We love ourselves too often and need reach out much more often. It is a social responsibility and it effects the environment also.
5 of 8,590 Netanyahu's Gaza plan faces heat at home and abroad Inbox Jewish Insider Daily Kickoff Unsubscribe 4:24 AM (5 hours ago) to me Read the online version of the Daily Kickoff August 8th, 2025 Good Friday morning. In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed actions in Gaza are prompting criticism from some of Israel’s most reliable supporters, and report on Rep. Maxwell Frost’s 180-degree pivot from his campaign pledges regarding Israel. We cover a push by dozens of House members in support of maintaining the U.S. ban on exporting advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, and talk to Rich Goldberg about his monthslong stint in the Trump administration as the senior counselor for the White House’s new National Energy Dominance Council. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Stephen Miran, Katie Miller and Tony Blinken. Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 SHARE WITH A FRIEND For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: Maxwell Frost reneges on pro-Israel pledges; Lessons from Gaza disengagement remain relevant 20 years later; and James Walkinshaw sounds more supportive of Israel than his former boss. Print the latest edition here. What We're Watching We’re keeping an eye on IDF moves in Gaza this weekend, following a late-night Israeli Security Cabinet vote to move forward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City. More below. Vice President JD Vance is in Kent, England, today, where he is slated to meet with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are in Washington for meetings with senior Trump administration officials, including a trilateral meeting with the president this afternoon during which time the leaders will sign a peace deal ending decades of conflict. Yesterday, Aliyev met with Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff. The Jewish National Fund’s Our Jewish Roots conference kicks off today in Carlsbad, Calif. Hadassah’s National Conference begins on Sunday in Aventura, Fla. What You Should Know A QUICK WORD WITH JI'S MELISSA WEISS Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement on Thursday that Israel plans to take control of additional parts of the Gaza Strip before handing it over to an unspecified Arab governing authority is being met with hesitation from even some of Israel’s most stalwart defenders. The Security Cabinet voted early this morning to take over Gaza City, stopping short of the full occupation of the Strip previously discussed. Throughout much of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli public broadly supported the military effort, even as progressive lawmakers such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) painted the war as “Netanyahu’s war,” and the Israeli prime minister as the bogeyman-in-chief. But in recent months, public sentiment in Israel has shifted noticeably. With most of Hamas’ senior military leadership eliminated, growing numbers of Israelis have begun to question the feasibility of Netanyahu’s goal of “total victory” over Hamas, given the terror group’s hold on the Gazan population and a lack of clarity on what’s left to accomplish militarily. Instead, polling shows that a large majority of Israelis prefer prioritizing a diplomatic resolution that secures the release of the remaining hostages, rather than expanding the military occupation of Gaza in hopes of complete surrender. Netanyahu’s plan this week to take over more of Gaza has begun to sap Israel’s political capital even among some of its closest allies on Capitol Hill, not to mention the isolation the Jewish state is facing from less-friendly European capitals. Even within the American Jewish community, as the war drags on into its 23rd month and with mounting IDF fatalities and no living hostages having been released since May, splits have emerged over the wisdom of Netanyahu’s double-down strategy. Indeed, while the official Israeli position on its war against Hamas in Gaza has hardened, the approach in the Diaspora, both from Jewish groups and leaders and elected officials, has also shifted — in the opposite direction. Read the rest of 'What You Should Know' here. Headlines only scratch the surface. We go deeper. To keep reading our reporting — and to stay ahead of the conversation — you’ll now need to create a free login. 👉 CREATE YOUR FREE LOGIN » HILL REACTIONS Pro-Israel Democrats criticize Netanyahu’s Gaza takeover gambit BLUE/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES Pro-Israel Democrats are criticizing the Israeli government’s plans to expand its operations and take control of additional parts of Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The Israeli Security Cabinet early Friday approved plans to take over Gaza City, though it stopped short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement earlier Thursday that Israel plans to take over the entire Gaza Strip. State of play: The plan seems to be aggravating the growing friction between the Israeli government and some of the Jewish state’s most vocal liberal backers in the United States over Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) said that Israel is ultimately responsible for making its own decisions, but said he’d advise the Israeli government to seek an end to the war once it frees the hostages. Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) questioned Netanyahu’s suggestions that Arab forces would be available and willing to take over Gaza in the long term. Read the full story here. FROSTY OUTLOOK Maxwell Frost reneges on pro-Israel pledges COURTESY Jewish and pro-Israel leaders are expressing some buyer’s remorse over their previous support for Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), who as a sophomore legislator has embraced positions that put him at odds with his past commitments, fueling frustration among those who had believed he would be a more dependable ally on key issues concerning Israel, Jewish Insider's Matthew Kassel reports. Then: Despite some initial concerns about his history of involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations as well as relationships with anti-Israel activists, Frost had circulated a lengthy Middle East position paper in consultation, in part, with a top pro-Israel group that largely assuaged lingering reservations among Jewish community leaders over the sincerity of his views. In the paper as well as a candidate questionnaire solicited by JI during his first primary, the young progressive organizer, describing himself as both “pro-Israel” and “pro-Palestinian,” voiced opposition to conditioning aid to Israel — arguing that the security threats facing the Jewish state are “far too grave” to enact such measures. Now: The most recent move to draw scrutiny from Jewish and pro-Israel leaders is a letter Frost signed urging the Trump administration to recognize a Palestinian state over growing concerns with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In addition to the letter — which followed a similar resolution he co-sponsored in 2023 during his first term — Frost in May joined legislation to place unprecedented new conditions on aid to Israel by withholding offensive weapons over its alleged violations of international law. Last year, he also voted against a widely approved bill to provide supplemental aid to Israel six months after Hamas’ attacks. In a statement explaining his thinking at the time, Frost wrote that he was “only able to justify aid for defense, not offense, and this legislation did not allow me to separate the two,” as the war “has claimed the lives of countless innocent Palestinian civilians and brought us no closer to the return of innocent Israeli hostages held by Hamas.” Read the full story here. SPANBERGER SPEAKS Under pressure from Jewish leaders, Spanberger responds to Va. Dem’s anti-Israel posts WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES Facing pressure from the Virginia Jewish community to speak out against recent anti-Zionist social media posts from state Del. Sam Rasoul, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, addressed concerns about antisemitism without specifically referencing Rasoul, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports. What she said: “This war continues to unleash heartbreak and tragedy as we witness civilian deaths, starving families, and hostages still held by Hamas. These horrors rightly compel so many to advocate for the mass delivery of aid, the release of all Israeli hostages, and a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel,” Spanberger told the Virginia Scope, a political newsletter, in response to a question about Rasoul, who chairs the Education Committee in the House of Delegates. “However, one can and must denounce these tragedies without using antisemitic language, whether intentional or not.” She did not specify whether she identified Rasoul’s rhetoric as antisemitic. Spanberger’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment from JI. Read the full story here. LAYING DOWN THE LAW Prosecutors announce hate crimes charges against D.C. museum shooter MANDEL NGAN/AFP Authorities in the District of Columbia announced on Thursday that they filed federal hate crime charges against Elias Rodriguez, the suspect in the fatal shooting in May of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. The indictment on nine counts, filed on Wednesday, includes a charge relating to a hate crime resulting in death and comes more than two months after Rodriguez was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, the murder of foreign officials, causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a violent crime for the May 21 attack, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. Pirro’s presser: Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning about the new charges, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said, “A D.C. grand jury has charged in this indictment two hate crimes, alleging that he murdered Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim because of his bias against the people of Israel. He demonstrated this hatred through his words, ‘Death to Israel,’ and his violent actions against