The five-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 was included into the hard-fought bill at Trump’s urging
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U.S. Capitol Building
Add JewishInsider on GoogleThe Senate on Tuesday advanced a major Russia sanctions package, negotiated and championed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) before his death, to which lawmakers added a provision extending longstanding sanctions on Iran, currently set to expire at the end of the year.
The addition of the five-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to the package is a relatively minor change to the hard-fought bill, which will extend a key piece of the U.S. economic pressure campaign on Iran and address President Donald Trump’s late-stage demands that threatened to upend a bipartisan agreement.
Lawmakers have been working for years on a bipartisan basis to extend the Iran sanctions past 2026 and they have been extended on a bipartisan basis in the past.
“We are proud to announce an agreement on legislation to stop purchasers of Russian oil and gas from fueling Putin’s war machine and to continue restricting the Iranian regime’s ability to support terrorism and build its nuclear program,” Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Darline Graham (R-SC), Katie Britt (R-AL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) said in a joint statement on Tuesday. “There is no greater way to honor Senator Graham’s legacy than to move forward with this bipartisan agreement, and we look forward to today’s vote.”
The bill advanced by an 86-12 procedural vote. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY) voted no.
Blumenthal, the lead Democrat on the bill, had initially reacted negatively to Trump’s efforts to include Iran sanctions, warning against further changes to the bill, which took months to negotiate.
The bill “was the result of painstaking, sometimes painful negotiation involving leadership here, the White House, the U.S. trade representative over many months. I personally would like to see it passed as is,” Blumenthal said earlier this month after Trump initially began pushing for changes. “There may be other provisions that are worthwhile which should be passed separately.”
Asked Tuesday about the decision to add the Iran sanctions provisions, Blumenthal told Jewish Insider, “Darline Graham asked us — asked me — to do it. And by the way, that Iran provision was in the bill as originally written, so restoring it was a pretty simple yes.”
Blumenthal also told reporters that, during a closed-door meeting with senators shortly before the vote, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the role that Ukrainian drone technology has been playing in assisting the U.S. with defending its bases from Iranian attacks.
Prominent House Democrats have raised concerns about the bill, which provides tariff authority to the administration to target importers of Russian oil, concerns shared by some of the bill’s Senate opponents, even as some of them expressed strong support for Ukraine. Critics worry that the bill would allow Trump to impose punishing tariffs on the U.S.’ European allies, but Democratic supporters insist that the authority is carefully tailored and limited.
Alexandria Paolozzi Moore, the senior director of government relations at FDD Action, said the extension is “a critical, bipartisan win. ISA is a foundational tool for countering Iran’s WMD proliferation, ballistic missile program, and support for terrorism.”
Latest reports indicate Ankara still possesses the Russian system that has prevented it from purchasing the F-35s; meanwhile, the White House is also advancing a $700 million sale of jet engines to Turkey
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a meeting with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that the administration is “confirming” Turkey has fulfilled its obligations under U.S. law in order to receive advanced F-35 fighter jets, which Ankara has long sought but has been barred from purchasing since 2020 after it acquired the S-400 air-defense system from Russia.
U.S. law requires the secretaries of state and defense to certify to Congress in writing, prior to any F-35 transfer, that Turkey no longer possesses the S-400 system and has provided credible assurances it will not acquire similar Russian air-defense systems. Latest reports indicate the S-400 system is inactive but still intact in Turkey, which would not fulfill the obligations required under law to lift the sanctions.
Asked in the Oval Office “what needs to happen for the F-35 deal to be finalized,” Vance said, “[Defense Secretary] Pete [Hegseth] and the entire team are reviewing this right now, because there are certain things that we have to certify have happened … in order to comply with American law. The president has asked us to do that. We’re running the traps and confirming that’s happened.”
Vance’s remarks were at odds with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments to the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this month, when he said Turkey was still prohibited from acquiring the F-35 jets until it resolved the S-400 issue in a way that complies with U.S. law. “We don’t have that choice because it’s governed by statute,” Rubio said. No certification proving otherwise has been submitted to Congress in the interim.
President Donald Trump, asked about whether he’s considering selling advanced jet engines or F-35s to Turkey, said while sitting next to Vance, “I think so. Look, [Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is] a member of NATO. Some people don’t consider him so, but he really is, he’s a strong member of NATO. Yeah, I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy.” Trump is slated to attend the NATO summit being held in Ankara next month.
The president made similar comments during Erdoğan’s visit to Washington in September, when Trump said he was likely to permit Turkey to purchase F-35s as soon as “the end of the day.”
Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration told him on Tuesday “it would once again bypass Congressional review” by allowing the Turkish military to purchase more than $700 million of U.S.-made F-110 jet engines. “The State Department did not even attempt to justify its decision,” Meeks said in his statement, adding that the administration failed to provide written rationale, brief Congress or invoke emergency authority in order to proceed with the sale.
The proposed engine sale would likely also face scrutiny under the sanctions and export-control restrictions imposed after Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 system
Trump credited Turkey’s “very strong military” and praised Erdoğan as “a very good person” in his remarks on Wednesday.
Trump has maintained close ties with the Turkish leader, even as Turkish-Israeli relations have soured. Last year, Erdoğan reportedly said during a mosque visit: “May Allah destroy Zionist Israel in his holy name.”
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that Erdoğan was “a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran — maybe on the Iran side, because he’s not a big fan of Israel,” adding, “I asked him to stay out. He stayed out.“
Plus, TX Dem gets the preemptive boot
Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council and Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, arrive for an announcement in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 (Photographer: John Lamparski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Today’s Daily Overtime was curated by JI U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
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Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a heated phone call on Tuesday where they discussed a potential peace deal with Iran that was drafted by Qatar, Pakistan and other mediators, Axios reports, with Netanyahu pushing for a return to war.
Responding to reports that Netanyahu favors continuing strikes, Trump said on Wednesday that the Israeli leader “will do whatever I want him to do”…
Trump said the U.S. and Iran are “right on the borderline” of either securing a deal or resuming the war, telling reporters the process “could go very quickly, or could be a few days.” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, meanwhile, threatened to strike “beyond the region” should military operations continue…
The Jewish Democratic Council of America announced a dual endorsement today of Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow in Michigan’s three-way Senate Democratic primary, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports, saying, “There are two candidates who stand with our community on issues of importance to Jewish voters, and there is one who does not.”
While JDCA CEO Halie Soifer acknowledged concerns that Stevens and McMorrow could end up splitting the more-moderate vote and inadvertently propelling the far-left Abdul El-Sayed to the nomination, she told JI the dual endorsement was meant to reflect JDCA’s broader assessment of the stakes of the race…
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin is backing a new buffer zone bill for schools that aims to avoid another veto from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, JI’s Will Bredderman reports; the revised legislation narrows the language to early childhood facilities and K-12 schools and carves out other educational facilities, addressing concerns from the mayor and other councilmembers…
A new poll from the independent Pan Atlantic Research firm found presumptive Maine Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner leading incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) 48-41% among likely voters. There was a stark educational divide: Platner led Collins by 20 points among those with a four-year college degree or higher, while the candidates were neck-and-neck among those without…
Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) vowed that if Maureen Galindo, the antisemitic conspiracy theorist running in the Democratic primary for Texas’ 35th District, is elected to Congress, “we will force a vote to expel her every single day we are here.”
All Jewish Democratic members of Congress also joined to condemn Galindo’s “vile, bigoted, and antisemitic views,” calling her “desperate and unhinged”…
Yesterday’s primary elections saw Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) secure the GOP nomination for retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) Senate seat, while in Georgia, former Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) and former football coach Derek Dooley will head to a runoff next month after neither received 50% in the race to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA)…
Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who represented the Boston area in Congress for more than three decades and was the first openly gay member of Congress, died on Tuesday, JI’s Gabby Deutch reports. He was 86.
In the final weeks of his life, Frank did a series of interviews to promote his forthcoming book, even as he anticipated not making it to the release date. In a May 8 interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Frank said he believed Democrats should reject far-left litmus tests, but said Israel policy is “180 degrees” different and that Democrats need to make clear their opposition to Netanyahu…
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.
In the video, Ben-Gvir waves a large Israeli flag over blindfolded activists kneeling on the ground and shouts, “Welcome to Israel, we are the masters.” Netanyahu said the way his Cabinet minister “dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms”…
James Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, is purchasing, through his media holding company Lupa Systems, New York magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network and Vox.com from Vox Media. Murdoch’s other business ventures include an investment firm, Bodhi Tree, founded in 2022 with $1.5 billion from the Qatar Investment Authority. His expanded holdings in American media mark a homecoming of sorts — his father owned New York magazine from 1977-1991…
⏩ 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 an interview with the two Republican candidates running for the University of Michigan Board of Regents, as they see an opening to pitch themselves to voters over Amir Makled, an anti-Israel Democratic nominee.
