Good Monday morning. 

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the state of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, and how Israeli officials are viewing the progression of talks. We spotlight Lee Jacobs and Arielle Zuckerberg’s Long Journey Ventures and interview Democrat Cait Conley, who is mounting a bid to challenge Rep. Mike Lawler. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Larry David, Richard Baker and Amb. Mike Huckabee.

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All eyes will be on Oman this week as technical negotiations begin on Wednesday over Iran’s nuclear program, days after the most recent round of talks between the U.S. and Iran wrapped in Rome, Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss reports.

The parallels between the Obama administration’s early negotiations with Iran and the Trump administration’s current activity are evident. 

American and Iranian negotiators are speaking through mediators, not fully disclosing the details of the conversations that took place over the weekend. Israeli officials and U.S. lawmakers most concerned about Iran’s nuclear intentions are sounding increasingly concerned about the direction of the talks. 

But despite the similarities, there are some notable differences. Most significantly, President Donald Trump’s support for any deal means that many Republicans could fall in line, given the nature of partisanship in Washington. Democrats, outside of pro-Israel stalwarts, are unlikely to loudly object to the diplomacy, given their widespread support for former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.   

That’s why Israel is also seeking buy-in — Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was in Rome over the weekend, staying at the same hotel as Trump’s Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Dermer and Mossad chief David Barnea reportedly met with Witkoff prior to the start of the weekend talks. (More below on the Israeli reaction to the talks.)

In addition, the negotiations have the backing of the Arab world, which finds itself in a markedly different position now than it did a decade ago, when the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal was signed.

The Arab Gulf States Institute’s Kristin Smith Diwan told The New York Times that “under Obama, the Gulf States feared U.S. and Iran rapprochement that would isolate them. Under Trump, they fear U.S. and Iran escalation that would target them.” Now, the Times notes, Arab states are being approached by Iran, which is seeking the buy-in of its neighbors to bolster support for an eventual deal.

At least publicly, Iran and the U.S. still appear divided on the talks’ endgame: Iran is pushing for a verification mechanism that would allow it to continue enriching uranium at set levels. The Trump administration, meanwhile, appears split over what, if any, nuclear enrichment capabilities Iran should be allowed to have, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz pushing for full dismantlement of the Iranian nuclear program, while others in the administration, including Witkoff, have said that dismantlement as a red line would collapse any potential deal. 

“I think the odds are we’re being taken for a ride,” the American Enterprise Institute’s Danielle Pletka told JI. Pletka acknowledged the ideological split within the White House on the negotiations. Writing in her Substack, she said, “More likely — and I’ll be delighted to eat crow if I’m wrong — the ongoing battle between the Ronald Reagan wing of MAGAland and the Charles Lindbergh wing is causing the President to hedge his bets.”

It’s a sentiment being shared by numerous officials from the first Trump administration. In response to leaked details of what the final deal could entail, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley called the proposal “Obama 2.0.”

It remains an open question as to how Republicans on Capitol Hill will respond to an agreement if one is made — and if they’ll have any leverage to affect the outcome of the deal. The 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act technically requires congressional approval for an administration-brokered deal with Iran — but as with many things in Washington, it’s possible that the Trump administration could find a way to bypass the mandated approvals.

One criticism of the 2015 JCPOA was that it only addressed Iran’s nuclear program, and not its human rights violations, ballistic missile program, support for terrorism and other malign activities. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the talks for Tehran, said that the American negotiators limited their scope in Saturday’s meetings to nuclear issues.

Writing in The Free Press over the weekend, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that “a fake deal focused solely on nuclear enrichment will result in far less happiness and more death, not the reverse — not only for the Iranian people but for human beings all across the world.”

There are also echoes of 2015 in the levels of access given to nuclear inspectors — Iran has pushed back on allowing international inspectors full access to all sites. The problem here is the same as it was in 2015 — that it is impossible to verify Iran’s compliance with any agreement if there isn’t a full accounting of Iran’s nuclear work at the deal’s outset.

“Implementing a new deal without having a clear inventory of what nuclear material and infrastructure Iran currently has would be extremely risky,” Mark Dubowitz, the CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said on X. “Without that baseline, it is next to impossible to ensure that Iran is complying with detailed limits on its nuclear enrichment under a deal.”

Dubowitz pointed out that Araghchi, who was also Iran’s lead negotiator in 2015, “ran circles around [Secretary of State John] Kerry and [Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy] Sherman, who didn’t even know their file.”

