Daily Kickoff: Kamala Harris’ balancing act (2024)

Good Thursday morning.

In today’sDaily Kickoff, we cover Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill, talk to House SpeakerMike Johnsonabout Vice PresidentKamala Harris’ decision to skip the address and report from a memorial service honoring the late Sen.Joe Lieberman. Also in today’sDaily Kickoff: Sen.Lindsey Graham,Rupert MurdochandMohammed Dahlan.

• President Joe Biden will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuat the White House at 1 p.m. ET. After their sit-down, the two will meet with American hostage families.
  
• Netanyahu will meet separately with Vice President Kamala Harrisat 4:30 p.m. ET.
  
• CNN’s Jake Tapper will interview former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haleyon “The Lead” at 5 p.m. ET.

During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speechto Congress yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris, who usually presides over joint sessions of Congress, was not in her usual spot at the rostrum alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

Instead, she was speaking at a conference hosted by Zeta Phi Beta, a Black sorority, in Indianapolis. An aide to Harris toldJewish Insiderearlier this week that Harris skipping Netanyahu’s speech “should not be interpreted as a change in her position with regard to Israel,” JI’s senior national correspondent Gabby Deutch reports.

Days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the raceand endorsed Harris to be his successor as president, her absence — even if due to a pre-planned event —represents the first real foreign-policy decision of her campaign. It’s also the firstjoint sessionof Congress during the Biden administration that Harris did not preside over.

On one hand, Harris may have saved herself some political agonyby not being in Washington. Dozens of Democrats skipped the speech entirely for political reasons, with many calling out Netanyahu;some left-wing lawmakers even deemed him a “war criminal.” Of the Democrats who did attend the speech, many opted not to applaud Netanyahu, or to stay seated when others gave him a standing ovation. All eyes, literally, would have been on Harris.

“The vice president has been unwavering in her commitmentto [the] security of Israel,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday when asked why Harris didn’t attend the speech.

But Republicans and others skeptical about Harris’ stance on Israelhave seized on the moment as a possible indication of Harris adopting a less pro-Israel position than Biden.

Victoria Coates, a former Trump administration stafferwho oversees foreign policy at the Heritage Foundation, called it “unconscionable” for Harris to “boycott this historic event.” (Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, skipped the speech, too. Rob Greenway, director of Heritage’s national security program, argued that’s less important: “No one is questioning Vance or Trump’s support for Israel. We’re all questioning the [Biden] administration’s.”)

Harris will have an opportunity to respond to both her supporters and her detractorstoday when she meets with Netanyahu one-on-one at the White House. Her absence in the Capitol raises the stakes of the meeting significantly: How will she receive Netanyahu? Will she emphasize American support for Israel? Will she offer any public criticism of Netanyahu?

So far, those close to Harris have been pushing the messagethis week that she will not diverge from Biden on Israel. “The message they’re sending to the prime minister tomorrow is that we’re completely aligned,” a senior Biden administration official told JI on Wednesday. “It’s time to do all we can to close the hostage deal, get the hostages home, and also we as an administration will continue to do all we possibly can to continue to support Israel’s self-defense against Iran, Hezbollah … Houthis and everything else.”

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke at avirtual event on Wednesdayhosted by the Jewish Democratic Council of America, where he described his first trip to Israel with Harris in 2017 —and said she’ll remain pro-Israel.

“It was one of the most remarkable experiences of my lifeto do that with her, and that’s who she is,” Emhoff said. “So let me just make this clear: Vice President Harris has been and will be a strong supporter of Israel as a secure, democratic and Jewish state, and she will always ensure that Israel can defend itself.”

Still, Harris herself hasn’t yet weighed in on Israel and Gazasince becoming the likely Democratic nominee. Nor has she commented on the violent protests in Washington yesterday, where anti-Israel activists tore down and burned an American flag outside of Union Station and spray-painted “HAMAS IS COMIN” on a statue.