The Capital Jewish Museum in Washington will open to the public to mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting that killed Israeli Embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington will hold candidate forums with D.C. mayoral hopefuls Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie.
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Center-left think tank’s conference avoids the elephant in the room: Israel
The Center for American Progress hosted leading Democratic officials and featured several panels on foreign policy. Israel was barely discussed
FLOURISHING FRIENDSHIPS
Iran war is leading to stronger alliance between Israel, India and the UAE, experts say
The emerging partnership is being sharpened by a rival alliance between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
Plus, Trump's Paxton endorsement puts Texas in play
Noam Galai/Getty Images
Sen. James Lankford speaks during the 'March For Israel' at the National Mall on November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC.
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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
Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK) introduced the Jewish American Security Act today, a broad new effort to address antisemitism across multiple sectors of American society, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The bill — launched at a Jewish Federations of North America press conference on Capitol Hill — aims to combat antisemitism on campus and online, as well as streamline and provide $1 billion in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, and has broad support among Jewish community groups and across all major religious denominations.
William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told JI it was “deeply encouraging to see this bill come together with bipartisan, bicameral support at a time when that kind of consensus is all too rare”…
President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) ahead of the state’s heated GOP primary runoff next Tuesday, JI’s Emily Jacobs reports. Trump, who has repeatedly praised both candidates, claimed Cornyn “is a good man … but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.”
If Paxton wins the May 26 runoff, Democrats plan to invest millions behind their nominee, state Rep. James Talarico, who is trying to become the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Texas since 1988. General election polling indicates that a matchup between Talarico and Paxton — who carries significant legal and ethical baggage — would be highly competitive…
Activist Maureen Galindo, a candidate for the Democratic nomination in Texas’ 35th Congressional District who has continuously trafficked in antisemitic conspiracy theories, pledged in an Instagram post last week to turn an immigrant detention center in south Texas into a “prison for American Zionists.” “It will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles which will probably be most of the Zionists,” she continued.
Jewish and Democratic groups, including Democratic Majority for Israel, are backing Galindo’s opponent, Bexar County sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia. In a statement about Galindo’s comments, DMFI accused Republicans of funding her campaign and “deliberately elevating one of the most grotesque antisemites in America”…
Trump blasted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) for sending a campaign text to voters, as election day is underway in Kentucky, with a statement from Trump endorsing Massie — from 2022. Trump has endorsed Massie’s opponent, Ed Gallrein, in today’s Republican primary.
“Horrible Congressman Thomas Massie put out an old Endorsement, from many years ago, of him by me long before I found out that he was the Worst Congressman in the History of our Country,” Trump wrote on X — his first post on the platform in months…
New polling from the campaign of Navy veteran Rebecca Bennett shows her with a 20-point lead in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, the seat held by Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) — who is drawing increasing scrutiny for his monthslong unexplained absence from Congress. Bennett, who is leading the pack in fundraising, polled at 35% among likely primary voters, while Tina Shah came in second at 15%…
After abruptly scrapping a strike on Iran planned for today, Trump gave a vague timeline for renewed diplomacy, saying Tehran has only “a limited period of time” to return to the negotiating table. “Two or three days. Maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Maybe early next week,” he told reporters today.
Hours after calling off the strike yesterday evening, Trump met with his national security team to discuss military options in Iran, Axios reports, suggesting resumed strikes are still on the table…
Speaking at the No Money for Terror Conference in Paris, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on U.S. allies to “step up” and join Washington in taking aggressive economic action against Iran and its broader terrorism financing networks, JI’s Matthew Shea reports.
Bessent’s comments came as the Treasury Department announced sanctions against four individuals associated with the pro-Hamas flotilla traveling towards Gaza, as well as a suite of sanctions against Iranian shadow banking operations and 19 regime-linked vessels…
The Emirati Defense Ministry said that drone attacks that caused a fire at the UAE’s nuclear power plant over the weekend were launched from Iraqi territory, where several Iran-backed militias are based…
Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, told members of the House Armed Services Committee that reports that Iran had managed to reconstitute many of its drone and missile sites struck during U.S. operations were inaccurate…
Twenty-five Republican senators led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote a letter to Trump urging him to “fully dismantle” the U.N. Relief and Works Agency and remove it from the U.N. budget, citing the agency’s “systemic infiltration by Hamas and other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations”…
The Oklahoman, a local daily newspaper, pulled down an opinion article published on Monday comparing the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team to Israel — an “underdog that has become hated.” The article, written by a pro-Israel Jewish Oklahoman, was “mistakenly published,” the paper’s executive editor said, and “did not align with our opinion standards”…
⏩ 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 readout from the Center for American Progress’ IDEAS Conference, where more than a dozen Democrats, several with national ambitions, shared their policy visions today in Washington.
The Jewish Federations of North America, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Combat Antisemitism Movement and Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History will host a breakfast with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, with a keynote speech from Sam Salz, believed to be the first and only Orthodox Jew to play Division I college football.
The Senate will begin consideration on the reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement, as well as security for the new White House ballroom, during which Senate Democrats could force votes on a range of issues, including the war in Iran.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a budget hearing on State Department-adjacent entities, with testimony from former lawmaker and diplomat Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), National Endowment for Democracy President Damon Wilson and Inter-American Foundation CEO Sara Aviel.
The House Committee on Education & Workforce will hold a hearing on antisemitism in healthcare settings. Witnesses will include Deena Margolies, an attorney from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law; Jamie Beran, CEO of the progressive Jewish organization Bend the Arc; Eveline Shekhman, CEO of the American Jewish Medical Association; and Dr. Jacob Agronin from Temple University Hospital.
Sarah Rogers, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, will speak at the Hudson Institute about the U.S.’ public diplomacy strategy abroad, with opening remarks from Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
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PROBLEMATIC PLATFORMING
Nevada GOP candidate Marty O’Donnell hosted neo-Nazi influencer on podcast
In August 2025, O’Donnell hosted a popular far-right influencer best known by his online pseudonym ‘Raw Egg Nationalist’ on his podcast for a friendly discussion
MICHIGAN MIDDLE GROUND
McMorrow walks the line on Israel, floats Iron Dome for Palestinians
In an interview with leftist podcasters Matt Bernstein and Emma Vigeland, the Michigan Senate candidate backed Israel’s access to Iron Dome systems, suggested Palestinians should also have them
Plus, Massie's antisemitic closing message
Daniel Torok/The White House via Getty Images
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) sit in the Situation Room as they monitor the mission that took out three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, at the White House on June 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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 that, at the request of Qatari, Saudi and Emirati leaders, he was calling off an attack on Iran he said was planned for tomorrow, after the heads of state assured him Iran would agree to a deal that “will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!”
Trump said he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine to “be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached”…
A new New York Times/Siena poll found 35% of respondents said they sympathize more with Israelis, while 37% said they sympathize more with Palestinians. There was a stark partisan divide: Among Republicans, 66% said they sympathize more with Israelis, while just 17% of Democrats said the same.
Meanwhile, the poll found nearly two-thirds of respondents overall said they disapprove of the Iran war, including 91% of Democrats and 23% of Republicans. Eighty-one percent of Democrats said the costs of the Iran war would not be worth the benefits; 50% of Republicans said they thought it would be worth it, but 32% were unsure…
Several New York City Jewish leaders — including JCRC CEO Mark Treyger, the UJA-Federation of New York and Rabbi Joseph Potasanik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis — plan to skip Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Shavuot event taking place this evening at Gracie Mansion, the New York Post reports, after the mayor released a video on Friday for “Nakba Day” that sparked outrage among the Jewish community.
Asked about the backlash, Mamdani claimed his “door is always open” for Jewish leaders “beyond just this evening’s event,” while doubling down on his decision to post the video, saying he was “proud to commemorate Nakba Day” because there are “many Nakba survivors in New York City”…
Two dozen Jewish lawmakers and candidates from both parties shared with Axios a stream of antisemitic voicemails and messages they’ve received, including repeated death threats and praise of Nazis. “It’s no longer a Republican and a Democrat [issue],” said Rep. Max Miller (R-OH). “Both ends of our parties are wackadoos who hate Jews”…
Ahead of tomorrow’s primary elections in Kentucky, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is going out with an antisemitic bang: He accused his opponent, Trump-backed Navy veteran Ed Gallrein, of being the “puppet” of the Republican Jewish Coalition, which has spent nearly $4 million opposing Massie. The congressman further claimed “a coalition of Israel’s lobbyists and donors” is executing a “blatant attempt to buy a KY congressional seat” and that the RJC is “running [Gallrein’s] race.”
