2025, he has been popular in Israel, with polls consistently showing high ratings for the American president.
For Israelis, Trump is the one who brokered the hostage-release agreement with Hamas; Trump is the one who made the strikes in Iran and the bombing of the nuclear enrichment facilities in Fordow and Natanz a reality; and Trump is the one who established the Abraham Accords and is willing to expand them, giving Israelis the chance to sunbathe in the UAE, and perhaps in other countries in the Gulf in the near future. And although some won’t admit it, many Israelis also like his tendency to speak very bluntly, and crudely: a president born in Queens, full of Israeli chutzpah.
In recent weeks, the attitude toward Trump among the Israeli public, and the Israeli leadership, has radically and rapidly changed. But this process began even before the signing of the memorandum of understanding with Iran. Over the past few months, time and again, Netanyahu has tried to convince Trump to resume strikes on Iran, only to be rejected. A source familiar with the discourse between the two leaders described to JI a situation that has played out repeatedly since April: the Israeli prime minister explains why only the military option is the correct approach to Iran, while Trump listens but prefers the diplomatic path.
And then Trump, in his typical fashion, says that Netanyahu will do whatever the U.S. president tells him to do — which has some degree of truth — but is not a good look for a prime minister seeking reelection. Trump has repeatedly criticized Israeli policy in Lebanon and publicly reprimanded Netanyahu for not being responsible enough. When the U.S. president once again floated the possibility that al-Sharaa should handle Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of rockets and drones toward Israel and most recently killed four Israeli soldiers overnight Thursday, the criticism in Israel escalated.
Trump had previously suggested that the Syrians take on Hezbollah, as reported by Kann earlier this week, during an official meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in April, though those in attendance were unenthusiastic about the idea. To understand the Israeli approach toward Trump’s suggestion, one can look at what the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, posted on X: “President Trump, we don’t trust the terrorist Jolani, we have Golani,” referencing a well-known IDF combat infantry brigade.
The opinion within the Trump administration has been made clear. “Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment and time,” Vance told reporters on Thursday. “If I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have left in the entire world,” he said. “The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump. And anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the U.S. needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.”
Yet now, after the agreement has been published, the criticism remains unchanged. An Israeli official told JI that the agreement raises several troubling signs, among them: the uncertainty over whether all enriched uranium will be removed from Iran, or only the high-level uranium; under the terms of the agreement, Iran, it appears, will be allowed to enrich uranium at a low level on its soil, meaning it can continue to operate centrifuges; and the issue of oversight is not explained.
“The second shocking thing here is the betrayal of the Iranian people. The second clause in the MOU agreement states that neither country will interfere in the internal affairs of the other. This means the Iranians can execute protesters, and nothing will be done to them,” the Israeli official said. “This entire war started because Trump said that ‘help is on the way,’ and that we would not allow tens of thousands of protesters to be shot and slaughtered. Beyond the concern that Iran will remain a nuclear threshold state, there is also a moral problem here.”
Avner Vilan, a former senior security official and Iran expert, also raised concerns about the agreement. “Iran is receiving a great deal of relief right now, but there is still a long way to go to reach an agreement in the nuclear field. This is an agreement that gives the murderous terror regime in Iran infinite immunity and incentives, allowing it to survive almost indefinitely, while recognizing the strategic significance of Hormuz,” he told JI.
Vilan also referred to the statements made by Trump in recent days that sparked concern within the Israeli defense establishment. Trump has legitimized Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, and this, as Vilan points out, despite the fact that Israel defined this threat as an existential threat almost on par with the nuclear one. “This is more disturbing than the state of relations between Trump and Netanyahu, and of course, it doesn’t help that the president calls the State of Israel a ‘very small partner.’ At the beginning of the war, we were a ‘Model Ally.’ Not a small partner,” Vilan notes. “Israel’s point of strength for years was that the way to D.C. goes through Jerusalem. Today, that is no longer the case at all.”
“Israelis expected that the amazing military achievements the U.S. and Israel scored together would be translated into a strong, enduring diplomatic outcome focused on the nuclear issue,” says former Ambassador Herzog. “Instead, the U.S. opted out of the war with a general MOU that focuses on the Strait of Hormuz and the global economy, in return for releasing generous funds to Iran and postponing the core nuclear negotiations. There is little reason to believe that the Iranian regime will now agree to give up the nuclear option or change its orientation, especially as the U.S. military option is taken off the table.”
What looked like a year of celebrating blue, white and red cooperation has been fading more and more in recent weeks. The disappointment among senior Israeli officials is likely intensifying, due in part to the widespread praise that Trump has long received in Israel. It wasn’t for nothing that Trump said last month that he could run in the upcoming elections for prime minister in Israel and win. Even if he were on the ballot, with the thrill now gone, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
The Dermer Consulting Group will work with clients with a focus on the U.S., Israel and the Middle East
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) is joined by Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and other officials for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on July 09, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.
Former Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is launching the Dermer Consulting Group (DCG), a Jerusalem-based strategic advisory firm focusing on the U.S., Israel and the Middle East, Jewish Insider has learned.
Dermer, who has long been a part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner circle, officially departed the Israeli government in November, after twice extending his tenure. He returned earlier this year for what one official in the Prime Minister’s Office described as “reserve duty” amid the renewed fighting between Israel and Iran that began in late February.
Dermer previously served as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., leaving the posting in 2021 after eight years. He was named strategic affairs minister the following year.
Yarden Golan, who previously served as Dermer’s chief of staff, is a cofounder of the firm and will serve as managing director. Golan, who is based in New York, has his own consulting firm, Golan Consulting, and joined deep-tech investment firm Deep33 Ventures as a venture partner earlier this year.
Plus, the Lebanese-American Zionist building bridges in Washington
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
JD Vance, with advisor Jacob Reses (second from left), arrives to a meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol on November 16, 2022 in Washington, D.C.
Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran announced yesterday is playing in Washington and Jerusalem, and report on how officials in World Cup host cities are addressing security concerns around the Iranian national team’s U.S. matches. We profile former White House official Hagar Hajjar Chemali as she launches the Lebanon-Israel Peace Alliance, and spotlight the GOP Senate runoff taking place tomorrow in Georgia. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Tony Blair, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Brig. Gen. Hisam Ibrahim.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with an assist from Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- President Donald Trump is traveling to France today for the G7 after attending last night’s UFC fights at the White House as part of the U.S.’ America 250 celebrations. On the South Lawn last night, the president was seen kibbitzing with a number of high-profile names in business and entertainment, including David Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg. Read more here.
- Former Vice President Mike Pence will speak at a members-only event at the National Press Club tonight as part of the NPC Headliners series.
- In Israel, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi is meeting with senior Israeli officials today. Abdullahi arrived in Israel yesterday after several days in the United Arab Emirates.
- Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ashley Moody (R-FL) are slated to host a press conference in St. Petersburg, Fla., alongside the Justice Department’s Leo Terrell opposing the use of taxpayer dollars for two upcoming Kanye West concerts slated to take place in Tampa later this month.
- In New York, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander will face off tonight in a PIX11 televised debate.
- The Jewish Council on Public Affairs’ two-day national summit concludes today in New York.
- Elsewhere in New York, Join Israel is hosting a fundraiser at Midtown Manhattan’s Jerry Orbach theater featuring a bevy of Broadway stars, including a performance by Tovah Feldshuh. Proceeds from the event will benefit at-risk children in Israel.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S s
A year and a day after Israeli fighter jets first opened fire above Iran, setting off a year of intermittent fighting and numerous failed negotiations, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that an agreement with Iran to end the war had been reached. A signing ceremony set for later this week in Switzerland — which is expected to be attended by Vice President JD Vance — will kick off a 60-day negotiation period to address Iran’s nuclear program and U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
For Americans, the deal closes a chapter that saw high gas and food prices as well as schisms in the GOP as the party’s wings fought over how the war should be fought and ended. Among Democrats, legislators and activists from the party’s progressive wing — from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to the National Iranian American Council’s Trita Parsi (who additionally gloated, “Netanyahu failed!”) — praised the deal.
But Israel was not part of the negotiations, nor did it have final say in what was in the agreement inked between Washington and Tehran. As the Is were dotted and Ts were crossed on the agreement, tensions between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — already on display following Israel’s threatened escalation last week in Beirut, followed by an actual escalation on Sunday when Israel struck Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood — deepened.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on X on Sunday that he was “somewhat concerned” that Iran’s account of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal diverges sharply from what the U.S. negotiators are claiming, and demanded Vice President JD Vance personally present the deal to Congress. More below.
The vice president, who two months ago traveled to Pakistan for high-level negotiations with Iranian officials, has increasingly become the public face of the Iran talks. In an interview last week that aired yesterday on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Vance said he believed “that we are in a position to get a deal that is good for the United States economically and that really does deal with the Iranian nuclear program” in the long term.
For Vance, the success or failure of the deal, and of the negotiations to follow, could become one of the defining political issues of his rumored 2028 presidential bid — one in which he will likely find himself up against Secretary of State Marco Rubio in what could be a bruising primary.
FINE PRINT
Graham demands administration present the Iran deal to Congress
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Sunday he is “somewhat concerned” that Iran’s account of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal diverges sharply from what the U.S. negotiators are claiming, and demanded Vice President JD Vance personally present the deal to Congress, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Notable quotable: “I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Graham said on X. “I look forward to reviewing the final product and I believe it is imperative that the architect of the deal, Vice President Vance and his negotiating partners, be part of the process in presenting the final deal to Congress.”
EYE ON THE BALL
Iran’s World Cup appearance puts security officials on alert
As the Iranian national soccer team begins the 2026 World Cup amid high-level diplomatic negotiations to end the war between the U.S. and Iran, American security officials — and American Jewish communities already operating under elevated threat conditions — are facing challenges beyond soccer, Jewish Insider’s Danielle Cohen-Kanik reports.
Measures taken: The team is not allowed to stay on U.S. soil overnight; it relocated its training camp from Tucson, Ariz., to Tijuana, Mexico, and will return to Mexico after the final whistle of each of its matches. The host cities are already on alert: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, a Democrat, said she was briefed on a “credible threat” to the city during the World Cup, which so alarmed her that she decided to turn on CCTV cameras around the soccer stadium for the duration of the games, counter to her longstanding opposition to the surveillance system.
PITCH PERFECT
A Lebanese Zionist’s long-shot bid to reshape the Middle East
Hagar Hajjar Chemali, a self-described “Lebanese Zionist” who is half Jewish and half Christian, is betting that a historic opening can help break through the distrust that has long defined relations between Lebanon and Israel. The former Bush and Obama administration official recently launched the Lebanon-Israel Peace Alliance, an unofficial effort to support the first direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials since 1983, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Unique ability: “It’s about the art of the possible. Lebanese-Israeli peace is not particularly easy to achieve,” said Daniel Glaser, a former assistant Treasury secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes. He hired Chemali for her first job at the Treasury Department. “What’s going to get it done is the ability to understand what’s possible, and how to get to that possible within the U.S. system, within Israel and the Israeli system, within Lebanon and the infinitely complicated Lebanese system. There’s not a lot of people that have the ability to do that more than Hagar.”
PEACH STATE RACE
Rep. Mike Collins favored in Georgia runoff against Kemp-backed Derek Dooley
Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who has repeatedly faced controversy during his time in the House, appears favored to win the Republican Senate primary runoff in Georgia against Derek Dooley, a former college football coach backed by popular moderate GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
State of play: Collins led Dooley 41-30% in the May 19 Republican primary, with Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) coming in at 25%. The runoff is Tuesday, with the winner to face Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in November. President Donald Trump endorsed Collins — generally seen as the more MAGA-aligned candidate — late on Saturday, while Kemp — who national Republicans initially sought to recruit for the race — has been aggressively campaigning around the Peach State in support of Dooley.
SHOW OF SUPPORT
Bernie Sanders to appear with Mamdani’s N.Y. congressional slate
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is set to join a rally in New York City on Thursday with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and a trio of candidates he is backing in closely watched New York City House races, The New York Times reports. The event, which will be held five days before the June 23 primary at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, will lend a jolt of momentum to Mamdani’s preferred slate of far-left congressional candidates — including democratic socialists Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Brad Lander, a former New York City comptroller who also ran for mayor last election cycle, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Zoom out: The senator’s decision to appear at the rally next week is notable in part because he will be aiding Mamdani in his efforts to unseat two Democratic incumbents, Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), who have drawn backlash from the left over their support for Israel and ties to the pro-Israel group AIPAC, a chief source of criticism in the races.
TAX CONSEQUENCES
Treasury guidance offers boost to Jewish groups preparing for new education tax credit
Jewish advocacy groups are celebrating a new set of wonky tax guidelines released last week by the Treasury Department that offer clarity into a new federal education tax credit that they hope will help more Jewish families access day school education, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Sneak peek: Education-focused nonprofits have been awaiting guidance from the federal government about the program, which provides a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for people who donate up to $1,700 to organizations that fund certain approved education expenses, like private school tuition and tutoring costs. Last week, Kevin Salinger, the Treasury Department’s deputy assistant secretary for tax policy, did a whirlwind tour of virtual briefings with nonprofits to preview the forthcoming new guidance.
Worthy Reads
Losing Battle: The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols posits that the U.S. has lost the war with Iran following President Donald Trump’s announcement that an agreement between the countries had been reached. “But even before we have the details, it is clear that Trump has failed to achieve every one of the goals he put forward for this war of choice, and now he is determined to sign, seal, and deliver America’s capitulation as quickly as possible. … Indeed, the United States has perhaps done worse than gaining nothing. Iran, while temporarily weakened, is now an even more powerful political actor: The regime in Tehran stood up to a massive U.S. onslaught, survived, and then inflicted pain on various states in the Gulf as punishment for going along with Trump’s war.” [TheAtlantic]
Power Broker: The Wall Street Journal’s Benoit Faucon and Summer Said spotlight Ahmad Vahidi, the commander in chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who has played a key role in U.S.-Iran talks. “For months, Vahidi, an enigmatic commander whose predecessor was killed on the first day of the war, has tussled with more public-facing, political figures in the Iranian leadership. Each time, he has come out on top. Vahidi’s position at the top of the regime’s most powerful armed force means his perspective is now shaping Iran’s stance in negotiations to end the war, say mediators involved in the talks. His forces are in charge of imposing Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the regime’s strongest card in negotiations.” [WSJ]
Life of Service: In Sapir, Anne Neuberger, who served as deputy national security advisor for cyber in the Biden administration, calls for the Jewish community to prioritize public service, calling it a “religious imperative” in addition to a civic necessity. “My commitment — and that of many of my colleagues — to public service was rooted in the spiritual idea that each person has a divine mission that requires channeling her personal gifts toward the public good. For me, that was in the realm of security, but there are so many aspects of public service that have nothing to do with security: law, accounting, engineering, economics, you name it. … The American Jewish community should encourage our children to see a badge, a security clearance, or a civil service ID as a form of kiddush Hashem, a sanctification of God’s name.” [Sapir]
The Art of Erasure: The New York Times’ Sharon Waxman interviews Israeli artists about the challenges they face as anti-Israel sentiment balloons across the arts, largely sidelining Israeli creatives regardless of their political beliefs. “The five I met at the hotel have concluded they can no longer have a good-faith discussion with the outside world since they believe their own survival is at stake. Their reactions struck me as a kind of emotional armor against the judgment of the West. ‘After Oct. 7, you realize you have no one else to trust. We are on our own,’ said the songwriter Aya Korem. … Ms. Korem noted how nearly everyone in Israeli society has been affected by the war. ‘You become humble in front of that and you remember what is important. Your art is the continuation of that. And our moral obligation is to that humility, and to the stories of people who paid actual prices.’” [NYTimes]
Word on the Street
Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who sits on the Board of Peace‘s executive board, is set to take on a larger role in the organization, overseeing postwar management in the Gaza Strip…
A spokesperson for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the Kentucky senator was hospitalized on Sunday and is receiving “excellent care”…
The head of the Florida Republican Party said it had rescinded an invitation to far-right gubernatorial candidate James Fishback for the party’s upcoming Sunshine State Showdown as well as “all other official gubernatorial primary activities,” adding, “Racism and antisemitism have no place in our Party”…
Abdul El-Sayed, the far-left Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, suggested at an event on Friday that the Trump administration had indicted a group of anti-Israel demonstrators at the University of Michigan for their beliefs, rather than their actions, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
The heir to the Lion Raisins brand was arrested by police in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and charged with making criminal threats to a neighbor who is a rabbi; video shared by the New York Post and its local affiliate appear to show Bruce Lion shouting antisemitic slurs from a balcony that overlooked the rabbi’s property, interrupting gatherings…
Four British activists associated with the Palestine Action group were sentenced to prison terms between four and eight years for their participation in a 2024 raid at an Elbit Systems compound in Bristol that caused more than £1 million in damage at the Israeli defense firm’s facility…
Fifteen people were arrested amid protests outside a synagogue in the Edgware neighborhood of London that was hosting an Israeli real estate event; more than 1,000 people were estimated to have taken part in the protest and counter-demonstration…
In The Wall Street Journal, Phelim McAleer, who with his wife Ann wrote a play about the survivors of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, reflects on antisemitism in his native Ireland ahead of “Bloomsday,” an unofficial holiday celebrating author James Joyce’s Ulysses and its main character, a Jewish man named Leopold Bloom…
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz named Brig. Gen. Hisam Ibrahim to serve as the next IDF military secretary; Ibrahim, currently the head of the IDF’s Civil Administration, is one of the most senior Druze officers in the army…
Film critic Gene Shalit, a fixture on NBC’s “Today” show for more than 40 years, died at 100…
Pic of the Day
Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi after the African leader arrived in Israel on Sunday. Abdullahi’s visit comes six months after Israel recognized Hargeisa’s sovereignty, becoming the first country to officially do so.
Birthdays
Chief political correspondent for CNN, born Dana Ruth Schwartz, Dana Bash turns 55…
Former president of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, Stuart C. Turgel… Former president of the National Rifle Association, Sandra S. (Sandy) Froman turns 77… Ethicist and professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School, Laurie Zoloth turns 76… Internationally recognized authority on Yiddish folk and theater music, Zalmen Mlotek turns 75… Entrepreneur, currently living in Estonia, he rebuilt a synagogue and a community center in Estonia, Alexander Bronstein turns 72… President and CEO of the PR firm Edelman, founded by his father Daniel Edelman in 1952, Richard Winston Edelman turns 72… Chief rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich turns 71… Israeli Druze politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud, Fateen Mulla turns 66… Novelist, screenwriter, teacher and freelance journalist, Jill Eisenstadt turns 63… First woman certified by the NFLPA as a player agent, she is now general counsel for USA Football, Ellen Marsha Zavian turns 63… Director at Citrin Cooperman Advisors, Reuben Rutman… Los Angeles-based attorney, Daniel Brett Lacesa… Former regional director of the ADL based in Los Angeles, now managing member of Abrams Advisors, Jeffrey I. Abrams… Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, now deputy publisher of The Athletic and Wirecutter at The New York Times Company, Clifford J. Levy turns 59… Retired news anchor for Israel Public Broadcasting, she is married to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Geula Even Sa’ar turns 54… Former head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, she is the author of 2025’s As A Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us, Sarah Hurwitz… Ethiopian-born Israeli marathoner, he represented Israel at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Zohar Zimro turns 49… Co-anchor of a CNN global news show, Bianna Golodryga turns 48… Former chief of staff to Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), Adam Jentleson turns 45… Co-founder of Evergreen Strategy Group, he is a former director of speechwriting for Hillary Clinton and was also the principal collaborator on memoirs published by HRC, Daniel Baum Schwerin… Director of corporate communications and public affairs at Google, Rebecca Michelle Ginsberg Rutkoff… Chief advancement officer at Birthright Israel Foundation, Jaclyn “Jackie” Saxe Soleimani… Senior recruiter at The Carlyle Group, Victoria Edelman Klapper … PBS News correspondent Ali S. Weinberg Rogin… Associate at Affinity Partners, Elli Sweet… Jimmy Ritter… Joel Winton…
Plus, Ron Klain goes to bat for Platner
Getty Images
A large plume of smoke rises over Tehran after explosions were reported in the city during the night on March 28, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
After the U.S. conducted strikes yesterday in Iran, President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office this morning that the U.S. would “hit them hard again today” and told Fox News that he may target Iranian power plants and bridges because Tehran is “tapping the United States along” in negotiations.