“If we repeat 2015,” Dubowitz wrote on Sunday, “shame on us.”

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Israel is unhappy with the direction U.S.-Iran talks appear to be taking but continues to be in direct communication with the Trump administration, an Israeli official told Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov on Monday after a second round of talks between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic concluded over the weekend. “It sure does look like the JCPOA,” the official said, comparing the details that have been made public from the negotiations to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. “Are we happy with it? I don’t think that’s come across in any of the statements the prime minister has made.”

Key communication: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to talk tough on Iran, saying in a recorded statement on Saturday night, “I am committed to preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons. I will not give in on this; neither will I slacken or retreat on this, not even a millimeter.” Still, the official told JI, “at least there is a sense that we are very much a participant in this exercise, in the sense that we are in continuous contact with the U.S. The main thing when you think about our communications with the [Trump] administration and what distinguishes them from the situation with [former President Barack] Obama is that Obama did the talks behind our back. We found out about them from the Mossad, not from the Americans. Here [with the Trump administration] the conversation is intense, multifaceted and continuous.”

Read the full story here.

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Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Sunday, a week after an arsonist motivated by anti-Israel animus set the governor’s mansion on fire. Herzog expressed solidarity with Shapiro after the attack, which took place hours after the governor hosted a Passover Seder. Shapiro told Herzog he greatly appreciated the call, a spokesperson for the president told Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov. Herzog was the first Israeli official to call Shapiro after the attack. 

Consul’s letter: Ofir Akunis, the Israeli consul general in New York, sent a letter to Shapiro last week, saying that he was “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the arson attack. This appalling act of violence, carried out during one of the most meaningful nights of the Jewish calendar, could have resulted in a far greater tragedy,” Akunis added. “We commend law enforcement for their swift and effective response, and we stand in full solidarity with you and your family.”

Read the full story here.

Bonus: Shapiro is holding firm in his choice not to label the arson attack as antisemitic or a hate crime, saying in a Friday interview on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” that he will leave that question to the prosecutors, JI’s Gabby Deutch reports. “I think that’s a question for the prosecutors to determine. They’re going to determine motive,” Shapiro said. “I recognize when you’re in these positions of power, there are people out there that want to do you harm, but I try not to be captive to the fear, and I try not to worry or think about why people want to do that harm.”

COURTESY

When Long Journey Ventures, a venture capital firm in San Francisco, announced that it had raised a new fund totaling $181,818,181.80, that figure may have confused some fellow tech investors — but since the firm’s guiding ethos is investing in the “magically weird,” it may have seemed like just another oddity from a VC that has proven itself a serious early stage investor in the competitive world of Silicon Valley. But the number was not just a … well, weird, coincidence, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.

New purpose: Long Journey founder and managing partner Lee Jacobs published a blog post last month outlining his thinking behind the number. “The horrific attacks in Israel on October 7th awakened something dormant at my core — a deep inner knowing of my purpose and what I'm willing to fight for,” wrote Jacobs. “This fund, with its repetition of 18s, embodies my commitment to supporting life and creation.” JI talked to Jacobs and co-managing partner Arielle Zuckerberg about how the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel fundamentally altered both their worldview and their approach to investing.

Read the full interview here.

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Cait Conley, one of the latest Democrats to enter the increasingly crowded field of candidates running against Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), is hoping that her local roots and her background serving in a series of national security roles in the federal government will help launch her to victory. Conley spent significant time abroad in the Middle East and North Africa on counterterrorism missions, on the ground in places such as Yemen, Syria and Libya. In an interview with Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod last week, she said her experience working to counter terror groups and Iranian proxies gives her a significant degree of firsthand knowledge and expertise on the crises in the Middle East.

Israel approach: “As someone who has spent my career fighting for democracy, I deeply value Israel as America’s strongest ally in the region, the only democracy in the Middle East and a safe haven for the Jewish people,” Conley told JI. “Personally and as America, I believe we should be firmly committed to the safety and security of Israel.” She emphasized that Israel is facing “existential” threats, mentioning the Oct. 7 attacks, and said that Israel “has an obligation to defend its people and to ensure their safety.”

Read the full interview here.