Gallrein, meanwhile, got a boost from Hegseth, who appeared today in Hebron, Ky., to urge voters to turn out for the GOP challenger. Hegseth — who claimed he was there in his personal capacity, as his appearance broke a longstanding tradition of defense secretaries who typically avoid engaging in electoral politics — praised Gallrein as a military leader who would remain loyal to Trump…
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) in her runoff for U.S. Senate, after she finished in first place in the Louisiana primary held over the weekend, ousting Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Letlow, who is already endorsed by Trump, is expected to prevail over state Treasurer John Fleming…
A man named Zaid Gitesatani was arrested today on a hate crime charge for assaulting a Jewish man in June 2024 in the heavily Orthodox Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles, as the victim was walking his dog near a synagogue that was hosting an Israeli real estate event.
In the days following the assault, Gitesatani posted screenshots of a video of the incident to his Instagram account with the caption, “The Chosen People sometimes need a good smack to wake up” and claimed he “whopped 2 zios,” among other comments, according to the Justice Department…
The three leading Democratic candidates in the race for executive of Montgomery County, Md., — Councilmembers Andrew Friedson, Evan Glass and Will Jawando — pledged to address the rise of antisemitism within the local school system in a discussion today with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Jawando, the most progressive Democrat in the race, said, “I am disappointed that MCPS has not accepted” the training recommended by the JCRC earlier this month. “I will continue to urge them to do so”…
Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and prospective 2028 presidential candidate, is slated to discuss the future of U.S.-Israel relations at Tel Aviv University on July 8, according to an announcement from the school today, JI’s Matthew Kassel reports…
Israeli-founded AI startup Decart raised $300 million at a nearly $4 billion valuation for software that helps AI companies switch more easily between chips from Nvidia, which invested in the company, and its rivals…
Police said they “neutralized” a threat during an active shooter situation today at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in the county. Local news reported two suspects are dead, and the mosque’s chairman said a security guard had been killed…
⏩ 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 preview of tomorrow’s primaries in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper will testify before the House Armed Services Committee.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a budget hearing on the Department of Justice.
The Jewish Federations of North America will hold a press conference on the Hill with House and Senate lawmakers and hundreds of community leaders on the need for increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
The Center for American Progress will hold its 2026 IDEAS Conference in Washington with speakers including Govs. Gavin Newsom, Wes Moore, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and columnist Ezra Klein.
The Middle East Forum will begin its three-day policy conference in Washington, with keynote speeches from White House official Seb Gorka, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Deputy Special Presidential Envoy Morgan Ortagus.
The Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in Manhattan will hold its spring benefit where it will honor Amb. Deborah Lipstadt, the former State Department antisemitism envoy, with its Light of Freedom Award, and synagogue lay leader and attorney Ira Bogner with its Shem Tov Award.
Tomorrow is Jewish Community Day at Nationals Park in Washington as the team faces off against the New York Mets.
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DSA’s ascent tests Democratic Party’s ideological boundaries
If elected mayor of Washington, D.C., Janeese Lewis George’s victory would hand a major win to Washington’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter
CAMPAIGN COMPANY
Claire Valdez sat for interview with Twitch streamer who called Jews ‘demonic ethnicity’
The far-left congressional candidate also liked a post celebrating Oct. 7 shortly after the attacks
Plus, Vance vouches for Susan Collins
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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.
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During their meeting today in Beijing, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the issue of Iran, where the Chinese leader “did offer, he said, ‘if I can be of any help at all I would like to be of help,’” Trump recalled to Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “Anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of a relationship with them,” Trump added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News about the discussion that the “Chinese side is not in favor of militarizing the Strait of Hormuz and they’re not in favor of a tolling system,” which are positions the Trump administration shares…
At a meeting of foreign ministers of the BRICS bloc in India today, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the UAE of “direct involvement” in military operations against Iran; Araghchi later met on the sidelines with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov…
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper testified at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran has severely degraded its capabilities across a variety of fronts, to the extent that it will take years to reconstitute, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Cooper said that 90% of Iran’s defense industrial base has been destroyed and that support to key Iranian proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis has been “completely cut off.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the U.S. believes Iran has run out of storage capacity for its crude oil and will need to cut off oil production, a key marker that may put more pressure on the regime to agree to a deal…
Saudi Arabia has begun to consider promoting a nonaggression pact between Middle East countries and Iran once the war ends, according to the Financial Times, fearing that the conflict will leave Iran weaker but more hardline and conflict-prone. Several European countries are reportedly supporting the effort…
The House unanimously passed a resolution yesterday evening recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month and calling on elected officials to combat antisemitism…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said they will initiate a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times over Nicholas Kristof’s column earlier this week alleging widespread Israeli sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners, which critics said used dubious sourcing and elevated conspiracy theories…
The Times looks under the hood of the campaign of Jack Schlossberg, running in New York’s 12th District Democratic primary, which sources described as “so erratic and plagued by turnover that it raises questions about how he might handle himself as a member of Congress”…
Vice President JD Vance, speaking at a rally in Maine, praised Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) — despite her strained relationship with the president — as she heads to a competitive general election against presumptive Democratic nominee Graham Platner.
“Sometimes I get frustrated with Susan Collins, I almost wish that she was more partisan,” Vance said. “But the thing I love about Susan is she is independent, because Maine is an independent state. And frankly, if she was as partisan as I sometimes wish that she was, she would not be a good fit for the people of Maine”…
The United Federation of Teachers endorsed Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in his competitive primary race against former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander next month; Goldman has been racking up labor support ahead of the June 23 primary against the progressive Lander, who is endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani…
Tune Inn, the D.C. bar where William Paul, son of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), accosted Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) with an antisemitic rant, announced that the younger Paul would be barred from the establishment going forward. The elder Paul hasn’t made any statement on the confrontation…
A flag with two swastikas and a Star of David was flown atop a building at New York University during a popular graduation event yesterday, reportedly appearing on top of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, named for Jewish benefactors Michael and Judy Steinhardt. The flag was quickly removed and police say an investigation is underway…
⏩ 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 emerging bloc of Sunni countries uniting against Israel’s allies, potentially complicating the Jewish state’s regional strategy.
The White House will host a reception with Jewish leaders tomorrow evening to kick off Shabbat 250, an initiative announced by President Donald Trump in his proclamation marking Jewish American Heritage Month where he encouraged Jewish Americans to “observe a national Sabbath” to celebrate the approaching Semiquincentennial of the United States.
Several Jewish organizations and institutions will also be marking the day with special events, including a Shabbat 250 dinner being held in Washington by the Combat Antisemitism Movement and American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will speak at Friday evening Shabbat services at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.
The Lennart Meri Conference, an annual foreign policy and security summit in Estonia, begins tomorrow. Speakers include several foreign leaders, former Israeli National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata and Israeli Russian researcher and former hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is kicking off an international tour tomorrow with a visit to the UAE, later heading to several European countries.
We’ll be back with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat Shalom!
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The sister, niece and brother-in-law of Maoist magnate Neville ‘Roy’ Singham have gained influence in New York’s ascendant socialist movement
John Lamparski/Getty Images
Then-New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during the Jews For Racial And Economic Justice's Mazals Gala on September 10, 2025 in New York City.
Relatives of a Shanghai-based software magnate devoted to promoting Chinese, Iranian and Russian interests are operating inside the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, supporting Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s preferred candidates for Congress and playing significant roles in shaping and advancing key elements of his agenda, Jewish Insider has found.
Onstage with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) last September, Mamdani credited one of his signature campaign promises to the political director of the far-left nonprofit Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.
“The idea of making buses fast and free was not my idea,” the video posted to JFREJ’s Instagram account shows the then-Democratic nominee announcing. “It was an idea I had given to me in a meeting with another New Yorker who was passionate about transit, Alicia Singham Goodwin.”
The name prompted applause from the crowd at Brooklyn College, and the mayor quickly added that he and his team had solicited Singham Goodwin’s input. What he did not mention was that just months earlier, the New York Post had identified Singham Goodwin — who spearheaded “Jews for Zohran,” an independent canvassing initiative targeting Jewish New Yorkers — as the niece of Maoist financier Neville “Roy” Singham, who has poured the fortune from the sale of his software firm, Thoughtworks, into undermining the interests of the U.S., Israel and Ukraine.
Besides running Jews for Zohran, Singham Goodwin bundled thousands of dollars in contributions for Mamdani’s campaign, including $1,000 each from her father, Daniel Goodwin, and from her mother, Shanti Singham, an academic and sister of the far-left financier.
Mamdani’s team did not respond to repeated questions about his relationship with Singham Goodwin and his reasons for consulting her as a candidate. No member of the Singham-Goodwin family replied to JI’s inquiries regarding their personal, political and financial relationships with Roy Singham, their interactions with Mamdani or their status and influence in NYC-DSA.
Business ties further link the New York-based clan to Singham, whose network of propaganda- and protest-spreading nonprofits was the subject of a recent congressional hearing: Records show that Daniel Goodwin served as Thoughtworks’ CFO and general counsel. Meanwhile, the Singham siblings have also long been politically aligned, having joined their names to the same petitions and collaborated with the same “third-worldist” scholars.
