Plus, Maxwell Frost's cold shoulder to Israel
JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives statements to the media inside The Kirya, which houses the Israeli Defence Ministry, after their meeting in Tel Aviv on October 12, 2023. Blinken arrived in a show of solidarity after Hamas's surprise weekend onslaught in Israel, an AFP correspondent travelling with him reported. He is expected to visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Washington closes ranks with its ally that has launched a withering air campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
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In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed actions in Gaza are prompting criticism from some of Israel’s most reliable supporters, and report on Rep. Maxwell Frost’s 180-degree pivot from his campaign pledges regarding Israel. We cover a push by dozens of House members in support of maintaining the U.S. ban on exporting advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, and talk to Rich Goldberg about his monthslong stint in the Trump administration as the senior counselor for the White House’s new National Energy Dominance Council. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Stephen Miran, Katie Miller and Tony Blinken.
For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: Maxwell Frost reneges on pro-Israel pledges; Lessons from Gaza disengagement remain relevant 20 years later; and James Walkinshaw sounds more supportive of Israel than his former boss. Print the latest edition here.
What We’re Watching
- We’re keeping an eye on IDF moves in Gaza this weekend, following a late-night Israeli Security Cabinet vote to move forward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City. More below.
- Vice President JD Vance is in Kent, England, today, where he is slated to meet with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are in Washington for meetings with senior Trump administration officials, including a trilateral meeting with the president this afternoon during which time the leaders will sign a peace deal ending decades of conflict. Yesterday, Aliyev met with Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff.
- The Jewish National Fund’s Our Jewish Roots conference kicks off today in Carlsbad, Calif.
- Hadassah’s National Conference begins on Sunday in Aventura, Fla.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MELISSA WEISS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement on Thursday that Israel plans to take control of additional parts of the Gaza Strip before handing it over to an unspecified Arab governing authority is being met with hesitation from even some of Israel’s most stalwart defenders. The Security Cabinet voted early this morning to take over Gaza City, stopping short of the full occupation of the Strip previously discussed.
Throughout much of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli public broadly supported the military effort, even as progressive lawmakers such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) painted the war as “Netanyahu’s war,” and the Israeli prime minister as the bogeyman-in-chief.
But in recent months, public sentiment in Israel has shifted noticeably. With most of Hamas’ senior military leadership eliminated, growing numbers of Israelis have begun to question the feasibility of Netanyahu’s goal of “total victory” over Hamas, given the terror group’s hold on the Gazan population and a lack of clarity on what’s left to accomplish militarily. Instead, polling shows that a large majority of Israelis prefer prioritizing a diplomatic resolution that secures the release of the remaining hostages, rather than expanding the military occupation of Gaza in hopes of complete surrender.
Netanyahu’s plan this week to take over more of Gaza has begun to sap Israel’s political capital even among some of its closest allies on Capitol Hill, not to mention the isolation the Jewish state is facing from less-friendly European capitals. Even within the American Jewish community, as the war drags on into its 23rd month and with mounting IDF fatalities and no living hostages having been released since May, splits have emerged over the wisdom of Netanyahu’s double-down strategy.
Indeed, while the official Israeli position on its war against Hamas in Gaza has hardened, the approach in the Diaspora, both from Jewish groups and leaders and elected officials, has also shifted — in the opposite direction.
hill reactions
Pro-Israel Democrats criticize Netanyahu’s Gaza takeover gambit
Pro-Israel Democrats are criticizing the Israeli government’s plans to expand its operations and take control of additional parts of Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The Israeli Security Cabinet early Friday approved plans to take over Gaza City, though it stopped short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement earlier Thursday that Israel plans to take over the entire Gaza Strip.
State of play: The plan seems to be aggravating the growing friction between the Israeli government and some of the Jewish state’s most vocal liberal backers in the United States over Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) said that Israel is ultimately responsible for making its own decisions, but said he’d advise the Israeli government to seek an end to the war once it frees the hostages. Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) questioned Netanyahu’s suggestions that Arab forces would be available and willing to take over Gaza in the long term.