The protesters earned a harsh rebuke from White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates, whotold JIthat “identifying with evil terrorist organizations like Hamas, burning the American flag, or forcibly removing the American flag and replacing it with another, is disgraceful. Antisemitism and violence are never acceptable. Period.” The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Since Biden’s endorsem*nt of Harris on Sunday, one of the biggest questions she faces is whether —and if — she will take a different position from Biden on key issues. Her meeting with Netanyahu today will be the first chance for the public to get some answers.

In his fourth address to Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu madean aggressive case to the U.S. and the world in defense of Israel’s operations in Gaza, while also offering appreciation to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump for their support for Israel,Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

How they responded:While the hour-long speech received frequent applause from the lawmakers in attendance, about 120 congressional Democrats and a handful of Republicans were absent from the address, a significant boycott of a speech by a foreign leader. In the chamber, many Democrats remained seated or declined to applaud for significant portions of the speech. Much of the speech was dedicated to defending Israel from attacks and criticism it has faced on the world stage since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, repeating arguments often invoked by the Jewish state and its allies.

Read the full story here.

The scene and the seen:Notable VIPs in the audience included tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was spotted sitting with British conservative commentator Douglas Murray; Elliott Management’s Paul Singer and Terry Kassel; conservative media personality Mark Levin and Julie Strauss Levin; Aryeh Lightstone, senior adviser to former Ambassador David Friedman; Republican Jewish Coalition board member Eric Levine; and former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows,Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod, Emily Jacobs and Haley Cohen report.

Fact check:Contrary tosuggestionsthat Netanyahu snubbed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the pair wasseenshaking hands before the prime minister’s speech.

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress on Wednesday, he joined the American conversation on Israel, but Israelis were left wanting. Netanyahu made sure to highlight bipartisan support for Israel. He thanked President Joe Biden for supporting Israel — mostly at the beginning of the war — and expressed appreciation for U.S. aid, while paying tribute to former President Donald Trump’s accomplishments for Israel ahead of their Mar-a-Lago tête-à-tête on Friday. But Netanyahu also gave what was essentially a point-by-point rebuttal to the arguments of Israel’s critics and detractors on the American left,Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.

What was missing:Netanyahu’s speech was written for an American audience, but, of course, he knew it would be watched by many in Israel. Many of the sentiments Netanyahu expressed in his speech are not controversial in Israel, and many Israelis said on traditional and social media that they were moved by the stories of IDF soldiers’ courage and glad to see the warm reception in Congress. But the fact that the speech did not give Israelis any new reason to be hopeful was at the root of much of the criticism. Stopping Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel was left as an open question; Israel would prefer a diplomatic solution but is ready to “do whatever it must” to stop them. The war in Gaza could end faster if the U.S. military aid comes faster, Netanyahu said, but he continued to share only vague ideas of what Gaza would look like after that point. It was always unlikely that Netanyahu would announce a hostage release deal in the speech, but there was nothing new about progress toward a deal.

Read the full story here.

Hill response:Reaction to Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday fell largely along predictable lines: Republicans and some pro-Israel Democrats praised Netanyahu’s forceful message, while other Democrats and family members of hostages criticized the speech for not outlining a specific plan to free the hostages, as well as for the harsh way anti-Israel protesters were characterized,Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs, Marc Rod and Haley Cohen report.

The White House and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on Wednesday evening condemned the protest in Washington, D.C., against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech, which turned destructive and violent and included expressions of support for Hamas,Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Murphy’s remarks:Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), whosaidthat Netanyahu’s “suggestion that any American who objects to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is a Hamas sympathizer” was “way out of bounds,”hours latersaidthat “pro-Hamas cheers and messages of hate and antisemitism have no place in our country.”

Read the full story here.

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) was “an American patriot and a proud Jew,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a Wednesday memorial service that brought together a bipartisan mix of Lieberman’s admirers,Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov and Gabby Deutch report. Speaking at Washington Hebrew Congregation hours before his high-stakes appearance on Capitol Hill, Netanyahu said he first met Lieberman in the 1980s, when the latter was attorney general of Connecticut: “What struck me first when I met him was his moral clarity and his moral courage.”