They also share a relationship with Chinese government interests. The New York Times found Neville Singham had collaborated with the country’s propaganda apparatus, while Shanti Singham holds a post at the state-controlled East China Normal University — which hails her instruction on “Pan-Africanism, Marxism and Socialism” and its “profound impact on Chinese academia” — and she has advocated for the Beijing-backed Confucius Institutes across Africa.
Singham Goodwin, meanwhile, posed for photos at a 2022 protest with her uncle’s wife, Jodie Evans, co-founder of far-left outfit CODE PINK, which the Times identified as part of her husband’s global influence operation.
Days after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, Singham Goodwin and Mamdani, then a member of the state Assembly, were among a raft of activists arrested for protesting outside the Brooklyn home of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) over his support for Israel. A few months later, she took a photo with the future mayor at a 5K fundraiser for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Meanwhile, records show how Singham Goodwin and her parents have worked behind the scenes to advance leftist causes in New York City. Materials from NYC-DSA meetings show the trio, all members, have collaborated on resolutions shaping the group’s practices and policies, including its candidate endorsement process.
Joining the family on this last initiative was Mamdani. Singham Goodwin and Mamdani also collaborated in shaping NYC-DSA’s Socialists in Office Committee, a key instrument of its influence, through which its supported candidates agree to take direction on legislation and votes. The future mayor was an early and abiding participant of the committee during his time as a state lawmaker.
NYC-DSA did not respond to repeated queries about the family’s membership and leadership roles in the organization.
But materials reviewed by JI show that Singham Goodwin and her parents’ efforts on Mamdani’s behalf did not end with his victory last November. One week after the mayor’s January swearing-in, Singham Goodwin helped lead a DSA call with current state legislators in the Socialists in Office program on developing a “pressure campaign” to secure needed approval from the state Senate and Assembly for the mayor’s proposal to raise taxes on high-earners to finance social programs.
“We need to understand how Albany works in order to know how to push the players in Albany to get what we want,” Singham Goodwin says on a recording of the call obtained by JI. “We have to figure out what tactics we believe are going to effectively get them to do what we want.”
More recently, the Singham-Goodwin clan has been involved in the campaign of former city Comptroller Brad Lander, Mamdani’s endorsed candidate against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). Singham Goodwin is featured in multiple photos Lander has shared on social media of his canvassing team, while her parents have both donated to his campaign.
Federal Election Commission filings also show Shanti Singham and her husband have given money to Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, the mayor’s endorsed candidate to succeed Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) in Congress.
Neither the Valdez nor Lander campaigns responded to questions for this story.
Rep. Joe Wilson: ‘My personal point of view is that both of these [countries] are actually part of the axis of evil’
Bonnie Cash/Getty Images
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) looks on during a hearing to examine war crimes from Syria to Ukraine at the U.S. Capitol on July 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Some Republican lawmakers said on Thursday that they’re hesitant about President Donald Trump’s decision to invite Russia and China to be part of the Board of Peace that is set to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
The administration formally announced the board’s membership on Thursday, consisting largely of countries from the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, with several major European allies declining to participate. China and Russia have also not, to this point, accepted their invitations.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) told Jewish Insider of Russia and China,“I would not have included either of those countries. I wouldn’t have included Belarus either. Belarus is an illegitimate government. It was installed illegitimately by war criminal [Vladimir] Putin.”
Wilson said he views Russia and China as “part of the axis of evil.” He continued, “The axis of evil is easy: it’s Iran, which finances Hamas, and war criminal Putin and the Chinese Communist Party. I do not see them [Russia and China] as [capable of serving as] independent law enforcement, and so it needs to be looked at, in my view.”
Wilson went on to say that, “We are in a conflict we didn’t choose, and that is of dictatorships with rule of gun invading democracies with rule of law. It began on Feb. 24, 2022, with the invasion of Ukraine, and then Oct. 7, the invasion by — I won’t use the word proxies — Iranian puppets, to invade Israel. It’s very important that we show peace through strength to defend the people of Taiwan.”
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said of inviting China and Russia to join the board, “I don’t know what that brings.”
“I am concerned that they’re a malign influence no matter what they do. And the Middle East, Russia has always been trying to do more. I think their credibility is largely squandered with their invasion of Ukraine,” he continued.
He said the leaders of both China and Russia should face trial for crimes against humanity.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said that it made sense to invite the two U.S. adversaries but that they should not have much of a substantive role.
“To exclude them from participation would be inappropriate; to include them in any real positive influence — neither one of them contributes money, neither one of them contributes an expertise in democracy,” Issa said. “I don’t mind them being included, but I think we have to be realistic. They both lack either the generosity or the expertise necessary to create a different world for the Palestinians in their future government.”
He said that other non-democracies, such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, are more valuable partners given their potential willingness to contribute financially to the reconstruction of Gaza.
“And if I want others, I want them because they’re willing to demand that there be real representation and real recognition of the international rules that most of our nations live under, Russia and China not being among them,” Issa continued.
Though originally conceived to address the situation in Gaza, Trump has floated the idea that the Board of Peace will pursue a broader agenda, as a potential alternative or replacement for the United Nations, to address other global conflicts, an issue that has prevented some European allies from joining.
Republicans indicated that they’re open to that idea, citing the U.N.’s long-standing anti-Israel bias.
“I think the people of Israel would welcome an alternative to the United Nations that represented free people and democracy in a way that the United Nation skirts,” Issa said. “Israel has been the whipping boy and the piñata of the U.N. for a very long time. And so, you know, finding a group of [countries] willing and more independent and more willing to work for the greater good” could have value.
But, he added, countries like Russia and China do not need to be involved “unless they’re going to have an active and positive role,” of which he has seen no indication.
Smith, a longtime critic of anti-Israel bias at the U.N., said the body “has no credibility. The U.N. Human Rights Council doesn’t, the U.N. itself. Just like UNRWA has no credibility, ever, I feel the same way about this.”
“I think our leadership, as a country, hopefully, can make the difference,” he continued.
Wilson said he believes the board’s mission will remain focused on Gaza.
In an interview with JI, János Bóka, Hungary’s minister for EU affairs, says the allegation that Orbán is antisemitic is ‘wrong’ and ‘a misunderstanding of what he does.’
Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs Janos Boka talks to media prior to the start of an EU General Affairs Ministers Council in the Europa building, the EU Council headquarter on July 18, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium.
In the last decade and a half, Hungary has gained a reputation as the most conservative European nation, a distinction happily touted by the country’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who has been in office since 2010.
In building that reputation, Orbán has courted controversy — with inflammatory comments about racial minorities and the LGBTQ community, by taking measures that critics say erode the country’s democracy and by adopting a more pro-Russia stance than most of the rest of the European Union. His hard-line policies are part of why Orbán and President Donald Trump have been able to cultivate a close relationship, with the U.S. and Hungary now far more aligned than they were during the Biden administration.
“That’s an understatement,” János Bóka, Hungary’s minister for EU affairs, told Jewish Insider with a laugh during a visit to Washington last week.
But if Trump has taken a page from Orbán’s conservative governing playbook, bringing the two countries closer together, Bóka said there is one political trend playing out among American conservatives that he hopes Hungary avoids: the rise of antisemitism on the political right.
“I am aware of the discussion that you are now having in the States on the reviving of antisemitism on the right. One of the added values of my trip in the U.S. is that I can study this firsthand and can discuss this with people so I have a better understanding,” Bóka said. “This phenomenon is something that is very difficult for me to understand, because at least in Hungary and in most parts of Europe, it doesn’t have a parallel, or at least not yet.”
That’s because Bóka says Hungary has all but eliminated right-wing antisemitism and the lingering vestiges of Nazi ideology, or at the very least that the country has made it “politically irrelevant.”
“I cannot pretend the 20th century did not happen,” said Bóka, who as of May also serves as Hungary’s special commissioner tasked with fighting antisemitism. But, he added, “this government has basically expelled political antisemitism from the political discourse.”
The situation in Hungary is more complicated than Bóka let on. Orbán has faced criticism from Jewish organizations for years over his targeting of Hungarian Holocaust survivor and financier George Soros, with the Anti-Defamation League writing in 2018 that the Hungarian campaign against Soros is “chilling.” Deborah Lipstadt, the Holocaust historian who served as the State Department’s antisemitism envoy during the Biden administration, said in 2022 that Orbán’s rhetoric warning against racial mixing “clearly evokes Nazi racial ideology.”
Bóka, who was in Washington to meet with American Jewish communal leaders, said Hungary has adopted a “zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism,” and said the allegation that Orbán is antisemitic is “wrong” and “a misunderstanding of what he does.”
Similar to Trump, Budapest has adopted the stated goal of combating antisemitism, even if its approach is controversial and targeted toward one particular political ideology. And like Trump, Bóka views the fight against antisemitism as tied to the country’s broader efforts to limit migration.