FROSTY OUTLOOK
Maxwell Frost reneges on pro-Israel pledges
Jewish and pro-Israel leaders are expressing some buyer’s remorse over their previous support for Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), who as a sophomore legislator has embraced positions that put him at odds with his past commitments, fueling frustration among those who had believed he would be a more dependable ally on key issues concerning Israel, Jewish Insider‘s Matthew Kassel reports.
Then: Despite some initial concerns about his history of involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations as well as relationships with anti-Israel activists, Frost had circulated a lengthy Middle East position paper in consultation, in part, with a top pro-Israel group that largely assuaged lingering reservations among Jewish community leaders over the sincerity of his views. In the paper as well as a candidate questionnaire solicited by JI during his first primary, the young progressive organizer, describing himself as both “pro-Israel” and “pro-Palestinian,” voiced opposition to conditioning aid to Israel — arguing that the security threats facing the Jewish state are “far too grave” to enact such measures.
Now: The most recent move to draw scrutiny from Jewish and pro-Israel leaders is a letter Frost signed urging the Trump administration to recognize a Palestinian state over growing concerns with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In addition to the letter — which followed a similar resolution he co-sponsored in 2023 during his first term — Frost in May joined legislation to place unprecedented new conditions on aid to Israel by withholding offensive weapons over its alleged violations of international law. Last year, he also voted against a widely approved bill to provide supplemental aid to Israel six months after Hamas’ attacks. In a statement explaining his thinking at the time, Frost wrote that he was “only able to justify aid for defense, not offense, and this legislation did not allow me to separate the two,” as the war “has claimed the lives of countless innocent Palestinian civilians and brought us no closer to the return of innocent Israeli hostages held by Hamas.”
SPANBERGER SPEAKS
Under pressure from Jewish leaders, Spanberger responds to Va. Dem’s anti-Israel posts
Facing pressure from the Virginia Jewish community to speak out against recent anti-Zionist social media posts from state Del. Sam Rasoul, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, addressed concerns about antisemitism without specifically referencing Rasoul, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
What she said: “This war continues to unleash heartbreak and tragedy as we witness civilian deaths, starving families, and hostages still held by Hamas. These horrors rightly compel so many to advocate for the mass delivery of aid, the release of all Israeli hostages, and a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel,” Spanberger told the Virginia Scope, a political newsletter, in response to a question about Rasoul, who chairs the Education Committee in the House of Delegates. “However, one can and must denounce these tragedies without using antisemitic language, whether intentional or not.” She did not specify whether she identified Rasoul’s rhetoric as antisemitic. Spanberger’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment from JI.
laying down the law
Prosecutors announce hate crimes charges against D.C. museum shooter
Authorities in the District of Columbia announced on Thursday that they filed federal hate crime charges against Elias Rodriguez, the suspect in the fatal shooting in May of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. The indictment on nine counts, filed on Wednesday, includes a charge relating to a hate crime resulting in death and comes more than two months after Rodriguez was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, the murder of foreign officials, causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a violent crime for the May 21 attack, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Pirro’s presser: Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning about the new charges, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said, “A D.C. grand jury has charged in this indictment two hate crimes, alleging that he murdered Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim because of his bias against the people of Israel. He demonstrated this hatred through his words, ‘Death to Israel,’ and his violent actions against Yaron and Sarah and their co-workers from the Israeli Embassy,” Pirro said.
ADMINISTRATION INSIGHT
Rich Goldberg reflects on Trump administration service on Energy Dominance Council
Rich Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, this week concluded a monthslong stint in the Trump administration as the senior counselor for the White House’s new National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) and a senior advisor to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Looking back: Goldberg helped launch the NEDC, which he compared in an interview with JI this week to a “[National Security Council], only for energy,” coordinating with the White House, Burgum and Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright to build domestic production of energy and exploitation of oil, gas, coal and nuclear resources, as well as critical minerals. Goldberg discussed the administration’s efforts to counter Iran and its proxies, push forward AI development and build a new energy and shipping infrastructure in the Middle East, as well as its decision to strike Iran and the path forward in Gaza.