As Trump convened his national security team in Washington this afternoon to discuss military options, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters CENTCOM will be “busy tonight” with “bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran”…
Trump also revealed today that he directed the U.S. military last month to “execute a secret mission” to assist oil tankers and other commercial vessels in transiting the Strait of Hormuz, an effort that “has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil” and over 200 commercial ships moving through the waterway. His Truth Social post was a clarification of earlier comments that seemed to suggest the U.S. was stealing this oil directly out of Iran; U.S. operations to facilitate passage in the strait have been previously reported…
Trump provided Fox News with new details of the downing of the U.S. Army helicopter earlier this week, describing how an Iranian drone became lodged between the two pilots in the cockpit who guided the helicopter into the sea, where they were rescued “for the first time in U.S. military history” by an unmanned sea drone…
Qatari mediators visited Tehran today in the hopes of pushing Iranian officials to engage more effectively in negotiations with the U.S., Axios reports, after Trump had grown increasingly frustrated with their intransigence over the last two weeks, even as he continued to signal the two sides were approaching a deal…
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz met with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, the highest-level U.S. official to publicly visit the Gulf since the Iran war began…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as an “antisemitic dictator” today after Erdoğan condemned Israel’s “network of murder” in Syria and Lebanon and threatened a “very clear and strong response” if Turkish interests in the region were jeopardized. Netanyahu said Erdoğan, whom he accused of supporting Hamas, lacks the moral authority to criticize Israel.
Trump, when asked in the Oval Office about the potential for war between Israel and Turkey, described Erdoğan as a “hell of a leader” and said, “I don’t think that will happen as long as I’m president”…
More than 20 countries, including the U.S., issued a joint statement condemning “lethal plotting and malign actions” by Iran’s security forces working with international and local criminal groups in Europe, North America and Australia, including their efforts to target “Iranian dissidents, journalists and Jewish and Israeli communities and interests”…
The Department of Justice indicted eight individuals associated with the University of Michigan for allegedly threatening university leaders, law enforcement, businesses and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit over the conspirators’ perception of their “purported financial support of Israel.”
The individuals “discussed methods by which to harm the targets and their families, including poison, bombs, and psychological torture,” engaged in extensive vandalism and threw jars filled with noxious chemicals into homes, according to the department…
An immigration judge ordered earlier this month that Columbia University anti-Israel protest leader Mohsen Mahdawi be deported to Jordan, after a lengthy legal battle in which the Trump administration claimed Mahdawi has been involved in and supported terrorist violence. Mahdawi, who has not been charged with a crime, is still seeking review of his removal proceedings in federal court…
The Senate Education and Natural Resources Committee advanced the Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act by a voice vote…
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, in a memo to donors, acknowledged that the “political fundamentals in Maine remain challenging” for Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to retain her seat against scandal-plagued challenger Graham Platnerand called it a “fatal mistake to assume Platner is too damaged to win”…
Trump offered Collins his backing today after having long been at odds with the senator: Asked if she has his full endorsement, Trump said, “She does, because she’s a sane woman. She’s not my best friend at all … but she’s a sane person and she’s a respected person.” He called Platner a “thug,” a “phony” and a “bad person”…
Ron Klain, the former chief of staff to President Joe Biden, defended Platner’s tattoo of a Nazi symbol in a comment responding to the Republican Jewish Coalition on Instagram, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports: Klain claimed the Totenkopf “was a skull and crossbones to remember [Platner’s] fallen comrades from his service in Afghanistan,” an explanation Platner’s campaign has not previously offered…
Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, running against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in the 10th Congressional District, denied to JI’s Will Bredderman that he’s backing Darializa Avila Chevalier in her race against Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) — even as the two appeared together in an ad paid for jointly by both of their campaigns…
Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg, running in the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th District, came out yesterday in support of the Block the Bombs Act, JI’s Matthew Kassel reports, despite having previously expressed skepticism about the bill seeking to broadly restrict weapons sales to Israel…
Meanwhile, Public First Action, the PAC linked to AI giant Anthropic, is spending $1.2 million on a Knicks-themed ad in support of Schlossberg’s opponent, Alex Bores, who has become a leading advocate for AI regulation on the campaign trail. The ad is set to air tonight during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Politico reports…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the state of play in Israel’s elections, taking place this fall.
The House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee will hold a closed-door markup of the 2027 defense spending bill.
Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) will speak at a Progressive Policy Institute event on “Working Toward a New Era of Patriotism and Democratic Renewal” at the National Press Club in Washington.
Stories You May Have Missed
SIDESTEPPING QUESTIONS
Senior House Democrats profess ignorance of Hamawy’s controversial past
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Greg Meeks said of the Democratic N.J. congressional nominee, ‘I don’t like to talk about somebody I don’t know’
LASHING OUT
Micah Lasher says he’s ‘exhausted’ by political ‘obsession’ with Israel
The Democratic congressional hopeful aired his frustration when asked about his stance regarding U.S. aid to the Jewish state at a candidate forum
Plus, Israeli confidence in Trump hits new low
U.S. Navy via Getty Images
A U.S. Sailor signals the launch of an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70, on the flight deck of the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while supporting Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump announced today that Iran was responsible for downing a U.S. Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz last night, and vowed to respond out “of necessity.” Trump had reportedly told aides his “red line” for resuming military action would be if Iran killed any more Americans, though he confirmed in his post on Truth Social that both American pilots involved were “safe and uninjured.”
Later, however, in a call with The Wall Street Journal, Trump appeared to downplay the incident, saying it “wasn’t a big deal” and that “the pilot is fine”…
Top GOP lawmakers echoed Trump’s initial assessment that the U.S. must respond: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea that Iran should face “significant consequences.” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, similarly said the U.S. must “vigorously respond,” and Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) pushed for “decisive action”…
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled that Tehran is distancing itself from the episodeand not claiming it as a direct attack on the U.S. He said in a statement, “Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire. To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave”…
Trump, speaking to ABC News, openly mused about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “even wants to continue” and run in Israel’s upcoming elections, slated to take place this fall. “He’s a wartime prime minister. We will very shortly win the war one way or the other, and you know he’s a wartime prime minister,” Trump said…
A gunman from Lebanon entered Israeli territory and fired on IDF troops, who killed him before he crossed the border fence, the IDF said. The infiltration set off a widespread search for potential accomplices, though none were found…
Before the latest round of missile fire between Israel and Iran, U.S. and Iranian negotiators had focused their discussions on four major elements of a nuclear deal, officials told The New York Times, even as the Trump administration has said nuclear issues will be discussed in a subsequent round of negotiations.
The key points reportedly include how long Iran will suspend uranium enrichment, diluting the country’s stockpile of already enriched uranium, dismantling three of its major nuclear facilities and “snap” inspections of all relevant sites inside the country…
A new survey from the Israel Democracy Institute found the share of Israelis who believe the country’s security is a primary consideration for Trump has plummeted to 44%, down from 60% who said the same in March at the beginning of the Iran war, JI’s Matthew Shea reports.
It’s the lowest level of Israeli trust in Trump since the institute began tracking the metric when he was elected to a second term in November 2024, coming as Washington and Jerusalem seemingly diverge on their strategies and ultimate goals of the war with Iran…
Twenty-one countries issued a joint statement urging Israel not to implement a new law requiring international NGOs wanting to operate in the West Bank and Gaza to register with and be vetted by the Israeli government, calling the law “part of a broader pattern of restrictive measures” that “constrain the urgently needed humanitarian response.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the concerns and claims of the countries as “completely unfounded and detached from reality” as it said there are “immense amounts of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip”…
Randy Villegas, a left-wing Democrat running to unseat Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) in California, claimed victory today 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. Democratic Majority for Israel’s super PAC had spent heavily to help Bains with a $500,000 TV ad buy opposing Villegas…
United Democracy Project, the AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, is spending $2 million on an initial ad buy this week to boost Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat, a UDP spokesperson confirmed to JI’s Matthew Kassel. The ad touts Stevens’ record fighting for the auto industry, opposing Medicare cuts and working to cap insulin prices in Congress…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out for timely analysis of today’s primary election results in Maine, Nevada and South Carolina from Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar — premium JI subscribers like you will receive it first.
The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee will hold a markup of the HEAL Act, a bipartisan bill examining Holocaust education efforts across the country.
The Culture for Peace Institute will hold a conference in Washington with speakers including State Department antisemitism envoy Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun; Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK); and Reps. Nick LaLota (R-NY), Randy Fine (R-FL), Andy Barr (R-KY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Max Miller (R-OH), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI).
Elsewhere in Washington, Iran International will hold a town hall focused on the conflicts in Lebanon and Iran, featuring the Middle East Institute’s David Hale and Alex Vatanka as well as Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
In the evening, lawmakers will take the field for the annual Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park.
In New York, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations will hold its annual antisemitism convening, bringing together communal professionals, experts and others to discuss efforts to combat antisemitism.
New York state Assemblymember Claire Valdez, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and City Councilmember Julie Won — the top Democratic candidates for New York’s 7th Congressional District to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) — will face off for a debate on local news channel PIX11.
The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation will honor New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, former Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot and Gazan human rights lawyer Moumen Al-Natour at its gala in Manhattan.
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MOUNTING SCRUTINY
Will Avila Chevalier’s ‘beyond the pale’ views sink the DSA challenger’s campaign against Espaillat?
Avila Chevalier has a long record of extreme views, including calling for the abolition of police, voicing pro-Russia sentiment and rejecting Israel’s existence
SPECTATOR SPECTACLE
A who’s who of notables packed Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals
Trump, Mamdani, Witkoff, Kraft, Lutnick and more watched the game
Plus, AIPAC wades into Mich. Senate race
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 7, 2025.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if Israel went forward with a plan to escalate its strikes on Iran today, “you will be on your own very soon,” the president recalled in an interview with Axios, after which the Israeli leader reportedly called off the attack. Trump also claimed the U.S. and Iran are nearing a “phenomenal deal. We are getting everything we wanted”…
Netanyahu subsequently said in a video statement that, while Israel is “holding its fire” against Iran, Jerusalem has “a full right to self-defense” and is “exercising it to the extent necessary” — a message he said he relayed “with appreciation and respect in my good conversations with my friend President Trump.” But Netanyahu warned that if Iran resumes its attacks on Israel, the IDF would respond with “overwhelming force”…
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in an address today that Iran’s simultaneous military strikes and diplomacy are part of an intentional strategy and that, though Tehran is seeking to end the war, it does not want to normalize relations with Washington…
U.S. forces disabled another empty oil tanker attempting to sail to Iranian ports today after it failed to disobey orders to stop by firing a precision munition into the ship’s engineering and steering spaces, CENTCOM announced. It’s the seventh such vessel U.S. forces have disabled since the blockade began…
Thirty-eight Senate Democrats, led by Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), demanded in a letter to Trump that the administration provide Congress with the legal opinion backing its determination that U.S. hostilities against Iran have ended, given the ongoing strikes and U.S. presence in the region…
At next week’s G7 summit in France, which Trump will be attending, European leaders will attempt to secure the president’s support for a U.K. and France-led effort to de-mine the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reports…
The J7, a coalition of Jewish communal organizations representing the seven largest Jewish Diaspora populations, urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize action over further study after he announced Ottawa’s new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion would examine rising antisemitism in the country.
Arguing that the problem has already been well documented, the groups called for a “whole-of-government” response focused on enforcement and countering extremist ideologies and terror movements…
United Democracy Project, the AIPAC-aligned super PAC, began buying ad time in Michigan today, in what appears to be the pro-Israel group’s first foray into the state’s heated Democratic Senate primary…
The Wall Street Journal interviews activists Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan, who, along with consultant Morris Katz, recruited Graham Platner to run for Senate in Maine. The two said that their own vetting process of Platner did not turn up the Nazi tattoo he had on his chest, nor the full extent of his controversial Reddit posts, but they believed none of what they had seen at the time “will or should stop him from becoming a U.S. senator”…
The two factions of Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s Satmar community united behind Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). Reynoso, a native of the district, clashed with some of the Hasidic sect’s leaders as a city councilmember but rebuilt relationships in subsequent years. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has found allies in the Satmar sect while in office, is backing Reynoso’s opponent, Assemblymember Claire Valdez…
Ahead of tonight’s Knicks NBA Finals game against the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden, The Forward examines the chant sweeping New York City — “My mayor Muslim, my bagel Jewish, my Christian Dior, Knicks in four!” — and what it says about the city’s identity…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the view from Washington on Trump’s attempt to pressure Netanyahu not to retaliate to Iran’s recent ballistic missile attacks.
Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina will hold their primary elections tomorrow.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a markup of various bills, including one to direct the State Department to impose sanctions on the leaders and family members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Sudanese civil war.
The House Appropriations Committee will mark up the FY 2027 spending bills for Labor, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security.
The Atlantic Council will kick off its two-day Global Energy Forum with remarks from Energy Secretary Chris Wright; Ben Black, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation; Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy; and representatives from Kuwait, Egypt, Syria and more.
Agudath Israel of America will celebrate the opening of its new office on Capitol Hill with a tribute to its longtime vice president for government affairs, Rabbi Abba Cohen, who is set to step down after 37 years at the organization.
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PROMISES AND PERILS
As AI reshapes society, Jewish leaders grapple with what comes next
Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone: ‘When we ascribe human attributes — emotions, consciousness and soul — to AI, we risk transforming a sophisticated instrument into an idol’
GOLDEN MEMORIES
In Altneu art exhibit, artists grapple with the end of American Jewry’s ‘Golden Age’
A new exhibition at the Upper East Side synagogue uses paintings of everyday Jewish life to explore nostalgia and identity as Jewish artists increasingly feel unwelcome in cultural spaces
The Israeli prime minister said that Israel had finished retaliating against Iran, but would defend itself against further attacks
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that, though Israel is “holding its fire” against Iran, Jerusalem has “a full right to self-defense” and is “exercising it to the extent necessary.”
The prime minister warned that if Iran resumes its attacks on Israel, the IDF would respond with “overwhelming force.”
Netanyahu’s statement follows a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between Israel and Iran and its proxies that began with Hezbollah’s fire on northern Israel on Sunday. After Israel struck Hezbollah targets in Beirut, Iran fired a wave of ballistic missiles at Israel, prompting the IDF to strike military targets, as well as a petrochemical facility, in Iran.
Netanyahu also suggested he had pushed back on President Donald Trump’s request for Israel to not respond to Iranian strikes on Sunday. He said he had relayed to the White House the message about Israel’s right to self-defense “with appreciation and respect in my good conversations with my friend President Trump.”
Trump asked Netanyahu on Sunday to keep Israel’s strikes against Iran limited to prevent escalation, once it became clear that Israel would not stand down, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. On Monday, Netanyahu agreed to a second request from Trump to halt Israel’s attacks, sources told the outlet.
Iran had said it would not continue striking Israel as long as the IDF ceased its campaign against Hezbollah
Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images
Missiles launched from Iran toward Israel are seen in the sky over Hebron on June 7, 2026
Israel will abide by a request from the Trump administration to pause its strikes on Iran, two Israeli sources told CNN, though Jerusalem plans to continue its operations against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
The halt comes after Iran announced earlier Monday that it would suspend its military operations against Israel, after having launched a number of missile barrages at the Jewish state since Sunday evening. However, Tehran has threatened to resume strikes should Israel continue its campaign in Lebanon, which the IDF did on Monday after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Monday that “any attack on [northern Israel] will lead to a strike on Dahiyeh,” referring to the Beirut suburb and Hezbollah stronghold that the IDF struck on Sunday in response to Hezbollah attacks targeting northern Israel earlier in the day. “We completely reject Iran’s threat,” Katz added. “Any Iranian attempt to link Lebanon and Iran and attack Israel will be met with great force, as happened yesterday.”
Israel had fired on Iranian strategic air defense systems and an Iranian petrochemical plant earlier on Monday after Tehran launched waves of ballistic missiles at northern and central Israel, the first such attacks since the U.S. and Iran reached a ceasefire in early April. Iran said it was retaliating for IDF strikes in Dahiyeh, which came after Hezbollah fired on northern Israeli towns.
After Israel’s strikes on Iran, the Houthis, an Iran-backed proxy group in Yemen, launched a ballistic missile at Israel and declared a ban on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea.
The exchange marked the most significant military hostilities between the two sides in months and prompted immediate diplomatic intervention from President Donald Trump, who called on both sides on Monday to “stop shooting.”
He had also reportedly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call to hold off on retaliatory strikes against Iran, though Israel fired on Iran afterwards. Trump also said that “Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting,’” in a post on Truth Social early Monday morning.
Although a U.S. official initially told CNN that American forces played no role in intercepting the Iranian missiles, officials later confirmed that Washington did fire interceptors at the incoming projectiles. The success of those intercept attempts remains unclear. The U.S. military stated it did not conduct any joint strikes in Iran alongside Israel.
Trump also said he was “not happy” about the Israeli strikes in Beirut on Sunday, after he attempted to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah last week, which the terror group quickly rejected.
Netanyahu will reportedly convene a full Security Cabinet meeting Monday evening local time.
The diplomatic scramble unfolds as the U.S. and Iran attempt to maintain a fragile truce while negotiators seek to hammer out a comprehensive end to the conflict. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that his nation has “abandoned neither the battlefield nor the negotiating table.”
“Our priority is national security and the peace of our people. We will firmly defend the rights of the nation and will not back down in the face of any threat,” Pezeshkian wrote on X on Monday, describing diplomacy and defense as the “two wings of national power.”
This story was updated on June 8 to reflect an updated CNN report that U.S. forces did attempt to assist Israel in intercepting Iranian missiles.
Plus, Track AIPAC retracts
U.S. House of Representatives
Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the diverging opinions in Jerusalem and Washington on restarting the war with Iran, and report on how the Obama Presidential Library is framing the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. We report on the criticism faced by Track AIPAC over its since-revoked endorsement of a Democratic congressional candidate in Texas who suggested imprisoning “American Zionists” in ICE facilities, and cover yesterday’s Capitol Hill hearing on antisemitism in the healthcare field. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sarah Rogers, Michael Bay and Shay Shwartz.
Ed note: In observance of Shavuot and Memorial Day, the next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Tuesday, May 26. Check out JewishInsider.com for breaking news over the long weekend. Chag sameach!
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
- Today is the one-year anniversary of the terror attack at the Capital Jewish Museum in which two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed outside of an American Jewish Committee event taking place inside the venue. In marking the day, the museum announced that it will be open to the public today “as a space of reflection and remembrance.”
- The House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote on an Iran war powers resolution today, after House GOP leadership postponed the vote, which was to take place yesterday, over Republican attendance issues.
- The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington is holding candidate forums today with D.C. mayoral candidates Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MELISSA WEISS
In Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Netanya and Beersheva, the conversations are the same: When will the war with Iran resume? What contingency plans are in place? Do we need to temporarily rent an apartment with a shelter?
All over Israel, there is a looming feeling that the next round of fighting is just around the corner. The Israel Democracy Institute’s latest polling, conducted earlier this month, found that 62% of Israelis think that the war’s renewal is likely.
But in the U.S., a resumption of war appears increasingly unlikely. With gas prices rising and the midterms approaching, the White House has little appetite for prolonged conflict. A New York Times/Siena poll released earlier this week found that nearly two-thirds of Americans think that going to war against Iran in the first place was a bad idea. Though fresh off a series of primary and state-level wins, President Donald Trump appears cognizant of the uphill battle that comes with resuming an unpopular war, even as he told reporters earlier this week he didn’t factor “Americans’ financial situation” in his approach to the war.
There is also a question of funding. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said this week that the Pentagon would “probably” be out of money to fund the Iran war by August.
Those are key factors that have not penetrated the discourse in Israel. Across the U.S., gas prices are sky high. The midterms are less than six months away. And on Capitol Hill, even some of the president’s staunchest backers are signaling opposition to a resumption of the war.
“Generally speaking, Israelis are not really attuned to internal politics in the U.S. that could be affecting President Trump’s decisions,” Tamar Hermann, director of IDI’s Viterbi Center for Public Opinion, told Jewish Insider this morning. “Recent coverage in the Israeli media has tended to obscure the domestic political constraints Trump faces, creating the impression that he is operating without meaningful checks and is effectively able to do as he pleases.”
LIBRARY LOOK
Obama presidential center touts Iran nuclear deal as key part of former president’s legacy
The Barack Obama Presidential Center, slated to open in Chicago in mid-June, will feature an exhibit highlighting the former president’s “patient and principled diplomacy” and “strategic engagement with adversaries” in the lead-up to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, asserting that he prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
What it says: “Through diplomacy, the US forged a new treaty with Russia to reduce both countries’ nuclear stockpiles,” the exhibit reads, according to images obtained during the museum’s soft launch reviewed by JI. “The Obama administration prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.” A dedication ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center is scheduled for June 18 followed by its opening to the public the next day.
Bonus: The Wall Street Journal does a deep dive into “how Iran got to the nuclear threshold on the watch of three U.S. presidents,” noting that the Obama administration’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action “delayed but didn’t shut the door on Iran’s potential pathway to a bomb.”
FACING THE HEAT
Track AIPAC under fire as Democrats condemn its extremist Texas pick
Track AIPAC, the social media account that has gained a growing audience among anti-Israel activists in recent years, found itself in an embarrassing position this week when a candidate it had championed for Congress faced bipartisan backlash over extreme antisemitic comments calling to imprison and castrate “American Zionists,” whom she accused of pedophilia, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. The account said on Tuesday it was “immediately revoking” its endorsement of Maureen Galindo, a San Antonio activist competing for an open swing seat in Texas next week.