“We see some elements coming from the far left and as a part of a European network that is becoming more active and vocal in Hungary as well in the past few months. But I think this is very limited,” said Bóka. “We haven’t seen violent incidents that are in any way similar to what we see in some Western European cities because of the strict migration policy we have in place. And also because of the zero tolerance policy on antisemitism, we don’t see radical Islamism as a political factor in Hungary.”
Because his job description includes Hungary’s relationship with the EU, Bóka sees his purview as broader than just antisemitism in Hungary. He called it a “European challenge” that must be addressed together. “Antisemitism exists in all EU member states, including Hungary,” Bóka acknowledged. He thinks he — and Hungary — have something to offer other European nations as they seek to combat antisemitism.
His first lesson to them is about Israel: If you are serious about fighting antisemitism, Bóka argues, attacking Israel’s actions in Gaza in EU forums will undermine that goal. Israel has leaned heavily on Orbán as a pro-Israel bulwark in the EU. Hungary announced earlier this year that it would leave the International Criminal Court to protest its treatment of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an arrest warrant from the body.
Jewish communities “will never believe that you are credible, that you have a real political commitment for fighting antisemitism, if at the same time you send very mixed messages as far as your relationship with the State of Israel is concerned,” said Bóka. “If you start speaking the language of isolation, sanctions and so forth, then you will lose the opportunity to cooperate with the State of Israel on fighting antisemitism in Europe, which is indispensable.”
During his time in Washington, Bóka met with Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. antisemitism special envoy. Kaploun had his Senate confirmation hearing last week but has not yet been confirmed. Bóka also met in New York with Jeff Bartos, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for management and reform. He said he is “convinced” that the U.S. and Hungary can collaborate on fighting antisemitism.
“I believe that we have a very similar strategic view on objectives and the ways and means to get there,” said Bóka. “I think there’s a lot of openness on both sides to cooperate.”
The developments come on the heels of a $25 billion deal between Iran and Russia
Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with First Vice President of Iran Mohammad Reza Aref (C) during the meeting with prime ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries at the Kremlin, on November 18, 2025 in Moscow, Russia.
A series of recent events and revelations has raised concerns that Iran could be working to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program damaged during the 12-day war with Israel and the U.S., and that Russia could be playing a role in aiding the effort.
Iran withdrew last week from an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to allow the watchdog to inspect its nuclear sites, just after the U.N. agency’s board of governors passed a resolution calling on Iran to provide more complete information about its nuclear sites and remaining stock of enriched uranium. The resolution came as the IAEA’s chief, Rafael Grossi, said that there were indications of activity at some Iranian nuclear sites.
Also last week, the Financial Times reported that Iranian scientists and nuclear experts visited Russian military research institutes a second time last year. The trip was organized by a front group for Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, which is behind the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons research. The extent of cooperation between the countries, however, is still unknown.
Those developments come on the heels of a $25 billion deal between Russia and Iran, finalized in September, for the former to build nuclear power plants for the latter.
Jonathan Ruhe, fellow for American strategy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told Jewish Insider that the FT’s reporting fits with Western intelligence findings from before the Israeli and American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites that the Islamic Republic was trying to reduce the time it would take to turn its enriched uranium into a bomb.
“These activities focused on simulating a nuclear explosion, without actually detonating a test device. Israel’s growing urgency about Iran’s progress contributed to its decision to launch the 12-day war when it did,” he said.
Arkady Mil-Man, head of the Russia program at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, told JI that there is “no doubt Iran is trying to rehabilitate its capabilities – nuclear and missile – and Russia is its strategic partner.”
Earlier this month, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russia President Vladimir Putin, a Kremlin readout of the phone call said they discussed “the state of affairs surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.”
Cooperation between Iran and Russia should be of great concern to Israel, Mil-Man said, and expressed hope that Netanyahu said as much to Putin. “It’s an existential threat. Russia is cooperating with Israel’s No. 1 enemy,” Mil-Man said.
Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the nonproliferation and biodefense program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI that “Russia has traditionally limited its assistance on Iran’s nuclear weapons program to applications that have plausible civilian uses, but which can also assist a nuclear weapons program.”
However, she added that “with Tehran’s help during the Ukraine war, it is possible that the Russians are willing to aid in ways that directly help on weaponizing or constructing nuclear devices.”
JINSA’s Ruhe said the Russian visits “suggest an openness to aiding Iran’s weaponization,” and also suggested that Putin’s position may have shifted due to Iran’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war. In addition, he said that in Putin’s view, “the more he could help Iran pull America’s focus away from Europe, perhaps all the better.”
The Financial Times report did not include specific enough information to know whether the meeting would help Iran with nuclear testing, but Stricker said that media exposure “will help deter Moscow from contemplating more aggressive help for the Tehran regime’s efforts to rebuild or reconstitute the program.”
Sophie Kobzantsev, a research fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, told JI that the partnership between Iran and Russia has its limits. (Lahav Harkov is a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute.)
“Russia always played a double game with Iran,” she said. “They gave them technology, weapons, air defense systems. In the nuclear area, they helped, but Russia was always part of the international organizations that inspected Iran’s nuclear program.”
“Russia wants Iran to be in a situation that it can control. … Putin understands nuclear deterrence, but he does not want things to get out of control. He doesn’t want the regime or the economy to collapse. He needs Iran to be stable enough to be managed,” she added.
Russia’s general approach to Iran’s nuclear program, Ruhe said, “has been to enrich Moscow and give it leverage, without moving Iran closer to a bomb.”
As such, Russia played a role in building Iran’s reactor in Bushehr, worked on nuclear energy and research with Iran and now seeks to build nuclear power plants.
Iran is increasingly isolated due to the snapback of U.N. sanctions earlier this year, and Putin has indicated that he will try to leverage that isolation, with Russia calling the sanctions invalid, Ruhe said.
Iran doesn’t have many choices other than Russia to help it on the nuclear front, but Russia is motivated by seeking a greater foothold in the Middle East, Kobzantsev explained.
“Russia lost on two major fronts. They were mostly kicked out of Syria, and Iran and Hezbollah [were weakened],” she explained. “The American foothold in the Middle East can be seen everywhere; the Gaza plan, strengthening Iran’s rivals in the Gulf. Russia is mostly absent from the region.”
Washington also recently took steps to strengthen its ties in Central Asia, what was once a major Russian sphere of influence, including negotiating peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and recent trade agreements with Kazakhstan.
“Iran sits on both of those points, and a significant foothold there would be important for Russia to rebuild its influence in the Middle East and create a counter to the U.S.,” Kobzantsev said.
To mark the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, the Jewish Insider team asked leading thinkers and practitioners to reflect on how that day has changed the world. Here, we look at how Oct. 7 changed Israel’s relations with the world
NEW YORK — October 13, 2023: The Israeli flag flies outside the United Nations following Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
The parade was an example of how Beijing has used WWII not only to encourage nationalism, but to project power internationally, from Jerusalem to Taipei and beyond
Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Russia's President Vladimir Putin walks with China's President Xi Jinping and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025.
China showcased its growing aggressiveness on the world stage in a major military parade on Wednesday, showing off missiles and fighter jets to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in attendance.
The parade was an example of how Beijing has used WWII not only to encourage nationalism, but to project power internationally, from Jerusalem to Taipei and beyond.
President Donald Trump pushed back against the spectacle in Beijing, writing on Truth Social that Chinese leader Xi Jinping ought to “mention the massive amount of support and ‘blood’ that the United States of America gave to China in order to help it secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader. Many Americans died in China’s quest for Victory and Glory. I hope that they are rightfully Honored and Remembered for their Bravery and Sacrifice! …Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against The United States of America.”
The parade came shortly after China hosted a summit with Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Eurasian leaders, deepening ties among major powers not aligned with the West. The attendees issued a communique last week strongly condemning “the military aggression launched by Israel and the United States against Iran” in June.
China has also used World War II and Holocaust terminology in recent weeks as it continues its hostility against Israel, calling Israel’s war a “genocide,” even as the Chinese Embassy in Israel held an event highlighting Beijing’s positioning with the Allies in World War II.
The recent statements reflect a broader double game China has played in its relations toward Israel, consistently showing hostility to Israel on the international stage since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks, while within Israel, the Chinese ambassador has pursued a friendlier posture.
Last month, Beijing, in a statement from the Chinese Communist Party’s Information Office, accused the U.S. of “serving as an accomplice to the genocide in Gaza.” The statement, Tuvia Gering, a fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said, marked the first time an official Chinese document accused Israel of genocide.
Gering told Jewish Insider that “you see the word [genocide] being used more and more by Chinese academics, and they are the ones who help formulate China’s Middle East policy … In recent months, I have been seeing it used much more frequently, as well as other accusations against Israel and Jewish people.”
