Good Tuesday morning. 

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on yesterday’s meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump in Washington, and look at the Trump administration and Senate Republicans’ support for strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. We report on a new lawsuit filed against Palestinian American businessman Bashar Masri over his alleged support for Hamas, and cover concerns among Jewish leaders in New Jersey over Sen. Andy Kim’s recent votes in favor of halting military aid to Israel. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Jason Isaacs, David Denby and Reza Pahlavi.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to leave the White House empty-handed on Monday after President Donald Trump didn’t give him a win to take back to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.

Netanyahu’s whirlwind visit to Washington, a last-minute extension of his trip to Hungary, was ostensibly scheduled because of the 17% tariff set to be placed on Israel tomorrow. Netanyahu said it was an honor to be the first world leader invited to the White House to persuade the president to roll back the planned tariffs.  

However, it soon became apparent that Netanyahu had more urgent concerns, after news broke that Washington would be negotiating directly with Tehran on Saturday over its nuclear program.

Netanyahu, an outspoken skeptic of diplomacy with Iran, addressed the issue first in their Oval Office photo-op, saying, “We’re both united in the goal that Iran does not ever get nuclear weapons.” Negotiations, the prime minister said, would have to lead to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program “in a full way, the way that it was done in Libya. I think that would be a good thing.” Trump, however, repeatedly emphasized that he is sending “almost the highest level” representatives of his administration to negotiate a deal on Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will lead the talks, characterized by Araghchi as “indirect,” in Oman. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi will reportedly serve as the mediator.

The president also stopped short of threatening military action against Iran if diplomacy doesn’t work out, even when asked directly about it. “If the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger,” Trump responded, in contrast to past comments where he explicitly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic. At another point in his remarks, he said that an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities “is not something I want to be involved with or frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with if they can avoid it.” 

Trump acknowledged that it’s “a possibility” that Iran is trying to buy time, something that Israeli officials said in recent days that they are concerned about, whether it’s buying time to advance its nuclear weapons program or to rebuild its air defenses that Israel destroyed in strikes last year.

The president’s public enthusiasm for deal-making means that action against Iran will have to wait while he gives negotiations a chance.

On Gaza, Trump mostly spoke about the horrific conditions in which the hostages were held, but not about eliminating Hamas or Israel winning the war, as he has in the past.

”I’d like to see the war stop and I think the war will stop in the not-too-distant future,” he said. 

Even when it came to what’s become known as the “Trump plan,” to allow Gazans to emigrate, the president did not confirm Netanyahu’s claim that there are countries willing to accept Gazans. After saying it would be good to have the U.S. “controlling and owning the Gaza Strip,” Trump mused at length about how Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza was a mistake.

On the trade front, Trump commended Netanyahu for “starting this conversation today saying he’s going to cut all tariffs.” The prime minister said he told Trump that he will “eliminate the trade deficit with the United States. We intend to do it very quickly … We’re also going to eliminate trade barriers.” 

However, when a reporter asked if Trump will reduce tariffs on Israel from 17%, he said “maybe not.”

“Don’t forget, we help Israel a lot. We give Israel $4 billion a year,” the president said, tying military aid to the tariff issue.

The disappointed looks on the Israeli delegations’ faces gave the distinct impression that they thought that if they flew halfway across the world, the two world leaders would be able to reach some kind of mutually beneficial agreement on tariffs. 

But Trump had other ideas, and Netanyahu and his staff did not even try to spin that the visit was a success. The prime minister returns to Israel today without any big accomplishments to bring back with him.

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Administration officials, Israeli officials and Senate Republicans are standing behind the Trump administration’s recent series of strikes on the Houthis following reports suggesting that the strikes are both costly and failing to significantly affect the terror group’s capabilities, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report.

Washington pulse: President Donald Trump said in Oval Office comments alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that the strikes on the Houthis had been “very successful militarily. We’ve damaged them very badly,” including eliminating some of their key missile designers. A diplomatic source in Netanyahu’s delegation to Washington said that “the Americans are doing a good job” striking the Houthis. “Unfortunately, Iran continues to support Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas, and so I think we all have to do what we can to destroy them, and unfortunately it takes money,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) told JI.

Read the full story here including additional comments from Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Tim Kaine (D-VA).