Yes, but: The point at which Track AIPAC finally chose to draw a line over Galindo’s rhetoric underscored how the account’s ostensibly narrow focus on opposition to what it calls the “Israel lobby” has often obscured an indulgence of extreme views and positions. Brian Romick, the president of DMFI PAC, which is backing Galindo’s runoff opponent, Johnny Garcia, argued that “Track AIPAC embodies the very-online activist fringe: large social-media following, minimal real-world influence, and a political strategy based on vibes.”
Read the full story here.Dems denounce: Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) said on Wednesday that they would seek to expel Galindo if she is elected — forcing daily votes if necessary. Their comments mark an escalation among Democrats condemning Galindo since her comment gained widespread attention, JI’s Marc Rod reports.
SPLITSCREEN
JDCA backs both McMorrow and Stevens in Michigan Senate race
The Jewish Democratic Council of America announced a dual endorsement on Wednesday of Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow in Michigan’s three-way Senate Democratic primary, saying “there are two candidates who stand with our community on issues of importance to Jewish voters, and there is one who does not,” Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Reasoning: “It is because of this stark contrast of the views and values of Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow, compared to those of Abdul El-Sayed,” a vocal critic of Israel who has captured the enthusiasm of the far left, “that we are taking the distinct opportunity to endorse two candidates,” Halie Soifer, JDCA’s CEO, said in a statement.
Michigan matchup: In Michigan’s statewide election for two seats on the University of Michigan Board of Regents, Republican nominees Lena Epstein and Michael Schostak, who both identify as Jewish, told JI’s Gabby Deutch they’re campaigning on fighting antisemitism at the school.
ON THE HILL
House hearing spotlights antisemitism from healthcare unions
Speaking at a House Education & Workforce subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, a doctor accused his union of engaging in systemic discrimination against Jewish and Israeli health providers, supporting terrorist sympathizers and making “its obsession with a single geopolitical conflict a defining future of its identity” — all while he’ll be forced by federal law to fund it, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Healthcare havoc: Jacob Agronin, a cardiology fellow at a major medical institution in Philadelphia, testified alongside several other experts on antisemitism at a hearing focused on anti-Jewish hate in the medical field — which both Jewish medical providers and patients report as a growing problem since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The hearing focused in particular on the role of healthcare worker unions, like the Committee of Interns and Residents, of which Agronin is set to be a member, in spreading antisemitism and their failures to stand up for Jewish union members.
Parents’ night: A group of Jewish parents from across Pennsylvania arrived at a virtual meeting with Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) with a plea: take note of antisemitism happening not just on college campuses but also in K-12 schools, and do something about it, JI’s Gabby Deutch reports.
BUFFER BATTLE
NYC Council speaker preps new school ‘buffer bill’ to beat Mamdani veto
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin will back fresh legislation to compel the NYPD to establish formal protocols for deploying buffer zones around schools during protests — a push Menin said will sail through the council with more than enough votes to beat any effort from Mayor Zohran Mamdani to block it, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports.
Bridging the gap: The move comes a month after Mamdani exercised his veto power in order to stop a similar bill from becoming law, citing concerns from unions that the blocked measure could interfere with their demonstrations around college facilities, even though the proposal contained an explicit labor carveout. In a press conference on Wednesday, Menin characterized this as a misunderstanding — one the new legislation will rectify by applying exclusively to early childhood education facilities and “most K-12 schools.”
Moreno moves: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) said Wednesday that he plans to call on the Senate to pass the SACRED Act, legislation imposing restrictions on protests around synagogues and other religious institutions, by unanimous consent, JI’s Marc Rod reports.
IN MEMORIAM
Barney Frank, trailblazing Jewish congressman, dies at 86
Known as a liberal firebrand, Frank’s most high-profile act in politics was drafting the legislation that tightened financial regulations in response to the 2008 financial crisis, a bill known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Paving the way: Frank was widely considered a pioneer for the LGBTQ community after coming out publicly as gay in 1987. Frank grew up in a working-class Jewish family in Bayonne, N.J. His sister, Ann Lewis, also worked in politics, holding senior roles in the Clinton administration and later on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Frank said he was drawn to public service early, feeling in some way that he was an outsider who could challenge how things were done. “I’m a left-handed gay Jew,” Frank said. “I’ve never felt, automatically, a member of any majority.”
Worthy Reads
American Jews Under Siege: In The Atlantic, Israel Policy Forum co-founder Michael Sonnenfeldt considers the “untenable position” that many American Jews find themselves in amid rising domestic antisemitism alongside decreasing support among Americans for Israel. “Anti-Semitism is rising sharply in the United States at the same time that traditional alliances with progressive organizations are weakening, political identities are being reshuffled, and emotional ties to Israel are strained by policies that clash with deeply held democratic and ethical commitments. The simultaneity of these pressures — political, moral, and psychological — is what makes the present moment feel so destabilizing.” [TheAtlantic]
Middle Man: In The Wall Street Journal, Sadanand Dhume questions Pakistan’s ability to operate as a fair intermediary as it seeks to play a central role in U.S.-Iran talks. “Pakistan has attributes that make it a useful intermediary, but America shouldn’t forget that when it comes to Iran, Pakistan’s interests aren’t the same as those of the U.S. On the face of it, Pakistan might seem like an odd choice for mediator. During the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan was widely castigated for playing a ‘double game,’ accepting U.S. aid to fight terrorism while at the same time secretly aiding and abetting the Afghan Taliban.” [WSJ]
A Convert’s Burden: In Moment Magazine, JoJo Kalin, a convert to Judaism who organized the event at the Capital Jewish Museum in which two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed, reflects on her faith as she considers her interaction with the suspected assailant, to whom she offered water after the attack. “There is a version of the future in which my future children would not have to carry this particular kind of fear. I am aware of that. And I am choosing this one anyway. I choose it because what they would inherit is not only fear. It is also peoplehood, memory and a stubborn, enduring joy. … I still think about that glass of water, about the instinct to give it, about the fact that I did not hesitate. I don’t know what it means, fully. I’m not sure it resolves into something clean or instructive. But I know this: That moment belongs to my humanity, not to his violence.” [Moment]
Word on the Street
Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs talks to Leo Terrell, the senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights and chair of the Department of Justice’s antisemitism task force, about the creation of the DOJ’s Antisemitism Advisory Committee, which Terrell will oversee…
The Justice Department announced its indictment against a New Jersey man charged with making interstate threats to a Jewish institution in New York…
Sarah Rogers, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, refuted accusations that the Trump administration has been ineffective in combating the spread of misinformation and hateful content on social media, arguing that free speech protections and efforts to combat disinformation are not mutually exclusive, in comments at the Hudson Institute on Tuesday, JI’s Emily Jacobs reports…
Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced a resolution honoring the 130th anniversary of the Jewish War Veterans organization…
During a House hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) engaged in a heated back-and-forth with a witness, Carol Swain, an author and commentator, as Swain repeatedly dodged his question about whether neo-Nazis are a supremacist group. Two other witnesses answered the question with a simple “yes”…
Director Michael Bay is working with Universal Pictures to develop a feature-length film about the rescue of two American pilots who were shot down in Iran last month; the film will be based off an upcoming book on the event by Mitchell Zuckoff…
TechCrunch profiles Ocean founder Shay Shwartz, whose email security platform protects against AI-powered attacks and recently exited stealth mode with $28 million in a funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners that included an investment from Wiz’s Assaf Rappaport…
eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher looks at how Jewish groups are approaching the use of AI for Torah study…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with other Israeli officials, issued a sharp condemnation of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he released a video showing himself taunting detained flotilla activists, JI’s Matthew Shea reports…
Israeli prosecutors filed charges against a Jewish man accused of taking part in at least three attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank since February, including an April attack in which a poultry farm employee was hospitalized and remains in a coma…
The Wall Street Journal looks at Israeli efforts to track down all terrorists who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks…
The U.S. is pressuring Palestinian officials to drop an effort by the Palestinian Authority’s representative at the U.N. to seek the vice presidency of the U.N. General Assembly, warning that the State Department could revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation should the bid proceed…
The Associated Press profiles Iranian Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, describing the senior military official as a “longtime veteran of the ruling system” involved with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina, who is believed to be one of few Iranian officials in contact with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei…
The New York Times spotlights the “intelligence fraternity” of former and current IRGC officials, including many with links to the country’s new supreme leader, positing that the group’s “shared backgrounds, careers and ideological outlook” are “one reason the war has neither collapsed the government nor paralyzed it”…
Wine of the Week
JI wine columnist Yitz Applbaum reviews the Warneke Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the Gen VIII 2019 Cabernet:
After a 250th National Shabbat celebration at the White House, where candles were lit in the Indian Treaty Room, we walked over to nearby Decatur House, the historic 1818 mansion on Lafayette Square, for a meaningful and memorable Shabbat dinner. Kiddush was made over a cup recovered from one of the communities destroyed on Oct. 7, and each guest was given a challah cover embroidered with the presidential seal. For such a special and historic moment, my dear friend Pauly treated me to two of the finest and most important kosher wines from the Herzog family: The Warneke Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the Gen VIII 2019 Cabernet. These wines perfectly matched the severity and grandeur of the dinner.
The 2023 Warneke Valley is a cab of remarkable poise, carrying a subtle maturity that belies its youth. The opening is pure silk, the mid-palate carries the traditional Herzog vanilla and the finish lingers with notes of parve dark chocolate. The Gen VIII, by contrast, is bold and brash, fruit-forward, with rough-and-tumble tannins that would not let me sleep at night. It has long been one of my favorites, but this vintage will surely overtake its predecessors as one of the greatest ever made. To drink them side by side was a true privilege. Not an inexpensive luxury, but one I would gladly forgo most other pleasures to repeat. Enjoy both alongside a juicy steak, and lay a few bottles down for a future milestone worth celebrating.
Pic of the Day
Former Pittsburgh police officer Daniel Mead, who was injured while responding to the October 2018 Tree of Life shooting, on Wednesday received the Justice Department’s Hometown Hero Award.
Birthdays
Actor, artist and playwright, Lisa Edelstein turns 60…
Former U.S. senator from Minnesota, he was previously a comedian, actor and writer, Al Franken turns 75… VP of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, Ralph Lewin turns 73… Guitarist and composer, Marc Ribot turns 72… EVP of American Friends of Bar-Ilan University, Ron Solomon… Chief rabbi of Mitzpe Yericho (a yishuv located in the Judean desert) and dean of Hara’ayon Hayehudi yeshiva in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yehuda Kroizer turns 71… CEO of the Boston-based hedge fund Baupost Group, he is co-founder of Times of Israel, Seth Klarman turns 69… Northern California-based comedian, he celebrated his bar mitzvah at 52 in Israel, Josh Kornbluth turns 67… New York Times contributing Opinion writer, Jeffrey Toobin turns 66… Founder and publisher of City & State NY, Thomas Allon turns 64… Director of antisemitism education and associate director of the Israel Action Program, both at Hillel International, Tina Malka… Former head of Dewey Square’s sports business practice, now a freelance writer, Frederic J. Frommer… Author and journalist, she was a reporter with The New York Times for eight years, Amy Waldman turns 57… U.S. cyclist at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she is now the executive director of the New England Mountain Bike Association, Nicole Freedman turns 54… President and CEO of the Michigan-based William Davidson Foundation, Darin McKeever… University chaplain for NYU and executive director of NYU’s Bronfman Center for Jewish Life, Rabbi Yehuda Sarna turns 48… Founder of Agora Global Advisory, Brandon Pollak… EVP and chief legal officer at Sinclair Inc., David Gibber… Professor of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin, Scott Joel Aaronson turns 45… President of Mo Digital, Mosheh Oinounou… Los Angeles-born, raised in Israel, international fashion model for Versace, Sharon Ganish turns 43… CEO of CreoStrat, Steve Miller… Windsurfer who represented Israel in the Olympics, she is now an energy management program manager at SolarEdge, Maayan Davidovich turns 38… Player on the USC team that won the 2016 NCAA National Soccer Championship, she is now an associate in the L.A. office of Foley & Lardner, Savannah Levin turns 31… Comedian, actor and writer, known for starring in the HBO Max series “Hacks,” Hannah Marie Einbinder turns 31… COO at the Yael Foundation, Naomi Kovitz…
With gas prices rising and the midterms approaching, the White House has little appetite for prolonged conflict
Win McNamee/Getty Images
President Donald Trump (L) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House on September 29, 2025 in Washington, DC.
In Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Netanya and Beersheva, the conversations are the same: When will the war with Iran resume? What contingency plans are in place? Do we need to temporarily rent an apartment with a shelter?
All over Israel, there is a looming feeling that the next round of fighting is just around the corner. The Israel Democracy Institute’s latest polling, conducted earlier this month, found that 62% of Israelis think that the war’s renewal is likely.
But in the U.S., a resumption of war appears increasingly unlikely. With gas prices rising and the midterms approaching, the White House has little appetite for prolonged conflict. A New York Times/Siena poll released earlier this week found that nearly two-thirds of Americans think that going to war against Iran in the first place was a bad idea. Though fresh off a series of primary and state-level wins, President Donald Trump appears cognizant of the uphill battle that comes with resuming an unpopular war, even as he told reporters earlier this week he didn’t factor “Americans’ financial situation” in his approach to the war.
There is also a question of funding. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said this week that the Pentagon would “probably” be out of money to fund the Iran war by August.
Those are key factors that have not penetrated the discourse in Israel. Across the U.S., gas prices are sky high. The midterms are less than six months away. And on Capitol Hill, even some of the president’s staunchest backers are signaling opposition to a resumption of the war.
“Generally speaking, Israelis are not really attuned to internal politics in the U.S. that could be affecting President Trump’s decisions,” Tamar Hermann, director of IDI’s Viterbi Center for Public Opinion, told Jewish Insider this morning. “Recent coverage in the Israeli media has tended to obscure the domestic political constraints Trump faces, creating the impression that he is operating without meaningful checks and is effectively able to do as he pleases.”
While legislatively, the Trump administration has demonstrated that it is willing — to some extent — to circumvent Congress and somewhat shuffle the system of checks and balances, the real factors constraining the president are the ones facing elected leaders around the world.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Tuesday night, in what Axios reported was a “difficult” call in which the two leaders diverged on how to proceed, with the president favoring negotiations and a potential deal and Netanyahu pushing for renewed active military operations in order to further degrade Tehran’s capabilities.
In recent days, both Jerusalem and Washington have acknowledged that Trump is the ultimate decision-maker on Iran. Trump told reporters on Wednesday morning that Netanyahu “will do whatever I want him to do” when it comes to the Islamic Republic, while earlier this week, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that Israel is the “junior partner” to the U.S. vis-a-vis Iran.
But in the next six months, both men will face the court of public opinion in their countries’ respective elections, likely to be just weeks apart. One believes that a resumption of the war could boost his chances of staying in power. The other is cognizant that going back to battle could cost him the wins he’s amassed. And for now, Trump holds the cards.
Steinberg, who led the group for 25 years, is set to step down in January
Yehoshua Halevi
NGO Monitor President Gerald Steinberg and NGO Monitor Vice President Olga Deutsch
NGO Monitor President Gerald Steinberg is set to step down in January, 25 years after founding the Jerusalem-based watchdog group focused on scrutinizing nonprofit organizations critical of Israel and their funding sources, Jewish Insider has learned.
Olga Deutsch, 47, currently NGO Monitor’s vice president, will succeed Steinberg following a months-long transition process at the organization, which since its inception has been closely associated with its founder.
Steinberg, 74, who resigned from his position as a professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University seven years ago, told JI, “There is a point in one’s life where one has to decide the different priorities. And I’ve done this long enough, and other people can have more energy and can take over.”
Deutsch joined NGO Monitor more than a decade ago, heading the Europe department before becoming VP seven years ago. Deutsch told JI that she hopes to “open the next exciting chapter,” while preserving the “character of the organization that Gerald created, which is serving as pioneers and continuing to flag the new fronts through which the Jewish state and the Jewish people are being attacked or put in danger.”
“No one can step into [Steinberg’s] shoes — I would not dare try that,” Deutsch told JI, describing Steinberg as a trailblazer who “identified 25 years ago what will be — and are — the tactics and the method in which the Jewish state and the Jewish people are being attacked, and that is weaponization and abuse of the language of human rights.”
Steinberg had previously been set on a purely academic career path. But the World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, which he said was “hijacked months or even years before as a platform for revitalizing the ‘Zionism as racism’ theme,” changed his trajectory, particularly as he observed the role of NGOs in that drive.
Reflecting on the achievements of the organization he subsequently built, Steinberg said, “I can certainly look back and say that both in the academic realm and in the political realm, NGOs are now recognized as important political actors.”
Steinberg argued that there is greater understanding that NGOs can have malign impacts and can contribute to conflict and antisemitism, despite presenting themselves as human rights organizations.
When he started working on the subject, Steinberg recounted, “People said to me, ‘Why are you bothering with this? They are so unimportant in international politics.’ That’s no longer the case.”
Steinberg said that a challenge for the team going forward “is this tremendous increase in antisemitism as it’s reflected in and fueled by NGOs in a broad sense and how do you prioritize … in the activities of NGO Monitor? I think that that’s a very difficult challenge, because there’s a temptation to be everywhere.”
The group has long drawn criticism from human rights organizations and left-leaning activists who accuse it of seeking to delegitimize NGOs critical of Israeli policy and disproportionately targeting left-wing, pro-Palestinian groups, while aligning itself with Israeli government positions and broader pro-Israel advocacy efforts.
Deutsch rejected those accusations, telling JI, “We have a very, very clear definition of what it is that we research: We focus on NGOs that define themselves as human rights and humanitarian NGOs.”
Deutsch was born in Serbia and lived in Germany and Belgium before moving to Israel. She brought to NGO Monitor expertise in Europe and the European Union, which she highlights as “the single largest aid donor in the world.”
“We try to follow the money, because we understand that understanding the financial streams and who’s behind these organizations can be — and oftentimes is — quite telling,” Deutsch said. She argued that many of the organizations scrutinized by NGO Monitor receive European government funding and that some Palestinian NGOs highlighted in the group’s reports have ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU.
Last month, the Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) closed its doors, citing “Israel’s targeted criminalization of Palestinian human rights organizations.”
Steinberg said NGO Monitor’s research into alleged ties between DCIP officials and the PFLP led to increased scrutiny of the group and subsequent funding cuts. “We are blamed for that,” he said.
NGO Monitor research has regularly been presented in parliaments in Europe and offers specific policy recommendations in the region, as well as North America and Australia. Deutsch said the group seeks to “inspire that policy conversation with elected officials in how do you prevent aid going directly and indirectly to Hamas again” — a pertinent consideration in the rebuilding of postwar Gaza.
Most recently, the European Parliament in April passed a budgetary resolution citing an NGO Monitor report on internal suspected Hamas documents that “allegedly indicate attempts of Hamas’ infiltration and monitoring through so-called ‘guarantors’ of international NGOs including within Union-funded humanitarian projects in the Gaza Strip.”
The resolution “urges the Commission to investigate all allegations of any type of undue infiltration and influence within Union-funded humanitarian projects and to suspend or recover Union funding where breaches are confirmed.”
“Before Oct. 7, [2023,] it was not always easy to explain why the activities of these non-governmental organizations are dangerous,” Deutsch said. “But after Oct. 7, I think the magnitude and the volume and how publicly it was displayed, of the hatred done in the name of human rights, has made everyone understand why the work that NGO Monitor does is crucial.”
After Steinberg passes the mantle to Deutsch, he will remain involved with the organization’s 20-person team as president emeritus and continue leading its academic activities and research initiatives.
Economic ties and broader European alliances are likely to preserve the bilateral relationship, even as the expected prime minister-elect moves to rejoin the ICC and potentially pivot back towards the EU
Ferenc ISZA / AFP via Getty Images
Peter Magyar, leader of the pro-European conservative TISZA party, waves the national flag during celebrations at the election night party in Budapest after the general election in Hungary, on April 12, 2026.
The end of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s 16-year tenure following his electoral defeat on Sunday to center-right rival Péter Magyar has sparked immediate questions regarding the future of one of Jerusalem’s most reliable, yet complicated, alliances in Europe.
While Orbán’s departure removes a reliable ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu within the European Union, experts suggest Jerusalem’s standing in Europe and bilateral relationship with Budapest will not be significantly set back.
Under Orbán, Hungary frequently broke ranks to block anti-Israel statements and actions from the EU. The former leader maintained a warm posture toward Israel and voiced opposition to terror organizations. He also initiated the process to withdraw Budapest from the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Orbán called the court “political” and defied the ruling by welcoming the Israeli prime minister for a visit.
“Israel is losing a close friend with the electoral defeat of Viktor Orbán,” David May, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Jewish Insider. “His willingness to defy EU consensus shielded Israel from many hostile actions. The Central and Eastern European states are far friendlier to Israel than their Western counterparts, and that will likely continue under Peter Magyar — though to what extent remains unclear.”