“From the beginning of the war, there have been comparisons between the Jewish state and Japanese imperialists,” Gering said. “From the Chinese perspective, [Japan] did some of the most terrible things, like what the Nazis did to us. That vile, inhumane violence is ingrained in every child in China’s psyche from a young age.”
The Chinese consul-general in Osaka, Japan, has published posts on X over the course of the Gaza war comparing Israel to Nazis and “a demon … that will even devour a baby,” and saying “we must get rid of it once and for all.” Beijing has not apologized for the diplomat’s statements.
That being said, Gering posited that the use of the word “genocide” was unlikely to reflect a policy shift by Beijing “because of the sensitivity to how the word is being used against China” in relation to its Uyghur minority.
The genocide accusation came in response to the State Department’s report on human rights practices in China in 2024, which opened by stating that “Genocide and crimes against humanity occurred … in China against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs.”
As such, Gering said the use of “genocide” in an official document is primarily meant to target the U.S.
Similarly, Carice Witte, founder of SIGNAL Group, a think tank focused on China-Israel relations, told JI that the statement is an example of Beijing “using Israel as a tool.”
To China, she said, “the Middle East and Israel are much more about great power competition than the local issues.”
“Israel is a very small country that is no longer of great interest to China, and its positions on Israel are not about Israel as much as they are about China’s global interests,” Witte said. “By saying the U.S. supports genocide in Gaza, that is not about Israel, but about the U.S. and the global south. Because so many countries hate Israel, [China] believes that if they criticize Israel, more countries will support them.”
A source involved in China-Israel relations who spoke on condition of anonymity told JI they heard a Chinese diplomat say that “they use the Palestinians to make trouble for the U.S. the way the U.S. uses Taiwan to make trouble for them.”
Ten days after Beijing accused Israel of genocide, the Chinese Embassy in Israel held a ceremony marking 80 years since the end of World War II in the Pacific arena, and honoring “Jakob Rosenfeld, a Jewish doctor whose heroic contribution to the Chinese people’s fight against fascism is a lasting symbol of international solidarity,” the invitation read.
Gering also noted that China has made diplomatic use of the fact that over 20,000 Jews escaped the Holocaust to Shanghai, including, famously, the entire Mir Yeshiva from Lithuania. They fled to an enclave in Japanese-occupied Shanghai that did not require a visa for entry, until 1941, when Japan forced the Jewish refugees into a ghetto and banned Jewish immigration to the city. The only Chinese diplomat known to have played a role in helping Jewish refugees was a representative of the Republic of China, which the Chinese Communist Party that currently rules China later defeated in a civil war.
Like many other countries, including China’s ally Russia, which also holds WWII victory parades, Beijing “employs selective historical memory,” Gering said. “There is a very obvious, explicit utilization of memory … Undermining or silencing the voices of victims of the Holocaust and refugees in Shanghai … When you listen to Chinese ambassadors, you think that there was a unique civilizational benevolence by the Chinese people, who opened their arms when the rest of the world rejected Jews … It’s a complete distortion of the story of the Jewish refugees who lived in squalid conditions.”
Israel generally does not push back against that narrative for “political expedience,” Gering said, explaining that “it is good for soft power to say we share their sentiment of anti-fascism.”
Witte said that China’s politicization of World War II and the Holocaust reflects a broader “two-pronged path. On the one hand, China has a big-picture policy and the Beijing stage is for the track that is harsh on Israel. Local policy, where the embassy is the stage, is the pro-Israel track.”
“Obviously, Beijing is exponentially louder, more recognized and more heard than the embassy,” she added.
Gering pointed out that Chinese Ambassador to Israel Xiao Junzheng, who arrived at his post in December, “emphasizes friendship between Jews and Chinese people, while Chinese propaganda says Israel is committing genocide and compares Jews to Nazis.”
Xiao “has been given a mandate to act like nothing [bad] happened,” Gering added. “He even wrote an article saying not to let the war define the relationship. Even though … [the CCP] legal advisor said the Hamas attack [on Oct. 7, 2023] was A-OK, don’t split hairs, let’s talk about Chinese cars and how many Jews we saved. They’re kind of forgetting about Jews living today.”
**
Gering also expressed concerns about Beijing’s recent use of Nazi terminology to describe the government in Taiwan.
The CCP newspaper, People’s Daily, published an article that compared Taiwan’s President William Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to the Nazis. The article also described civil society groups seeking to educate Taiwanese citizens to be prepared for possible missile attacks from China and to recognize Chinese propaganda in the media as “Nazi-like.”
The article “even feigns concern for their democracy, which is ironic in a CCP mouthpiece,” Gering said.
Gering expressed concern that the language is similar to that used by Russia in the years before its invasion of Ukraine.
“The denazification card is what Putin’s Kremlin used as a pretext for its invasion and its ongoing war in Ukraine,” Gering noted. “This prompts us to ask if this is a precursor to a People’s Liberation Army [Chinese military] denazification campaign in Taiwan.”
Still, Gering said, Taiwanese politics are very divisive, and opposition politicians have also called the current government Nazis, leading to condemnation by Israeli and German diplomats in Taipei. “That gave a hechsher [kosher certification] for the CCP to use this kind of pernicious rhetoric, as well,” he said.
“In the more immediate term, it’s probably just a tactical way for the CCP to sow division and weaken the Taiwanese leadership and democratic institutions,” he added.
‘I’ve thought this alliance is somewhat weaker than we sometimes would give it credit for, and I’d slam them together and make them deal with their own internal contradictions,’ Rice said
Aspen Security Forum
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks at the Aspen Security Forum on July 17, 2025.
ASPEN, Colo. — Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday at the Aspen Security Forum that the U.S. should work to exploit frictions between Iran, Russia, China and North Korea, to interfere with their deepening alliances.
Rice suggested that, rather than trying to disrupt links between Iran and other adversaries, the U.S. should “slam them together” because “they actually have very little in common and they actually have a lot of problems between them.”
“Nobody could feel very good right now in their alliance about the Iranian situation,” Rice said, emphasizing that Russia had declined to provide any military backing to Iran after it was attacked by Israel and the United States, and China is also trying to “keep their heads down.”
“I’ve thought this alliance is somewhat weaker than we sometimes would give it credit for, and I’d slam them together and make them deal with their own internal contradictions,” Rice reiterated.
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff briefly speaks to reporters as he walks back into the West Wing following a television interview on the North Lawn of the White House on March 19, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on how Israel is responding to wildfires that disrupted the country’s Yom Ha’atzmaut events, and do a deep dive into Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s handling of negotiations with Russia, Iran and Hamas and the real estate experience he brings to the negotiating table. We cover a bipartisan call from lawmakers for Wikipedia to address antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in its entries, and report on yesterday’s Senate Aging Committee hearing on antisemitism targeting older Americans. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Amos Hochstein, Ruby Chen and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
What We’re Watching
- Today is Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. More below on how the country is marking the day.
- Elsewhere in Israel, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will attend a Yom Ha’atzmaut event at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem hosted by United Hatzalah.
- Stateside, the Jewish Democratic Council of America is holding its annual summit today in Washington. Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Brian Schatz (D-HA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Haley Stevens (D-MI) and former Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), as well as Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin, are slated to speak.
- This year’s Tony Award nominees will be announced at 9 a.m. ET today.
What You Should Know
As Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, turned into Yom Ha’atzmaut, the country’s Independence Day, much of the fanfare and revelry was absent after wildfires shut down the country’s main highways and prompted the evacuation of some areas around Jerusalem, stranding many for hours, Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss reports.
The government scrapped plans for its annual Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremony at Mt. Herzl, opting to air a dress rehearsal that was recorded earlier in the week. Across the country, municipalities canceled events. A flyover to express solidarity with the hostages in Gaza, scheduled for Thursday morning, was also canceled.
At least one person was arrested on suspicion of attempting to ignite a fire in a field in the Jerusalem District. The man, from east Jerusalem, was apprehended with a lighter and flammable materials after police received a tip from a witness who had seen him attempting to ignite vegetation. Amid claims of arson terrorism, including from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, officials said that the origins of the blazes remained unclear and under investigation.
Hostage families and returned hostages had, prior to the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, called for the country’s Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations to be canceled, arguing that celebrations are moot while hostages remain in Gaza for a second Independence Day.
“On Israel’s 76th Independence Day, I was in a tunnel and didn’t think that Israel was celebrating Independence Day while at war and with hostages in captivity,” Yarden Bibas, whose wife and children were killed in captivity, said on social media. “This year, I cannot celebrate my independence because I have brothers and sisters who are still being held hostage and my heart is still there with them.”
The widespread cancellation of festivities — already contentious due to the country’s ongoing war in Gaza — against the backdrop of the destructive wildfires, underscores a fundamental challenge that Israel faces: the failure to address a threat before it spirals out of control.