MILITARY MATTERS
40 House members urge administration to refuse F-35 sales to Turkey
A bipartisan group of 40 House members is urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to maintain the U.S. ban on exporting advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, amid ongoing reports that the U.S. and Turkey are negotiating to allow the sale of the jets, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The argument: “Turkey still possesses S-400 systems and has shown no willingness to comply with U.S. law. This behavior cannot be rewarded,” the letter to Rubio reads. “Lifting sanctions or allowing Turkey back into the F-35 program without first removing its S-400s would jeopardize the integrity of F-35 systems; expose U.S. military secrets to Russian intelligence; undermine our defense industrial base and allied confidence in purchasing future U.S. platforms; and disrupt development of the next-generation fighter jet recently announced by the Administration.”
Elsewhere on the Hill: Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), the co-chairs of the Senate antisemitism task force, highlighted concerns about the latest FBI hate crimes statistics showing a record-high level of antisemitic hate crimes in 2024, and called for further action, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Worthy Reads
Gloom in Khartoum: Reporting from Sudan, The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum examines how the myriad challenges facing the country have brought about the “end of the liberal world order” in the war-torn African nation. “Turkish, Egyptian, Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, Russian, Iranian, and Ukrainian interests intersect and overlap on this final layer of cellophane, helping make Sudan, like Yemen and Libya, a place where antagonists from around the planet fund violent proxy wars, at the expense of the people who live there. … Meanwhile, the countries that might once have banded together to stop the fighting have lost interest or capacity. The institutions that might once have helped broker a cease-fire are too weak, and can’t or won’t help. ‘We live in a very interesting, many people call it, new world order,’ [Abdalla] Hamdok, the former Sudanese prime minister, told me. ‘The world we got to know — the consensus, the Pax Americana, the post–Second World War consensus — is just no more.’” [TheAtlantic]
Not Joe’s Party: In the New York Daily News, Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, reflects on the Democratic Party’s shift away from the previously “mainstream” positions of “foreign policy hawkishness and outspoken support for Israel” in the 25 years since Sen. Joe Lieberman, then a Democrat, was announced as former Vice President Al Gore’s 2000 running mate. “This is a stunning change for a party that elevated and embraced Lieberman 25 years ago. Could it happen again today? Many American Jews wondered as much when Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was under consideration to be [Vice President Kamala] Harris’ VP. We will never know why Harris didn’t pick Shapiro, but we all saw the concerted antisemitic campaign against him in social media and the press. … The Democratic Party once drew Jews to its cause because it was seen as the party of tolerance and equal opportunity. This was a natural home base for immigrant Jews fleeing the ghettos and pogroms of Europe. Today, the Democratic Party is battling to redefine itself in the wake of its failures in the 2024 election. A growing portion of the left wants it to be a party Lieberman could no longer call home.” [NYDN]
Saving Navalny: In a piece adapted from their upcoming book SWAP: A Secret History of the New Cold War, Wall Street Journal reporters Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson look at the efforts to free Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in February 2024. “To this day, a debate continues over whether the U.S. missed a chance to save Navalny, or whether back-channel efforts to free him inadvertently precipitated his demise. One camp believes he could have been exchanged if the Biden administration had moved faster, before he was sent to the harsh arctic prison in Dec. 2023. They place particular blame on Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden’s national security adviser, who was simultaneously assembling a complex, multinational agreement to save Navalny and jailed Americans and juggling an unmanageable set of geopolitical threats, including wars in Ukraine and Gaza.” [WSJ]
Word on the Street
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied as “total fake news” an NBC News report that a conversation with President Donald Trump about concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza “devolved into shouting.” …
The U.S. facilitated a meeting between Gaza Humanitarian Foundation head Johnnie Moore and senior U.N. aid officials; Morgan Ortagus, who joined the U.S. mission at the U.N. in June, was reportedly part of the meeting, the first direct engagement between the international body and the GHF since it began operations in May…
The Treasury Department announced sanctions against 18 entities and individuals tied to Iranian sanctions evasion and revenue generation…