Magyar has vowed to maintain Hungary’s “special relationship” with Israel, calling the Jewish state an “important economic partner.” However, he has also called for “pragmatic relations,” including returning Hungary to the ICC and suggesting that Budapest will likely move away from the reflexive veto that characterized the Orbán era, replacing it with a case-by-case approach to EU measures concerning Israel.
“We do not know much about Péter Magyar’s policy views on Israel,” said Ferenc Németh, an international relations expert and Fulbright visiting researcher at Georgetown University. “Politically speaking, I do not expect relations to worsen or for Magyar to have a cold or hostile position toward Netanyahu; rather, Hungary will align with the views of its partners on key issues concerning Israel.”
Németh added that Israel will remain “an important partner for Hungary, especially given the economic ties and the shared Jewish heritage.” He noted that Magyar’s desire to rejoin the ICC is likely aimed at strengthening “Hungary’s position among its most valuable Western partners and to achieve full alignment with their views.”
Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, also suggested that significant change in posturing is unlikely. He noted that Orbán’s defeat is “easily overstated in terms of likely impact on Israel.”
“Israel’s standing in Europe won’t be dimmed by Orbán’s departure,” Ruhe said. “Israel has reliable partners like Germany, Czechia, Greece and Cyprus. Germany in particular has been a firewall against a lot of European anti-Israeli actions, and Magyar has suggested he’ll follow Germany’s lead here.”
Experts also noted that Orbán’s actions did not carry as much weight as they appeared and expressed concern over the former Hungarian leader’s preference for Moscow in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and complex relationship with Tehran.
“Orbán blocked primarily statements critical of Israel, not concrete measures — with the exception of a sanctions package targeting violent settlers and organizations targeting Palestinians in the West Bank,” Matthew Levitt, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said. “And Hungary did not always act in Israel’s interest under Orbán, such as when Hungary offered Iran intelligence support after the pager attack against Hezbollah in September 2024.”
May similarly noted that Orbán was “not without controversy.”
“His close ties with Russia — and sometimes strong bonds with Iran — at times placed the Hungarian leader at odds with Israeli and U.S. interests,” May said. “Orbán’s proximity to antisemites and his antidemocratic tendencies also made him a less than desirable ally.”
Ruhe said that Orbán’s actions in support of Israel should be “weighed against everything he did to whitewash Hungary’s role in the Holocaust, engage in antisemitic dog-whistling, roll back democracy and essentially serve as an agent of Moscow — Iran’s partner in crime — inside the EU.”
“Magyar has pledged to maintain his country’s ‘special relationship’ with Israel, but without Orbán’s significant baggage that far outweighed the few concrete steps he took in support of Israel,” Ruhe added.
Németh said that Hungary will remain “a country with a strong zero-tolerance policy against all forms of antisemitism,” noting that Orbán, despite his often vocal support for Israel, engaged in actions that could be perceived as triggering “antisemitic views.”
“Orbán has used coded messages to trigger antisemitic views, [such as] making George Soros, an American-Hungarian businessman of Jewish heritage, a central figure in propaganda,” Németh said. “Magyar has pledged not to do that.”
The move marks the latest deterioration in the relationship between Jerusalem and Paris
Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A display of air-to-surface munitions at the Elbit Systems Ltd. zone inside the Israel aerospace pavilion at the Paris Air Show in Paris, France, on Monday, June 16, 2025.
Israel is ending all defense procurement from France, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, citing Paris’ hostile posture toward Jerusalem and a desire to increase domestic production and purchases from allies.
“Israel will reduce all defense procurement from France to zero, replacing it with domestic Israeli procurement or purchases from allied countries,” Israel’s Ministry of Defense told Politico on Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Air Baram, the director general of the ministry, said on Israel’s Channel 12 that the move is part of a larger effort to decrease military dependence on and partnerships with nations that have strained diplomatic relations with Israel.
The ministry also canceled meetings with France’s minister of the armed forces, instead insisting that “there will be no new professional engagement with the French military.”
The move is the latest rift in the bilateral relationship that has sharply deteriorated following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. During the Israel-Hamas war, France took a critical stance toward Jerusalem’s military conduct in the Gaza Strip and worked to pressure Israel to halt operations.
In September of last year, French President Emmanuel Macron became one of the first major U.S. allies to recognize Palestinian statehood. In that same month, Macron had said that Israel’s operations in Gaza were “making so many civilian casualties and victims that [Jerusalem is] completely destroying the credibility and image of Israel not only in the region but in public opinion everywhere.”
President Donald Trump has also expressed frustration with France for its actions amid the war in Iran, including prohibiting planes with military supplies destined for Israel from flying over its territory. He wrote on Truth Social that Paris has been “VERY UNHELPFUL” and that “The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!” — a post that surprised French officials.
Paris has also moved to limit Israeli participation in defense forums, barring dozens of Israeli companies from the Eurosatory 2024 exhibition, restricting their presence at the 2025 Paris Air Show and suspending export licenses.
Experts told Jewish Insider that the latest announcement is likely political posturing and will not have any practical impact on Israel given that defense ties between the two countries have already been on the decline.
“Israeli procurement from France was apparently quite limited and since the Israeli Ministry of Defense initiated the cut-off, they made the calculation that they could replace the items they obtain from France,” said Michael Eisenstadt, a fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “I suspect there will be no practical consequence for Israeli manufacturers.”
A parliamentary report published in late 2025 found that France approved more than 200 dual-use export licenses to Israel in 2024 totaling €76.5 million — a roughly 60% drop from the previous year.
Eisenstadt noted that the latest action from Israel will not impact “collaboration between private companies or entities.” Existing agreements are expected to be upheld, and private firms can continue pursuing deals.
“Israel has lost patience with French criticism and unreliability,” Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British diplomat and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI. “The fact is that Israel has historic reasons not to trust France, and now no longer needs France.”
Fitton-Brown said that moving forward Israel may increasingly “rely on the U.S. to represent its
interests in international affairs.” He similarly said that it will likely not have much impact on Israel.
“Israel is increasingly all-in with the U.S. as a defense partner, which makes diversifying defense supply an irrelevance,” Fitton-Brown said. “France has been the most disappointing of Israel’s European friends, adopting neutral or even hostile positions on a range of issues: recognition of a Palestinian state, a failure to back Israel fully against Hezbollah in Lebanon, ambivalence and obstruction regarding the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.”
A missile hit in Beit Shemesh killed at least nine people on Sunday; two died in Tel Aviv late Saturday
Amir Levy/Getty Images
Israeli emergency and rescue personnel recover casualties from an Iranian missile site on March 1, 2026 in Beit Shemesh, Israel.
At least nine people were killed in an Iranian missile strike on a residential neighborhood in Beit Shemesh, about 35 miles west of Jerusalem, the Israeli emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, reported on Sunday, bringing the Israeli death toll from the war with Iran launched a day earlier to 12.
Another 28 people, including young children, were injured, with two in serious condition.
The missile barrage on the mostly Orthodox Jerusalem suburb directly struck a public bomb shelter under a synagogue, among other sites.
Yehuda Shlomo, an MDA EMT, said that when he arrived on the scene, he saw “heavy structural damage, smoke in the air and a great deal of chaos with dozens of frightened casualties emerging from the damaged buildings.”
Another EMT, Tzvi David, said that he rescued a woman in her 60s trapped under a slab of concrete and that firefighters extricated three children from a locked room.
Photos and videos taken by MDA show buildings destroyed to their foundations, others heavily damaged, and burned-out cars.
IDF International Media Spokesperson Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani posted on X that “since the beginning of Operation ‘Roaring Lion’ the Iranian regime has been targeting civilians, we know that this is their strategy. In their recent attack they killed many civilians in the community of Beit Shemesh. The Iranian regime is a terror regime.”
“I send my deepest condolences to the families. We will continue to do everything we can to remove these capabilities from this bloodthirsty terror regime,” Shoshani stated.
Late Saturday night, a missile strike in the Tel Aviv area killed two women, one a Filipina caregiver aged 32 and the other aged 68 who died of respiratory issues while moving to a shelter, and injured 121 people.
A 102-year-old man in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, also died after falling down the stairs on his way to a protected space during an incoming missile siren, Ichilov Hospital announced Sunday.
About 40 buildings in Tel Aviv sustained damage from the missile strikes, with one deemed uninhabitable, the municipality stated. Over 200 residents were evacuated to hotels in the city.
The most heavily damaged building did not have its own safe room and most residents had evacuated to a public bomb shelter, Israel’s Home Front Command said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the impact site in Tel Aviv and called on the people of Israel and the region to “stay strong.”
“This is a historic effort to change the trajectory in the Middle East to a different future — a future of peace,” Herzog said. “We’ve been confronted by an empire of evil for a generation.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whom Israel killed on Saturday, “spent a whole generation taking his people’s resources and directing them towards terror, bloodshed, pain and horror. And what we are doing here, together, all the allies, the United States, leading this effort … towards a vision of peace in the region,” Herzog said.
The real impact is likely the ‘special strategic partnership,’ as the countries are calling it, that bolsters Israel's global position at a time when many of the Jewish state's traditional partners have turned away
(Press Information Bureau (PIB)/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in New Delhi, India on February 25, 2026.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jerusalem this week was an important geopolitical moment for Israel.
The biggest tangible outcome of the visit is that, according to Indian media, Israel plans to transfer Iron Dome and Iron Beam missile-defense technology to India, as part of a defense deal reaching as much as $8 billion-$10 billion. The governments only officially acknowledged “significant growth made in defense cooperation … both in scope and scale.”
As for confirmed deliverables, Israel launched expedited free-trade negotiations with the world’s most populous country and fastest-growing economy. The governments released a nine-page statement announcing agreements in a range of areas, including mineral exploration, AI, agriculture, cultural exchange and recruitment of up to 50,000 Indian workers to Israel in the next five years — fulfilling a major need for Israel, which revoked most work permits for Palestinians after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
But the real impact is likely greater than any specific agreement. It’s the alliance on display between Israel and India — a “special strategic partnership,” as the countries are calling it — that bolsters Israel’s global position at a time when many of the Jewish state’s traditional partners have turned away.
Lauren Dagan Amoss of Bar-Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and a leading India analyst in Israel, characterized Modi’s speech to the Knesset as “a threshold moment … designed to justify an upgrade from cordial relations to a partnership with strategic depth and deliverables. … The message was aimed at external stakeholders … especially Washington, the Gulf states, and the broader economic-technological community … rather than treating Israel as a standalone bilateral track.”
That dovetails with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, where he described his vision of a “hexagon of alliances around or within the Middle East. This includes India, Arab nations, African nations, Mediterranean nations (Greece and Cyprus), and nations in Asia that I won’t detail at the moment.” That “hexagon” creates “an axis of nations that see eye-to-eye on the reality, challenges, and goals against the radical axes, both the radical Shia axis, which we have struck very hard” — i.e. Iran — “and the emerging radical Sunni axis,” meaning Qatar, Turkey, and perhaps India’s historic adversary Pakistan, which signed a defense pact with Saudi Arabia less than six months ago.
Modi’s visit came as the world is watching the U.S. and Iran to try to understand if a military conflict is on the way, and while he did not make any specific reference to the Islamic Republic or nuclear weapons, the Indian leader spoke about terrorism, of which Iran is the leading state sponsor. Modi spoke about Israel and India both having “endured the pain of terrorism for a long time,” and said that “countering terrorism requires sustained and coordinated global action, because terror anywhere threatens peace everywhere. That is why, India supports all efforts that contribute to durable peace and regional stability.”
At a time of acute security needs for Israel, the Indian prime minister showed his understanding of Israel’s “security ethos,” Dagan Amoss wrote, and Modi signaled a shift towards deepening the countries’ defense ties, “from a procurement-centric logic to a capability-building approach: industrial integration, supply-chain resilience, and strategic connectivity through corridors, critical infrastructure, and technology as an enabling platform rather than one-off transactions.”
In an interview with JI, Amb. Reuven Azar says joint manufacturing ‘means that, during times of need, we can supply things to each other, unlike what happened [with other countries] during the war’
PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pose for photographers after Netanyahu arrived at the Air Force Station in New Delhi on January 14, 2018.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday to address the Knesset and head an innovation event in Jerusalem, as part of what Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar told Jewish Insider is an “upgrade” in relations between the countries “to a new, strategic level.”
The visit of the head of the world’s most populous nation, whose relations with Israel have grown stronger since Modi became prime minister in 2014, has important implications for the Jewish state’s security, geopolitics and trade, Azar said.
Modi last visited Israel eight years ago. At the time, a photo of the Indian leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wading barefoot in the Mediterranean Sea during a visit to a desalination plant went viral.
His trip this week, during which he will address Israel’s Knesset, comes amid rising tensions across the Middle East — and as Israelis prepare for a potential attack from Iran.
India has been the Israeli defense industry’s largest customer in recent years, with arms sales totaling $20.5 billion during 2020-2024. The countries have reportedly closed deals worth $8.6 billion since the beginning of 2026.
During his visit, Modi plans to sign an “updated security agreement to allow the private sector to work on more sensitive products when it comes to joining production,” Azar, who has been Israel’s envoy to India since September 2024, said. “The updated protocols will allow us to work on more sensitive technology. It will create a lot of action.”
Netanyahu and leading Israeli defense figures have spoken about moving toward greater self-sufficiency in arms manufacturing. Delhi has long had a “Make in India” campaign to increase local production, requiring Israeli arms companies to open production lines in India in order to sell to the country, and the agreement means that joint production “will get a significant upgrade, because we are expanding both the scope and range of technologies we can apply,” Azar said.
“Both Israel and India want to be more independent and self-reliant when it comes to production and less reliant on foreign supply. Producing things together means that, during times of need, we can supply things to each other, unlike what happened during the war [in Gaza] … in which we had interruptions in supply from different countries,” Azar said.
Economically, Israel and India are working on a free-trade agreement, and hope to expand their cooperation on emerging technologies, as well as large infrastructure projects. Azar said that he worked to bring Indian companies to bid on tenders relating to the ongoing Tel Aviv Metro subway project, and that 15 have already applied.
The U.S. has long expressed concern about security risks related to Chinese companies working on major infrastructure projects in Israel. Companies from India, which views China as an adversary, have been considered as a potential competitive alternative.
Though Azar, a former deputy national security advisor for foreign policy, served as head of the Israel-U.S.-China Internal Task Force Israel’s Foreign Ministry at the beginning of the decade, he declined to comment on that aspect, preferring to focus on Israel-India bilateral relations.
With regard to the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a trade route meant to pass through Israel, among other countries in the region, and compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Azar said that “we need to wait for the right geopolitical moment to make it happen. … It needs to happen, but evidently, it won’t now.”
“Currently, there is some movement of merchandise, but to see it become massive, we need some change in Saudi Arabia,” Azar said.
Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., both points on the IMEC route, are facing increased tensions between them. Riyadh has pointed some of its ire at Jerusalem, and has been growing closer to India’s historic foe, Pakistan.
Azar was enthusiastic about an Israeli Cabinet decision approved on Sunday in which Israel plans to allocate over $48 million to cooperation with India in a variety of spheres. Half of the funds come from individual government ministries seeking the cooperation, and the other half was specially allocated by the Finance Ministry.
“The most important is upgrading research and development with funds from the Israel Innovation Authority, and academic cooperation. Israeli universities are all over India now, getting into agreements to exchange students and transfer technology and innovation offices. They feel very welcome in India,” he said.
Asked if that means India has become an alternative to much of the West, where Israeli academics have faced hostility in recent years, Azar said that India and Israel “don’t have challenges in this realm and continue working together to discover the joint resilience so needed in times of war.”
At the same time, he added, “it’s important for any country to diversify. We feel we have so much in common with India, which is a rising force in the world. It’s natural, and it’s not only Israel. Last week, 20 heads of state and 50 foreign ministers went to an AI summit in India. … Everybody is chasing India now.”
Though India-Israel relations were worse before Modi’s rise, Azar said they have the potential for longevity.
“We are now building the pillars of relations that are going to last,” he said. “We are trying to get bipartisan support. There is a lot of support for Israel, not just in [Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party]. The general public feels it, and we have a high appreciation of that. There are some parties, like the communists, that are more critical, but I think this relationship is going to last.”
Any deal that does not include significant limitations on the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles will be woefully inadequate from Israel’s perspective
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club on December 29, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to fly to Washington for a Wednesday White House meeting amid increasing concern in Jerusalem that the U.S. and Iran are headed towards a nuclear deal that does not meet Israel’s immediate security need — to drastically limit Iran’s ballistic missile program.
After the first round of indirect negotiations in Oman on Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that talks had been “very good” and that “Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly.”
Asked about Iran’s demand that the talks only be about nuclear weapons, Trump said, “That would be acceptable. One thing, right up front, no nuclear weapons. … They weren’t willing to do that [last year]; now they are willing to do much more.” That message contrasted with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks from last week, that “in order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles, that includes the sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, that includes the nuclear program and that includes the treatment of their own people.”
Netanyahu announced the urgent meeting with Trump, less than two months after they last met at Mar-a-Lago, with a statement that said: “The Prime Minister believes any negotiations must include limitations on ballistic missiles and a halting of the support for the Iranian axis.”
For Israel, while the Iranian nuclear program may be the biggest threat, Operation Midnight Hammer did enough damage that the ballistic missiles are the more urgent concern, one that Iran has been threatening to use against Israel if the U.S. launches an attack.
Though Israel destroyed hundreds of missiles, launchers and production sites during the 12-Day war last June, most of Iran’s missiles remained intact. The prime minister presented the president with evidence during their December meeting that Iran has been working to rebuild its ballistic missile program and air defenses with help from China and Russia.
Any deal that does not include significant limitations on the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles will be woefully inadequate from Israel’s perspective. Plus, as Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday, Israel wants a deal that addresses Iran’s sponsorship of terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Trump said in December that he would give Israel a green light to strike Iran’s missile program – and a “fast” one if the Islamic Republic rebuilds its nuclear program. And a U.S. military threat still stands, with Trump telling reporters on Friday: “We have a big armada, a big fleet heading in that direction that will be there soon, so we’ll see how that works out. … If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep.” The White House also announced on Friday new secondary sanctions on countries doing business with Iran, in the form of increased tariffs.
However, Trump also told reporters that he is in “no rush” to reach a deal. The president is less likely to green-light Israeli strikes while he still has Special Envoy Steve Witkoff negotiating with Iran. At the same time, nothing is stopping Iran from continuing to produce more medium- and long-range ballistic missiles in tandem with the talks.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) expressed skepticism that the negotiations would bring about an acceptable agreement and noted the legal requirement to bring any such deal before Congress, writing on X: “I hope it can meet our national security objectives and the needs of the people of Iran through diplomacy. Given Iran’s behavior regarding deals, it could be a tough sell. However, I am open-minded, understanding [that] any agreement with the Islamic Republic and the United States must come to Congress for review and a vote.”
The Netanyahu-Trump meeting this week is politically tricky for both sides, as well. If Trump continues to pursue a nuclear-only deal that doesn’t meet Israel’s needs, while holding Israel back from striking Iran, the prime minister will look weak in an election year. If Trump continues to push the missiles and proxies issues, Tehran is even less likely to accept a deal and the U.S. and Iran may once again be brought to the brink of a military confrontation. That could lead to accusations that Trump is being unduly influenced by Netanyahu – though such claims from “kooky Tucker Carlson” and his ilk have not seemed to bother Trump much in similar past circumstances.
Prince Khalid bin Salman said increasing antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric out of the kingdom are not reflective of the monarchy’s position
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Saudi Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman attends a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on February 24, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.
Several Jewish and pro-Israel leaders met privately with Saudi Arabia’s defense minister in Washington on Friday afternoon, as Riyadh draws scrutiny for its increasingly hostile posture toward Israel and promotion of antisemitic messaging.
According to several sources familiar with the discussion, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud denied to attendees that increasing antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric out of the kingdom was reflective of the monarchy’s position and emphasized that Riyadh and Jerusalem have mutual understanding and ongoing military, security and intelligence cooperation. He praised Israel’s actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon but said he doesn’t agree with Jerusalem’s recent decision to recognize Somaliland’s independence.
The same day of the meeting, a Muslim cleric in Medina gave a sermon calling for “victory” over the “Zionist aggressors,” while an imam in Mecca preached, “O God support them in Palestine and substitute their weakness with strength.” Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted that the Saudi government selects speakers to deliver Friday sermons.
On Saudi Arabia’s seeming decline in relations with the UAE, the prince acknowledged the two countries have clashed recently in Yemen but denied any broader pivot in Saudi foreign policy or increasing acceptance of the Muslim Brotherhood in the kingdom, which experts have alleged.
He also spoke to Turkey’s importance in the region, as Saudi Arabia’s growing alliance with Ankara, in addition to countries including Qatar and Pakistan, has raised concerns about the country’s increasing alignment with Islamist actors.
One source confirmed reporting by Axios that Prince Khalid told the group that if President Donald Trump does not follow through on his pledge to take military action against Iran, “it will only embolden the regime.”
Among the attendees, according to two sources with knowledge of the meeting, were Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations CEO William Daroff, B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel Mariaschin and Rabbi Levi Shemtov of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad).