Meaning of mensch:Former Vice President Al Gore, who chose Lieberman as his running mate in the 2000 presidential election, paid tribute to him as a man with a “remarkably faith-filled life.” Gore’s selection of Lieberman was the first time a Jewish American had ever appeared on a major party’s presidential ticket. “I learned a lot from Joe, including a few words of Yiddish,” he said. “I was already familiar with the word mensch, but I didn’t know what it really meant until I got to be a good friend of Joe Lieberman.”

Read the full story here.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress today as a “terrible symbolic gesture” and predicted that she would “pay a price for it politically.” Johnson made the comments in aninterview withJewish Insider’s Emily Jacobson Tuesday evening while discussing plans for Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to preside in Harris’absence. The House speaker said he viewed Harris skipping the joint session as “more than unhelpful, it’s unconscionable. It is an affront to our most strategic ally in the region at its most desperate time of need.”

Political price:“I think it’s an inexcusable political calculation that Kamala Harris has made. I think she’ll pay a price for it politically, and I think she should. The idea that you would boycott right now, to me, is just beyond the pale. They had to rest on Sen. Cardin to sit in the chair, who’s retiring from the Senate. I think that sends a strong message to the voters, and it’s quite sad,” Johnson said. Harris opted against presiding over the joint session, something then Vice President Joe Biden did during Netanyahu’s 2015 address. She will insteadmeet withNetanyahu later this week.

Read the full story here.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced legislation on Wednesday that would impose tariffs on countries that buy crude oil or petroleum products from Iran,Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs has learned. Graham unveiled the Tariffs for Terrorism Act following months of discussions with former President Donald Trump about ways to build on their efforts to deprive Iran of its oil revenues. If implemented, the tariffs would serve as an obstacle to Tehran being able to export their petroleum to countries that engage with the United States.

‘Long past time’:“After many discussions with President Trump, I’m introducing legislation to impose tariffs on countries that purchase petroleum products from Iran,” Graham told JI in a statement on the bill. “It is long past time to make those that enrich this terrorist regime pay a price, and there’s no better price than tariffs on products coming into the United States,” he continued. “On day one, President Trump will re-impose maximum pressure on Iran. Tariffs on countries that empower terrorism and the Ayatollah is a good place to start.”

Read the full story here.

President Joe Biden delivereda prime-time address last night, expanding on his decision not to seek reelection in November…

InThe New York Times,Jeffrey Katzenbergpenned an op-edpraisingBidenfor ending his reelection bid, saying that the president “selflessly let go of the reins” and did “what was best for the country”…

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) brushed asideconcerns over the selection of a Jewish running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket amid rumors thatPennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapirois under consideration; Phillips, who like Shapiro is Jewish, said that it is “almost strange and disconcerting that we’re even having the conversation” and suggested he was “a little surprised in this day and age that somehow, maybe, breaking barriers may stop at people of the Jewish faith”…

Anti-Israel activistsaffiliated withWESPAC gained accessto theWatergate Hotelwhere Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu and his delegation is staying and released maggots into a room being used by the delegation…

Senate Republicansare introducing legislation today to ban the federal government from contracting with entities that boycott Israel, the latest effort to expand anti-boycott, divestment and sanctions legislation, which has proliferated at the state level, to the national level,Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…

AIPAC’s United Democracy Projectsuper PAC announcedanother $1 million advertising buyin favor of St. Louis ProsecutorWesley Belland againstRep. Cori Bush (D-MO); its spending in the race now totals more than $7 million…

Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)andJoni Ernst (R-IA)introduced legislation yesterday forcinguniversitiesand theDepartment of Educationto immediately act on Title VI complaints amid a surge in cases of antisemitism on college campuses — or else face a fine of $1 million,Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports…

The man accused of stabbingSalman Rushdiein 2022is facingadditional federal terrorism-related charges; federal prosecutors alleged thatHadi Matarprovided “material support and resources” toHezbollahfor nearly two years before the attack on Rushdie…

A New Jersey manwho pleaded guilty to car-jacking the vehicle of an Orthodox Jewish man and using the stolen car to go on an antisemitic rampage in Lakewood, N.J.,was sentencedto 40 years in prison for the crimes…

The Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a lawsuitagainst theDepartment of Education’s Office for Civil Rightsfor dismissing its complaint filed against theUniversity of Pennsylvania…

Attorneys forHarvard Universityarguedin federal court that a lawsuit brought against the school for its handling of antisemitism should be dismissed, denouncing accusations that it had displayed “deliberate indifference” to the well-being ofJewish students…

A group ofJewish scoutstraveling to New Yorkperformedlife-saving CPR on a fellow passenger on their Southwest flight…

The New York Times reports onthe legal battle betweenRupert Murdochand several of his children over the future of the conservative media empire he built…

Last night’s soccer match in Paris betweenIsraelandMali, during which Israel was repeatedly jeered by the crowd,endedin a draw; the Israeli teamarrived at thestadium under heavy security that included squads of French riot police…

Germany bannedan Islamic group accused of ties toIranandHezbollahand conducted raids on mosques and Islamic centers across the country believed to have ties to the group…

Australia announcedsanctions on sevenIsraeli settlersand anextremist Israeli youth groupthat attempts to build illegal outposts throughout the West Bank…

TheWashington Post looks athowHamashas maintained some of its ability to provide services to residents of Gaza, even as its top officials remain underground and Israel continues in its efforts to dismantle the terror group’s top leadership…

The bodies of five Israeli hostages who were killed on Oct. 7 —Ravid Katz, 51;Oren Goldin, 33;Maya Goren, 56;Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19; andStaff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20 —were recoveredby the IDF in an operation in Khan Younis, Gaza, and repatriated to Israel for proper burial…

Iranian media reported that formerIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad avoidedan assassination attempt when the car he was meant to have been a passenger in crashed after returning from the mechanic with faulty brakes and steering; Ahmadinejad had taken another vehicle to morning prayers…

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal Herzog, posed for a selfie with members of the Israeli Olympic delegation at the country’s pavilion in Paris shortly after arriving in the country.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, she is a staff writer atThe Atlantic,Anne Applebaumturns 60…

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising participant and Holocaust survivor, she is the subject of the 2021 documentary “I am Here,”Ella Blumenthalturns 103… Painter and printmaker, her works include the “Kaddish Series,” reflecting on the tragedy of the Holocaust,Rita Brianskyturns 99… Former publisher and editor-in-chief ofJewish Lights Publishing, he is an economist and religious scholar best known for his interfaith work,Stuart M. Matlinsturns 84… Cinematographer, whose work includes “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Empire Strikes Back,”Peter Suschitzkyturns 83… Member of the New York City Council from 2014 to 2021,Alan N. Maiselturns 78… Born in Casablanca, nightclub owner, entrepreneur and film producer, he produced “The Woman in Red” and “Weekend at Bernie’s,”Victor Draiturns 77… Former IDF Brig. Gen. (he was part of Operation Entebbe in 1976), then a member of Knesset,Efraim “Effi” Eitamturns 72… Voiceover artist, he produced a documentary about the restoration of a NYC synagogue,Peter Grossman… Chairman of Vibrant Capital Partners and chair emeritus of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia,Philip Darivoff… Screenwriter, director and producer, best known for creating “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Sex and the City,”Darren Starturns 63… Retired MLB pitcher from a small Jewish community in the Dominican Republic, he maintains a kosher home,José Bautistaturns 60… Israeli journalist, television news anchor and author of a non-fiction book and a novel,Oshrat Kotlerturns 59… CEO of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, RabbiSteven Weil… NYC-based criminal defense attorney,Arkady L. Bukhturns 52… Head coach of the men’s basketball team at Kent State University,Rob Senderoffturns 51… Radio personality on Baltimore’s WBAL and 98 Rock,Josh Spiegelturns 49… Managing director of corporate pricing and public affairs at Real Chemistry,Erin Seidler… Experimental electronic music producer, composer and singer, known professionally as Oneohtrix Point Never,Daniel Lopatinturns 42… Film and television actor,Michael Welchturns 37… Pitcher for Team Israel at the 2020 Olympics and at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he is also a real estate broker at CBRE,Joseph “Joey” Samuel Wagmanturns 33…