| | Good Monday morning. In today’s Daily Kickoff , we report on Rep. Summer Lee’s upcoming appearance at a Council for American-Islamic Relations fundraiser alongside speakers who have made antisemitic comments, and interview David Lubin, who is mounting a bid for Georgia’s state Senate following his daughter’s death in a November terror attack in Jerusalem. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff : Kurt Campbell, Robert Satloff and Ronald Lauder. A question from a reporter on Friday sparked a weekend showdown over Israel policy between Secretary of State Tony Blinken and his predecessor, Mike Pompeo, after Blinken announced the Biden administration’s restoration of previous U.S. policy deeming Israeli settlements “illegitimate” under international law. Blinken, speaking in Argentina, told a reporter that Israel’s planned construction of 3,300 new settlements on the edge of Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank, which was announced following a terror attack in the West Bank last week in which one Israeli was killed and seven injured, was “inconsistent with international law.” Pompeo, the country’s top diplomat for the majority of the Trump administration, had rescinded the policy in November 2019, ending a Carter-era legal determination, penned by Herbert Hansell, then a State Department legal advisor, that called settlements “illegitimate.” Subsequent administrations upheld the policy, largely referring to settlements as an “obstacle to peace.” John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, said that Blinken’s announcement was consistent with prior Democratic and Republican administrations, adding that “If there's an administration that is being inconsistent, it was the previous one." A day after Blinken’s comments, Pompeo tweeted that “Enacting anti-Israel policies after 10/7 rewards terrorism. And it’s worse — it sends a dangerous message to all our adversaries.” On Sunday, Pompeo posted a video from the Israeli settlement of Shiloh, saying that “Judea and Samaria” — also known as the West Bank — “are the rightful homeland of the people of Israel. And they always will be.” Republican lawmakers slammed the administration for the policy change, describing it as an unjustified insult to Israel and gift to Hamas, aimed at appeasing progressive voters. “The Jewish people have a historic and legal right to live in the land of Israel including in Judea and Samaria — the biblical heartland,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who stayed overnight in Gush Etzion in the West Bank during a 2020 trip, said. “It is an absolute disgrace that the Biden administration would issue this decision, especially as Israel fights terrorists on multiple fronts… The Biden administration must stop undermining Israel and facilitating efforts to delegitimize Israel.” Johnson has previously described the region as “portions of [Israel].” Elsewhere in the region, the Palestinian Authority's cabinet, led by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, resigned on Monday morning and is expected to be replaced by a more technocratic government focused on Gaza reconstruction. Mohammad Mustafa, an economist, PLO executive committee member and chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund, is expected to be tapped as the new prime minister. The move was reportedly approved by Hamas; Mustafa is not affiliated with any Palestinian faction. The news comes as Washington has pressed for a "revitalized" Palestinian Authority and amid reports that the Biden administration has considered recognizing a Palestinian state. In presidential politics, former President Donald Trump comfortably defeated former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley by 20 points (60%-40%) in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary held on Saturday, all but sealing up the Republican nomination in Haley’s home state, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes. In his victory speech, Trump barely mentioned Haley’s name and moved onto the expected general election matchup against President Joe Biden. “On November 5th, we’re going to get up here and say, ‘Joe you’re fired! You’re fired! Get out!’” Trump said, shortly after networks called the race in his favor, just after polls closed. Haley congratulated Trump on his victory, but also noted that her significant share of the vote was proof that Republican voters want an alternative. She’s planning to contest the next round of Super Tuesday states on March 5. Haley performed well in the state’s more affluent areas, along the Charleston coast and around the state’s capital of Columbia, home to the University of South Carolina. As in the two previous contests, Haley has done best with college-educated voters that once made up the core of the party. She won college graduates over Trump by seven points (53%-46%), according to the Edison Research exit poll, and nearly tied Trump with voters whose family income exceeded $100,000 (52%-48%). But Trump dominated nearly everywhere else, propelling his MAGA-infused, working-class coalition to a resounding victory. Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 Share with a friend | scoop Rep. Summer Lee headlines CAIR fundraising banquet, alongside speakers with antisemitic history  TOM WILLIAMS/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) is scheduled to give remarks at a fundraising banquet for a leading Muslim advocacy group on Saturday alongside several speakers who have made antisemitic and homophobic comments, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Age-old trope: The freshman Squad member, a vocal critic of Israel who represents the Pittsburgh area, is among four speakers invited to appear at an event this weekend hosted by the Philadelphia branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), according to an online flier. One of the speakers, Ibrahim Jaaber, an author and former professional basketball player, has called Israelis “demons” who lie to “cover their horns.”
