| | Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at concerns in Israel over the potential destabilization of Jordan following the ouster of the Assad regime in Syria and talk to Rep.-elect Gabe Evans about his approach to the Middle East. We report from last night’s Yeshiva University Hanukkah Dinner and spotlight the new Miami outpost of Eyal Shani’s Malka restaurant. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Ric Grenell, Michael Dell and King Charles.
Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 Share with a friend | - President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are hosting their final Hanukkah reception at the White House tonight.
- The Jewish Democratic Council of America is also holding its Hanukkah party tonight.
- Palm Beach Synagogue is hosting a conversation between Dan Shapiro and Ben Shapiro tonight.
- The American Jewish Committee is hosting Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, in conversation with AJC CEO Ted Deutch, at the 80th anniversary celebration of its Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey office.
- We’re also keeping an eye on Berlin, where German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is facing a no-confidence vote that, if successful, would send the country to early elections in February.
| As Israel works to dismantle Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror groups in Gaza, a separate effort to target the Iranian proxies in the West Bank is underway as the Palestinian Authority cracks down on malign actors in Jenin, Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss reports.
A new round of violence kicked off early Saturday morning when PA security forces foiled a car bomb plot meant, according to senior PA security official Anwar Rajab, “to be detonated among citizens and security personnel.” The failed attack followed efforts by the PA to arrest members of Hamas and PIJ who had stolen PA security vehicles last week and paraded them through Jenin. A senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander was killed in the ensuing weekend raid.
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which provides services to the Palestinians, responded to the violence by shutting down operations in Jenin. UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini blasted “violent clashes between Palestinian Security Forces & Palestinian armed actors,” citing the “fragile stability” of the West Bank.
Over the weekend, the U.S. asked Israel to approve the use of American military aid to the PA in an effort to help stabilize the situation in light of the PA’s failure to tamp down on extremist forces in the West Bank, whose popularity grew in the wake of last year’s Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Jenin in particular has been a stronghold for terror groups that pose a threat to the shaky governance of the Palestinian Authority and its ailing president, 89-year-old Mahmoud Abbas, who next month will begin the 21st year of the four-year term to which he was elected in 2004. A few weeks ago, the IDF and Shin Bet seized an arsenal of Iranian weapons intended to arm terrorist operatives in Jenin.
Last month, Abbas named an interim successor, Rawhi Fattouh, who would take over for a 90-day period in the event that Abbas dies or resigns. The decision, made under pressure from Saudi Arabia, underscores the degree to which Abbas and regional power brokers are concerned about the potential collapse of the PA — and what could fill the vacuum left in its absence.
The tenuous situation in West Bank mirrors the shaky situation next door in Jordan (more on that below), with leaders in Ramallah and Amman concerned over a potential uprising akin to the one that ousted Bashar al-Assed in neighboring Syria by extremist forces emboldened by Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham’s victory.
The PA, bolstered by U.S. support, may well be successful in its efforts to quell this spate of violence in the West Bank, but without a plan to address the underlying issues, it is only a matter of time before the tensions reach a fever pitch. | eye on amman Israeli officials concerned Assad’s fall risks destabilizing Jordan  getty images The ripple effects across the Middle East of Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria remain to be seen, but Jordan’s leaders are reportedly eyeing recent events to their north with concern for the stability of King Abdullah II’s regime, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF Intelligence Directorate head Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder secretly visited Jordan over the weekend to discuss the implications of the rebels' victory in Syria and concerns that extremists may undermine King Abdullah's regime, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.
‘Potential aftershocks’: Zohar Palti, the Viterbi International Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former head of the Mossad Intelligence Directorate, identified Jordan as one of the fronts in which the U.S. and Israel need to act “if they hope to prevent or roll with other potential aftershocks.” While Israel took control of the buffer zone on the border with Syria in the last week, Deraa, a city on the Jordan-Syria border, “could be critical to stability in Jordan and the wider region,” Palti wrote, “especially if extremist elements come to the fore in Syria and try to challenge King Abdullah’s rule next door.”
Read the full story here. veteran's perspective Newly elected Rep. Gabe Evans brings Middle East military experience to Capitol Hill  AARON ONTIVEROZ/THE DENVER POST Rep.-elect Gabe Evans, a Colorado state House member and Army veteran, is set to bring personal experience as a service member in the Middle East, under fire from Iranian rockets, to Capitol Hill in January, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Speaking from experience: Evans, as a helicopter pilot in the Colorado Army National Guard, operated in nine countries in the Middle East in support of the Afghanistan war — though he never personally deployed inside the country. He told JI in a recent interview that working with U.S. partners and allies in the Middle East was a key element of his time in the region, as was working to prevent Iranian-backed terrorism and destabilization and maintain stability and governance in the midst of the Arab Spring. Having personally come under attack from Iranian missiles, Evans told JI, “we cannot live in a world with a nuclear Iran.” The Colorado Republican called Israel “hands down, bar none” the United States’ “most critical ally in the Middle East.”