Trump plans to nominate Stephen Miran, the head of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, to the vacant seat on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors…
Katie Miller, who served as a senior advisor to Elon Musk during and after his time in the Trump administration, is departing her role and plans to launch a podcast focused on reaching conservative women…
Former Secretary of State Tony Blinken is joining the Center for American Progress’ board of directors…
Florida Republicans are hoping to redraw three congressional districts in their favor, according to Punchbowl News, targeting two of the most pro-Israel Democrats in Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), as part of the partisan redistricting effort…
Puck’s Julia Ioffe examines the growing divide in the Republican Party over support for Israel…
The Department of Education announced an investigation into Baltimore City Public Schools following a complaint from the Anti-Defamation League that numerous schools in the district failed to act to address antisemitism in classrooms…
Police in Baltimore County are investigating the vandalism of a kitchen design store that displayed Israeli and American flags at its entrance…
Actress Gina Carano settled a lawsuit against Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Co. after she was fired from “The Mandalorian” in 2021 over a social media post comparing the treatment of conservatives in America to Jews in Nazi Germany…
U.K. officials arrested two men in connection with an incident in Manchester in which the men allegedly used water guns to spray a visibly Jewish man and children walking down a street in the city; video of the incident posted by one of the alleged assailants, which went viral, was paired with a rendition of “Hava Negila”…
Israel’s NewMed Energy announced that the partners in Israel’s Leviathan offshore oil field signed a $35 billion deal to supply natural gas to Egypt through 2040; the agreement marks the largest export deal in Israeli history…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin will halt future arms sales to Israel following the Israeli government’s plan to take over Gaza City…
As American Jewry overall has experienced an increase in Jewish engagement in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, in what has been deemed “The Surge,” the largest rise has been seen among those connected to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, outpacing all other denominations and among unaffiliated Jews, according to survey data from Jewish Federations of North America that were provided exclusively to eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross…
Pic of the Day
Yarden Bibas (second from right) and Dana Silberman-Sitton (far right), respectively the husband and sister of Shiri Bibas, on Thursday cut the ribbon outside the Bibas Family Playroom at Schneider Children’s Hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel. The children’s room, a project of Toys for Hospitalized Children, was dedicated to the memories of Shiri, as well as her sons Ariel and Kfir, who were killed by their captors in Gaza after being taken hostage from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023.
Bibas wore a shirt with the Batman logo in homage to Ariel’s love of the superhero, while the ribbon he and Silberman-Sitton cut was orange in tribute to the boys’ hair color.
Read eJewishPhilanthropy’s coverage of the efforts to build the center here.
Birthdays
Israeli actor, best known for his role as Yanky Shapiro in the 2020 Netflix miniseries “Unorthodox,” Amit Rahav turns 30 on Saturday…
FRIDAY: Actor and director, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1980 for “Kramer vs. Kramer” and in 1989 for “Rain Man,” Dustin Hoffman turns 88… Arlington Heights, Ill., resident, Elizabeth Gordon… Dutch diplomat and politician, he served as the speaker of the Dutch House of Representatives, Frans Weisglas turns 79… Greenwood Village, Colo., resident, Robert M. Schwartz… Tampa, Fla., resident, Roy D. Pulliam… Retired U.S. Army four-star general, who then served as the secretary of defense during the Biden administration, Lloyd James Austin III turns 72… Vancouver, Wash., resident, Juliana E. Miles Bagherpour… Former U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Melech Friedman turns 67… Former CEO of BusinessGhost, Michael Graubart Levin turns 67… Managing general partner of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, Stuart L. Sternberg turns 66… Chess grandmaster, once ranked eighth in the world, he is the director of the Brooklyn Chess Academy, Leonid Yudasin turns 66… White House chief of staff for the first two years of the Biden administration, Ron Klain turns 64… Film director whose works include nine Disney films, Jon Turteltaub turns 62… Chief justice of the Nevada Supreme Court until earlier this year, she continues to serve as a justice, Elissa F. Cadish turns 61… Digital strategist, he is the founding partner of Fuse consultancy, Jonah Seiger… Director of Jewish media, publications and editorial communications for the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Gil Ofer Student turns 53… Lead guitarist of the mathcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan, also playing rhythm guitar with the crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, Benjamin A. Weinman