| | Good Wednesday morning. In today’s Daily Kickoff , we take a deep dive into Politico’s reporting on the Israel-Hamas war, and talk to Senate Democrats about their stances on a potential Israeli incursion into Rafah. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff : Len Blavatnik, Israeli MK Mansour Abbas and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. In his State of the Union address last week, President Joe Biden announced plans for the construction of a pier for ships carrying aid into Gaza, saying “we’re not waiting for Israelis.” But, Jewish Insider’s senior political correspondent Lahav Harkov reports, it appears it was the Israelis who were waiting for Biden. As the first boats of food bound for Gaza set sail from Cyprus on Tuesday, Harkov reports that Netanyahu briefed media off the record on Nov. 5, 2023, that Israel had suggested that humanitarian aid be sent to Gaza by sea, with inspections taking place in Cyprus, and had discussed the matter with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. Additionally, Hebrew media reported that Netanyahu discussed the possibility in calls with Biden on Oct. 22, 2023, and Jan. 19. More from Harkov and JI senior correspondent Ruth Marks Eglash on efforts to get aid into Gaza below. The IDF confirmed on Tuesday that Itay Chen, an Israeli-American IDF soldier believed to be held hostage in Gaza, was killed on Oct. 7. His body was taken to the enclave. Chen’s father, Ruby, has been a prominent voice speaking on behalf of the hostage families, both in Israel and in Washington. Ruby Chen first addressed the media three days after the attacks, when he shared that his son was not supposed to be on base the weekend of Oct. 7, but had requested to work the weekend of the attacks in order to have the following weekend off for his brother’s bar mitzvah. In Washington, Biden acknowledged Chen’s death, saying he “reaffirm[ed] my pledge to all the families of those still held hostage: We are with you. We will never stop working to bring your loved ones home.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) also offered condolences in public remarks and statements. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, the House will vote today on a bill that seeks to force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to divest from the social media platform, or face a shutdown in the U.S. In spite of (or perhaps because of) an aggressive lobbying campaign by TikTok, the bill passed with a unanimous vote in the Energy and Commerce Committee last week and is likely to pass on the floor, Jewish Insider Capitol Hill reporter Marc Rod reports. It’s likely to face some opposition from progressives. Some conservatives may oppose the bill on free speech or free enterprise grounds, although the Freedom Caucus appears likely to support the bill. Former President Donald Trump is opposing the bill. But Biden has said he’d sign the bill if it passed Congress. The Jewish Federations of North America has launched an intensive push in favor of the bill, describing TikTok as the worst offender when it comes to amplifying antisemitism on social media. The Republican Jewish Coalition is also supporting the bill, but many Jewish groups have stayed out of the fray and declined to comment on the effort. The bill has been driven primarily by concerns that the Chinese government’s potential to control the app’s algorithm and user data poses a national security threat to the U.S. FBI Director Chris Wray said Tuesday that the app provides fertile ground for Chinese Communist Party influence operations. The legislation faces a more uncertain future in the Senate. Schumer was noncommittal yesterday, saying he would wait to see how the House acts, and consult with relevant committee chairs. Some Republican and Democratic senators said Monday that they were skeptical of the legislation, instead favoring bills that cast a broader net, rather than targeting TikTok specifically, and stop short of a potential full ban of the app. Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 Share with a friend | berlin to the beltway Is Politico rebelling against Axel Springer’s Israel policy?  Carsten Koall/dpa/Getty Images The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is casting a spotlight on latent editorial tensions between Politico and its parent company, the German publishing giant Axel Springer, whose unique mission statement has long promoted unwavering support for the Jewish state. In recent months, however, the tenor of Politico’s coverage has tacitly challenged that commitment, a review of stories published over the course of the war indicates. The popular D.C. news and politics outlet has turned a distinctly critical eye on Israel as the conflict has unfolded, frequently giving special prominence to detractors of Israel over pro-Israel voices or even neutral foreign policy experts, for instance, while publishing columns suggesting Israel is a human rights violator, among other contested claims, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Disconnect: Considered in aggregate, the emphasis on such framing underscores how Politico has increasingly clashed with one of its owner’s most venerated principles, espousing unequivocal support for “the Jewish people and the right of existence of the State of Israel.” The most recent example of a disconnect between Berlin and the Beltway emerged in the form of a political cartoon by a longtime Politico cartoonist that drew backlash on Tuesday for suggesting that Jews are using “centuries of pogroms, antisemitism and the Holocaust” as an excuse for Israel’s war in Gaza.