Glorifying Oct. 7: Another speaker, Nadirah Pierre, a stand-up comedian, appeared to rejoice over the Hamas attack hours after it had occurred. “May Allah destroy them even worse than they have tried to destroy others!” she said. Yasir Fahmy, an Islamic scholar who is slated to deliver the keynote speech at the CAIR event, has condemned Zionism as a “sick, sadistic cult” and railed against gay and transgender people for what he has denounced as a “destructive” lifestyle.
Primary problems: A spokesperson for Lee did not respond to a request for comment regarding her participation in the CAIR event. In recent days, Lee has drawn criticism from a top primary challenger, Bhavini Patel, for accepting campaign donations from pro-Palestinian activists who have made antisemitic remarks about Israel, most notably CAIR’s executive director, Nihad Awad, who has celebrated Hamas’ attacks. His comments were condemned by the White House in December.
Read the full story here. peach state politics Father of slain IDF soldier to challenge Atlanta state senator  courtesy The father of Rose Lubin, a 21-year-old Atlanta native and lone soldier in the Israel Defense Forces who was killed in a terror attack in Jerusalem in November, announced a campaign for the Georgia state Senate last week. David Lubin is taking on incumbent state Sen. Sally Harrell, a Democrat with whom he developed a relationship after she honored Rose by authoring a resolution in her memory. But the Lubins’ relationship with Harrell deteriorated after she delivered a Senate floor speech in January arguing against passage of a bill that would define antisemitism in state law in order to aid law enforcement and other public officials, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Community connection: Lubin, a general contractor who has never been involved in politics before, is pitching himself as a more moderate alternative willing to listen to the district’s Jewish community and take their concerns seriously at a time of mounting grief and fear. “If she's this disconnected with a group of Jewish people that are under threat,” Lubin told JI on Friday, “then what is she doing with other stuff? That’s where I really felt I've got to do something, not just for the Jewish community, but for other communities as well.”
Opposition explained: The antisemitism bill passed with near-unanimous support, but Harrell did not cast a vote after giving a speech explaining her opposition to it. First, she said she worries the bill — which utilizes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism — impinges on Georgians’ free speech. (Some on the left take issue with IHRA designating some anti-Zionist rhetoric as antisemitic.) Her larger concern, though, appeared to be with the optics of passing a bill that defines antisemitism and not Islamophobia, even though no similar Islamophobia bill had been introduced.
Daughter’s inspiration: Lubin’s decision to enter the race, as a complete newcomer to politics, comes less than three months before Georgia’s May 21 primary. “The people that I talked to said, ‘David, if anyone can stand up to this, it's going to be you, with your current situation, who you are, what you stand for, what you represent, who has a chance.’ We talked about that as a family,” Lubin said. “My daughter, she lived that way every day. And it inspired me.”
Read the full story here. state of state Meet Kurt Campbell, Biden's new deputy secretary of state  KIM HONG-JI/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Kurt Campbell took office this month as the deputy secretary of state — the No. 2 job at the State Department — launching the foreign policy veteran into the heart of multiple global crises, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Campbell’s decades-long career across several presidential administrations has taken him across the spectrum of federal government agencies, including stints at the Defense Department, State Department, Treasury, National Security Council and U.S. Navy. He’s also served at a series of influential nongovernmental institutions, including as a founder of the Center for a New American Security.
Asia focus: But Campbell — most recently the national security council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, known colloquially as the Asia czar — has, for years, focused on Asia and the Indo-Pacific, making him less of a known quantity to some longtime Middle East hands than some of his predecessors.