turns 50… Film and television actress, Lindsay Sloane turns 48… MLB pitcher for 13 seasons and now chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox, Craig Breslow turns 45… Author, freelance writer and editor, she is a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, Sophie Flack turns 42… Managing principal at Rocktower Capital, Bara Lane… Canadian film, television and stage actor, Jacob Benjamin “Jake” Goldsbie turns 37… Director of operations and strategy at UNC Chapel Hill’s Winston Center, Sarah Garfinkel… Founder and managing partner at Avid Ventures, Addie Lerner Katz… Director of marketing and communications at Alpha Epsilon Pi, Zachary Pellish… Creative producer for Airbnb, Morgan Furlong… Internet celebrity and fitness model, Jennifer Leigh “Jen” Selter turns 32… Jack Baum… Rob Schwartz…
SATURDAY: Prominent Sephardic rabbi in Tel Aviv, he was a member of the Knesset for the Shas party, Rabbi Moshe Maya turns 87… Physicist and venture capitalist, co-founder and general partner emeritus of New Markets Venture Partners, Donald M. “Don” Spero, Ph.D. turns 86… Comedian, actor, writer, director and author, son of a rabbi, he appeared 130 times on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show,” David Steinberg turns 83… Romance novelist with 22 books on the NYT bestseller lists, Barbara Delinsky (born Barbara Ruth Greenberg) turns 80… Author of 36 Jewish themed books and an ordained rabbi, Seymour Rossel turns 80… Telecommunications consultant based in Chattanooga, Tenn., Mark Shapiro turns 79… Psychologist and bestselling suspense novelist, Jonathan Kellerman turns 76… Southern California resident, Faith Schames… Brigadier general (IDF reserves) in the Israeli Air Force, Amir Abraham Haskel turns 72… Executive director of the Steinhardt Family Foundation in Israel and deputy chair of WZO, Tova Dorfman… U.S. senator (R-KS), Roger Marshall, M.D. turns 65… Member of the Minnesota State Senate since 2007, Ronald Steven “Ron” Latz turns 62… Professor of French at Yale University, he is the inaugural director of the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism, Maurice Samuels turns 57… Chief of staff for Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) for 25 years, she started a consulting practice in 2024, Amy Beth Rutkin… Founder and CEO of AFC Gamma and Sunrise Realty Trust, Leonard M. Tannenbaum turns 54… Two-time Grammy Award-winning operatic soprano, songwriter and actress, Hila Plitmann turns 52… Assistant secretary for inter-departmental data integration for the Maryland Department of Human Services, Kirill Reznik turns 51… Reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, Kenneth P. Vogel turns 50… Democratic political strategist, Rebecca Kirszner Katz… Chair of JEWELS (Jewish Education Where Every Level Student Succeeds), Jules Friedman turns 50… Drummer, popular on YouTube with 361 million views, Meytal Cohen turns 42… CEO of the Israel on Campus Coalition since 2013, Jacob Baime… Real estate investor based in Cleveland, Amanda Isaacson… Associate at Ropes & Gray LLP, Isaac Lederman… SVP at Dezenhall Resources, he was previously communications director for the Republican Jewish Coalition and an RNC alum, Fred Brown… Elise Aronson… Dan Zimerman…
SUNDAY: CEO at Royal Health Services in Beverly Hills, Robert N. Feldman… Professor of biochemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Shimon Schuldiner turns 79… NYC-based real estate developer, he is the founder and principal of Clipper Equity, David Bistricer turns 76… Former Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, the first woman to hold that position, Gill Marcus turns 76… Conservative rabbi who served as president of the Interfaith Alliance, Rabbi Jack Moline turns 73… 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 69… Former director of the Jewish Museum of Vienna, Austria, she was a founder of the German-language magazine Nu devoted to Jewish politics and culture, Danielle Spera turns 68… Member of the California state Senate until this past November, Steven Mitchell Glazer turns 68… Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel and Rishon LeZion since 2024, Rabbi David Yosef turns 68… Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-MI-9), now a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Andy Levin turns 65… Professor of physics and astronomy at Tel Aviv University, Yaron Oz turns 61… Tech entrepreneur, he served as a Washington State senator until 2023, Reuven Michael Carlyle turns 60… 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 55… Deputy attorney general of Israel, Sharon Afek turns 55… 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… Senior group manager of social media and influencer marketing at Eventbrite, Sophie Vershbow… SVP of commodities compliance at Citibank, Jacob Cohen…
The Florida Democrat has shifted away from commitments he made to Jewish leaders during his first run for Congress, fueling frustration among former supporters
Courtesy
Maxwell Frost
When Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) won his first election to the House in 2022, Jewish leaders in his Orlando, Fla., district who had been encouraged by his personal outreach were optimistic he would follow through on a range of commitments he had made vowing to uphold support for Israel.