An AJC spokesperson confirmed Deutch’s participation at the meeting. “AJC is in regular, ongoing dialogue with our partners across the Gulf and in Israel to strengthen regional security and advance cooperation and integration,” the spokesperson told JI. “Today was another example of that work. We carry out these efforts continuously from Washington, Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi.”
Daroff also confirmed his attendance to JI, saying the group “had a constructive, off-the-record conversation as part of an ongoing dialogue with Saudi Arabia on regional and geostrategic issues, and appreciated the opportunity to speak frankly.”
Shemtov similarly confirmed his participation and said the prince’s demeanor was “friendly and engaging.” Shemtov said he left the meeting “somewhat encouraged, even if not yet completely convinced” but declined to provide details on what was discussed as the meeting was off the record. Mariaschin confirmed his attendance as well.
The nearly two-hour meeting was also attended by 15 representatives of Washington-area think tanks, including Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel now at the Atlantic Council; Dennis Ross, a veteran Middle East peace negotiator now at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Barbara Leaf, former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs who is now a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute; Douglas Silliman, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq who is now the president of the Arab Gulf States Institute; Rev. Johnnie Moore, the former executive chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation; Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and former diplomat Daniel Fried, now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, the sources told JI.
In a separate meeting earlier Friday that ran for almost an hour and a half, Prince Khalid met with a smaller group of pro-Israel national security experts, including Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Michael Makovsky of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Both confirmed to JI they had attended but declined to share details about the discussion.
Jerusalem’s recognition of Somaliland — strategically positioned across the Gulf of Aden from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen — has left some regional governments on the defensive as Jerusalem moves first
Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullah speaks to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Dec. 26, 2025
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has stirred unease across parts of the Arab and Muslim world, challenging regional power dynamics as Jerusalem moves first in a strategically sensitive corner of the Horn of Africa.
Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland on Friday, 34 years after the democratic, pro-Western state declared its independence from Somalia. The move puts Israel at odds with a number of Arab and Muslim nations including Qatar, a major power broker in Somalia and a key mediator in regional conflicts, at a time when Washington is seeking to expand the Abraham Accords and manage competing Arab interests in the Horn of Africa.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar signed a document establishing full diplomatic relations between the countries which affirms that they have “shared values, strategic interests and the spirit of mutual respect that binds our peoples,” and that “this relationship will contribute to advancing peace, stability, and prosperity in the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and beyond.”
The Prime Minister’s Office described the recognition as being “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of President [Donald] Trump,” and Netanyahu told Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi that he would “communicate to President Trump your willingness and desire to join the Abraham Accords.”
However, Trump has largely dismissed the idea that the U.S. would follow suit at this juncture, saying it is “under study.”
“Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” Trump told The New York Post.
Somalia is a member of the Arab League, joining in 1974 as the first non-Arab nation due to strong cultural, religious and historical ties. Somalia also holds a crucial geopolitical location for global trade.
Somalia has served as a proxy battleground for broader regional power struggles, with influential Middle Eastern states supporting different factions and projects.
Qatar has sought to establish itself as a dominant influence and key mediator in Somalia, supporting the central government and pouring resources into the country for over a decade.
“Want another reason to back Somaliland? Qatar — the Muslim Brotherhood’s biggest bankroller — backs the other side,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz said.
On Saturday, the Qatari government released a statement rejecting “the announcement of mutual recognition between the Israeli occupation authorities and the Somaliland region,” and “any attempts aimed at establishing or imposing parallel entities that would undermine the unity of Somalia.” Doha also said in the statement that it would be “more appropriate” for the Jewish state to “recognize the State of Palestine.”
Qatar also released a statement with 21 Arab and Muslim countries — including Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and “the State of Palestine” — “stressing their unequivocal rejection of Israel’s recognition of the Somaliland region.”
Recognizing Somaliland is also a way of positioning Israel against Qatar, as Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz pointed out: “Want another reason to back Somaliland? Qatar — the Muslim Brotherhood’s biggest bankroller — backs the other side.”
An official Somaliland X account posted that “Doha has no business meddling in Somaliland’s affairs while bankrolling Muslim Brotherhood proxies to prop up Mogadishu’s failed regime. … Foreign powers parroting Mogadishu’s line can shove their hypocrisy. Our future is ours—not dictated by Qatar’s Islamist agenda.”
Egypt and Turkey, both close allies of Somalia, have also condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. Saudi Arabia, a country that holds a more moderate posture toward the Jewish state but has expressed reticence to establish relations with it, is reportedly less likely to normalize ties with Israel due to the recognition of Somaliland, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
The UAE, in contrast, has nurtured a close relationship with Somaliland, a factor that may have encouraged Jerusalem in its move to recognize the African state, though Abu Dhabi has not yet recognized Somaliland, Asher Lubotzky, a researcher at the Israel-Africa Relations Institute, wrote.
Sa’ar said in a statement that relations between the two countries grew over the course of the last year, and that they will exchange ambassadors and open embassies. Israel and Somaliland also plan to cooperate in the fields of agriculture, health and technology, the Prime Minister’s Office stated.
Israeli and Somaliland officials have reportedly held secret meetings over the course of the past several months. The president of Somaliland has met with Netanyahu and Sa’ar, as well as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Netanyahu invited him for another visit.
“Somaliland could serve as a forward base for a range of missions,” Asher Lubotzky, a researcher at the Israel-Africa Relations Institute, wrote in a paper published last month, “intelligence collection and monitoring of the Houthis and their military buildup; logistical support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government in its war against the Houthis; and direct operations, from offensive actions to intercepting Houthi attacks at sea or by UAVs.”
In a paper published by Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies a month before Israel recognized Somaliland, Lubotzky wrote that the African state’s “security importance for Israel has become even more pronounced over the past two years.”
Somaliland is strategically located for Israel, across the Gulf of Aden from parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthis, who have frequently attacked Israel over the past two years.
“Somaliland could serve as a forward base for a range of missions,” Lubotzky wrote, “intelligence collection and monitoring of the Houthis and their military buildup; logistical support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government in its war against the Houthis; and direct operations, from offensive actions to intercepting Houthi attacks at sea or by UAVs.”
The growing number of countries recognizing a Palestinian state also may have curbed Israel’s former reluctance to recognize secessionist states out of a concern that it could set a precedent for supporting Palestinian statehood, Lubotzky noted.
Earlier this year, reports indicated that Somaliland could be open to accepting Palestinian refugees from Gaza, as President Donald Trump expressed support for relocation from the enclave to enable reconstruction efforts. Recent reports suggest this idea has resurfaced and may factor into any emerging arrangement between Israel and Somaliland.
The European Union released a statement that it “reaffirms the importance of respecting the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia … This is key for the peace and stability of the entire Horn of Africa region.”
The African Union has declined to formally recognize Somaliland in the past, citing concerns that doing so could set a precedent for secession across the continent and trigger wider instability.
Renaming proposal faced antisemitism accusations; Ireland reportedly to drop move to boycott Israeli settlement products
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Simon Harris (3rd L) and Micheal Martin (C) speak to press after the forming of the government and election of Taoiseach was suspended until tomorrow morning on January 22, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland.
A vote to remove sixth Israeli President Chaim Herzog’s name from a public park was taken off of Dublin City Council’s agenda, after sparking an uproar in the Irish Jewish community, Jerusalem and Washington over the weekend.
Herzog, father of current Israeli President Isaac Herzog, was born in Belfast and grew up in Dublin, and was the son of Ireland’s Chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, who later became Israel’s first chief rabbi. Chaim Herzog fought in the British Army in World War II, taking part in the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, and was the head of IDF intelligence and Israeli ambassador to the U.N. — famously tearing up its “Zionism is racism” resolution — before serving as president in 1983-1993.
The park in Dublin was named after Herzog in 1995, to coincide with the 3,000th anniversary of Jerusalem’s establishment. It is adjacent to Ireland’s only Jewish school and close to major Orthodox and Progressive synagogues.
The plan to remove Herzog’s name came after a campaign to replace it with the name of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl killed during the Gaza war. Another reported proposal was to name the park “Free Palestine.”
One member of the Dublin City Council Commemorations and Naming committee, Conor Reddy, wrote a post on X on Oct. 7, 2023 sharing a photo of a bulldozer from Gaza tearing down a barrier with Israel and added the text: “Tear down the fences, demolish the walls.” In another post that day, he said, “Resistance is heroic.” The following day, he wrote on X that the massive Hamas terrorist attacks “should be celebrated and supported … [and] should be embraced by everyone who values justice … It is beautiful.”
The entire naming committee, except for one member, voted last week in favor of excising Herzog’s name, and to initiate a consultation process to select a new name.
The next step would have been for the full Dublin City Council to vote on the name removal, which was scheduled for Monday. However, Dublin City Council Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare announced on Sunday that the vote would be withdrawn because the council’s naming committee did not follow the proper procedure. In addition, Dublin Mayor Ray McAdam said the committee had not provided the council with a sufficiently detailed report to make an informed decision.
The change to the council’s agenda came after leading figures in the Irish government, as well as in Jerusalem and Washington, expressed opposition to renaming the park.
Though Ireland’s national government has taken the most anti-Israel stance in Europe since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin called on Sunday for the motion to rename Herzog Park to be withdrawn.
“The proposal would erase the distinctive and rich contribution to Irish life of the Jewish community over many decades … The proposal is a denial of our history and will, without any doubt, be seen as antisemitic,” he said in a statement.
Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee noted that Herzog “is an important figure for many people, particularly for members of Ireland’s Jewish community. The government has been openly critical of the policies and actions of the government of Israel in Gaza and the West Bank … Renaming a Dublin park in this way — to remove the name of an Irish Jewish man — has nothing to do with this and has no place in our inclusive republic. … I urge Dublin City Councillors to vote against it.”
Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simon Harris said he agreed with McEntee and called the proposal “offensive.” Minister for European Affairs and Defense Thomas Byrne said that Herzog’s “story is an Irish story,” calling for the council to drop the proposal.
Ireland is also pulling its “Occupied Territories Bill” to boycott Israeli products from the West Bank in light of a “changed political climate” as a result of the ceasefire in Gaza, the Irish Mail on Sunday reported. The legislation faced legal challenges due to its violation of European Union trade rules, and, as several members of Congress pointed out, could run afoul of U.S. states’ laws penalizing those who boycott Israel and damage relations between Washington and Dublin.
Former Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter told Jewish Insider that the government responses to the proposed Herzog Park name change, which came about 24 hours after the announcement from Dublin City Council, arose from concern in the government “about the bad international publicity. … I think they’re a little freaked by all the international condemnation,” much of which came from Jerusalem and Washington.
The city council is independent and does not have to abide by the national government’s direction on naming matters, and parties to the left of the current government have a majority on the council. As such, removing Herzog’s name may have had majority support despite government party leaders’ opposition.
Reddy posted on X that the vote “is being pulled from the agenda after bad faith smears from Zionists [and] Americans. There is nothing antisemitic about removing the name [and] there was nothing wrong with the procedure that brought us to this point! Shocking.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office released a statement on Saturday that the name change would “harm the legacy of the sixth President of the State of Israel, the late Chaim Herzog, as well as harming the unique expression of the historical connection between the Irish and Jewish peoples. … Removing the Herzog name, if it happens, would be a shameful and disgraceful move. We hope that the legacy of a figure at the forefront of establishing the relations between Israel and Ireland, and the fight against antisemitism and tyranny, will still get the respect it deserves today.
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog, another one of Chaim Herzog’s sons, called the proposed name change “sad,” and said it was “painful to see how Ireland, once home to a proud, thriving Jewish community, has become the scene of raging antisemitism. Ireland is now one of the most virulent anti-Israel countries in Europe, blurring the line between criticizing Israeli policies and questioning Israel’s right to exist.” He called on Jewish organizations in the U.S. and worldwide to speak up in “denouncing this shame.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that the proposed name change showed that “there is no decision more accurate and just than my decision to close our embassy in Dublin,” adding that the city “has become the capital of antisemitism in the world.”
“The Dublin Municipality has decided to remove the name of Chaim Herzog … What cannot be removed is the disgrace of the Irish antisemitic and anti-Israeli obsession,” Sa’ar added.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) posted on X: “When you think it couldn’t get worse in Ireland regarding animosity toward Israel and the Jewish people, it just did. … I don’t know what the people of Dublin are trying to say, but this is what I hear: A complete turning upside down of history when it comes to the Jewish people and the state of Israel. Modern Ireland … unfortunately has become a cesspool of antisemitism.”
Graham later wrote that he was “glad to hear efforts to rename Herzog Park in Dublin have been rejected.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the proposal “an incredible insult to the Herzog family whose roots are deep in Ireland. Let’s hope decent Irish people stop this madness!”
After the motion was withdrawn, Huckabee wrote that “Ireland still has rational and thoughtful people … Hopefully this ends a very targeted form of bigotry pushed by a few people who should be ashamed of themselves.”
The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland stated that the motion “sends a hurtful and isolating message to a small minority community that has contributed to Ireland for centuries. We call on Dublin City Councillors to reject this motion. The removal of the Herzog name from this park would be widely understood as an attempt to erase our Irish Jewish history.”
Shatter, a lifelong Dublin resident who had a 14-year national political career, lamented on X that “Ireland’s politics … has become systematically antisemitic.”
Following the proposal’s withdrawal, Shatter said that “Dublin City Council’s Mayor should publicly apologize to the Jewish community for the stress [and] hurt caused [and] also apologize to the Herzog family.”
“Until the government adopts a more balanced approach to the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, demands Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups end their violence and like [the Provisional Irish Republican Army] decommission their arms and abandons its inflammatory rhetoric, antisemitism in Ireland will continue to escalate and there will be further egregious, shameful examples,” Shatter wrote.
If Dublin eventually moves to change Herzog Park’s name, Shatter told JI that there may be legal recourse against it, should the council move to do so.
“In my analysis, the city council has violated its legal obligations, both international and domestic,” he said. “They failed to engage in any consultative process with the Jewish community in Dublin, failed to communicate its intentions to the Herzog family and violated its own development plan.”
The plan in question requires the city to “consider cultural and minority sensitivities.”
In addition, as a member of the European Union, Ireland is meant to protect minority cultural rights, he noted.
In 2014, a plaque marking Chaim Herzog’s birthplace in Belfast was removed following multiple occurrences of vandalism and amid concern for the safety of the building’s staff and nearby residents.
The coordinated announcements mark a significant shift in the West’s posture — one that, while largely symbolic, underlines concerns about growing efforts to isolate Israel diplomatically
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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks at a press conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump, on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, England.
In a move that has sent ripples through diplomatic circles and sparked outrage in Jerusalem, multiple countries — including some of Israel’s key allies — 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 recognises the State of Palestine,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“The man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths. The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable,” he said.
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. That will be for final-status discussions. But it is to keep that process alive.”
Lammy stressed that the U.K. rejects any role for Hamas, “has been crystal clear that it is a terrorist organization” and is working on efforts to reform the Palestinian Authority.
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.
The Hostages Families Forum also condemned the decision, saying in a statement: “As families who deeply want peace in the region, we believe that any discussion about recognizing a Palestinian state must be contingent upon the immediate release of all hostages … Any nation that fails to uphold this essential prerequisite acts against international law and effectively enables terrorism while legitimizing the October 7th massacre.”
Additional countries are expected to recognize a Palestinian state later today — on the eve of Rosh Hashanah — at the High-Level Conference on Palestine Statehood, led by France and Saudi Arabia.
And well into 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.
In the face of these efforts to sideline Israel, Netanyahu is set to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, where he’s set to push back forcefully against the recognitions and reassert Israel’s red lines.
In Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that he will “present the truth. It is the truth of Israel, but it is also the objective truth of our just struggle against the forces of evil. I will also present our vision for true peace, peace that grows out from strength. … We have to fight both in the U.N. and in all the other fronts against the slanderous propaganda aimed at us, and against the calls to create a Palestinian state that will endanger our existence and constitute an absurd prize for terrorism.”
At a press conference with Israeli PM Netanyahu, Rubio said an agreement with Hamas to end war ‘probably won’t happen’ because ‘savage terrorists don’t often agree to disarm’
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu give a joint press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on September 15, 2025.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is focused on moving forward from Israel’s strike on Qatar last week, refraining from doubling down on criticism during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday.
“We are just focused on what happens next,” Rubio said, when asked about Tuesday’s strike aiming at Hamas’ leadership in Doha, Qatar’s capital. On Saturday, Rubio had echoed comments by President Donald Trump that the U.S. “is not happy” about the strike.
“Some fundamentals still remain that have to be addressed, regardless of what has occurred,” Rubio said at the press conference on Monday. “We still have 48 hostages. Hamas is holding not only 48 hostages but all of Gaza hostage … As long as they still exist, are still around, there will be no peace in this region.”
Rubio said the end of the war in Gaza, disarmament of Hamas and freeing the hostages are “pillars of what we hope will happen in the region.”
The secretary of state said that the U.S. not only wants Qatar to continue to play a role in those matters “but also in a better future for the people of Gaza, which cannot happen with Hamas intact. We are going to continue to encourage Qatar to play a constructive role in that regard.” Rubio is scheduled to visit Qatar on Tuesday after concluding his trip in Israel.
As to the chance of a negotiated deal to end the war, Rubio said that “the problem is Hamas is a terrorist group, a barbaric group, committed to destroying the Jewish state, so it probably won’t happen.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t prefer a negotiated settlement,” he added. “That would be the ideal outcome we can see, one we worked on, but we need to be prepared for the reality that savage terrorists don’t often agree to disarm.”
Netanyahu reiterated that “Israel’s decision to act against Hamas’ terrorist leadership was a wholly independent decision by Israel … It was conducted by us and we assume full responsibility for it, because we believe terrorists should not be given a haven.”
As to those saying Israel violated Qatari sovereignty, Netanyahu said that the U.S. took similar action against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
“You don’t have such sovereignty when you are effectively giving a base to terrorists, a place where they can ply their gruesome trade,” he said.
Netanyahu also took issue with a claim made by a reporter during the press conference that the Doha strike was a failure, because it remains unclear if any of Hamas’ leaders were killed. The prime minister said Israel is waiting for further reports on the matter.
“I’ll tell you the results,” he added. “We sent a message to the terrorists. You can run, you can hide, but we’ll get you. … I don’t accept the premise that the raid failed, because it had one central message. … If the terrorists think they enjoy immunity they’ll do it again and again, and if you deny that immunity, they’ll think twice.”
Netanyahu opened the press conference by paying tribute to the “powerful bond” between Israel and the U.S. and thanking Trump for helping target Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, as well as his efforts to free the hostages remaining in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Rubio said that Iran is a threat not only because of its pursuit of nuclear weapons, but because of its development of short and midrange missiles that can reach across the Middle East and into Europe.
“This is an unacceptable risk not just for Israel but for the U.S. and the world, which is why the president has continued with his campaign of maximum pressure on Iran until they change course,” Rubio said. “We are encouraged by our partners in Europe beginning the process of snapping back [sanctions] on Iran, who are clearly out of compliance [with the 2015 nuclear deal]. We 100% support that; that’s what needs to happen.”
The secretary of state criticized countries that recently announced they would recognize a Palestinian state.
“The things these nations are doing in the U.N. are largely because of domestic politics. They’re largely symbolic. The only impact they have is to make Hamas feel emboldened … You know, there’s a negotiation going on and maybe you think you made some progress on getting hostages released and ending the war, and then these things come out and Hamas walks away … They see international support, they believe they’re getting what they want, and they walk away,” Rubio said.
Rubio also spoke about his plan to attend the inauguration of the Pilgrims Road on Monday evening. The site features the path on which Jewish pilgrims walked to the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which Rubio described as “perhaps one of the most important archeological sites on the planet, important to many in the U.S.”
The secretary of state arrived in Israel on Sunday, beginning his visit with prayers at the Western Wall with Netanyahu. He also met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Monday.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu called Rubio an ‘extraordinary friend of the State of Israel’
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visit the Western Wall on September 14, 2025.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Jerusalem on Sunday, at the start of a five-day trip to Israel and the U.K.
Rubio began the visit with prayers at the Western Wall, together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
During a tour of the Western Wall Tunnels, Netanyahu called Rubio an “extraordinary friend of the State of Israel.”
“The Israeli-American alliance,” Netanyahu said, “is as strong and as durable as the stones of the Western Wall that we just touched. Under President [Donald] Trump and Secretary Rubio and their entire team, this alliance has never been stronger, and we deeply appreciate it.”
Rubio is expected to attend on Monday the inauguration of an ancient tunnel connecting the City of David archeological park to Jerusalem’s Old City. The tunnel is said to be the road pilgrims took to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
Rubio’s visit comes days after Israel’s attempted strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar last week, which the secretary said he was “not happy” about.
“Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Before taking off for Israel, Rubio posted on X that the focus of the trip “will be on securing the return of hostages, finding ways to make sure humanitarian aid reaches civilians, and addressing the threat posed by Hamas. Hamas cannot continue to exist if peace in the region is the goal.”