Read the full interview here. malka's moment Israel’s culinary ambassador Eyal Shani doubles South Florida footprint with new kosher restaurant  Alissa Dragun It’s after Thanksgiving but before Christmas, which means South Florida is in the midst of its annual transformation as snowbirds come south in droves to escape the colder climes of the Northeast. This year, if Eyal Shani’s latest gamble proves correct, many of them will be flocking to Malka, the Israeli celebrity chef’s newest venture: a high-end kosher meat restaurant that opened last week in West Palm Beach. It’s the first Florida outpost of Malka, Shani’s kosher concept, which also has two locations in New York City and one in Tel Aviv, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
My people: The 65-year-old Shani has opened 40 restaurants around the world, only five of which are kosher. He decided to open his first kosher restaurant after realizing that the majority of Israeli Jews keep kosher — and could not go to his restaurants. “They used to stand and look at my restaurant with eyes that want to swallow my restaurant. But they couldn't because they are Orthodox and they are eating kosher,” Shani told JI in an interview last week. “Then I said to myself, my purpose in life is to cook for my people. And these are part of my people. “
Read the full story here. festival of lights Yeshiva University hosts philanthropist-studded Hanukkah Dinner, announces major gifts  haley cohen In a year filled with darkness, the light of Hanukkah illuminated New York City’s Cipriani ballroom on Sunday evening as more than 500 supporters of Yeshiva University gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Hanukkah Dinner, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Hanukkah gelt: A number of major gifts — some of which will go toward the Orthodox institution’s new health sciences building in Midtown Manhattan — were announced during the dinner by Rabbi Ari Berman, the president of the university. These include $36 million from the Wilf family, members of which were presented with the Centennial Medallion award for their longtime support of the university; $11 million from Zahava and Moshael Straus; $6 million from the Safra family (Chella Safra, member of the Yeshiva University Board of Trustees and chair of the Moise Y. Safra Philanthropic Foundation — named for her late husband — received an honorary doctorate at the dinner), as well as millions from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who has criticized his alma mater, Harvard University, (and withheld donations to it) over its handling of antisemitism and other diversity-related issues.
Read the full story here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here. | Dermer’s Dogma: The Wall Street Journal’s Barton Swaim interviews Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer about the lessons the U.S. can take from Israel about the latter’s fight for its survival over the last 14 months. “It occurs to me that no other first-world nation, with the exception of the U.S. in the months after Sept. 11, 2001, possesses the shrewdness and sheer audacity to pull off so many exploits against its enemies. Israel, unlike the 21st-century West, takes its own side in a fight. Why? ‘We have no choice,’ Mr. Dermer says. He makes the point with a joke: ‘So I hear you have issues with Canada and Mexico. I’ll tell you what, we’ll take Canada, and you can have Syria. We’ll take Mexico, and you can have any other country in the Middle East.’ The necessity of remaining vigilant, of cultivating a sense of national self-confidence, has kept Israel from developing some of the pathologies of other prosperous liberal nations. 'You’re always trying to find the right balance between security and civil liberties,' Mr. Dermer says. 'Then, as danger from abroad recedes for a time, you naturally concentrate more on civil liberties and all of these issues.' The remarkable fact about Israel, he says, is that 'we’ve been living Sept. 12 for 76 years. And as somebody born and raised in the United States' — he took Israeli citizenship in 1997 and held U.S. citizenship till 2005 — 'what amazes me about Israel is that with all of its imperfections, and every society’s imperfect, it still remains a vibrant, thriving democracy that affords its citizens enormous freedoms.'” [WSJ]
Proceed With Caution: In Semafor, Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal Abbas posits that the Gulf countries are approaching the new government in Syria with caution, due to its past ties to terror groups. “In Syria, the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — a militant group on several terror lists — as the dominant force behind the overthrow of Assad raises similar concerns. HTS leader Ahmed Al Shara (until recently known as Abu Mohammad Al Golani) is certainly sending all the right assurances, so far. Through international media appearances and messages to domestic audiences, he has promised to respect minority rights, peace, and not to impose strict Islamic dress codes on women. This is noteworthy, especially given Syria’s diverse religious fabric, which the Assad regime long exploited to maintain power. Is he sincere? Will he, and can he, keep his promises? Only time will tell. For now, Gulf states seem willing to give the benefit of the doubt. This was certainly the tone in the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, which expressed its satisfaction with the ‘positive steps taken to ensure the safety of the brotherly Syrian people, to prevent bloodshed, and to preserve Syria’s state institutions and resources’ — a nod to the wise decision HTS has taken not to dismantle government institutions, a mistake the US made after it took control of Iraq in 2003.” [Semafor]
Riyadh’s Reckoning: Politico’s Matthew Kaminski, visiting Riyadh, reflects on Saudi Arabia’s modernization at the heads of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “When regimes in the region care most about the economy and modernization, they see security and the relationship with Israel differently than their predecessors. Before the Hamas attack last year, Riyadh and Israel were moving toward normalizing relations. … Those talks are on hold, but the recent wins for Israel in its region, above all Iran’s weaker position following the fall of Syria’s Bashar Assad, could reopen the door. The aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks makes an even more compelling case for Saudi Arabia to strike a deal. The key element — the one that Riyadh cares most about — is the promise of an American security guarantee for Saudi Arabia, preferably in the form of a Senate-ratified treaty along the lines of NATO. The violence that Oct. 7 unleashed that brought about direct confrontations between Israel and Iran reminded Saudis of their own precarious security — the threat from extremists and from their rival Iran, which has nuclear ambitions.” [Politico]
Window of Opportunity: In conversation with the Washington Post’s David Ignatius, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant suggests that the U.S. and Israel have a narrow window to act to stop a nuclear Iran. “How to stop Iran’s progress? The Biden administration had hoped before the Gaza war began to reach a new nuclear arms agreement with Iran to replace 2015’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Trump, too, even as he jettisoned the JCPOA in 2018, discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron and others negotiating a bigger, tougher agreement. If coercive diplomacy fails to quash Iran’s nuclear capability, Israel and the United States might consider military action. Many Iranian nuclear facilities are buried deep underground, and analysts have argued that only the United States has big enough conventional weapons to bust those bunkers. Gallant hopes the United States and Israel will work together to prevent a nuclear Iran. But he stressed: ‘Israel has the means to strike Iranian assets in a precise, forceful and sophisticated manner. If needed, we will not hesitate to act.’” [WashPost] | Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening, or other communication. | President-elect Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Saturday to discuss the Israel-Hamas war as well as the evolving situation in Syria…
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