Despite some initial concerns about his history of involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations as well as relationships with anti-Israel activists, Frost had circulated a lengthy Middle East position paper in consultation, in part, with a top pro-Israel group that largely assuaged lingering reservations among Jewish community leaders over the sincerity of his views.
In the paper as well as a candidate questionnaire solicited by Jewish Insider during his first primary, the young progressive organizer, describing himself as both “pro-Israel” and “pro-Palestinian,” voiced opposition to conditioning aid to Israel — arguing that the security threats facing the Jewish state are “far too grave” to enact such measures. In backing a two-state solution, he clarified that any agreement should require “the basic recognition that Israel has a right to exist” as well as “an end to the antisemitic rhetoric and positions of Hamas.” And if elected, he pledged to visit Israel — which he called “one of the United States’ most important allies and strategic partners.”
Now, almost midway into his second term, Jewish and pro-Israel leaders are expressing some buyer’s remorse as Frost, 28, has embraced positions that put him at odds with his past commitments, fueling frustration among those who had believed he would be a more dependable ally on key issues concerning Israel.
Frost, for his part, insists that the humanitarian conditions in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza have deteriorated so drastically during his tenure that he had no choice but to change his views, though that has not quelled discontent among his former allies.
“He has broken a lot of promises,” said one Jewish leader, echoing others who expressed dismay with Frost’s turn in Congress.
The most recent move to draw scrutiny from Jewish and pro-Israel leaders is a letter Frost signed urging the Trump administration to recognize a Palestinian state over growing concerns with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The letter, signed by several prominent House progressives and led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) — who plans to introduce a similar resolution — said such a state “will need to fully recognize Israel” and guarantee “the disarmament of and relinquishing of power by Hamas.” But pro-Israel activists broadly see the renewed effort as a misguided concession to Hamas amid the ongoing war — as the terror group seeks to leverage international outrage over Israel’s military conduct.
Democratic Majority for Israel, whose political arm had provided input on Frost’s position paper during his primary, took issue with his decision to join the letter. While the group felt sufficiently comfortable with Frost’s Middle East policy views when he first ran for Congress, opting not to intervene on behalf of a top primary rival who had won an endorsement from its super PAC, it has become dissatisfied with his approach as he has continued to stake out more adversarial stances toward Israel during his time in the House.
“We strongly support a two-state solution that ensures Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state with recognized borders and upholds the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and security in a viable state of their own,” Brian Romick, DMFI’s president, said in a statement to JI on Tuesday. “But unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state at this time — as the terrorist group Hamas still governs parts of Gaza and continues to hold Israeli hostages — would not advance peace. It will instead prolong the war by incentivizing Hamas to reject any ceasefire deal, and reward the terrorism we saw on Oct. 7 while making future acts of terror more likely.”
In addition to the letter — which followed a similar resolution he co-sponsored in 2023 during his first term — Frost in May joined legislation to place unprecedented new conditions on aid to Israel by withholding offensive weapons over its alleged violations of international law.
Last year, he also voted against a widely approved bill to provide supplemental aid to Israel six months after Hamas’ attacks. In a statement explaining his thinking at the time, Frost wrote that he was “only able to justify aid for defense, not offense, and this legislation did not allow me to separate the two,” as the war “has claimed the lives of countless innocent Palestinian civilians and brought us no closer to the return of innocent Israeli hostages held by Hamas.”