The State Department said that Rubio plans to “convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming U.S. commitment to Israeli security.”
Rubio and Israeli leaders are expected to discuss Operation Gideon’s Chariots II, as Israel has called its coming invasion of Gaza City, which it has been preparing for by evacuating an estimated 300,000 residents and bombing buildings with terrorist targets inside.
The secretary of state’s visit is taking place amid a push within Netanyahu’s coalition for Israel to annex parts of the West Bank in response to the announcement by a dozen countries, led by France, that they would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state this month.
The State Department said Rubio’s agenda for the visit includes discussing ways to push back against recognition of a Palestinian state, as well as the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice cases against Israel.
Rubio is expected to hold further meetings with Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
The secretary of state is also expected to meet with families of hostages being held in Gaza.
As conflicting accounts emerge about the strike’s outcome, Trump voices frustration while Netanyahu says the operation could bring the war in Gaza closer to an end
JACQUELINE PENNEY/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images
This frame grab taken from an AFPTV footage shows smoke billowing after explosions in Qatar's capital Doha on September 9, 2025.
Nearly a day after an Israeli airstrike targeted a meeting of high-level Hamas officials in Doha, Qatar, there are more questions than answers, both in Jerusalem and Washington. Israel has not confirmed which officials were killed in the strike, while Hamas has said that five officials from the group, including the son of Hamas’ chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, were killed in addition to a member of the Qatari security forces.
Israeli reports earlier today indicate that the strike did not kill the most senior echelon of the terror group, which for years has been based in Qatar, a U.S. ally.
Amid ongoing uncertainty over the success of the strike, the operation was met with rare condemnation from the White House, first from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and then from President Donald Trump himself, who said he “was very unhappy about it, very unhappy about every aspect” — perhaps, in part, because the operation is not believed to have taken out the most senior Hamas officials.
But it was Trump himself who said over the weekend on his Truth Social site that he had “warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting” the ceasefire and hostage-release deal that had been put forward by the U.S.
At the same time that Trump officials, including the president, were criticizing the operation, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee was embracing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the U.S. Embassy’s belated Independence Day celebration in Jerusalem, where the prime minister addressed a smaller group of VIPs attending the party.
“Israel acted wholly independently and we take full responsibility for this action,” Netanyahu said of the Doha strikes. “This action can open to an end of the war in Gaza.”
Israeli officials and defense sources said on Wednesday that they are waiting for better intelligence before commenting on who was killed, but they viewed the operation as a success.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that there could be additional strikes of this kind: “The long hand of Israel will act against its enemies anywhere in the world. There is no place where they can hide. Whoever was a partner in the Oct. 7 massacre will be fully brought to justice.”
Everyone from Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich put out statements praising the IDF and Shin Bet and saying the terrorists got what they deserved.
At the same time, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the affiliated families felt “deep concern and heavy anxiety” that their loved ones would pay the price. “We know from survivors who have returned that the revenge directed at the hostages is brutal. The chance of bringing them back now faces greater uncertainty than ever before.”
However, Shimon Or, uncle of hostage Avinatan Or, said on Kan radio that “this action brings us closer to bringing Avinatan and the rest of the hostages. …We will not bring back the hostages anymore with military operations and ‘the gates of hell,’ but with control over Gaza.”
Meanwhile, Israeli officials have pushed back on criticism that the strikes would affect ceasefire talks, briefing press in Hebrew and English that the operation will help talks, because there are other channels for negotiations.
Jerusalem finds itself facing calls both at home and abroad against further entrenchment in Gaza
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images
An Israeli army soldier stands atop the turret of a Merkava main battle tank next to another soldier while positioned near military vehicles along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on September 2, 2025.
As Israel calls up tens of thousands of reservists ahead of a planned takeover of Gaza City and rejects ceasefire proposals that fall short of a comprehensive deal to end the war and release all of the hostages, Jerusalem finds itself facing calls both at home and abroad against further entrenchment in Gaza.
At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure from Washington to end the war — with a decisive victory over Hamas.
President Donald Trump signaled his growing weariness with a protracted war in an exchange with The Daily Caller, published earlier this week, in which he said Israel is “gonna have to get that war over with,” noting that Israel “may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations.” Netanyahu said at his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday that Trump had instructed Israel to go into Gaza City with “full force.”
Days earlier, the president held a White House meeting that included Jared Kushner and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss a “day-after” plan for the Gaza Strip. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer scrapped a planned meeting with World Food Program head Cindy McCain to fly to Washington for consultations.
Taken together, Trump’s comments and last week’s gathering underscore the president’s dwindling patience with the ongoing war — concerns that have been highlighted in Israeli media reports in recent days.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported over the weekend that Trump, frustrated by Hamas’ intransigence, is pushing Netanyahu to move more quickly to decisively defeat Hamas. That could pose a challenge for Israel, which has not been able to declare “total victory” against Hamas in nearly two years but now faces White House pressure to end the war in a short amount of time — “perhaps even within two weeks,” according to Channel 12.
It remains unclear whether Israel is fully prepared for an incursion into Gaza City — the IDF announced on Wednesday that it will work in the coming weeks “to strengthen operational readiness in the Gaza Strip” — or is threatening the move as a negotiating tactic to push Hamas to accept a comprehensive deal, after the Prime Minister’s Office conveyed that it would not accept a partial agreement that doesn’t result in the release of all of the remaining hostages.
Following the collapse of talks over the summer, Washington had reportedly been frustrated not only with Hamas but with Qatar, which presented a rosier-than-reality picture of the talks. Those frustrations shifted the White House’s calculus and boosted support for Netanyahu’s approach to Gaza.
“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site last month.
Fresh off its successful resolution of the decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Trump administration is looking to score another win on the global stage. Following last month’s summit in Alaska aimed, unsuccessfully, at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, a wind-down of the Israel-Hamas war would give the White House a diplomatic victory, as well as say in Gaza reconstruction efforts.
For now, Israel and the U.S. appear to be largely speaking in tandem, with a shared vision for the future of Gaza. But if Israel fails to achieve “total victory” on Trump’s truncated timeline, Jerusalem and Washington could be headed on a collision course.
The secretary of state is making his second trip to Israel since becoming the U.S.’ top diplomat
John McDonnell/Getty Images
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated to attend the inauguration of the Pilgrims’ Road at the City of David in Jerusalem during his upcoming visit to Israel, two sources familiar with Rubio’s travel confirmed to Jewish Insider this week.
Rubio will be making his second trip to Israel as secretary of state, after first visiting in February. The September 15 event, according to an invitation viewed by JI and translated into English, “will be attended by senior diplomats and high-ranking officials from the government[s] of Israel and the United States, along with our close friends.”
Last week, Rubio met in Washington with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who was making his first trip to the nation’s capital since becoming Israel’s most senior diplomat last year.
Plus, the minutia of a new U.S.-Israel MOU
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) leaves a House Democratic caucus meeting on February 14, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at questions around a potential new Memorandum of Understanding between Jerusalem and Washington ahead of the 2028 expiration of the Obama-era MOU, and report on a push by major Jewish groups to encourage applications to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program despite the Trump administration’s imposition of additional conditions on the funds. We cover the release of a new Humash with writings from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks that were edited and organized posthumously, and look at how Sergio Gor’s departure from the White House to become ambassador to India could affect the administration’s hiring decisions. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Jerry Nadler, Joseph Kahn and Zach Witkoff.
What We’re Watching
- We’re keeping an eye today on a number of weekend developments across the U.S. and Middle East:
- Congress is back in session today in Washington after the August recess. Driving today’s news is Rep. Jerry Nadler’s (D-NY) announcement last night that he will not seek reelection next year. More below.
- The Senate is slated to hold a procedural vote on the National Defense Authorization Act this evening. On the other side of the Capitol, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is holding a virtual briefing with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee focused on the West Bank.
- In the Middle East, tensions remain high following Israeli strikes late last week that killed a dozen senior Houthi officials, including Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi. The Iran-backed group retaliated several times over the weekend with ballistic missile attacks, all of which fell short or were intercepted.
- In Gaza, an Israeli strike killed Abu Obeida, Hamas’ spokesman, over the weekend. President Donald Trump, who is slated to speak from the White House at 2 p.m. today, addressed Israel’s predicament in Gaza, telling the Daily Caller on Sunday that Israel “may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations, you know, and it is hurting them.”
- Belgium became the latest European nation to announce plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in New York later this month. In response to the Palestinian statehood push, Israel is reportedly considering annexing parts of the West Bank.
- Missing from the UNGA this year will likely be the Palestinian delegation, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the visa of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and dozens of other officials, who had planned to attend the General Assembly as well as an international gathering focused on Palestinian statehood.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S JOSH KRAUSHAAr
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), a progressive stalwart and a longtime Democratic pillar on the House Judiciary Committee, announced his retirement Sunday evening, opening up a recently redrawn Manhattan district that the congressman has held for over three decades.
Nadler, whose district has one of the largest Jewish constituencies in the country, has long positioned himself as a progressive pro-Israel advocate, even as he broke with the organized Jewish community on some issues — most notably his support for former President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear agreement in 2015.
But in recent months, he has emerged as being at odds with the New York Jewish community on some high-profile issues. Even as most of the leading New York state Democratic voices have held back any endorsement of far-left New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, Nadler was one of the first House Democrats to offer the anti-Israel candidate his support — and has worked to secure support from a deeply skeptical Jewish community towards Mamdani.
Nadler has also lately become a sharp critic of the Jewish state, in contrast to his pro-Israel Jewish Democratic colleagues from his home state. In a New York Times interview announcing his departure, he accused Israel of committing mass murder and war crimes in Gaza “without question.” He told the paper that when he returns to Congress, he will support legislation withholding offensive military aid to Israel, joining a growing roster of progressive Democrats in doing so — a move that could give cover for other colleagues to follow suit.
mou minefield
Negotiations for next U.S.-Israel aid deal faces uphill battle with changing political tides
In September 2016, when President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. and Israel had signed a 10-year deal pledging a total of $38 billion in military assistance to Israel, the news was generally uncontroversial and greeted with bipartisan plaudits. That deal, known as the U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding, is now close to expiring, and the next one — if there is a next one — will be negotiated in an entirely different political environment. Israel remains deeply enmeshed in a nearly two-year war in Gaza, with little indication of an end in sight, making forward-looking negotiations more difficult. A new MOU is not a given. U.S. support for Israel has dramatically declined on the left, and it is fracturing in isolationist corners of the right as well. Even some staunchly pro-Israel Republicans have grown wary of foreign aid in general, a shift that could affect U.S. policy toward Israel, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Message and meaning: “Ten-year MOUs have communicated an ongoing, consistent and bipartisan commitment to support Israel’s security by crossing administrations and demonstrating that it’s an ongoing relationship,” said former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. “It allows planning for big-ticket acquisitions.” The long-standing commitment allows Israel to plan to make large purchases that could take several years to acquire, such as fighter jets. The MOU is not actually a binding agreement, it’s a framework. Congress must still approve the $3.3 billion in military financing and $500 million in missile defense laid out in the MOU each year during the annual appropriations process, and could do so even in the absence of an MOU.
HAWKEYE STATE POLITICS
Iowa Senate primary could pit establishment, MAGA wings of GOP against each other
The newly open Senate race in Iowa could pit a House Republican seen as a conventional conservative against challengers likely to attack her from the right. The race could also be an early bellwether of the GOP’s direction as it moves toward the post-Trump era, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
In contention: Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), a former local news anchor and state representative elected to Congress in 2020, is widely seen as likely to make a run for Ernst’s seat. In the House, Hinson has a consistent record of support for the U.S.-Israel relationship and legislation to combat antisemitism, and has signed onto congressional letters criticizing international legal cases against Israel and supporting the Abraham Accords. She supported the U.S. strikes on Iran earlier this summer. Should she enter the race, she’ll face the prospect of running against lesser-known, right-wing Republicans like Jim Carlin, a former state senator who entered the race to challenge Ernst from the right. Joshua Smith, a former libertarian and podcast host, also declared his candidacy against Ernst. He has a record of anti-Israel and antisemitic commentary.
Seeing opportunity: Democrats are expected to make an aggressive bid for the seat in the general election, and several have already entered the primary race, including state Rep. Josh Turek, state Sen. Zach Wahls and Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris. David Yepsen, a longtime former political writer, editor and columnist at the Des Moines Register, predicted a “really good race” in the general election, given that Democrats have already fielded several contenders, have put up strong showings in recent state special elections, have been energized by opposition to the Trump administration and have an advantage in the midterms.
NEW BLOOD
Sergio Gor’s White House departure could end ideological grip on hires
Sergio Gor’s expected departure from a key role in the White House, where he has vetted thousands of candidates for political jobs as the influential leader of the Presidential Personnel Office, is raising some questions about how his litmus tests and isolationist views will compare to his newly announced replacement, particularly with regard to national security hires. Gor, 38, was nominated by President Donald Trump last week to be U.S. ambassador to India. If confirmed by the Senate, Gor, who was also tapped as special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs, will leave behind a powerful post at which he built a reputation as an ideological gatekeeper, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Stepping into his shoes: Throughout his time in the White House, Gor has drawn attention for his unyielding focus on loyalty to Trump and — more singularly — a fierce commitment to elevating national security and foreign policy hires who share his skepticism of American engagement abroad. His successor, Dan Scavino, as the White House confirmed this week, is likewise a longtime Trump confidante who now serves as White House deputy chief of staff. But unlike Gor — whose background suggests an interest in imposing ideological litmus tests on job applicants — Scavino, 49, “has no ideology other than Trump,” according to a former top administration official.
FUNDING FRICTION
Jewish orgs urge institutions to apply for NSGP grants, regardless of questions about new conditions
A series of Jewish community groups, in a joint statement released on Tuesday, urged Jewish organizations to apply for Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding, in spite of ongoing concerns from some in the community about potential new immigration and DEI-related conditions on the funding, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they’re saying: “While we are aware that questions have arisen on the part of certain religious institutions regarding the current year’s program criteria, our organizations strongly urge all eligible institutions to apply for this critical resource,” 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 said in a joint statement. The groups said they have been “in regular contact with government officials who have affirmed their continued commitment to protecting the safety of all faith-based institutions and the values they hold.”
NORWEGIAN WOULDN’T
Graham floats retaliatory tariffs, visa restrictions over Norway BDS move
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Thursday floated the possibility of punitive tariffs and visa restrictions in response to the decision by Norges Bank Investment Management — the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund — to sell its stake in the American machinery company Caterpillar in response to the Israeli military’s use of its products in the West Bank and Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Retaliation threat: “To those who run Norway’s sovereign wealth fund: if you cannot do business with Caterpillar because Israel uses their products, maybe it’s time you’re made aware that doing business or visiting America is a privilege, not a right,” Graham said on X. “Maybe it’s time to put tariffs on countries who refuse to do business with great American companies. Or maybe we shouldn’t give visas to individuals who run organizations that attempt to punish American companies for geopolitical differences.”
State Department responds: “We are very troubled by the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund’s decision, which appears to be based on illegitimate claims against Caterpillar and the Israeli government,” a State Department spokesperson told JI. “We are engaging directly with the Norwegian government on this matter.”
WISDOM CARRIED FORWARD
New Humash features Rabbi Sacks’ posthumously published translations
Former British Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was a towering figure in Jewish life whose unique blend of Torah and Western wisdom attracted adherents around the world for many years before his death in 2020. Now, with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, approaching later this month, and the restarting of the cycle of reading the weekly Torah portion a few weeks later, Rabbi Sacks’ longtime Jerusalem-based publisher, Koren, is releasing a posthumously completed Koren Shalem Humash, with a new translation and insights to encourage deeper understanding of the Five Books of Moses, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
How it started: The story of the Koren Shalem Humash begins in 2006, Joanna Benarroch, president of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, told JI last week. At that time, Sacks began working on his popular series of books about the weekly Torah portion, Covenant and Conversation. “He started writing it online every week,” Benarroch recalled. “He was the chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, based in London, but he started to build a global audience.” Sacks’ goals for Covenant and Conversation were “to make Torah relevant to us today, so it’s not just wisdom from 2,000-3,000 years ago today, but wisdom we can also take with us. It was very important to him for us to be proud, knowledgeable Jews and to share that with the next generation … to create new leaders who were proud, knowledgeable Jews. These were the things permeating his mind when he was writing,” Benarroch said.
Worthy Reads
Rahm Com(munism): In The Wall Street Journal, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who is mulling a 2028 presidential bid, warns that domestic political division is providing an opening to malign actors, such as China, that seek to capitalize on the moment. “By 2011, the country was beset by two movements defined almost exclusively by anger and resentment. Occupy Wall Street’s antipathy to capitalism fixed the sentiment now driving Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for New York mayor. The tea party simultaneously metastasized into the MAGA movement and the riots of Jan. 6, 2021. With real violence in the offing, politics are worse than they have been in decades. … In some Shakespearean sense, China’s long shadow has appeared at exactly the right moment. But Xi Jinping is much more than a foil poised to unite Americans who would otherwise remain defined by their blue and red affinities. The China threat is both real and potent. The U.S. has never before been asked to face down a country that has three times our population, is fueled by an advanced economy, and is capable, as its leaders intend, of replacing us atop the global hierarchy.” [WSJ]
What the Australia Attacks Signal: The Atlantic’s Arash Azizi considers the motives behind Iran’s attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets around the world, following Australia’s expulsion of Iranian diplomats over Tehran’s involvement in recent antisemitic attacks in the country. “The elements organizing the attacks are ideological. They seek to burnish Iran’s image as an aggressive, revisionist actor, determined to destabilize the West and unconstrained by practical concerns. Inside the regime, this faction competes with a more pragmatic group that prioritizes trade and seeks to improve relations with the West. Those behind the hits on Australian targets may even see their activities as having a dual use: By striking synagogues and restaurants in Western countries, they intimidate their global enemies and help stymie the diplomatic agenda of pragmatists at home.” [TheAtlantic]
Hanging With Hezbollah: In The Free Press, Winston Marshall reflects on a recent trip to Lebanon and meeting with a Hezbollah member in Baalbeck. “Believe it or not, I feel sadness for the jihadi at the Baalbek mosque. His was a worldview almost completely inverted from mine. For him the good guys are Nasrallah, Assad, Khamenei, and Hitler. The bad guys are Donald Trump, Jews, and Jolani. Only on Jolani might we have found some common ground. His eyes glazed with the delirium of his cult. Rarely in my life have I come face-to-face with a man possessed with such evil. How exactly does one offer a golden bridge of reconciliation to a cult hell-bent on fighting and martyrdom? That is the impossible question Lebanon has to answer.” [FreePress]
Word on the Street
The Trump administration is planning to cut $4.9 billion in foreign aid from the State Department, USAID and other international aid groups without congressional approval, under the auspices of the Impoundment Control Act…
The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency garnered $5 billion following its launch earlier this week; Zach Witkoff, a son of Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff who serves as WLF’s CEO, distanced the private company from the Trump administration but added, “clearly President Trump is the greatest president of all time”…
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to end the mandate of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been operating along the border between Israel and Lebanon for five decades, at the end of 2026…
The Washington Post reports on a postwar plan for Gaza, days after President Donald Trump convened a White House meeting on the issue, that would see the enclave enter into a 10-year trusteeship with the U.S. that would involve the temporary relocation of its residents both within and outside the Strip during the rebuilding effort…
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is reportedly clashing with senior CIA officials after she disclosed the name of a currently serving undercover CIA officer in a list of current and former officials whose clearances were being revoked by the ODNI…
Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) urged the Trump administration to “use its full power and authority to immediately facilitate a massive surge in all humanitarian aid, and in particular infant formula, into Gaza to address this crisis”…
A Florida man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for planning attacks on Jewish and Black community sites as well as on Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)…
The Boulder chapter of “Run for Their Lives,” an organization that arranges weekly marches to advocate for the hostages held in Gaza, will no longer publicly advertise its walking route, the group announced last week, saying the decision was made “following weeks of escalating harassment and threats,” less than three months after a Molotov cocktail attack on the group left a participant dead and injured 15 others,Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports…
Unknown vandals graffitied the Greenwich Village apartment building where New York Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn lives, writing in red paint, “Joe Kahn lies Gaza dies”…
The superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District struck down a school board vote to display the Israeli flag in schools and administrative buildings in the district for one month every year; Superintendent Alex Cherniss said that only the U.S. and California flags would be flown on school properties, citing “heightened safety concerns”…
The New York Post reports on financial ties between the Qatari royal family and filmmaker Mira Nair, the mother of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani; Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, the sister of the Qatari emir, has repeatedly posted on social media in support of Mamdani’s candidacy…
Police in Ontario, Canada, are investigating the stabbing of a Jewish woman at a kosher supermarket as a hate crime; days later, 32 officials from Canada’s Liberal Party, led by MP Anthony Housefather, issued a statement condemning the “deplorable rise of antisemitism in Canada”…
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer tapped former Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to serve as his chief economic advisor; Shafik, an economist, departed Columbia last summer amid widespread criticism of her administration’s handling of campus antisemitism…
A Holocaust memorial in Lyon, France, was vandalized with graffiti reading “Free Gaza”…
The Wall Street Journal looks at how the IDF is struggling to get reservists, many of whom have served months of reserve duty, to continue reporting as the war grinds on toward a third year…
A flotilla of nearly two dozen boats attempting to reach Gaza departed on Monday after a failed start on Sunday due to adverse weather conditions; climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was detained and deported from Israel in May, is participating in the new flotilla effort…
The New York Times reports on concerns from Israeli tourists of harassment abroad as a result of escalated tensions resulting from the Israel-Hamas war…
GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy, who settled a lawsuit with Qatar after being hacked, is reportedly a partner in the Israeli company KOIOS, which ran a public relations campaign on behalf of Doha…
A second former International Criminal Court staffer accused the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, of sexual misconduct; Khan, who had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, was placed on administrative leave in May following earlier allegations that he’d acted inappropriately toward a staffer…
Gallant said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 that Israel should kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the next round of conflict between Israel and Iran…
The New York Times reports on how Israel tracked the movements of senior Iranian officials through the phone activity of their bodyguards…
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it arrested eight people accused of sending sensitive information regarding Tehran’s military and its nuclear program to Mossad agents…
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan encouraged Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to continue nuclear talks with the West and reiterated Ankara’s support for Tehran…
The International Atomic Energy Agency said that a building in Syria that was destroyed by Israel in 2007 was found to have trace amounts of uranium, deepening speculation at the U.N. nuclear watchdog that the site had been used as a nuclear reactor…
Houthi terrorists stormed the Sanaa, Yemen, offices of UNICEF and the World Food Program, detaining staffers from both organizations…
Ruth Marks Eglash is now the editor of The Jerusalem Report…
Pic of the Day
At the funeral of her son Idan Shtivi on Monday, Dalit Oron mourned over the body of Shtivi, who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023. IDF forces operating in Gaza last week recovered Shtivi’s body as well as the body of hostage Ilan Weiss, who was killed on Oct. 7 while defending his community in Kibbutz Be’eri.