Looking back: William Wechsler, the senior director of the Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs at the Atlantic Council, told JI he first met Campbell in the Pentagon during the Clinton administration, when Campbell was assigned to create a new Plans and Analysis group. Wechsler, who worked under Campbell, described him as “one of the sharpest and smartest people that I’ve worked for. He’s a real big thinker… Kurt likes to get deep on the portfolio.”
Campbell’s approach: He added that Campbell held “very traditional views about the importance of American power and the role that America plays” and “a real commitment to long-standing American allies like Israel.” He said he’d expect Campbell to be fully supportive of President Joe Biden’s approach to Israel and other issues in the region.
Read the full story here. City Hall call From Khan Younis to the campaign trail: IDF reservists run in local elections  courtesy When local elections are held in Israel every five years, the campaigns are usually inescapable, with posters and billboards seemingly everywhere, frequent campaign events, constant text messages to potential voters and kids on street corners and at shopping centers, handing out flyers and stickers with their parents’ faces on them. The top issues often include parking spots, traffic, school amenities and bus routes — and in some cases, corruption. A wartime campaign, however, is a much more staid affair. The top-of-mind issues have changed drastically, and the challenges are compounded for candidates who have been serving in IDF reserve duty for a significant portion of the last four months, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Gush Etzion: Yaron Rosenthal is running to be the head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, leading the settlement bloc adjacent to Jerusalem that includes Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, where he grew up and resides today. He spent most of the past four months serving in a reconnaissance platoon in the IDF Paratroopers' Brigade in Khan Younis, Gaza. “Like many other reservists, I was called up on Oct. 7,” Rosenthal told JI. “When I got there, I was told that everyone running in the elections is exempt from duty, but I said that I wouldn’t leave.I knew I’d pay a price [in the election] because I disappeared from Gush Etzion for four months, after leading a campaign…but I agreed to pay that price because we educate our children to contribute to the collective. I cannot look my brothers, children and friends in the eye after talking about this value all my life if, in the moment of truth, I don’t do it,” he said.
Jerusalem: Noa Shalom, 26, is running for a seat on Jerusalem’s City Council, with the Hitorerut (“Awakening”) list, meant to represent the capital’s pluralistic, Zionist young people. When the war broke out, Shalom and Hitorerut “set up the ‘civilian war room’ in Jerusalem, one of the biggest [volunteer efforts] in the country,” she recounted to JI. “We provided every kind of service – rides, supplies, food for soldiers, mental health, babysitters for families. I was one of the founders and worked very intensely for the first 10 days, and then I was called for reserve duty.” Shalom, an officer in the elite IDF Intelligence Unit 8200, returned from reserve duty last month after over two months of service. About half of the Hitorerut list did reserve duty in recent months, and some have yet to return.
Read the full story here. bashing bibi Senate progressives excoriate Netanyahu, express concerns about weapons transfers  NATHAN HOWARD/GETTY IMAGES A group of progressive Senate Democrats sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday excoriating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressing reservations about the administration’s reported plans to transfer additional weapons to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The letter was signed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
Requests: They accused Netanyahu of pursuing “one overriding objective — keeping himself and his extremist right-wing government in power,” rather than returning the hostages. The lawmakers also called on the administration to “use all the tools at its disposal to stop any major military operation” in Rafah and reiterated calls for additional humanitarian aid to Gaza. They dismissed media and Israeli government reports of Hamas’ theft of international aid as “the Netanyahu government’s assertions.”
Aid in question: They further requested information from the administration about “credible reports” that Israel may be committing “serious violations of international humanitarian law or human rights law,” and how the administration has determined that the Israeli government has not “restricted, directly or indirectly” the provision of U.S. humanitarian assistance. Both conditions, under pre-existing law, would be grounds for cutting off U.S. military assistance to Israel.
Language used: In most instances, the letter refers to the “Netanyahu government” or “Netanyahu coalition” — instead of Israel — a formulation that has become increasingly common among left-wing lawmakers to distance themselves from the U.S. ally without directly condemning Israel as a nation. The language sidesteps Israeli polling showing that there is overwhelming support in Israel for the military campaign in Gaza, and that key opposition parties also support it.