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Reza Pahlavi, the son of former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, argued on Monday that the U.S. has another option to address the Iranian nuclear program and other issues with the regime, aside from diplomacy and military strikes, which have come under serious discussion by the administration in recent weeks, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

What he said: Speaking at an event organized by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the National Council for Democracy in Iran, Pahlavi and others argued for a strategy of providing support for Iranian dissidents, who he said are prepared to overthrow the regime from within. “All I’m asking is give the Iranian people a chance to put an end to all of these concerns,” Pahlavi said. “And if we fail, you always have those options. But jumping straight from ‘diplomacy is not working’ [to] ‘let’s go bomb the hell out of them’ — once again, you’re throwing the people of Iran under the bus, which will only add insult to injury.”

Read the full story here.

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A lawsuit filed on behalf of families of victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks accuses a leading Palestinian American developer with ties to the Trump administration of actively supporting the terror group as it orchestrated its deadly invasion of Israel. The complaint, filed in Washington federal district court on Monday, alleges that Bashar Masri, a well-known businessman, owns several properties in Gaza that Hamas “used to construct and conceal” its tunnel network and “store and launch its rockets into Israel.” The suit also alleges that the properties helped “provide cover for Hamas’ true violent aims” in the lead-up to the attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis and claimed several hundred hostages, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.

Plaintiffs' push: Among the plaintiffs are the family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the Israeli-American hostage murdered by Hamas in Gaza; Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S.; and Eyal Waldman, an Israeli philanthropist and former business partner of Masri whose U.S.-born daughter was killed at the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7 attacks. While the lawsuit does not claim that Masri had advance knowledge of the Hamas-led attacks, it asserts that he and his companies, which are also listed as defendants, knowingly played a direct role in aiding and abetting the U.S.-designated terrorist group as it planned its massacre in southern Israel.

Read the full story here.

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The Senate voted to advance the nomination of Elbridge Colby to be undersecretary of defense for policy on Monday, teeing up a final confirmation vote for later this week, with three Democrats crossing party lines to vote with Republicans. Colby’s nomination advanced in a 53-39 vote on Monday evening, with no Republicans voting against him. It was unclear going into Monday’s vote what the final whip count would be, the result of Colby’s nomination being advanced in a secret vote during a classified session of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. A final vote on Colby’s confirmation is scheduled for Tuesday morning, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.

Who voted and who didn’t: Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on Armed Services, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) voted for the procedural motion to advance Colby’s nomination to a final vote on Monday. All three serve on Armed Services, and Slotkin worked with Colby in the past. Slotkin, who has worked for the Defense Department and the Central Intelligence Agency, told JI in February that she was familiar with Colby’s record because he “used to be my assistant.” Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) did not attend Monday’s vote. The Democratic backers of Colby come as something of a surprise given the tough questioning the nominee faced from Democrats at his confirmation hearing on his skepticism of U.S. support for Ukraine and other issues.

Read the full story here.

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A group of 167 New Jersey rabbis and cantors said in an open letter on Monday that newly elected Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) had “failed our ally … and our community” with his votes in support of two resolutions last week attempting to block $8.8 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Voicing anger: The Jewish leaders said they were “shocked,” “dismayed” and “angry,” feeling that Kim had betrayed his “numerous pledges that he would stand by our ally and his Jewish constituents,” instead voting “with the anti-Israel fringe, against our ally, and our community” in his first key vote on the issue. “Senator Kim’s deliberate choice to side with Israel’s loudest opponents is an affront to our values, our strategic interests, and our community,” the letter continues. “Senator Kim: You are on the wrong side of this issue. Your constituents are outraged. Listen to them. Stop siding with anti-Israel extremists. Stand with Israel.”

Read the full story here.