During the Los Angeles wildfires that devastated portions of Southern California, Israeli officials cautioned that they would be ill-equipped to handle a similar challenge, citing budgeting issues, a lack of manpower and the drain on resources resulting from the fires that Israeli firefighters battled the previous summer, when Hezbollah rockets ignited portions of the country’s north.
A lack of preparedness was a key factor in the IDF’s failure to protect Israel’s border communities and army outposts on Oct. 7, 2023 — despite warnings that had been ignored. A year and a half later, the failure to prepare for wildfire season raises similar questions about accountability, readiness, and apparently unheeded warnings.
As Israel rings in 77 years, it continues to face challenges key to its survival. How it chooses to approach those challenges — face on, or by kicking the can down the road — will determine its future.
CONDOS TO CONCESSIONS
Witkoff’s zeal for deals faces geopolitical reality
When the billionaire developer Steve Witkoff was tapped as the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy last November, several of his former associates in real estate applauded the unorthodox appointment to a high-profile role overseeing some of the most sensitive foreign policy issues facing the United States. Even as he had no diplomatic experience, Witkoff, a close friend of President Donald Trump, won praise as a shrewd negotiator and creative dealmaker who could draw on decades of experience navigating New York City’s cutthroat real estate market, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Negotiation risks: But more than three months into his role, Witkoff, whose portfolio has expanded beyond the Middle East, critics are now casting doubt on his qualifications as he assumes a leading role in nuclear negotiations with Iran as well as discussions with Russia to end its war with Ukraine. Among some of Witkoff’s fellow developers who are souring on his early tenure as Trump’s top envoy, there is skepticism his insistent focus on striking a deal above all else, an asset in his former job, may be a liability as he engages in high-stakes talks with bad-faith actors seeking potentially dangerous concessions from the United States.
on shaky ground
Antisemitism Awareness Act’s future in question after committee approves amendments, postpones vote
Senators on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee postponed a final vote on advancing the Antisemitism Awareness Act after approving four amendments that could jeopardize GOP support for the bill and leave its future passage once again in question, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report.
What happened: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the committee’s chair and a major proponent of the legislation, told JI after the meeting that he needed to postpone the vote because Republicans could not return to the committee room quickly enough to vote for it, with just minutes remaining before a two-hour cut-off to the meeting. Democrats refused requests to waive the two-hour limit. “I couldn’t get my people back. And Democrats have limited debate until noon as an obvious tactic to defeat the bill,” Cassidy said. “They don’t care if Jewish students are harassed on college campuses. And so that is a procedural way in which, if you limit the two hours and we can’t get our votes back, then we can’t have the vote.”
What they’re saying: Multiple Republicans on the committee said that they will not support moving the Antisemitism Awareness Act forward in its amended form, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
EXCLUSIVE
Lawmakers press Wikipedia to clarify and enforce editorial oversight to prevent anti-Israel bias
A bipartisan group of 23 members of Congress sent a letter on Thursday to the foundation that oversees Wikipedia, expressing concern about antisemitism and anti-Israel bias on the platform and seeking answers about how the influential online encyclopedia will work to combat prejudice and abuse by editors. The letter, authored by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Don Bacon (R-NE), comes after the Anti-Defamation League published a report in March detailing allegations of Wikipedia editors conspiring to impose an anti-Israel bias across the site, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
What they’re asking for: “It is clear that more needs to be done to ensure Wikipedia remains free of bias, antisemitism and pro-terrorist content,” the signatories wrote to Maryana Isakander, CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, the San Francisco-based nonprofit that oversees Wikipedia’s operations. The letter asks Wikimedia to explain its oversight processes “to prevent biased or coordinated manipulation of content,” and to identify whether it takes specific measures to prevent antisemitic bias among its editors. The legislators also ask Wikimedia to take steps to prevent foreign interference “on behalf of adversaries of the United States,” such as Hamas and Iran, and to take steps to increase transparency. The edit history of all pages on Wikipedia is technically public, but the labyrinthine process is nearly impossible to understand for those without deep editing experience.
on the hill
Senate committee hearing highlights antisemitism’s toll on older Jews
The Senate Aging Committee convened a hearing on Wednesday on the recent surge in domestic antisemitism and its impact on older Americans, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod report. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), the committee’s chairman, said in his opening statement that he organized the hearing to highlight the fear permeating elderly Jewish communities in Florida and nationwide. “Older Jewish Americans overwhelmingly recognize the increasing threat of antisemitism. In fact, according to the American Jewish Committee’s 2024 State of Antisemitism in America report, 96% of Jewish Americans over the age of 65 recognize that antisemitism is a problem in the U.S. today,” Scott said.
Testimonies: Witnesses at the hearing included David Schaecter, president of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA (HSF); Rabbi Mark Rosenberg, a Florida law enforcement chaplain and director of Chesed Shel Emes Florida; American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch; and Rebecca Federman, senior director of the security desk for the Community Security Initiative. “Survivors suffer from extreme physical and mental-health challenges due to the long-term effects of starvation, beatings, disease, malnutrition and the murders of our loved ones. I am here to remind everyone that there are still thousands of survivors alive today who are in desperate need, and who cannot be forgotten,” Schaecter said in his introductory remarks, going on to tout his support for the HEAR Act “and other legislation that will enable families to recover their property from those who still want to profit from the Holocaust.”
REPORT REFLECTIONS
Jewish leaders claim double standard with Harvard antisemitism, Islamophobia reports
Harvard University’s long-awaited twin reports on campus antisemitism and Islamophobia, which depicted an academic year marked by strife for Jewish and Muslim students in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, was largely praised by Jewish leaders — both on and off campus — as an “overdue and important step.” But when comparing the two reports side-by-side, some raised concern that there are “major holes” and “asymmetry,” Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Asymmetry observation: “My general take is that they did a good job in detailing what happened and in making recommendations about how to fix the immediate problems,” Rabbi David Wolpe, a former visiting scholar at Harvard’s Divinity School, told JI of the more than 300-page antisemitism report released on Tuesday, authored by the 15-member task force which was formed in January 2024. Wolpe was a former member of a separate antisemitism advisory group that the elite university formed last year as a response to record-high levels of antisemitism that roiled the campus. But after reading the nearly as lengthy 200-page Islamophobia report, Wolpe noticed a “a real difference in tone” between how the two were written, calling the report on Muslim students “more disparaging and negative about Harvard than the antisemitism report.”
Seeing Crimson: The Harvard Crimson’s Jacob Miller argues that the university’s task force on antisemitism fails to address deeper moral issues surrounding anti-Israel activism on campus, focusing instead on whether such actions constitute antisemitism.