Read the full story here. | The Ye Quandary: In the Free Press, Eli Lake reviews “Vultures 1,” the latest album by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and considers its complexities amid a broader conversation about antisemitism in the arts. “There’s no shortage of Jew-haters in the canon. T.S. Eliot, for example, wrote in ‘Burbank with a Baedeker,’ The rats are underneath the piles. / The jew is underneath the lot. The villain of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is the Jewish moneylender Shylock, who demands a pound of flesh from one of his debtors who cannot repay him. We study these works not because of their antisemitism but despite it. Can I glean something valuable from the work of a man who thinks of me less than a rat? Sadly, the answer is sometimes, but not always, yes. And anyway, if museums stopped showing Gauguin, or Spotify stopped streaming Miles, or libraries stopped carrying Mailer’s books, or even if T.S. Eliot and Shakespeare were revised to meet our better standards, we would only be punishing ourselves. We make exceptions for genius. So we make exceptions for Kanye. And make no mistake, Kanye West is a genius, and knows it.” [FreePress]
A Stretch for Peace: Following his recent Middle East tour, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s executive director, Robert Satloff, reflects on the viability of the Biden administration’s diplomatic plans for the region. “If Washington, Cairo, Riyadh, Amman, or other capitals expect Israelis to emerge from their post-October 7 fog anytime soon, I think they will be sorely disappointed… All those other capitals have something else in mind — not only to use the pause as an off-ramp from the war altogether, but in that time to pull opportunity out of crisis. Specifically, they hope to extract concessions from Israel on a practical, if extended, vision of Palestinian self-determination in a recognized state — just enough to allow for Saudi-Israel normalization, a U.S.-Saudi mutual defense treaty (even including a civil nuclear cooperation accord), and perhaps even an Israel-Lebanon/Israel-Hezbollah understanding that brings those parties back from the brink of war. And all that — including Senate ratification of America’s first mutual defense treaty with a foreign country in decades — is supposed to happen in a matter of weeks, perhaps a few months. In other words, Joe Biden will soon decide whether he, like every president since Jimmy Carter, will risk his presidency on the pursuit of Middle East peace, but in this case he has in mind a miraculous bank shot that, by summer, could end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflict once and for all. God bless him — I think he has performed terrifically since October 7 — but put me down as a skeptic.” [WashingtonInstitute]
The IDF’s View: In The Wall Street Journal, IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari contrasts the strategies used by the Hamas terror group and the Israeli army. “Our mission is to dismantle Hamas and bring our hostages home — not to destroy Gaza or displace its people. Hamas’s strategy may shift from massacring Israeli civilians to hiding behind Gazan civilians, but our strategy remains consistent and clear: Ensure that Oct. 7 never happens again. We will continue fulfilling this mission while upholding our values and exposing the true face of Hamas to the world.” [WSJ] | Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening, or other communication. | Road to Rafah: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Israel will have to move forward with a military operation in Rafah regardless of any potential agreement with Hamas to free the remaining 134 hostages.
Ukraine About-face: The Wall Street Journal explores how former President Donald Trump’s Ukraine stance has shifted the Republican Party’s support away from the country in its fight against Russia.
In the Spotlight: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, faces a major test of her political future with Tuesday’s presidential primary, The New York Times reports. An embarrassing showing for Biden against “uncommitted” could dampen her long-term presidential prospects.
Rashida’s Revenge: An anti-Biden, anti-Israel rally backing an “uncommitted” vote and organized by Michigan Task Force for Palestine in Dearborn, Mich., drew only about 200 supporters on Sunday.
Changing of the Guard: Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel announced she will step down from her role on March 8.
Trump Likes Ike: Ike Perlmutter is among the key backers of Right for America, a new super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump.
On the Docket: The Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday over what rights social media companies have to limit what their users post.
Pierre Pressure: South Dakota last week officially adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, requiring its consideration when investigating unfair or discriminatory practices.
The Fire This Time: A man self-immolated outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., yesterday while yelling "Free Palestine"; he was hospitalized in critical condition.
Campus Beat: Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt discussed antisemitism on college campuses on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
The Oldest Hatred: CNN’s Fareed Zakaria interviewed author Dara Horn about the recent surge in antisemitism.
The Art of the Refugee: In The New York Times, Celeste Marcus, who is working on a biography of painter Chaim Soutine, highlights the life and work of the Jewish refugee to reflect on the wider universal story of refugee artists.