“For me, the North Star here is having a two-state solution, and everything, all the decisions we make, have to point to that,” Frost said, arguing that he has remained consistent in upholding his core beliefs on the conflict even as his positions on specific policies have changed since he launched his initial campaign for Congress. “The thing I have in mind is the safety and security of everybody, of Israel, of Palestinians — of everybody.”
Meanwhile, Frost has yet to fulfill his campaign vow to travel to Israel, and has declined invitations to do so while in Congress, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In an interview on Wednesday, Frost acknowledged that his approach has changed since he entered the House, attributing his new positions to his revulsion at Israel’s behavior in Gaza — which he described as “completely unacceptable” and “abhorrent” in light of the civilian death toll. “In terms of specific policy points, things have changed,” Frost told JI. “Things have changed a lot — and unfortunately, not for the better.”
“For me, the North Star here is having a two-state solution, and everything, all the decisions we make, have to point to that,” he added, arguing that he has remained consistent in upholding his core beliefs on the conflict even as his positions on specific policies have changed since he launched his initial campaign for Congress. “The thing I have in mind is the safety and security of everybody, of Israel, of Palestinians — of everybody.”
Even as he condemned Hamas and said the terror group should have no role in rebuilding postwar Gaza, Frost said the conflict has evolved into what he regards as a “war on innocent people,” resulting in “massive loss of innocent life” that has fueled his decision to speak up against the Israeli government and its ongoing military campaign.
In the Middle East position paper he wrote in his first primary, Frost had rejected placing additional conditions on aid to Israel because, he wrote at the time, it would “undermine Israel’s ability to defend itself against the very serious threats it faces.” But he explained on Wednesday he had also felt such measures were “already written into the law” and “we didn’t really need to go further” in enforcing it at the time.
Now, however, “I do believe that the law is being violated,” he told JI, clarifying his recent support for legislation that seeks to withhold transfers of offensive weapons to Israel. “Because of that, we have to look at the way that we are both complicit but also encouraging the current behavior of the Netanyahu government,” he said.
Unlike a handful of his far-left House colleagues who have accused Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza, Frost hesitated to use the term himself, calling it a “difficult” word because of its historical connection to the Holocaust. Still, he said he would not seek to discourage others from such charges. “I’m not going to sit here and defend what is going on right now in any way, shape or form,” he said. “I understand why people use that word. But when we see what’s going on, it’s hard to find the words for it.”
“There’s a lot of things to hold, but the main thing is, yes, there are many things that have changed,” he reiterated. “But for me, what has not changed is the main goal, which is making sure that everyone’s safe and everyone’s secure.”
Frost is hardly alone among Democratic lawmakers who in recent months have become more critical of Israel’s behavior, with even some of the staunchest supporters of the Jewish state struggling to defend the Israeli government as the humanitarian situation in Gaza has continued to worsen nearly two years into the war.
“It’s a radical shift,” one community activist told JI, voicing frustration with Frost’s positions, even as he described their ongoing conversations as “very open and honest.”
His vacillating stances also illustrate some of the cross-pressures facing progressive Democrats who are not completely aligned with the party’s far left on its hostility toward Israel. Pro-Israel Democrats have recently voiced their concerns that anti-Israel policies could become a litmus test for the left in the midterms, particularly amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s moves to occupy the enclave.
But Jewish community leaders in Frost’s district, who spoke on condition of anonymity to address what they characterize as an increasingly delicate relationship with the congressman, explained they are particularly disappointed with his evolution on Middle East policy, given their initial hopes that he would be among a dwindling number of progressive allies committed to defending Israel in the House.
“It’s a radical shift,” one community activist told JI, voicing frustration with Frost’s positions, even as he described their ongoing conversations as “very open and honest.”
The activist noted that Frost, who had been a prominent gun control advocate before he was elected to Congress, has “a good heart and doesn’t want to see people dying.” But “as a result,” he said, Frost has “a lot of blind spots” in his assessment of the conflict. The activist argued that Frost’s critique of Israel’s conduct in Gaza has ignored Hamas’ role in perpetuating the crisis as it refuses to surrender.
“At the end of the day, he very much comes from the ‘oppressor-oppressed’ worldview and sees Israel as the oppressor,” the activist said.