Birthdays
Television producer, attorney, legal analyst and celebrity reporter, he is the founder of TMZ, Harvey Levin turns 75…
Trustee of a foundation started by her husband, Harold Grinspoon, she is on the PJ Library Book Selection Committee, Diane Leshefsky Troderman turns 84… Attorney who was part of the “Dream Team” that successfully defended O.J. Simpson in 1995, he is a co-founder of three businesses, LegalZoom, Shoedazzle and RightCounsel, Robert Shapiro turns 83… One of Israel’s earliest high-tech entrepreneurs, Yossi Vardi turns 83… Rabbi of Baltimore’s Shearith Israel Congregation since 1987 and president of the Baltimore Vaad HaRabonim, Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer turns 81… Lincolnwood, Ill., resident, Tobi Rebecca Kelmer… Tech entrepreneur and consultant at Xynetics Group, Richard Mandelbaum turns 79… Member of the Knesset for the United Torah Judaism party from 1999 until 2022, Yaakov Litzman turns 77… SVP at Southern Bank & Trust, he is an honorary director of Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk, Va., Steven Kocen… CEO of Lionsgate Entertainment, the leading Canadian independent film studio, Jon Feltheimer turns 74… Retired president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston from 1987 to 2017, Lee Wunsch turns 73… Author, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Nick Hanauer turns 66… Investigative producer for CBS News, Daniel Klaidman… Chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax, James Rosen turns 57… Founder of Israeli media organization TheMarker and a deputy publisher of the Haaretz daily newspaper, he is also a clinical professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, Guy Rolnik turns 57… Serial entrepreneur, co-founder and chairman of Groupon, he is also the founder and CEO of Tempus AI, Eric Lefkofsky turns 56… Executive producer at PBS’s “Frontline,” Raney Aronson-Rath turns 55… Chair of Sight Diagnostics, he was previously director general of the Israeli prime minister’s office, Eliyahu David (Eli) Groner turns 55… Contemporary Jewish religious music vocalist, known by the mononym “Ohad,” Ohad Moskowitz turns 51… Chief of staff for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jess Fassler… D.C.-based U.S. tax policy reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Richard Rubin… Actor, comedian and impressionist, Jonathan Kite turns 46… Executive editor of news for Bloomberg, the co-anchor of “What’d You Miss” on Bloomberg Television and co-host of the “Odd Lots” podcast on Bloomberg Podcasts, Joseph Weisenthal turns 45… Partner at Axiom Strategies, Ethan Zorfas turns 40… Co-lead of the U.S. tech practice at Edelman, Margot Edelman… Chief of staff at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Seth Zweifler… Former MLB baseball pitcher, he was a first-round pick in the 2013 MLB draft, now playing for the Staten Island FerryHawks, Rob Kaminsky turns 31…
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters after meeting with U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) at the U.S. Capitol on July 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Good Monday afternoon.
This P.M. briefing is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
I’m Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider. I’ll be curating the Daily Overtime for you, along with assists from my colleagues. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
There has been a whirlwind of political activity in Israel today, starting with the bombshell news that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to ask the Security Cabinet to approve an expansion of Israel’s war in Gaza, which would see the IDF control all of the enclave.
The move will have reverberations throughout Jerusalem and Washington, from Netanyahu’s own government to hostage families, Capitol Hill and the White House. Officials on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. have been pushing hard for a comprehensive ceasefire and an end to the war — including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in Israel just days ago at the behest of President Donald Trump. Stay tuned to Jewish Insider for how this will play out in the coming days…
In other headlines coming out of Israel, the Cabinet voted unanimously this morning to oust Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, with whom the current government has been at odds since it was formed, accusing her of political bias.
Shortly after the vote, the Israeli Supreme Court issued an injunction temporarily blocking the firing and ordering the government to continue abiding by Baharav-Miara’s legal opinions until the court issues a final ruling.
It’s the first time an Israeli government has ever voted to oust the AG, and with some Cabinet ministers already boycotting her and pushing back on the court’s decision, Israel could be edging toward a constitutional crisis.
Meanwhile, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein was officially pushed out of his chairmanship of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee today, over coalition disagreements on a Haredi conscription bill. He was replaced by Boaz Bismuth, also from Likud, whom the party hopes will be more amenable to reducing sanctions on Haredim who dodge the draft. Israeli voters across a large swath of the political spectrum, including the Likud base, are on Edelstein’s side of the debate…
Getting a front-row seat to these developments, House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) trip to Israel with a House Republican delegation continues today. The group visited the town of Ariel, making Johnson the highest-ranking elected federal official to visit a West Bank settlement. While there, Johnson told a meeting of senior Yesha Council officials that “Judea and Samaria are the front lines of the State of Israel and must remain an integral part of it,” and stopped by Ariel University…
Also in Israel this week are two delegations of freshman House members, one from each caucus, organized by the AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation. The Democratic trip is led by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the former House majority leader, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, (D-CA), the caucus chair…
Back at home, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations CEO William C. Daroff met with Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby at the Pentagon today. Though Colby had faced criticism around his nomination from pro-Israel circles for his calls to scale back U.S. involvement in the Middle East, Daroff told JI that Colby “expressed a clear and serious understanding of U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East, including the vital importance of deterring Iran, preventing regional adversaries from gaining dominance, and sustaining Israel’s security following the Twelve Day War.” Daroff said he was “encouraged by [Colby’s] principled and grounded approach”…
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in grant notices made public Friday that states must guarantee they will not engage in boycotts of Israeli companies in order to qualify for a tranche of more than $1.9 billion in natural disaster preparedness grants…
Software analytics giant Palantir topped $1 billion in revenue for the first time, it shared in an earnings report today. The company has secured several large contracts with the Trump administration, including an agreement announced last week for $10 billion over the next decade with the U.S. Army…
Veteran Democratic political strategist Howard Wolfson, an outspoken supporter of Israel and Jewish causes, appeared on Daniel Gordis’ “Israel from the Inside” podcast today with the message that “the war for hearts and minds” in U.S. support for Israel “has been lost.” The former communications director of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, Wolfson said that he’s “clanging the alarm bell as loudly as I can and hoping that the Israeli public and the decision-makers in Israel understand how far Israel has fallen in public approval in the United States and what the implications of that are.”
“Israel is getting absolutely decimated” in information warfare, Wolfson continued. “And that may not be fair, it may not be accurate, but I think those questions of fairness and accuracy, they’ve become largely irrelevant. It’s not about fairness and accuracy. It’s about effectiveness and about impact.”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye on Jewish Insider this week for a dive into the lessons learned from Israel’s disengagement from Gaza 20 years ago this month, an analysis of what a new poll of New York City Jewish voters means for Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral prospects and a look into the latest fundraising figures from pro-Israel campaign groups.
Tomorrow morning, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar will meet with American Jewish leaders in New York, JI has learned, and then head to a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the situation of the hostages held in Gaza. Sa’ar prompted the special session after videos of two hostages — Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski — were released by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, showing the two men looking haggard and severely emaciated.
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Good Thursday afternoon.
This P.M. briefing is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
I’m Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider. I’ll be curating the Daily Overtime for you, along with assists from my colleagues. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
All eyes were on Jerusalem today, where Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and stalled ceasefire talks with Hamas. An Israeli official told Axios’ Barak Ravid that the men discussed moving from an “incremental and partial” ceasefire to a comprehensive one, meaning a final deal that would see the release of all the remaining 50 hostages, the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
Witkoff and Huckabee will travel into Gaza tomorrow to visit humanitarian aid sites and “meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced in a briefing this afternoon. After their visit, President Donald Trump will approve a “final plan” for food and aid distribution in Gaza.
Trump placed blame for the situation squarely with Hamas this morning, posting on Truth Social, “The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!” That goodwill may not last, though, with one source telling the Financial Times that Trump recently warned a “prominent Jewish donor” that “my people are starting to hate Israel”…
In the same FT article, Amos Hochstein, the former advisor to President Joe Biden and negotiator between Israel and Lebanon during his term, is quoted saying, “Part of being a pro-Israel U.S. president meant stepping in when necessary to save Israel from itself.” On Israel’s wars in the region, Hochstein said, “Israel looks like it’s out of control and needs an American intervention and stop button”…
The State Department announced “sanctions that deny visas” to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and officials from the Palestinian Authority this morning, over the PLO and PA’s continued “pay-for-slay” policy, glorification of violence “especially in textbooks” and initiation of or support for proceedings against Israel at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.
The move comes in the midst of a spate of Western countries announcing their intent to recognize a Palestinian state in the coming months, signaling Washington is of a very different mind. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the measure by the U.S. “exposes the moral delusion of certain countries that were quick to recognize a virtual Palestinian state while simultaneously turning a blind eye to its support for terror and incitement.” We’re keeping watch to see if the Trump administration moves to pressure countries like France, the U.K. and Canada to reverse course…
One U.S. ally waiting to jump into the fray is Germany, whose foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, just before an official visit in Israel today, said Berlin is not currently considering joining its neighbors in recognizing a Palestinian state, but that the process towards a two-state solution “must begin now.” “If that process continues to be blocked,” he warned, “Germany must consider reacting accordingly”…
The State Department also released a statement today — alongside 13 Western countries including France, the U.K. and Canada — condemning the “growing number of state threats from Iranian intelligence services in our respective territories,” specifically Iran’s attempts to “kill, kidnap and harass” Westerners and “target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials”…
Relatedly, Israel’s National Security Council issued a warning to its citizens in the United Arab Emirates and is reportedly evacuating its diplomats due to increased terror threats targeting Israeli nationals there, in retaliation for Israel’s war with Iran…
The Washington Post today profiled Rachel Accurso, also known as Ms. Rachel, a popular children’s content creator and outspoken critic of Israel, without detailing the anti-Israel activism she’s incorporated into her children’s show and social media content. This month, she drew criticism from Jewish leaders for publishing a video with former UNRWA photographer Motaz Azaiza — who she called her “friend” — who has made numerous social media posts defending Palestinian terrorism, according to Ha’aretz…
The Free Press scooped a potential new lawsuit against Harvard by the Trump administration after the Department of Health and Human Services, which had been investigating the university for antisemitism, found the school in violation of the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and that it would not “voluntarily comply with its obligations.” HHS referred the case to the Department of Justice, which will decide how to proceed…
In a Thursday afternoon speech at the Heritage Foundation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation‘s chair, Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, delivered a forceful defense of the beleaguered U.S.-backed aid organization, which nearly all Senate Democrats recently argued has “failed” in its mission and “contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll.” Moore contended that GHF’s work shows the Trump doctrine of “peace through strength” in action, as opposed to the efforts of the United Nations, which he called “the press secretary for Hamas.” “American strength serves American values,” Moore said, “not a corrupt international system”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye on Jewish Insider for reporting on the connection between an anti-Israel group at the University of Washington and the proscribed terror group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and for an interview with James Walkinshaw, longtime aide to the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who’s running for his former boss’ seat. We’ll also continue to cover the fallout from last night’s vote on resolutions led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blocking arms sales to Israel, particularly for Democratic senators with large Jewish constituencies.
We’ll be watching the Witkoff-Huckabee visit to Gaza tomorrow and how their takeaways on the aid crisis translate into a new U.S. plan for food distribution, including involvement from Israel.
We’ll be back in your inbox with the next Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat shalom!
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Ron Dermer and David Barnea will meet Steve Witkoff on Friday ahead of the sixth round of talks with Iran in Oman on Sunday 'in an additional attempt to clarify Israel's stance.'
ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images
A picture taken on November 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, during an official ceremony to kick-start works on a second reactor at the facility.
Since the Israeli strike on Iran’s air defenses in October, Jerusalem has sought a green light, or something close to it, from Washington to strike the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites. President Donald Trump, however, repeatedly told Israel to hold off as he pursued a diplomatic agreement with Tehran to stop its enrichment program.
Now, after the Iranian nuclear program has continued apace and Trump has voiced frustration over Tehran’s intransigence, it seems that Jerusalem’s patience for diplomacy is running out.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad chief David Barnea will be meeting Trump’s top negotiator Steve Witkoff on Friday ahead of the sixth round of talks with Iran in Oman on Sunday “in an additional attempt to clarify Israel’s stance,” an official in Jerusalem said, amid persistent reports and strong indications that Israel is prepared to strike Iran.
After a call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu last week, Trump said that if Tehran does not agree to give up uranium enrichment, the situation will get “very, very dire.” On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that “there have been plenty of indications” that Iran is moving towards weaponization of its nuclear program, and Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the chief of CENTCOM, said that he presented Trump and Hegseth with numerous options to attack Iran if nuclear talks break down.
Hours later, the State Department began to move some personnel out of Iraq and the military suggested that servicemembers’ families depart the Middle East, while the U.K. warned about a potential “escalation of military activity” in the region. Such evacuations are often the first step to reduce risk ahead of a large-scale military operation.
Trump told reporters that the evacuations are happening because the Middle East “could be a dangerous place, and we’ll see what happens.” More on this from Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod here.
Kurilla postponed his testimony before the Senate planned for Thursday. Staff at U.S. embassies and consulates throughout the Middle East were told to take safety precautions, and those stationed in Israel were told not to leave the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Jerusalem or Beersheva.
Multiple news outlets published reports citing anonymous American officials that Israel is ready to strike Iran without help from the U.S. One possible reason for the timing — moving forward even as Washington and Tehran are set to enter a sixth round of talks on Sunday — is that Iran has reportedly begun to rebuild the air defenses that Israel destroyed last year. Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri reportedly said last month: “We are witnessing a remarkable improvement in the capability and readiness of the country’s air defense.”
Ynet’s well-sourced military analyst Yoav Zitun reported early Wednesday that Israel’s threat to attack Iran’s nuclear program is serious, and the most likely scenario is that Israel would strike Iran on its own but coordinate with the U.S. to receive air defense support. That scenario appears consistent with both Trump’s stated reticence to launch an attack, and the events that took place later that day.
In light of the negotiations set to continue on Sunday, some American analysts told JI that Washington could be acting as though it’s preparing for a possible attack to pressure Iran into concessions.
If the latest moves successfully pressure Iran, Shira Efron, Israel Policy Forum’s director of policy research, told JI that she hoped it would be “an opportunity to get to a bigger, better deal.”
However, in Israel, it looks like the moves towards a strike on Iran are serious.
The fact that Netanyahu is expected to go on a two-day vacation in northern Israel this weekend and his son is getting married next week have been counterintuitively pointed to as indications that a strike is imminent — after all, the Hezbollah pager operation happened when the prime minister was in New York, and the strike on Syria’s nuclear facilities in 2007 took place when then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was set to go on vacation in Europe.
“Yesterday, I thought there was no way something is going to happen,” Efron said, but now, “I think we’re at the money time. It’s more serious than we had thought.”
“Israel clearly no longer thinks an agreement can work, so it all depends on whether Trump told Israel it can do something before” negotiations between Iran and the U.S. break down, Efron said.
McCormick said his trip to Israel is a ‘show of solidarity’ during a ‘very tough time’ after killing of embassy staff
Maayan Toaff/GPO
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and his wife Dina Powell McCormick meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 26, 2025.
With the Middle East in flux from Gaza to Lebanon, Syria and Iran, any week in the last 600 days would have been a busy one in Jerusalem. Still, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) arrived in Israel on Monday at a particularly significant moment, with nuclear talks with Iran reaching a critical juncture and the U.S. and Israel moving forward with a plan to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Israel is one stop in McCormick’s first trip abroad after becoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism earlier this year.
“There are so many issues that will be coming before the Senate … so it felt like it was appropriate to come and get the truth on the ground,” McCormick said in an interview with Jewish Insider in Jerusalem on Tuesday. “We wanted to come to Israel as a show of solidarity. It’s a very tough time now, in the aftermath of [Israeli Embassy staffers] Yaron [Lischinsky] and Sarah [Milgrim] killed in Washington, and all the polarization and the challenges with Gaza and Iran.”
In between a visit to the Western Wall and minutes before his meeting with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the group implementing the American-Israeli Gaza aid plan, which has come under fire from international aid groups on the ground, McCormick spoke with JI about the significant issues on his agenda. Tech investor Liran Tancman, one of the Israelis involved in arranging the aid distribution program, took part in the meeting with McCormick and GHF as well.
The GHF began distributing aid on Monday, though it had to pause at one point on Tuesday, reportedly due to overcrowding. Additionally, Hamas members reportedly threatened Gazans who cooperated with the American-led effort.
“I certainly recognize … how complex a problem this is,” McCormick said. “On one hand, you want to give the humanitarian assistance that is needed to make sure innocents are able to have the support they need. But it’s also a tool that’s been hijacked by Hamas as a source of revenue, as a source of leverage and control. So, how do you balance?”
The senator noted positively that hundreds of trucks had already entered Gaza, and expressed hope that the GHF could distribute aid to families in need.
McCormick also pointed out that “this whole thing could end overnight if [Hamas] release[s] the hostages.”
His message for countries such as the U.K., France and others that have threatened action against Israel if it does not allow the U.N. to distribute aid is “to actually look at the complexity of the problem and the good faith efforts that are being taken to address it. I think that will hopefully be confidence-building for them.”
McCormick was also in Israel at a time in which the Trump administration appears increasingly concerned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not on board with the White House’s efforts to reach a diplomatic deal with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program. Israel is reportedly preparing contingency plans to strike Iran.
Tensions between Washington and Jerusalem led Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to tell Fox News on Monday that she was dispatched to Israel to tell Netanyahu to allow negotiations to run their course.
The day after meeting with Netanyahu, McCormick said, “Nobody shared any battle plans with me. Obviously, the administration is in close contact with the Israeli government … I think, ultimately, the defining point is Iran can’t have a nuclear program and can’t be on the path to having a nuclear program. That’s a defining goal.”
“I think there is an opportunity because I think Iran is at a weak moment due in part to incredible actions that Israel has taken against the terrorist proxies supported by Iran,” he added. “The political pressure on Iran is at an all-time high, and the capability of the Iranians is at an all-time low. So you’ve got a moment of opportunity, and I’m hoping that forces will come together to make the most of it.”
McCormick argued that Trump and Netanyahu’s remarks on Iran’s nuclear program are consistent with one another.
“I go to what President Trump said, which is full dismantlement of the nuclear program and no enrichment, those are his two red lines, and I listen to what Netanyahu said yesterday, which is, ‘I don’t trust them, but we need full dismantlement of the nuclear program and no enrichment,’” he said.
McCormick noted that former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Israel’s opposition leader, said the same thing as Netanyahu about Iran in their meeting.
“If the deal would come together in line with what President Trump has said, that would be something that would be welcome,” McCormick added. “It would be a huge step forward for the region and a huge step forward for the world.”
Asked if Republicans in the Senate would accept a deal that fell short of those lines, McCormick first said that while he is not privy to the details of the current negotiations with Iran, “I don’t necessarily believe any of what I read [in the media]. I’ll believe it when I hear the president … I’m not going to talk about something that doesn’t exist yet.”