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Hana Halff is a senior at Smith College who is working to chronicle post-Oct. 7 life on campus. She asked her best friend from high school to share her experiences. “I pressed end to the recording, and we were both crying,” she told Jay Deitcher, reporting for eJewishPhilanthropy. “We both recognized how we've repressed a lot of what happened in order to function.” Halff is a student researcher for the National Library of Israel’s American branch (NLI USA), which is creating an archive documenting campus experiences across the United States and Canada in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks 18 months ago and the ensuing wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Since the organization began collecting this fall, it has amassed over 5,000 documents, including flyers, photographs, videos, syllabi, event announcements, student group statements, newspaper op-eds and written and verbal testimonies. For student researchers, documenting a year-and-a-half of turmoil can be taxing when they also have to attend class.

Documenting history: “I wasn’t harassed or hit or anything like that,” Halff said about her experiences post-Oct. 7. “But I saw most of my school erupt.” Friends abandoned her, and her Instagram feed was flooded with what she called “horrific” posts from her peers. “I know it's important to document history,” she said. “Maybe for other people, it relieves some of the pain. But for me, right now, I do it because I'm interested, and I think we have a duty to do it, but it doesn't really offer much relief, but maybe it will soon.”

Read the full story here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.

Anxiety About Ankara: In The Atlantic, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Reuel Marc Gerecht looks at the role that the White House could play in the deepening tensions between Turkey and Israel. “In turning against Israel and in favor of Hamas, Erdoğan is riding a wave of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism that has been rising in Turkey since at least the 1980s, especially on the secular left. … Trump is apparently eager to smother tensions between the two countries before they ignite. In a press conference with Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Trump presented himself as a potential mediator: 'Bibi, if you have a problem with Turkey,' he said, 'I really think I’m going to be able to work it out.' ... If Trump wants to reduce the risk of yet another regional war, he will need to find ways to cultivate greater influence in Ankara. Simply calling Erdoğan a friend won’t cut it.” [TheAtlantic]

Garber’s Challenge: The Wall Street Journal’s Sara Randazzo spotlights Harvard President Alan Garber, the economist and doctor who assumed the school’s top leadership role following the resignation of President Claudine Gay. “Garber’s own Jewish faith makes the focus on campus antisemitism a particular pain point, those who know him say. In March, he told Harvard’s community he had experienced antisemitism directly, even while president, and called it ‘one of the most insidious forms of bigotry.’ … Growing up in Rock Island, Ill., Garber showed early scientific aptitude. In eighth grade, he earned statewide accolades for a science project showing the effects of drugs on brine shrimp. During a high school trip to Israel, he studied cellular immune reactions at a science institute between visiting holy sites. His family of five owned a liquor store and were active in the Jewish community of the Quad Cities, a region spanning Illinois and Iowa. He finished his senior year at Chicago’s Mather High School, where he was named among the top 10 students in his class, and studied at Yeshiva at night.” [WSJ]

The Rogan Doctrine: In The New York Post, Douglas Murray reflects on his recent appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” during which he debated the Israel-Hamas war with comedian Dave Smith, who has largely taken a critical view of Israel over the last 18 months despite his lack of familiarity with the region. “Having spent most of the last 18 months in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine, I don’t think I know everything. But I think I know a darn sight more than someone like comic Smith, who admitted he’d never even been to the region he spends all his time talking about. ‘Oh, so you have to go to a country to comment on it, do you,’ said part of the internet. Again the answer is obviously not. But if it is your job, or you’re making it your job, then probably yes. If I filed columns for this paper pretending to be an expert on countries I’d never been to, I would expect my readers to complain. As they should. If I filed columns about a war zone from the safety of West Palm Beach, I think it would be fraud. Journalism has had its own meltdown in recent years. But it doesn’t mean that we don’t have standards. Much though that might amaze some people. What the standards are in the new media — especially on podcasts — is still being worked out. But there must be some. Otherwise the new media will lead people into errors and evils far greater than the old media could ever dream of.” [NYPost]

“America First” or America Alone? This question takes center stage when Bill Kristol, Editor at Large of The Bulwark, and Ellie Cohanim, Former Deputy U.S. Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, face off in the AJC Great Debate—the marquee AJC Global Forum session. Watch live, April 28, 5:30 PM ET.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly shared Yemen strike plans in a second Signal group, which included his wife and brother…

Joe Kasper, the deputy chief of staff to Hegseth, who last month requested an investigation into leaks within the Pentagon, will depart his post and be reassigned elsewhere in the Defense Department…

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WESTERN WALL HERITAGE FOUNDATION

In one of his first acts after arriving in Israel, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Friday placed a note from President Donald Trump in the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

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Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and best-selling author, Jodi Kantor turns 50... 

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