Upholding the essentials: In an email statement to JI, Brad Dayspring, Politico’s executive vice president of global communications and brand, defended the political cartoon, which illustrated its point with a “Free Pass” card punched with holes, as “the opinion of the author.” He stressed that “picking a single piece of opinion-based content” does not “provide an accurate assessment of the coverage in totality.” Speaking more broadly, Dayspring insisted that Politico’s coverage of Israel and the politics around the war has not been in tension with the values held by its owner, known internally as the “essentials,” which all employees are expected to uphold.
In-step statement: A spokesperson for Axel Springer echoed that view in a statement to JI. “Editorial independence at Axel Springer and Politico is our first priority,” the spokesperson, who did not comment on the political cartoon, said on Tuesday. “Independent, fair, critical journalism is not at odds with our essentials, which simply affirm the right of Israel to exist."
Read the full story here. divided democrats Rank-and-file Democrats split over potential Israeli invasion of Rafah  Mark Wilson/Getty Image Senate Democrats are roughly split over the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where many displaced Palestinians have taken refuge, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Background: President Joe Biden over the weekend called a potential Israeli invasion of Rafah “a red line” for the U.S., appearing to harden a previous position that an large-scale operation in the city would be untenable without specific procedures in place to ensure the safety of civilians. Israeli leaders have said that operations inside Rafah will be necessary to eliminate remaining Hamas leaders and infrastructure. Asked whether they agree with Biden that Israel should not invade Rafah, members of Biden’s party appear split.
Skeptical: Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) told JI that he agreed with Biden’s red line, describing a potential Israeli invasion as “not constructive to the peace effort of trying to figure out what’s the long view — where are we trying to go?” Pressed on Hamas’ repeated rejections of cease-fire proposals and the presence of Hamas leadership in the city, Hickenlooper acknowledged the difficulty of the debate, but said there’s possibility for “a compromise” and “get[ting] to a level of stepping back, assessing the realities that you face, and then look[ing] at new possibilities. And that’s really what I think President Biden is proposing.”
From supporters: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) indicated he’d support an Israeli operation in Rafah, within limits. He told JI he’d spoken to Israeli war cabinet officials recently about the need for a plan to evacuate civilians and ensure humanitarian relief. “The military approach, I think, has to be more precision-guided and special operations-calibrated to go after the leadership that is ensconced there,” Blumental said. “I think that there are still a lot of Hamas fighters, the estimate is four brigades or battalions still there. And at some point, Israel has to dismantle that force.”
Read the full story here.
Aid arguments: Parallel discharge petitions filed by House Democrats and a bipartisan group led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) — each seeking a House vote on an Israel and Ukraine aid package in defiance of House Republican leadership — opened for signatures on Tuesday, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. distribution dilemmas Food airdrops, pier construction can’t overcome chaos in Gaza aid distribution, say officials  MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images A ship containing some 200 metric tons of food is set to arrive in Gaza on Thursday — even though there is no pier in place to receive it and the capacity of international aid agencies for distributing the food to those most in need is questionable, both Israeli and U.N. officials told Jewish Insider’s Ruth Marks Eglash and Lahav Harkov.
Meal mission: The ship, which set sail from the Cypriot port of Larnaca early on Tuesday, is part of a World Central Kitchen initiative aimed at providing meals to those trapped in the war-torn Gaza Strip. The operation, which will supplement airdrops of international aid that started earlier this month, has been framed by world leaders, including President Joe Biden, who mentioned the construction of a Gaza pier in his State of the Union address, as a way to circumvent Israeli restrictions on aid going into the Palestinian enclave.
Crucial challenges: Israel, however, has maintained that there are no restrictions on the amount of aid that can enter Gaza. Instead, they’ve said that the barriers to delivering food and other essential items to more than 2 million civilians are because of limitations with the distribution network facilitated by foreign aid agencies, which are facing serious challenges in reaching those in need.
COGAT capacity: “In terms of what is standing in the way of getting more aid to the people of Gaza, it’s an issue of distribution, not inspection,” Shimon Freedman, international media spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli military unit that coordinates between Israel and the Palestinian territories, told JI. He said that while in the initial stages of the war the amount of aid going into Gaza was slow, “we now have the capacity.”
Sinwar cynicism: Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren also said that the pier project posed a problem and predicted to JI that it was not beyond Hamas to fire rockets at the pier in an attempt to destroy it. Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader in Gaza, “has an interest in having Palestinians starve,” so that the U.S. pressures Israel to end the war, Oren said. ”Hamas built 450 miles of tunnels,” he continued. “During Israeli airstrikes, the tunnels could have housed the entire population of Gaza and they would have been safe, but no one ever makes that case.”