Frost, for his part, said his statements have been misconstrued by a wide range of critics across the spectrum, including pro-Palestinian activists who allege that he made separate commitments during his first primary bid that he has failed to uphold in Congress.
He stressed that he does not “do tit-for-tat stuff” while addressing the war. “Whenever I post about the hostages, I’ll have people sending me messages. ‘What about this?’ No,” he said. “Whenever I post about Palestinians, I’ll have people saying, ‘What about this?’ No, I will post about it all. I will talk about it all. I will say how I feel about everything.”
“I’m very firm in that, just coming from a place of, since I was 15 years old, being involved in the fight to end gun violence, and have grown up through a movement of death,” he told JI. “I just don’t think that’s the way to live as a human, quite frankly.”
“We’ve been disappointed that he has not met the commitments he gave to us,” one DMFI source told JI. “At the same time, we’re grateful that he has come to realize he made a mistake in at least one case, but members of Congress should think through their votes fully and discuss them with knowledgeable people before casting them.”
Even as Jewish and pro-Israel leaders say their relationships with Frost have worsened in recent months, frustration over his approach to Israel has been mounting since his first term, when he called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza just days after Hamas’ terror attacks. As a freshman, he also voted against a resolution condemning rising antisemitic activity on college campuses, but he later said that vote had been a mistake after meeting with Jewish students in his district.
While Frost had shown contrition for his vote on the resolution in November 2023, DMFI still expressed dissatisfaction with his initial decision at the time — alleging he had not performed proper due diligence beforehand. “We’ve been disappointed that he has not met the commitments he gave to us,” one DMFI source told JI not long after the vote.
“At the same time, we’re grateful that he has come to realize he made a mistake in at least one case, but members of Congress should think through their votes fully and discuss them with knowledgeable people before casting them,” the source stated.
A spokesperson for Frost told JI at the time that the congressman “is trying to hold multiple truths all at once” as he receives input from constituents pushing opposing interests.
“I’m very comfortable with the decisions I’ve made,” Frost said of his approach to Israel. “As I walk the streets of my district, as I speak with the people in my district, this is where I find most people are at. They’re not really at the extremes that I’ve heard from.”
Speaking with JI on Wednesday, Frost said he has appreciated his ongoing discussions with pro-Israel leaders in his district — even if they have not been aligned on major policy questions in recent months. “Hearing their perspective is really important,” he confirmed. “What I always tell people is I might not always come to the conclusion that you agree with,” he said, “but I hope you’ll always feel I’ve engaged in good faith.”
He suggested that Jewish community activists who have been irked by his approach to the Middle East have not fully reckoned with his belief that Israel’s military actions have damaged its reputation in the United States. “It’s palpable across the country, and I think a lot of this has to do with the decisions that are being made by Netanyahu,” he argued.
“I’m very comfortable with the decisions I’ve made,” Frost said of his approach to Israel. “As I walk the streets of my district, as I speak with the people in my district, this is where I find most people are at. They’re not really at the extremes that I’ve heard from.”
When he assumed office in 2023, Frost had sought guidance from pro-Israel Democrats including Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who enthusiastically backed his campaign, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), one person familiar with the matter told JI. But the congressman has since drifted away from the two lawmakers on Israel while staking out positions that have put him more in line with the far left.
More recently, Frost has built closer relationships with such leading Israel critics as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the source told JI, even if he has resisted identifying as an official member of the so-called Squad of progressive House Democrats.
Owing in part to his network in Congress, Jewish community leaders are doubtful Frost will change his views on Israel. “It may be the best that we can hope is that he doesn’t become an actual member of the Squad,” said one activist, while noting that Frost is “totally safe” in his deeply blue district as he seeks a third term next year.
Still, the activist said, “his refusal to actually go and see” Israel “first-hand is a problem,” particularly in light of his primary vow to visit the Jewish state as a congressman.
Frost, who acknowledged the commitment that he had made, said he hopes to see the region “at some point,” but added that it has “been difficult to figure out the timing.”
After the interview, Frost asked his spokesperson to clarify that he would “like to travel to the region at a point where he’d be able to visit both Israel and the Gaza Strip,” indicating a potential visit is unlikely to occur in the foreseeable future.