Not Family Friendly: Anti-Israel protesters disrupted the opening session of Stanford University’s family weekend hosted by the school’s president and provost.
Reversal: Columbia Law School’s student senate voted to approve the creation of Law School Students Against Antisemitism, weeks after the group’s first attempt at recognition was denied by legislators.
North of the Border: An International Women’s Day event in Canada that was under fire for uninviting its keynote speaker over her past IDF service has now been canceled, with organizers citing “circumstances beyond our control.”
Across the Pond: Politico looks at how U.K. politicians are responding to an uptick in vitriol amid heightened tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.
Rapper Rapped: British rapper Wiley was stripped of his MBE honor over a string of antisemitic social media posts; Wiley was subsequently suspended by X and Instagram and dropped by his manager.
Disinformatsiya: A new report found that the Jerusalem Post and Walla! News ran paid content that took a pro-Russia stance without disclosing it to readers.
Tel Aviv Clashes: Nearly two dozen people were arrested and several injured in clashes between anti-government protesters and police in Tel Aviv on Saturday night.
Giveth and Taketh Away: Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch reportedly nixed this year’s Israel Prize awards for scientific research after learning that one of the winners had been a leading protester in the demonstrations against the government’s judicial overhaul plans last year.
Re-Settlement: The New York Times spotlights the reestablished Homesh settlement, which was one of four West Bank settlements dismantled in 2005 at the same time as Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.
Hezbollah Hit: Hezbollah said that at least two of its members were killed in IDF airstrikes near the Lebanese city of Baalbek. An Israeli was lightly wounded by a rocket fired from Lebanon into northern Israel.
Qatar Connection: A report from the Middle East Media Research Institute alleges that Hamas operatives were trained at Qatar’s police college as recently as last year.
Iran Election: Iranian politicians began campaigning last week for the first elections since the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and subsequent social unrest that swept the country; the election is slated for March 1.
Remembering: Museum director Marc Pachter, who led the revival of the National Portrait Gallery, died at 80. Political scientist Alfred Grosser, who played a key role in French-German reconciliation, died at 99. Former Israeli MK Charlie Biton, founder of the Israeli Black Panthers movement, died at 76. |  Roy Rochlin/Getty Images Former “Boston Public” star Michael Rapaport spoke to the crowd gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square during a rally on Saturday night calling for the release of the remaining 134 hostages. |  CHRISTINE OLSSON/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images Businessman and philanthropist, he has been the president of the World Jewish Congress since 2007, Ronald Lauder turns 80...
Professor emeritus of sociology and Jewish studies at Rutgers University, Chaim Isaac Waxman, Ph.D. turns 83... Professor in the sociology and anthropology school of Tel Aviv University, Yehouda Shenhav turns 72... Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter in multiple musical genres, he has sold over 75 million records, Michael Bolton turns 71... Former member of the Knesset for the Labor Party, now president of Beit Berl College, Yael "Yuli" Tamir turns 70... Julie Levitt Applebaum... Head of Israel's National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi turns 67... Former U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, now a partner at Arnold & Porter where he heads the crisis management team, Paul J. Fishman turns 67... Professor of sociology and bioethics at Emory University, Paul Root Wolpe turns 67... CEO and Chairman at Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, Jonathan Sporn, M.D. turns 66... U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) turns 66... Partner at Unfiltered Media and digital strategist at turner4D, Alan Rosenblatt, Ph.D.... Theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology, Abraham "Avi" Loeb turns 62... CEO at Rutgers University Hillel, Lisa Harris Glass... Past president of MLB's Miami Marlins, he was also a contestant in the 28th season of “Survivor” in 2014, David P. Samson turns 56... Motivational speaker, focused on anti-bullying, Jon Pritikin turns 51... First violin and concertmaster for the D.C.-based National Symphony Orchestra, Nurit Bar-Josef turns 49... Founder and editor-in-chief of Tablet, Alana Newhouse... Freshman member of the House of Representatives (D-NY), Daniel Sachs Goldman turns 48... Rebekah Victoria Paltrow Neumann... Brett Michael Kaufman... | | | | | |