Read the full story here. exclusive House lawmakers praise German chancellor for supporting Israel at ICJ  SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES A bipartisan group of 25 House lawmakers on Wednesday praised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for Germany’s “intention to intervene” in support of Israel against genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Quotable: “We applaud your decision to stand beside Israel against these baseless claims made in the international arena by South Africa,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Scholz. “It is crucial that the international community address the misleading, meritless, and untruthful nature of South Africa’s accusations, seemingly designed to hinder Israel from acting in self-defense in response to the heinous terrorist attacks on October 7.”
Signatories: The letter was led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Tom Kean (R-NJ), joined by Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Lois Frankel (D-NY), Jim Costa (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Wiley Nickel (D-NC), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Marc Molinaro (R-NY), Don Davis (D-NC), Jared Golden (D-ME), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Michelle Steel (R-CA) and Young Kim (R-CA).
Read the full story here. war of words Netanyahu's AIPAC speech highlights growing friction with Biden over looming Rafah offensive  screenshot A video address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an AIPAC leadership summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday highlighted the growing divide between the Israeli leader and President Joe Biden over the future of Israel’s operations in Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Lahav Harkov report.
Let me be clear: “I deeply appreciate it, the support we've received from President Biden and the administration and I hope it will continue,” Netanyahu said. “But let me be clear — Israel will win this war no matter what.” The prime minister’s comments come amid reports in Washington that the administration is considering conditioning or cutting off aid to Israel if it pursues a Rafah offensive.
International community: Netanyahu decried “our friends in the international community” who purport to support Israel and oppose Hamas, but oppose Israeli operations to defend itself and blame Israel for civilian casualties that Hamas has sought to orchestrate. He said Israel is being held to “a standard for avoiding civilian casualties that no other country on earth is held to,” which, he added, is “wrong and immoral.” But he insisted that international pressure will not stop Israel’s pursuit of “total victory,” which “is within reach.”
Netanyahu’s future: Netanyahu’s speech came a day after the U.S. intelligence community released a public report describing Israel’s governing coalition as “in jeopardy” and declaring that “a different, more moderate government” is “a possibility.” A senior diplomatic source in Jerusalem responded, "The prime minister of Israel is chosen by the citizens of Israel and no one else," the diplomatic source said. "Israel is not a protectorate of the U.S. Rather, it is an independent and democratic state whose citizens choose its government. We expect our friends to act to bring down Hamas and not [to bring down] the elected government of Israel."
Read the full story here. math problem Director of National Intelligence: U.S. does not take Gaza casualty numbers 'on face value'  Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said that the U.S. does not “take on face value” Gaza casualty numbers provided by the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, after multiple recent instances when U.S. officials have referenced those figures, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Relying on Israel: “We really don’t have our own collection to be able to tell you with real confidence what the numbers are,” Haines said. “We also talk to and largely rely on our Israeli counterparts, and the numbers are not that different,” Haines said, noting that while Hamas has reported 30,000 casualties, Israel has reported 28,000. Haines said that “the challenge” with the figures from the health ministry is that they don’t distinguish between civilian casualties and Hamas fighters — describing all casualties as civilians.
Negotiation status: CIA Director Bill Burns, who has been a key negotiator in the latest rounds of cease-fire and hostage release talks, appeared to attempt to temper expectations for a deal, while still stressing the importance of such an agreement. “I think there’s still the possibility of such a deal… It won’t be for lack of trying on our part,” Burns said. “This is a very tough process. I don’t think anyone can guarantee success. The only thing I think you can guarantee is that the alternatives are worse” for Palestinian civilians, the hostages and their families.
End goal: The CIA director also suggested that Israel’s goal of fully eliminating Hamas will not be possible through military force alone. “Military force can severely degrade the terrorist military capacities of any terrorist group, and that’s a fairly well-defined goal,” Burns said. But he added that destroying the “movement or an idea or ideology,” like that which drives Hamas, can only happen “with a better idea,” providing “ a sense of hope, a sense of purpose, in this case for Palestinians.”