Looking for Leadership: The Wall Street Journal’s Marcus Walker reports on the Palestinian leadership vacuum that has deepened amid cratering support for Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, the main Palestinian governing bodies. “Middle East countries have been building ties with Israel, and allies such as Iran and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah were battered by Israeli attacks last year. Palestinians, meanwhile, are fighting with each other, caught between violent groups such as Hamas and the secular nationalist party Fatah, which governs parts of the West Bank and is widely seen as corrupt and ineffective. No third force has been able to break that duopoly. No new generation is emerging in either party to offer a fresh vision or strategy. ‘I hate the two factions,’ said Noha Kamal, a mother of three from Rafah in southern Gaza who has had to flee with her family from their largely flattened city. ‘If it weren’t for their division, we wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.’” [WSJ]

Never Again, Again: The New York Times’ Taffy Brodesser-Akner recounts the story of a friend’s father who survived the Holocaust, against the backdrop of modern-day antisemitism and questions about the future of Holocaust education in a post-survivor era. “What would become of stories like Mr. [Yehuda] Lindenblatt’s if the generation of mine that was supposed to inherit them had taken the privilege that came with another generation’s survival and decided not to listen? What would happen to these stories when there was no one left to tell them? Mr. Lindenblatt was 87 that night I called Ilana from London, so, as I said, even if not for the cancer: inevitabilities. I called her back the next day and asked if maybe now was a good time for me to write her father’s story. So here it is, an old Jewish story about the Holocaust and a man who somehow survived the pernicious, organized and intentional genocide of the Jews. But right behind it, just two generations later, is another story, one about the children and grandchildren who have been so malformed by the stories that are their lineage that some of them made just as eager work of running from it, only to find themselves, same as anything you run from, having to deal with it anyway.” [NYTimes]

Trump’s Isolationists: In Tablet, Michael Doran looks at the differing approaches to foreign policy of President Donald Trump and many of his administration’s staffers, who have advocated for the U.S. to adopt a policy of restraint. “These early actions reveal the core of Trump’s foreign policy approach on the Middle East: a willingness to leverage American power while avoiding entanglement, oscillating between shows of force and diplomatic outreach — a strategic zigzag that confounds both allies and adversaries but consistently advances America’s position. Yet it is certainly possible to arrive at a very different apprehension of Trump’s approach to foreign policy based on the statements of some of his most prominent supporters and advisers, especially if one spends a lot of time on social media. In the view of many who offer themselves up as speaking for Trump, or for his voter base, the true Donald Trump isn’t a nationalist leader in the Teddy Roosevelt mode, who may speak softly but is by no means averse to using the big stick of American military and economic power. Rather, he is — or should be — a kind of cross between a 1930s right-wing isolationist and a 1960s antiwar protester.” [Tablet]

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The U.S. cut funding to World Food Program emergency programs in 14 countries, including Yemen and Syria; Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously pledged that funding to lifesaving aid initiatives would not be cut…

Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who served as the U.S.’ military representative to the NATO Military Committee, was dismissed from her position amid a reshuffle of senior military leadership by the Trump administration; Chatfield was the first Jewish woman to lead the Naval War College…

The Wall Street Journal reports on growing frustration among business leaders and White House officials with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, amid plummeting stock prices and as the Trump administration faces criticism over its imposition of tariffs…

Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Max Miller (R-OH) introduced legislation that would establish a fund to support nonprofits that would work to identify fallen Jewish-American service members buried in military cemeteries under Christian grave markers, so that they can be replaced with Star of David markers…

Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) and John James (D-MI) introduced legislation requiring a full review of the U.S.-South Africa relationship and providing authorities to sanction South African officials…

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special election for the vacant congressional seat that had been held by Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) for Nov. 4; Abbott’s decision will keep the seat, in a blue district, empty during a time when Republicans hold a thin advantage in the House…

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing for state legislators to pass legislation cracking down on mask-wearing in public that is done “for the primary purpose of menacing or threatening violence”... 

A Michigan attorney representing an anti-Israel University of Michigan student arrested last year was detained and questioned upon arriving back in the U.S. from a vacation to the Dominican Republic…

The Missouri House of Representatives advanced legislation codifying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism…

The State Department has revoked the visas of nearly 150 foreign students in recent weeks, as the U.S. cracks down on visa holders…

Microsoft fired two employees who disrupted an event meant to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary in protest of Microsoft’s business ties with Israel…

Former BlackRock executive Mark Wiedman was tapped to be president of PNC, and will be poised to succeed CEO Bill Demchak upon his eventual departure…

The University of Florida beat the University of Houston 65-63 in the NCAA men's basketball championship game last night. Read JI’s profile of UF head coach Todd Golden here…