Yaron and Sarah and their co-workers from the Israeli Embassy,” Pirro said. Read the full story here. ADMINISTRATION INSIGHT Rich Goldberg reflects on Trump administration service on Energy Dominance Council FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES Rich Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, this week concluded a monthslong stint in the Trump administration as the senior counselor for the White House’s new National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) and a senior advisor to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Looking back: Goldberg helped launch the NEDC, which he compared in an interview with JI this week to a “[National Security Council], only for energy,” coordinating with the White House, Burgum and Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright to build domestic production of energy and exploitation of oil, gas, coal and nuclear resources, as well as critical minerals. Goldberg discussed the administration’s efforts to counter Iran and its proxies, push forward AI development and build a new energy and shipping infrastructure in the Middle East, as well as its decision to strike Iran and the path forward in Gaza. Read the full story here. MILITARY MATTERS 40 House members urge administration to refuse F-35 sales to Turkey NICOLAS ECONOMOU/NURPHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES A bipartisan group of 40 House members is urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to maintain the U.S. ban on exporting advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, amid ongoing reports that the U.S. and Turkey are negotiating to allow the sale of the jets, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The argument: “Turkey still possesses S-400 systems and has shown no willingness to comply with U.S. law. This behavior cannot be rewarded,” the letter to Rubio reads. “Lifting sanctions or allowing Turkey back into the F-35 program without first removing its S-400s would jeopardize the integrity of F-35 systems; expose U.S. military secrets to Russian intelligence; undermine our defense industrial base and allied confidence in purchasing future U.S. platforms; and disrupt development of the next-generation fighter jet recently announced by the Administration.” Read the full story here. Elsewhere on the Hill: Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), the co-chairs of the Senate antisemitism task force, highlighted concerns about the latest FBI hate crimes statistics showing a record-high level of antisemitic hate crimes in 2024, and called for further action, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Worthy Reads Gloom in Khartoum: Reporting from Sudan, The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum examines how the myriad challenges facing the country have brought about the “end of the liberal world order” in the war-torn African nation. “Turkish, Egyptian, Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, Russian, Iranian, and Ukrainian interests intersect and overlap on this final layer of cellophane, helping make Sudan, like Yemen and Libya, a place where antagonists from around the planet fund violent proxy wars, at the expense of the people who live there. ... Meanwhile, the countries that might once have banded together to stop the fighting have lost interest or capacity. The institutions that might once have helped broker a cease-fire are too weak, and can’t or won’t help. ‘We live in a very interesting, many people call it, new world order,’ [Abdalla] Hamdok, the former Sudanese prime minister, told me. ‘The world we got to know — the consensus, the Pax Americana, the post–Second World War consensus — is just no more.’” [TheAtlantic] Not Joe’s Party: In the New York Daily News, Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, reflects on the Democratic Party’s shift away from the previously “mainstream” positions of “foreign policy hawkishness and outspoken support for Israel” in the 25 years since Sen. Joe Lieberman, then a Democrat, was announced as former Vice President Al Gore’s 2000 running mate. “This is a stunning change for a party that elevated and embraced Lieberman 25 years ago. Could it happen again today? Many American Jews wondered as much when Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was under consideration to be [Vice President Kamala] Harris’ VP. We will never know why Harris didn’t pick Shapiro, but we all saw the concerted antisemitic campaign against him in social media and the press. … The Democratic Party once drew Jews to its cause because it was seen as the party of tolerance and equal opportunity. This was a natural home base for immigrant Jews fleeing the ghettos and pogroms of Europe. Today, the Democratic Party is battling to redefine itself in the wake of its failures in the 2024 election. A growing portion of the left wants it to be a party Lieberman could no longer call home.” [NYDN] Saving Navalny: In a piece adapted from their upcoming book SWAP: A Secret History of the New Cold War, Wall Street Journal reporters Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson look at the efforts to free Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in February 2024. “To this day, a debate continues over whether the U.S. missed a chance to save Navalny, or whether back-channel efforts to free him inadvertently precipitated his demise. One camp believes he could have been exchanged if the Biden administration had moved faster, before he was sent to the harsh arctic prison in Dec. 2023. They place particular blame on Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden’s national security adviser, who was simultaneously assembling a complex, multinational agreement to save Navalny and jailed Americans and juggling an unmanageable set of geopolitical threats, including wars in Ukraine and Gaza.” [WSJ] SPONSORED CONTENT Community Comms Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening or other communication. You’ve been reading us — now take one quick step to keep going. Access to articles now requires a free login. It’s fast, simple, and keeps you connected to the full experience. 👉 CREATE YOUR FREE LOGIN » Word on the Street Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied as “total fake news” an NBC News report that a conversation with President Donald Trump about concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza “devolved into shouting.” … The U.S. facilitated a meeting between Gaza Humanitarian Foundation head Johnnie Moore and senior U.N. aid officials; Morgan Ortagus, who joined the U.S. mission at the U.N. in June, was reportedly part of the meeting, the first direct engagement between the international body and the GHF since it began operations in May… The Treasury Department announced sanctions against 18 entities and individuals tied to Iranian sanctions evasion and revenue generation… Trump plans to nominate Stephen Miran, the head of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, to the vacant seat on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors… Katie Miller, who served as a senior advisor to Elon Musk during and after his time in the Trump administration, is departing her role and plans to launch a podcast focused on reaching conservative women… Former Secretary of State Tony Blinken is joining the Center for American Progress’ board of directors… Florida Republicans are
View in browser Stand with Israel August 7, 2025 Here are American Jewish Committee’s top stories and resources of the day to help you stay informed, share the facts, and rally your networks to take action in support of Israel and against rising antisemitism. You can expect to receive the next AJC Update on Monday, August 11. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and TikTok for daily news and updates. Forward this to your friends and networks. They can sign up at AJC.org/Update. 1. AJC Runs Full-Page New York Times Ad to Expose Israeli Hostage Suffering AJC ran a full-page advertisement in The New York Times Wednesday, exposing the brutal conditions faced by Israeli hostage Evyatar David. These harrowing images, showing the 24-year-old starved by Hamas, should have been front-page news everywhere. Instead, they were largely ignored by major media outlets. See the ad, which is also slated to run in the Sunday edition of The Times, and learn more. What AJC CEO Ted Deutch is Saying | “For 670 days, Evyatar David has been starved and brutalized by Hamas terrorists. But the world’s biggest media outlets look the other way, so AJC took out a full-page ad in The New York Times. The world must bear witness to the plight of the hostages and demand: #BringThemHomeNOW!” Share the ad on X. Help Bring Them Home | Urge your representatives in Congress to demand Hamas release every hostage immediately. Send your email here. 2. War and Additional Israel Updates: Future of IDF Operations in Gaza | As of this writing, Israel’s Security Cabinet is meeting to decide the future of the Gaza war, including a possible expansion into areas where the IDF hasn’t operated and where the hostages are believed to be held. In light of Hamas’ refusal to reach a hostage and ceasefire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds that Israel cannot maintain the current operations in the Strip while the hostages are being starved to death. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir prefers to encircle Gaza City instead of a full incursion, believing it could endanger the hostages and lead to greater IDF casualties. One of the options being discussed in the cabinet meeting is to give Hamas an ultimatum: agree to a deal and release all of the hostages or Israel will enter or surround Gaza City. UN Acknowledges Looting of Aid | The United Nations reported that nearly 90% of aid trucks it collected in Gaza between May and August were intercepted before reaching their intended destinations by armed groups or hungry Gazans. Out of 2,604 trucks that entered Gaza, only about 295 successfully delivered their aid without being intercepted. Israel plans to open additional humanitarian aid distribution centers in Gaza to combat the looting and get aid to those most in need. IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets | The IDF conducted airstrikes on Hezbollah weapons facilities, missile