Read the full story here. | Mansour’s Moment: In The Wall Street Journal, Tunku Varadarajan spotlights United Arab List head Mansour Abbas, who in 2021 became the first Arab politician to join a governing Israeli coalition. “‘I’m trying to be part of the political system in Israel as a representative of the Arabic citizens,’ Mr. Abbas says in an interview in his Knesset office. He describes himself as having a ‘national identity’ as an ‘Arabic Palestinian’ and a ‘civil identity as a citizen in Israel.’ He says fellow Israeli Arabs should ‘actively implement their Israeli citizenship’ and become ‘part of the solution of the problems they face, and not just be the opposition.’ … Mr. Abbas’s conciliatory attitude has earned him enemies on both sides. The Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah faction accuses him of ‘throwing himself into the arms of Zionism.’ The Jewish hard right views him as an Islamist Trojan Horse intent on subverting Israel from within the Knesset. Mr. Abbas says that’s bunk. ‘We are a local movement,’ he says, ‘based in Israel. We consider ourselves citizens of Israel, and we’re working in Israel between two systems of rules—the rules of Islam, and the rules and laws of Israel, as a country and as a state.’” [WSJ]
Survival Strategy: In the Financial Times, Andrew England and Neri Zilber assess the state of Hamas’ operations, five months into the terror group’s war with Israel. “The bloody October 7 attacks struck deep inside Israel on a scale even Hamas did not think possible. But it also laid bare what [the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Yezid] Sayigh called the group’s ‘delusion’ that the cross-border raid would trigger uprisings against Israel across the Middle East — and thereby limit the war or tip the balance. ‘There’s a certain kind of nihilism [in the Hamas leadership] — that whether civilians died or not . . . was not something they seem to have actually thought mattered,’ Sayigh added. Even Hamas may be realising its 17-year run as Gaza’s ruling power may be over. Already, according to multiple people familiar with regional diplomacy, Hamas officials have engaged in talks to allow the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority to reassert control over Gaza through an ‘ad hoc leadership committee’ or newly formed technocratic government. Survival, according to analysts, may ultimately only be possible for Hamas by reverting to its early roots: a resistance movement with an underground militant wing and religious social services network.” [FT]
What’s Next: In The New York Times, Arash Azizi mulls Iran’s political future in a post-Ayatollah Ali Khamenei world. “Today’s Iran is held together by the octogenarian Ayatollah Khamenei and his authority. Upon his death, Iran is likely to make a sharp turn in its policies. A closer look at the cast of characters now vying for power behind the scenes shows that Iran’s policies are likely to be made more palatable both to its people and to the West, turning the country away from theocracy toward a mundane military authoritarian regime. A new Iran may be on the horizon, even if it’s not the Iran anti-regime protesters have hoped for. Ayatollah Khamenei’s 35-year reign over Iran has resulted in economic isolation, societal repression and support for Islamist militias in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, Iraq and elsewhere. In other words, he has committed Iran to the ideals of the 1979 revolution, no matter the consequences. In today’s Iran, few people are willing to continue paying the price.” [NYTimes]
Double Standard: The Wall Street Journal’s Gerard Baker considers the mindset behind outside pressure on Israel to halt its operations in Gaza and attempts to rescue the remaining hostages. “The basis for this calumny, from the lips of everyone from U.N. leaders to self-promoting Hollywood mavens, is that Israel has — either recklessly or, in the more repugnant description of some of its critics, out of genocidal intent — massacred tens of thousands of innocent civilians. The scale of the killing is deemed to delegitimize Israel’s war. But in the process of extirpating Hamas it was inevitable civilians would be killed. This wasn’t simply because there is ‘collateral’ damage in any large-scale warfare, but because Hamas intended it that way. To the terror group, the propaganda value of a dead Palestinian child is as great as that of an Israeli. … Why does Israel always seem to be held to a different standard? To see the answer, to understand why Israel is usually portrayed as the blood-lusting warmonger, it might be helpful to reframe our original question. Instead of asking what Israel has to do to be allowed to defend itself, we might simply ask: What do Jews have to do to be allowed to defend themselves?” [WSJ] | Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening, or other communication. | Long, Long Road to November: Following yesterday’s presidential primaries in Georgia, Washington state and Mississippi, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both clinched their parties’ nominations, setting the stage for a rematch in November.
Trump Country: A new poll on Israel’s Channel 12 found that 44% of respondents would prefer Trump win the November election over Biden, at 30%.
TikTok Boom: Puck News looks at the role Democratic and Republican megadonors are playing in their parties’ stances on legislation targeting social media companies.
New Sanctions: The State Department, in coordination with Bahrain, announced sanctions on four facilitators — including three Iranians — of Al-Ashtar Brigades, which the U.S. designated as a terror group in 2018.
Countering the Critics: The New York Times’ Bret Stephens imagines a conversation with a critic of Israel’s war against Hamas.