“Giant,” a play about author Roald Dahl’s antisemitism, won three categories, including Best Play, at the U.K.’s Olivier Awards; a revival of “Fiddler on the Roof” took home three awards, including Best Musical Revival…

The Associated Press reviews David Denby’s Eminent Jews, which spotlights the achievements and legacies of Mel Brooks, Betty Friedan, Norman Mailer and Leonard Bernstein…

The New York Times interviews “White Lotus” star Jason Isaacs about the hit show’s finale, which aired earlier this week…

Israel’s High Court heard petitions on Tuesday morning against the government’s dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar…

Israel intercepted a drone fired by the Houthis in Yemen on Monday; the aircraft was shot down before crossing into Israeli airspace…

CNN reports on an Iranian effort to recruit Swedish teenagers to carry out attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in the Scandinavian country…

The Financial Times reports on Israel’s scaling up of activities in Lebanon and Syria in an effort to combat Hezbollah in Lebanon and deter government forces in Syria…

A Palestinian American teenager who was throwing rocks at vehicles on a highway in the West Bank was killed by IDF troops…

Senior Iraqi officials said that a number of Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups are prepared to disarm in an effort to avoid clashes with the U.S….

Alexandria Paolozzi, previously director of government affairs at CUFI Action Fund, is joining FDD Action as director of government relations…

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Deborah Eiferman, the niece of World War I soldier David Moser, spoke on Monday at the unveiling ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery of the new grave markers of Moser and Adolph Hanf, who had initially been buried with headstones adorned with a cross.

Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY), as well as Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, spoke at the ceremony, which was organized by Operation Benjamin.

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Author of the national bestselling book 24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week, Tiffany Shlain turns 55... 

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and political writer, longtime contributor to The New Yorker magazine on national security matters, Seymour Myron "Sy" Hersh turns 88... French actor who has appeared in over 60 movies during a career spanning six decades, Jean Benguigui turns 81... Socialite and political fundraiser, Joy Silverman turns 78... Bassist for the rock band Grand Funk Railroad, Melvin George "Mel" Schacher turns 74... Longtime college and NBA basketball coach, as recently as 2019 he served as an assistant coach of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, Larry Shyatt turns 74... Russian-born businessman, he emigrated to Israel in 1972 and was appointed in 2005 as president of the Congress of Jewish Religious Communities of Russia, Arcadi Gaydamak turns 73... U.S. senator (R-WI), Ron Johnson turns 70… Member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 2014-2022, he was previously the regional executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress, David Birnbaum turns 69... Leading U.K. pensions expert and a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Rosalind Miriam Altmann turns 69... President of Wesleyan University since 2007, Michael S. Roth turns 68... Member of Knesset since 2015 for the Likud party, David Bitan turns 65... Beverly Hills resident, Shahnaz Mossazadeh... Associate professor of pediatric anesthesia and intensive care at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, Albert Gyllencreutz Castellheim... Justice of the Supreme Court of Maryland since 2019, Jonathan Biran turns 59... Financial advisor in the Cedarhurst, N.Y., office of Citigroup Global Markets, Jeffrey Kramer... Partner at consulting firm Democracy Partners, Joel M. Rubin turns 54... Television journalist, he was the chief political analyst for NBC News until this past January, Charles David "Chuck" Todd turns 53... Minor league pitching coach in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, Matthew Lee "Matt" Ford turns 44... Israeli actor, entertainer, model and TV host, Ofer Shechter turns 44... NYC-based head of investor relations for the Israeli Ministry of Finance, focused on global debt capital markets, Jason Reinin... Television personality and entertainer, best known for starring on the first season of the reality TV series “Beauty and the Geek,” Richard Rubin turns 42... Climate and environment editor at The Washington Post, Zachary A. Goldfarb turns 42... Lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Vampire Weekend, Ezra Michael Koenig turns 41... Member of the Canadian Parliament since 2021, she is the first Jewish woman ever elected as a Conservative MP, Melissa Lantsman turns 41... Composer and singer, Naftali Kempeh turns 35... Israeli musician, singer, actress and poet, Yael Eisenberg turns 34... Director of advocacy at UN Watch, Daniel E. Smith... Film, television and voice actress, Shelby Young turns 33... Janet Goldstein...