BANKING ON THE MIDDLE
Sen. Jim Banks lays out his vision for the future of Republican foreign policy
Speaking on Wednesday at an event organized by the Vandenberg Coalition, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) attempted to lay out a middle path forward for conservative foreign policy balancing elements of the internationalism that has long dominated the party and the more restrictionist sentiments that have been ascendant in the Trump era, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Mideast matters: The first-term Indiana senator argued that the U.S. has critical interests in the Middle East, in countering the threat from Iran and supporting Israel, even as he leaned into elements of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy that are controversial among Republican traditionalists. He framed that policy as a return to a Reaganite peace through strength approach. Banks said that the U.S. “cannot accept another bad deal with Iran,” adding that he does not believe Trump would be interested in returning to a deal similar to the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Worthy Reads
Talking Trump: The New York Times’ David Brooks considers the driving factors behind President Donald Trump’s policy moves since taking office. “I have come to think of the Trump team less as a presidential administration or even as representative of a political party and more as a revolutionary vanguard. History is filled with examples of passionate minorities seizing power over disorganized and passive majorities: the Jacobins during the French Revolution, the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution, Mao’s Communist Party in China, Castro’s 26th of July Movement in Cuba. These movements did not always possess superior resources; they possessed superior boldness, decisiveness and clarity of purpose.” [NYTimes]
Witkoff’s Way: In The New York Post, Douglas Murray looks at Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s handling of numerous high-profile diplomatic issues. “If Trump wants to stop a lineup of broken foreign-policy promises, he should sideline Witkoff as soon as possible. Or blame him for the failures and move on. There’s no job in government that is good to learn from scratch. But learning foreign affairs against regimes with long memories is the worst role of all. I once asked a great expert on the Middle East what one thing he wished people outside the region understood. It was this. Countries like America think in two-year electoral cycles — four years at the absolute most. But all the time, we have to try to understand and negotiate with groups and governments that think of a decade as the smallest fraction of time. … Trump himself has made great promises and great statements. But his negotiator has been hooked into negotiations. And the Kremlin, Iran, Qatar, Hamas and the rest of them have reckoned that they can string America along very nicely. A few more weeks will become a few more months and then a few more years. And then — no Trump — and behold a weaker American leader who will lead America and the world into a far worse place.” [NYPost]
Jewish Unity: In the Jewish News Syndicate, William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations, reflects on the meaning of Yom Ha’atzmaut during a time of challenge for both Israeli and Diaspora Jewry. “At a time when antisemitism is surging — from elite university campuses to the halls of international institutions — Israel stands as a powerful reminder of Jewish dignity, perseverance and the eternal capacity for renewal. It is not merely a geopolitical entity. It is a civilizational statement: The Jewish people are not relics of the past but builders of the future. Despite immense challenges, the people of Israel rise each morning with resolve — to defend their communities, to mourn their losses and to rebuild with hope. Across the Jewish world, Israel continues to inspire and anchor Jewish life. This Yom Ha’atzmaut, we rededicate ourselves to the enduring bond between American Jewry and the State of Israel — and to the vital partnership between our two nations. Ours is not a transactional relationship. It is familial, forged by shared values of democracy, freedom, innovation and a belief in the sacred worth of every human life.” [JNS]
A Father’s Plea: In Haaretz, Ruby Chen, whose son Itay was killed on Oct. 7 and his body taken to Gaza, makes a plea for unity in an effort to bring the remaining 59 hostages home in the coming weeks. “I would like to ask us all to remember one word this week: unity. The Jewish people have prospered and survived for over 5,000 years on the principle of taking care of one another and not leaving anyone behind. This unity has been missing in Israel for the last few years. We must take a stand and demand the Israeli government prioritize this unity, the backbone of the Jewish faith. Prioritize the release of all the hostages and set a clear goal: That the very last hostage is home before the end of May. Work backwards knowing there is a difficult price to pay for the release of the last hostage, but that this is what is required to allow Israel to begin to heal and rebuild. We need a deal immediately, to release all of the 59 remaining hostages.” [Haaretz]
Conference Concern: In the Baltimore Sun, Rabbi Chai Posner raises concerns about an upcoming Jewish Voice for Peace conference in Baltimore, slated for this weekend. “JVP’s radical agenda is not just confined to inflammatory rhetoric — it is translated into real-world harassment, interruptions and public disturbances, such as violent and illegal demonstrations and snarling rush hour traffic, for which it is currently facing legal action. This extremism is consistent with JVP’s unwavering opposition to the existence of a Jewish state within any part of historic Israel. By distorting Judaism to minimize, or even erase, the Jewish connection to Israel, JVP seeks to undermine one of the most sacred tenets of our faith and identity. Their position rejects the possibility of compromise and coexistence, choosing radical zealotry instead. Despite JVP’s efforts to present itself as a significant voice within the Jewish community, its ideology is far from mainstream.” [BaltimoreSun]
Word on the Street
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran that it “will pay the consequence” for its “lethal” support to the Houthis in Yemen…
A State Department official speaking at the International Court of Justice backed Israel’s opposition to working with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency to deliver aid to Gaza…
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Josh Kushner, Ruth Porat, Safra Catz, Alex Karp, Shaun Maguire were featured speakers at the Hill & Valley Forum in Washington on Wednesday…
A federal judge in Vermont ordered the immediate release on Wednesday of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student at Columbia University who helped organize campus anti-Israel demonstrations, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports…
TWG Global is taking a $2.5 billion minority stake in Mubadala Capital; Amos Hochstein, a senior advisor in the the Biden administration, joined the firm as a managing partner in March…
The Wall Street Journal looks at the relationship between the global Jewish community and the Catholic Church in the wake of the death of Pope Francis…
Israel said it conducted a strike on an extremist group that was poised to attack a Syrian Druze community amid growing violence targeting Druze areas south of Damascus…
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that the next round of nuclear talks with the U.S. will occur on Saturday in Rome…
Iran executed a man who was convicted of working with Israel’s Mossad and assisting in the 2022 assasination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei…
The weekend explosion in an Iranian port originated in a facility owned by a charity overseen by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei…
The Wall Street Journal reports on the challenges facing the new Syrian government as it formulates a strategy for dealing with the thousands of foreign fighters with hard-line and extremist views who helped overthrow the Assad regime and want to stay in Syria…
A Lebanese security official confirmed that the Lebanese army has dismantled the vast majority of Hezbollah installations across the country’s southern border with Israel…
Andrew Karpen, the founder and CEO of Bleecker Street Media, died at 59…
Thriller writer Andrew Gross, who coauthored five books with James Patterson, died at 72…
Pic of the Day
Israeli President Isaac Herzog held a ceremony at the president’s residence honoring 120 soldiers across the Israeli Defense Forces who were identified for their exemplary service.
“Even on our national holiday – and especially on our national holiday – we cannot celebrate independence with a whole heart when our brothers and sisters are not with us. Israel as a nation longs for them, for their freedom,” Herzog said.
Birthdays
Retired national director of the Anti-Defamation League, now national director emeritus, Abraham Henry Foxman turns 85…
Assistant professor at Yeshiva University and editor emeritus of Tradition, an Orthodox theological journal, Rabbi Shalom Carmy turns 76… Deborah Chin… Boston-area actor, David Alan Ross… Brigadier-General (res.) and former chief medical officer in the IDF, he was also a member of the Knesset for 10 years, Aryeh Eldad turns 75… Of counsel at D.C.-based Sandler Reiff where he specializes in redistricting law, Jeffrey M. Wice… Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-CO) from 2007 until 2023, Edwin George “Ed” Perlmutter turns 72… Israeli entrepreneur and software engineer, founder and CEO of Conduit, Israel’s first billion-dollar internet company, Ronen Shilo turns 67… Austrian-Israeli singer-songwriter, Timna Brauer turns 64… Real estate entrepreneur based in Southern California, Eli Tene turns 62… Member of the board of governors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester, Rina F. Chessin… Member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT, David R. Karger turns 58… Israeli judoka, she is a member of the International Olympic Committee and the head of the merchandise division of Paramount Israel, Yael Arad turns 58… Majority leader of the Washington state Senate until this past January, he is a co-owner of minor league baseball’s Spokane Indians, Andrew Swire “Andy” Billig turns 57… Senior attorney in the Newark office of Eckert Seamans, Laura E. Fein… Staff writer at The Atlantic, Jonathan Chait turns 53… Radio personality and voice-over artist, Gina Grad turns 47… Former professional tennis player with 23 USTA Pro Circuit singles titles, now a tennis coach, Michael Craig Russell turns 47… Attorney and co-founder of I Am a Voter, a nonpartisan civic engagement organization, Mandana Rivka Dayani turns 43… D.C.-based political reporter, Ben C. Jacobs turns 41… Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative producer at NBC News, Jonathan Gerberg… Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Marina Tauber turns 39… Operations manager at GrowthSpace, Jenny Feuer… Principal at Forward Global, Omri Rahmil… Photographer known for incorporating Jewish culture into her work, she is the digital media editor at the Jewish Women’s Archive, Hannah Altman… Hudson Bay Capital’s Sam Zieve-Cohen…
Addressing the war in Gaza, the outgoing White House national security advisor said, ‘just having Israel say: OK, we accept the cease-fire. We have to just stop — at a time when all of these hostages are being held — that doesn’t wash.’
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in his final days in office, said on Tuesday that China, Russia and Iran are “demonstrably weaker” after President Joe Biden’s time in office, during a wide-ranging conversation on “The Ezra Klein Show” podcast.
Questioned by Klein about whether President-elect Donald Trump is better suited to bring back international order as “a strongman” leader, Sullivan responded, “I believe we are in a plastic moment in the world, a time when our competitors are trying to challenge the system in a profound way. It’s true of China, it’s true of Russia, it’s true of Iran. And they’re doing so trying to push the boundaries of what they can — for lack of a better term — get away with. And I believe that, in a period like this, there is no way to prevent all crises, all turbulence. I don’t think that is a viable endgame for American foreign policy.”
Sullivan continued, “I think the endgame for American foreign policy should be: Can we manage that period without our getting dragged into a major conflict? We have done that. Can we manage that period with our alliances stronger than we found them? I think it is indisputable that we have done that. And can we manage that period where our adversaries are weaker than we found them? In all three cases — China, Russia, Iran — I think the record is clear that they are demonstrably weaker.”
Addressing the Biden administration’s approach to Israel and the Middle East conflict, Sullivan said, “What we have tried to do is adopt a policy that says: We are going to continue to support Israel in its attempt to defeat terrorist enemies and to deter Iran. We are going to do so, including through the provision of military assistance. At the same time, we are also going to be unflinching in our critique of Israel, where we believe they have gone too far. And we are going to push them to a better place on things like humanitarian assistance.”
The war in Gaza, Sullivan said, “continues to be a daily struggle, in part because we are trying to deliver this cease-fire and hostage deal. And just having Israel say: OK, we accept the cease-fire. We have to just stop — at a time when all of these hostages are being held — that doesn’t wash.”
At the end of the interview, Sullivan gave listeners a book recommendation: Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to A.I., by Israeli writer Yuval Noah Harari, which was published in September, 2024. Sullivan said he thinks “everyone should read this book.”
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