The Buck Stops Here: Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who had previously announced he would retire at the end of this year, will leave Congress at the end of next week, setting up a special election in his Colorado district.
Following Up: A spokesperson for Len Blavatnik told eJewishPhilanthropy that the co-producer of “The Zone of Interest,” which won an Oscar on Sunday, "is not commenting on the Oscars but you’re welcome to reflect that he is extremely proud of 'The Zone of Interest' and the acclaim it has received. His long-standing support of Israel is unwavering and well-documented." The film’s director, Jonathan Glazer, used his speech to make controversial comments on the Israel-Hamas war.
Bookshelf: NPR featured as its “Book of the Day” the recently released The Last Ships from Hamburg, which chronicles Jewish refugees’ escapes from prewar Europe.
Going [Paramount] Global: Apollo Global Management is considering a takeover or asset purchase of Paramount Global, but will face potential competition from David Ellison's Skydance Media.
Monitoring Moms: The Circuit spotlights Israeli startup Nuvo, which is seeking to raise $30 million through a SPAC merger for its remote fetal monitoring platform.
Campus Beat: Hillels of Westchester filed a Title VI complaint on behalf of Jewish students at Sarah Lawrence College with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights over a series of antisemitic incidents at the school.
What Happens in Vegas: A guest lecture on black holes being given at the University of Nevada Las Vegas by a visiting Israeli physicist was shut down by anti-Israel protesters on the campus; the professor was able to give a make-up lecture uninterrupted two days later.
Succession: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans to appoint Palestinian economist Mohammad Mustafa to be the PA’s next prime minister, replacing Mohammed Shtayyeh.
Hostage Speaks: NewsNation interviewed Judith Raanan, a freed Israeli-American hostage, about her kidnapping by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
Gulf Games: China, Iran and Russia are conducting a joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman — the fourth time the countries have held a joint drill since 2019.
Dinging Damascus: The U.N.’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic called for a cease-fire in the war-torn country, citing the “largest escalation in fighting in four years.”
Transition: Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, a leading figure in Israel’s national-religious community, was named the next head of the religious-Zionist World Mizrachi Movement.
Remembering: Raspberries frontman Eric Carmen, who went on to a solo career that produced “All by Myself” and “Hungry Eyes,” died at 72. Olga Murray, whose Nepal Youth Foundation worked to free Nepali children from indentured servitude, died at 98. Holocaust survivor Ben Stern, a longtime Skokie, Ill., resident who rallied against efforts to hold a neo-Nazi rally in the city in the 1970s, died at 102. |  United Hatzalah Former boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather met with United Hazalah volunteers, as well as United Hatzalah President and Founder Eli Beer and CEO Eli Pollak, in Jerusalem on Tuesday. |  Sarah Stier/Getty Images Pop singer, pianist, composer of over 500 songs and record producer, Neil Sedaka turns 85...
Editor of Avotaynu Magazine, a journal of Jewish genealogy and scholarship, Sallyann Sack-Pikus turns 88... Israeli journalist, author and television host, Dan Margalit turns 86... Israeli singer, he won the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest, Izhar Cohen turns 73... Psychotherapist in private practice in Manhattan and Teaneck, N.J., Shana Yocheved Schacter... U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) turns 67... Founder of the Drug Policy Alliance, Ethan Nadelmann turns 67... Professor of applied mathematics at Imperial College London, he is also a chess grandmaster, Jonathan Mestel turns 67... Former Florida congressman, Alan Grayson turns 66... Teacher of rabbinic literature and author of The Jewish Family Ethics Textbook, Rabbi Neal S. Scheindlin turns 64... Founder and CEO of MediaBistro which she sold in 2007, now managing director of Supernode Ventures, Laurel Touby turns 61... Heavy metal songwriter, vocalist for the band Disturbed as well as for the band Device, David Draiman turns 51... Member of the California State Senate, Benjamin Allen turns 46... Former member of Knesset for the Jewish Home party, he is a decorated IDF officer (now a reservist), Yonatan "Yoni" Chetboun turns 45... Deputy campaign manager on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, Ari Rabin-Havt... Television and film actor, Emile Hirsch turns 39... President and CEO of Nefco, Matthew Gelles... Television and film actor, Emory Isaac Cohen turns 34... Senior director of social marketing at NBC Universal since 2015, Jessie Hannah Rubin... Formula 3 racing driver, his mother is Houda Nonoo, the first Jewish woman to serve as an ambassador of Bahrain, Menasheh Idafar turns 33... Gabriel Romano... | | | | | |