The senator pointed to a letter signed by nearly all Senate Republicans urging the president to reject any deal that does not include the full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program.
“I’ve been with the president when he’s talked about this, and I’ve heard him talk about dismantling [the Iranian nuclear program] … That’s the position that I think he’s taken and that I would take,” he stated.
When one negotiates with Iran, McCormick said, the first consideration must be to “take Iran at its word when it says it wants to destroy Israel and the United States,” and the second is that “there’s a history of untrustworthiness.”
“If you start with those two premises, then you have to get an outcome where the likelihood of a reconstitution of a nuclear Iran program is not something that is in the cards,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress last week that the current negotiations with Iran are only about its nuclear program and not its terror proxies or ballistic missile program, though related sanctions remain in place.
However, McCormick said, “that doesn’t mean U.S. policy is only going to deal with [the nuclear program], and my basic view is Iran has been a bad actor and any … reducing sanctions should also require the complete termination of any support for terrorist proxies.”
Asked if that doesn’t contradict an offer to lift sanctions in exchange for a nuclear-only deal, McCormick said, “I don’t know what the deal is, but any treaty would ultimately come before the Senate and those are the kinds of questions I’ve asked.”
McCormick expressed confidence that the Trump administration would not try to circumvent the Senate, saying that “for any agreement to last, it needs to come through the Senate.”
The senator rejected the framing that there are two dueling foreign policy camps in the Trump administration, the more traditional Republicans and the “restrainers,” saying that Trump has been “very consistent” and that he has “a realpolitik view of supporting American interests.”
“I’ve seen lots of administrations … There are always conflicting views. That’s how good policies are made. You have a policy process where people get to argue and the president gets to decide,” he said.
Trump, McCormick said, has “made it very clear that the Israelis are our closest ally in the Middle East. There is no one that’s done more to support Israel … He’s been very clear on his stance on antisemitism. So listen, these are complex problems … but I think the administration stance has been a very clear one, and the president keeps coming back to peace through strength, which I think is one of the defining pieces of this foreign policy.”
As for the relationship between the U.S. and Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders in its capital and represents Hamas’ interests in hostage and ceasefire negotiations with Israel, McCormick said: “From a realpolitik perspective, Qatar is an important part of bringing together the possibilities of a peace deal, but I think any funding that’s supporting terrorist organizations or any historical support should be an important consideration in the relationship.”
The senator posited that “our relationship with Qatar is moving in the right direction, but ultimately it depends on changing behavior where it’s not supporting groups that aren’t in line with U.S. objectives or allies of the United States.”
When it comes to concerns that Qatar is spending large sums of money to try to gain favor and influence the U.S., McCormick drew a distinction between the $400 million plane Qatar is planning to gift Trump to be used as Air Force One and then donated to his library, and Qatar’s large contributions to American universities.
McCormick has “concerns about the plane from a security perspective and an intel perspective. Obviously, we want to make sure that … there’s no national security risk associated with it.”
However, he called the donation of the plane “a sort of transaction between the U.S. government in many countries that happens in all sorts of different forms … It’ll go through whatever ethics review.”
McCormick said that funding for universities, however, is a major concern, not only from Qatar but from China, “particularly if there are motivations tied to it.”
“No one has been a stronger voice on antisemitism on campus than me,” he said. “Any foreign money that can be tied to supporting groups that are leading this antisemitism, I’m very opposed to. I think President Trump cracking down on these universities for their antisemitism, looking at the sources of funding, making federal funding contingent on dealing with antisemitism and making sure universities are doing their role is necessary.”
Respected for his interfaith outreach and courage, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa departed the Holy Land as speculation swirled about his potential to become the next pope
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, gestures during an interview at the patriarchate headquarters in the old city of Jerusalem on April 22, 2025.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa left the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter on Wednesday to head to the Vatican for his first-ever conclave to select the next pope. He departed as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, but some have speculated that he could have a new title — pope — in the coming weeks.
“This is a moment during which we need to be united in prayer, first for me, because this is a time in which I carry a great and important responsibility. And we must pray for the church, for we are a part of a big body which is [the] universal church, the Catholic Church. I am sure that your prayers, all together, will bring the right choices for the good of the universal church,” Pizzaballa said in a recorded statement before his departure.
Pizzaballa is widely viewed as one of the favorites to succeed Pope Francis, who died on Monday. The vast majority of popes have come from Italy, where Pizzaballa hails from, though he has lived in Israel for the past 35 years and is fluent in Hebrew. His knowledge of the Middle East, as well as his support for inter-religious dialogue, are viewed as advantages, while his age, 60, is seen as too young for a pope, according to Politico.
Pizzaballa moved to Jerusalem in 1990, when he pursued a master’s degree in the Bible at Hebrew University while studying and teaching at the Franciscan Faculty of Biblical and Archaeological Sciences in Jerusalem. He later became responsible for the pastoral care of Hebrew-speaking Catholics and then was elected Custos of the Holy Land, a senior position in the church in Israel, Palestinian-controlled territories, Jordan, Syria, Cyprus, Rhodes and part of Egypt, from 2004-2016.
Pope Francis appointed Pizzaballa to be the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in 2020, and made him the first-ever cardinal based in Jerusalem in 2023.
Pizzaballa said that the appointment of a cardinal in the city elevated the “voice of Jerusalem” within the Catholic Church.
Wadie Abunasser, who was the spokesman of the Catholic Church in Israel for 30 years and is now coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum, a Christian laity group in Israel, told Jewish Insider that he hoped the honor bestowed on Pizzaballa would lead to recognition of Jerusalem as a city whose patriarch’s elevation to cardinal would be fast-tracked.
Ben-Gurion University Vice President Michal Bar Asher-Siegal, who is an expert in Christian-Jewish relations, told JI that Pizzaballa’s advancement to cardinal was “crazy, it shows the importance of Jerusalem in Pope Francis’ eyes … There are only 130 cardinals in the world.”
The promotion “reflects the importance of [Jerusalem], but also the person,” Bar Asher-Segal added. “[Pizzaballa] is an important figure who reached an important status.”
Pizzaballa, according to a profile by prominent Catholic affairs reporter John L. Allen Jr. from 2016, was “very much Francis’s man.” The pope entrusted Pizzaballa with organizing a peace prayer summit in the Vatican in 2014 with Israel’s then-President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
More recently, Pizzaballa, who was appointed cardinal only days before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, made waves with his public positions on the subsequent war. Pizzaballa called the massacre “barbaric.” Later that month, Pizzaballa answered in the affirmative when asked if he would be willing to be exchanged for Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza: “If this can lead to freedom, to bring the children home, no problem. There is total willingness on my part.”
Yet, when two Catholics in Gaza were shot, Pizzaballa accused Israel of killing them “in cold blood,” though the IDF said that soldiers shot in response to an RPG that was fired from near the church. In December 2023, photos of the Pizzaballa wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, courted controversy in Israel.
From the start of the war, Pizzaballa campaigned to be able to visit Catholics in Gaza and spoke out about their plight. As of last year, there were 1,017 Christians in Gaza, 135 of whom are Catholic; about 300 people, mostly Christians, were living in the Holy Family Catholic Church compound in Gaza.
According to the Catholic publication First Things, the patriarchate told Catholics in Gaza not to comply with the IDF’s evacuation order in Gaza City, for fear that it would be viewed as “complicity in an Israeli campaign to depopulate Gaza [that] risked setting Mideast Muslims against their Christian neighbors.” At the same time, they informed the IDF that Christians would shelter in the church and Israel facilitated the flow of food and supplies to them.
Israel allowed Pizzaballa to enter Gaza days before Christmas last year and he met with the community that had been living in the church compound from the start of the war.
Abunasser said that Pizzaballa “has especially cared, since the start of the war, for the Christian presence in Gaza. He was the only church leader who repeatedly asked the Israelis, despite all the risks, to go and visit.”
The 2016 profile said that some in the Middle East have “long looked on [Pizzaballa] with suspicion because of his closeness to Israel and Jewish culture.”
“In the zero/sum political game of the Middle East, in which a friend of Israel often is automatically seen as an enemy of Palestine and the Arab cause, all that has made Pizzaballa suspect in the eyes of some Arab clergy, and something of an arresting choice to lead a patriarchate whose membership is overwhelmingly Arab,” Allen Jr. wrote at the time.
Allen wrote that those critics highlight a comment Pizzaballa reportedly made about Palestinian leaders blaming Israel for all of their problems: “If the weather isn’t good, the cause is the occupation.”
Pizzaballa “talks relatively openly and the pope listened and was very interested. That means [Pizzaballa] brought the topic of Christians in the Holy Land to international attention,” Ben-Gurion University Vice President Michal Bar Asher-Siegal, who is an expert in Christian-Jewish relations, said.
In an interview with First Things this year, Pizzaballa referred to the Palestinian Authority as “weak,” which he said left Catholics vulnerable to attack.
Bar Asher-Segal said that Pizzaballa has not hesitated to criticize the PA, under whose rule Christians “suffer attacks from Muslims and in villages where Muslims are the majority, they are pushed to the sidelines. There have been very difficult attacks in Ramallah and Bethlehem … He speaks out against the Palestinian Authority, where Christians are targets of hate and the PA does nothing.”
“It takes courage to come out against the PA,” Bar Asher-Siegal added.
Pizzaballa “talks relatively openly and the pope listened and was very interested. That means [Pizzaballa] brought the topic of Christians in the Holy Land to international attention,” Bar Asher-Siegal said.
The cardinal has also spoken out against Israel’s “neglect” of its Christian community, she continued. She pointed out that Christians are the most educated population in the country, but many emigrate, a matter of concern for Pizzaballa.
Christians in Israel have increasingly complained of harassment, especially in Jerusalem, Bar Asher-Siegal said, arguing that there has been a major increase in recent years of incidents of Jews spitting on Christians and vandalizing their property.
“Israel said it is committed to freedom of religion and taking care of the holy sites in Jerusalem, but it isn’t meeting its commitments … Israel comes out very bad here … It’s a strategic and moral mistake,” she said.
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King told JI that he had looked into the matter and that the Jerusalem Police said there had not been a rise in such incidents.
Abunasser said that Pizzaballa “played a major role in improving ties with political authorities in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and even Jordan. He improved relations with Muslims and Jews on the religious and political level … He is very respected among the diplomatic corps in Israel and Jerusalem.”
The cardinal, Abunasser continued, “is wise and knows, despite all the contradictions and challenges, how to manage things even in difficult times. He succeeded in imposing his respect on everybody, including those who might sometimes disagree with him.”
King, someone who has clashed with local Christians in the past, said that “there are others who led a very anti-Israel line. I can’t say that he did. Some Christians did, but he is not like that.”
The Jerusalem deputy mayor has led protests against Christian missionaries in Jerusalem, though he emphasized that he also spoke out against recent incidents of harassment against the local community.
“There’s a clear line. We have no problem with Christians who mind their own business, but we will fight against Christians trying to change Jews’ religion,” King said. “I don’t remember [Pizzaballa] as someone who led such steps in recent years.”
“He is really a special person who enjoys wide respect among Jews and Arabs,” Wadie Abunasser, who was the spokesman of the Catholic Church in Israel for 30 years and is now coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum, said. “He is a person who is charming and close to the people.”
“Jerusalem is a microcosm of Jewish-Christian relations,” King added. “It’s a very sensitive place and there are constantly things happening in interreligious relations … I am deputy mayor and pretty involved in what is happening in the Old City and east Jerusalem, and I can’t point to him as someone who acted against Jews.”
King posited that “maybe there’s a place for optimism if [Pizzaballa becomes] the head of the church and he understands what is happening in Jerusalem where there are politically hot conflicts between religions.”
Abunasser said that Pizzaballa is well-liked across different populations in Israel and beyond.
“He is really a special person who enjoys wide respect among Jews and Arabs,” Abunasser said. “He is a person who is charming and close to the people.”
Pizzaballa “is someone who always, like Pope Francis or Jesus, gives priority to the weak people. He cares for the weak and the poor,” he said.
Abunasser said he heard many stories from disadvantaged people about how Pizzaballa helped them, though the cardinal himself would keep his efforts quiet — “even his close associates sometimes don’t know what he does in that regard.”
“I discovered that he started many initiatives in the Latin Patriarchate. He launched several microfinancing projects to help unemployed people, especially in the Bethlehem area,” he said.
Abunasser also highlighted reforms and improvements that Pizzaballa made to the administration of the church, both as Custos of the Holy Land, who is in charge of holy sites, and as the Latin Patriarch.
“[Pizzaballa’s] long service in the church of the Holy Land is something that was known worldwide. The church of the Holy Land is always in the news, not only in the media but also in the church. Therefore, I believe he has a good reputation,” he added.
Despite his enthusiasm for Pizzaballa, Abunasser emphasized that he is not lobbying for him to be pope. Abunasser pointed out that, contrary to regular politics, campaigning and self-promotion are frowned upon in Vatican conclaves.
“Even [Pizzaballa] himself, when people joked with him ‘you will be the next pope,’ he said ‘please don’t curse me.’ He believes we must trust the spirit,” Abunasser said.
'Please do not think about us only as a headline,' father pleads
Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo
Relatives of U.S. citizens that are missing since Saturday's surprise attack by Hamas militants near the Gaza border, in Tel Aviv, Israel attend a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Seated from left: Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Sagui Dekel-Chen (35) from Nahal Oz; Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, 19, a soldier in the armored corps; Ayala Neta, daughter, and Nahal Neta, son of Adrienne Neta, 66, a nurse living in Kibbitz Be'eri; Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, who was attending the music festival, and Jonathan Polin, Hersh's father.
A nurse and midwife who has delivered more than 1,000 babies. A soldier who swapped weekend shifts so that he could attend his brother’s bar mitzvah. A young man attending an outdoor rave with friends. A father awaiting the birth of his third child.
The families of four American citizens who believe their loved ones are being held by Hamas in Gaza gathered in Tel Aviv on Tuesday afternoon to deliver a public, emotion-laden plea to both the Israeli and American governments, neither of which, relatives say, have provided adequate support or information about their family members.
On Tuesday afternoon, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that 20 or more Americans remain unaccounted for. A National Security Council spokesperson confirmed on Monday that at least 11 American citizens have been killed in the attacks.
On Tuesday afternoon, following a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden said he had “directed my team to share intelligence and deploy experts from across the United States Government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts and hostage recovery efforts. Because as president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.”
Rachel Goldberg, who grew up in Chicago and now lives in Jerusalem, last heard from her son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, on Saturday morning. Goldberghad turned her phone off on Friday evening as the sunset ushered in Shabbat and Simchat Torah. After a siren alerted her to a rocket attack near Jerusalem on Saturday morning, she turned on her phone, concerned about Hersh, who was attending the Tribe of Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im.
“I turned my phone on, I believe, at 8:23 in the morning,” Goldberg said. “And when I turned it on, there were two texts in a row from Hersh at 8:11. The first one said, ‘I love you’ and immediately at 8:11 also it said, ‘I’m sorry.’ And so I knew immediately wherever he was, it was a terrible situation.”
Goldberg identified her son, whom she has not heard from since, in a photo taken inside a bomb shelter. In collecting eyewitness accounts, she said, she learned that Hersh had been injured in a firefight.
“They were fish in a barrel sitting in this bomb shelter,” Goldberg explained. “Terrorists came to the door, they were throwing grenades in, shooting machine guns, and we know that Hirsch’s arm from the elbow down was severed, was blown off, and that he tied a tourniquet around with his shirt.” She has not received any further information about her son’s whereabouts.
Goldberg was joined by the families of Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen (who is not related to Itay) and Adrienne Neta, whose son, Nahar Neta, issued a plea to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken. The administration, Neta said, is “responsible to bring the U.S. citizens back home safe and sound. We expect nothing less from the U.S. administration and from President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken.”
Adrienne Neta is a California-born nurse and midwife who moved to Israel in 1981. She lived for decades on Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the deadliest sites of Saturday’s attack. When Hamas terrorists invaded the kibbutz, her children said, she was sitting on her patio on the phone. It was roughly 9:30 a.m. “Both my brother and my sister were on the call with her as the terrorist barged into her home, and we heard a little bit of screaming and that was our last contact with her,” her son Nahar Neta said. “There was no shooting on the call.”
His mother, Neta added, tried to use the limited Arabic she had picked up as a longtime nurse at Soroka Hospital to communicate with her captors.
A half-hour’s drive from Neta’s Kibbutz Be’eri sits Kibbutz Nahal Oz, which is where 35-year-old Sagui Dekel-Chen was taken hostage as he and other men on the kibbutz attempted to overpower the terrorists who had infiltrated the property. Dekel-Chen’s wife is pregnant with the couple’s third daughter.
Of the roughly 400 residents of the kibbutz, Sagui’s father, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, said, more than half have been killed or taken hostage. The roughly 160 survivors, the elder Dekel-Chen said, “call this a pogrom.”
“What happened to us, it’s not a war,” he said. “It’s not a fair fight. It is a pogrom. Hundreds of heavily armed, well-organized terrorists walked, rode, ran over the border with one object in mind: and that was to kill, maim, to destroy civilian life along the border.”
“As such,” he continued, “it seems to me that the United States, my original home, and still a very beloved place for me, always wants to be and must be on the side of good.” He called on the “United States government, to the Congress, to do what they can on the side of good here. We’re waiting for Sagui to come home.”
Rubi Chen, whose son Itay was captured while on duty, said he has connected with about 10 other families who are missing a relative with American citizenship following Saturday’s ambush.
Itay Chen had not been scheduled to be on duty the weekend of the attack. His younger brother’s bar mitzvah was the following weekend, when he had been originally scheduled to report for duty. Itay had traded weekend shifts so that he could be a part of his family’s celebrations.
Rubi Chen said the IDF had informed the family that Itay was listed as missing in action.
“You would think it would be a good assumption to say that after 70 hours, if he’s not in the State of Israel, he might be some other place. If that is the case, then he is by definition a POW.” Chen called for his son to be treated as a POW according to international law.
Chen said he had been in contact with the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, but that he has received few answers as to his son’s whereabouts and any plans to rescue the hostages. There has “been no formal or concentrated attempt to talk to us as a group and update us about what they are doing in this matter,” Chen said on Tuesday.
“Please do not think of us only as a headline,” Rubi Chen pleaded. “We are more than that.”
Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via AP Images
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić spoke with Jewish Insider after announcing that his country will open a diplomatic mission and an economic office in Jerusalem at AIPAC’s policy conference on Sunday. “It’s an official state office, and yes we’re going to do it,” Vučić told JI. “We need to improve our relations not only with [the] Israeli people but also our great relationship with Jewish people all over the world.”
Call me, maybe: When asked about opening a Serbian embassy in Jerusalem, Vučić demurred, saying only “we’ll speak about it next time.” He told JI, “I feel no pressure from anything because it’s well known that we are an independent, sovereign country.”
Why it matters: The Serbian president said the new economic mission “will deepen ties” between the two countries and allow Serbia to take advantage of Israel’s hi-tech advances. “Beersheba became a dream of Serbia as well. It was nothing, a desert, and now there’s 300,000 people working there in cyber and otherwise,” Vučić said. “We have young talented people, and if we strengthen our ties, we can get more done.”
Dealmaking: Vučić also said that “we want to buy some arms and weaponry from Israel.” He said he planned to approach Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the country’s election to broker such a deal.
Safe place for Jews: The Serbian president asserted that, unlike many other Western nations, there is no antisemitism in his country. “We really believe in truth of the Holocaust,” Vučić told JI. “We suffered a lot, and we know that you suffered the most, and we know that it really happened… It’s something that we truly believe in, and that’s the difference between us and all the others.”
Controversy: The invitation to Vučić to speak at the AIPAC conference was met with dismay by some groups due to his authoritarian-like rule in Serbia. Forward opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon wrote that Vučić’s appearance — “a man who still hasn’t apologized for a Muslim genocide that he justified” — only proved Sen. Bernie Sanders right in his decision to skip the event.
Gov. Brian Sandoval and a group of Nevadans arrived in Jerusalem for a trade mission Friday.
Sandoval, in a prepared statement, said the mission will focus on three areas where Nevada is similar to Israel: water technology, indoor agriculture and unmanned aerial vehicles.
In 2012, Nevada exports to Israel totaled $129,054,837 and the state imported a total of $144,041,317 from Israel. Israel is Nevada’s tenth largest export/import country.
Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, the Nevada delegation took part in a traditional Shabbat dinner hosted by the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.
Gov. Sandoval at the Kotel with Elliot Karp, CEO of Las Vegas Jewish Federation
Gov. Sandoval meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
Gov. Sandoval meets with Naftali Bennett
Gov. Sandoval with Gov. Perry of Texas at WATEC Israel
Gov. Sandoval visits Yad Vashem and signs the guest book
Gov. Sandoval meets with the President of Israel, Shimon Peres
Gov. Sandoval visits Israel’s Foreign Ministry
Gov. Sandoval with David Stone, President of Nevada Association Services
Gov. Sandoval speaks at WATEC Israel
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