equipment, and infrastructure in southern Lebanon Wednesday night, as part of recent operations against the Iran-backed terror group. The strikes followed Tuesday’s elimination of senior Hezbollah commander Hassam Qassem Ghrab, who was reportedly coordinating terrorist cells in Syria that were preparing to launch rocket attacks on the Golan Heights. On Wednesday, the French battalion of UNIFIL discovered a significant cache of weapons in an underground facility in south Lebanon. What AJC is Saying | “AJC welcomes the Lebanese Cabinet’s approval for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year. The defeat of extremist ideologies, both militarily and ideologically, is critical in the pursuit of a more prosperous and peaceful Middle East.” Share on X. 3. Day 671 Hostages Update: Address to UN Security Council | Ilay David, Evyatar David’s brother, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar addressed the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday about the plight of the hostages. Ilay appeared via live video feed, stating: “To the leaders of the world, to every member of this council and to the global community, your silence in the face of this monstrous cruelty is complicity.” Sa'ar described Hamas’ treatment of hostages as part of a “deliberate and well-planned, sadistic propaganda campaign.” 4. AJC Statement on the Indictment of the Capital Jewish Museum Shooter AJC today issued a statement in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s procurement of the indictment of Elias Rodriguez, the individual charged in the May 21, 2025, murders outside the Capital Jewish Museum. AJC’s statement in response to the indictment read in part, “Sarah Milgrim (z”l) and Yaron Lischinsky’s (z”l) young lives and full potential were horrifically stolen on May 21 outside the Capital Jewish Museum after they left an AJC event. This deliberate and heinous act was a deeply personal tragedy for their families and for the entire AJC community. It was an assault on the values we hold as Americans, as Jews, and as members of a shared society. Their families deserve justice and healing.” Read the full statement. 5. Campus Update: AJC Provides the Tools to Combat Antisemitism in Schools This Fall This week, AJC’s Center for Education Advocacy (CEA) launched its Back to School toolkit, which includes comprehensive resources to help K-12 and university leaders, Jewish students, and their parents create safe learning environments where Jewish students can thrive. These updated action plans, customized toolkits, and thoughtful guidance are designed to address antisemitism and make lasting, positive change in classrooms and on campuses throughout the coming academic year. Access the tools here—and make sure to share them widely! 6. FBI Hate Crimes Report: Antisemitism Part of American Jews’ Daily Life AJC is deeply concerned by the findings published Tuesday in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Reported Crimes in the Nation 2024 – Hate Crime Statistics report. The data show that religiously motivated hate crime incidents have increased year-over-year, with incidents targeting Jews rising at a faster pace than the national average. Anti-Jewish hate crime incidents continue to reach record highs, with this year’s data reflecting the highest number of such incidents since the FBI began reporting this information. Read AJC’s press release. In Line with AJC Findings | The FBI report supports what AJC has long known and widely shared: AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report found that a majority of American Jews—56%—report changing their behavior out of fear of antisemitism. Hate Crime in Missouri | On the same day the FBI’s report was released, a Jewish family was targeted in a violent hate crime near St. Louis, with their cars torched and threatening language spray-painted outside their home. In response, AJC and other national and local Jewish organizations condemned the antisemitic act. What AJC is Saying | “... Law enforcement, community leaders, and elected officials must work together to combat antisemitism at the local, state, and federal levels.” Share on X. AJC Advocacy Anywhere: Evolving British Middle East Policy AJC Advocacy Anywhere: Evolving British Middle East Policy On July 29, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the intention to recognize Palestinian statehood in September. With this signal of a shift in policy, what are the implications for British foreign policy, UK-Israel relations, and the British Jewish Community? AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson and Board of Deputies of British Jews President Phil Rosenberg unpack these urgent questions. Watch here. BEAT THE HATE: Don’t Miss AJC’s $50,000 Summer Match Standing up for Israel and the Jewish people cannot wait until tomorrow. Antisemitism is hitting record levels worldwide right now. But we can BEAT THE HATE with action. Join AJC in the global fight to defend Israel and counter antisemitism. Now through August 21, any gift you make to AJC will be matched, dollar-for-dollar. Don’t wait. Donate today
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