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Good Monday morning. 

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the state of relations between Washington and Jerusalem ahead of President Donald Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week, and report on how Capitol Hill is reacting to Qatar’s plans to gift a $400 million luxury jet to Trump. We also do a deep dive into the ‘123 Agreement’ being pushed by GOP senators wary of nuclear negotiations with Iran, and report on the University of Washington’s handling of recent anti-Israel campus protests. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Iris Haim, Natalie Portman and Nafea Bshara.

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“Donald, Bring Them Home” reads a sign in the window of a clothing boutique on Tel Aviv’s busy Dizengoff Street. It’s been in the store window since January, when a temporary ceasefire freed dozens of Israeli hostages, including two Americans, who had been held in captivity in Gaza for over a year. It’s a smaller sign than the billboard that read “Thank you, Mr. President” and for weeks was visible to the thousands of motorists driving on the busy thoroughfare next to the beach. 

Returned hostages and hostage families have appealed to the Trump administration for assistance in securing their loved ones’ releases, expressing sentiments conspicuously absent in meetings between former hostages and Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s a situation that underscores how the American efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages have at times been done not only without Israeli buy-in, but with Israel finding out only after the negotiations concluded.

Such was the case yesterday, when Trump announced that Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, would be released.

The negotiations over the release of Alexander underscore the Trump administration’s “America First” approach to the region that has sidelined Israeli priorities on a range of issues, from the Houthis to Iran to the war in Gaza. It’s a splash of cold water in the face of a nation that largely celebrated Trump’s election six months ago.

The announcement of Alexander’s expected release came after a firehose of news in the days leading up to Trump’s visit to the Middle East, which begins tomorrow. First, the move toward allowing Saudi Arabia to have a civil nuclear program. Then, the news, confirmed on Sunday by Trump, that Qatar is gifting the president a luxury plane to add to the Air Force One fleet, amid yearslong Boeing manufacturing delays. (More below.)

The Qatari gift alarmed Washington Democrats, with Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) writing to Trump administration officials to express “alarm,” saying Qatar has a “deeply troubling history of financing a barbaric terrorist organization that has the blood of Americans on its hands. In the cruelest irony, Air Force One will have something in common with Hamas: paid for by Qatar.”

Only hours after the news of the gifted jet broke, Trump announced that the U.S., along with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, had reached an agreement to secure Alexander’s release, which he referred to as “the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict." Israel was not mentioned a single time in the announcement.

Netanyahu himself conceded that the Americans had reached the deal absent Israeli involvement. “The U.S. has informed Israel of Hamas’s intention to release soldier Edan Alexander as a gesture to the Americans, without conditions or anything in exchange,” Netanyahu said on Sunday evening.

The news stunned observers and offered a measure of renewed hope to the families of remaining hostages, including the four Americans whose bodies remain in Gaza, but opened a deluge of questions about the diplomatic dance that led to an agreement over Alexander’s release.

The timing of the announcement – shortly after news of the gifted Qatari jet broke — raised questions about the potentially transactional nature of the discussions, and deepened concerns that the Trump administration could reach agreements that run counter to Israeli security priorities while the president travels the region (a trip that does not include a stop in Israel, despite Netanyahu's two visits to the White House since Trump returned to office).

As Trump travels to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week, the world will be watching closely. But perhaps nobody will be watching as closely — from more than 1,000 miles away — as Netanyahu.

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The headlines in the Hebrew media, on the eve of President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East this week, played up what some see as an emerging rift between Israel and the U.S. "Concerns in Israel: The deals will hurt the qualitative [military] edge," read one. The Trump administration has already made a truce with the Houthis and cut a deal with Hamas to release Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander — without Israel — and the concern in Jerusalem is that more surprises — good and bad — may be on the way. Yet insiders in both the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government speaking to Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov in recent days on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters took a more sanguine view of the delicate diplomacy, saying that there is no rift, even if there are disagreements. 

Calm but critical: Sources in Jerusalem pointed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s two visits to the White House in Trump’s first 100 days in office, as well as Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s meeting with the president last week. A Trump administration source said the relationship remains positive and close, but also criticized Israel for not adapting to the president’s transactional approach to foreign policy. Gulf states are likely to announce major investments in the U.S. during Trump’s visit, while Israel has largely been asking the administration for help. Jerusalem could be putting a greater emphasis on jobs created by U.S.-Israel cooperation in the defense and technological sectors when they speak with Trump, the source suggested.

Read the full story here.

Signs of stress: The apparent divisions are especially notable in the context of the Iran talks — Israel largely opposes diplomacy with the regime and favors a military option to address Iran’s nuclear program, on which the Trump administration has not yet been willing to cooperate, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. 

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Congressional Democrats are expressing outrage over reports that the Qatari government plans to give to President Donald Trump a luxury jet for use as Air Force One, which would reportedly continue to be available for Trump’s use after his presidency, and transferred to his presidential library, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

What they’re saying: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that accepting the jet would be “not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) wrote to Trump administration officials to express “alarm,” calling the reported gift a “flying grift.” Torres condemned Attorney General Pam Bondi — who previously served as a lobbyist for Qatar — for approving the reported transfer, which Torres said “flagrantly violates both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.” Some conservatives, including far-right influencer Laura Loomer, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) and commentator Mark Levin, are also expressing concern.

Read the full story here with additional comments from Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD).

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Last week, a group of Senate Republicans introduced a resolution laying down stringent expectations for a nuclear deal with Iran. One of those conditions is a so-called “123 Agreement” with the United States, after “the complete dismantlement and destruction of [Iran’s] entire nuclear program,” Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

What it means: A source familiar with the state of the talks confirmed to JI that a 123 Agreement is a key part of the ongoing U.S.-Iran talks currently being led by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, though a Witkoff spokesperson said “The sources don’t know what they’re talking about.” Those agreements refer to Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, which lays out conditions for peaceful nuclear cooperation between the United States and other countries. Twenty-five such agreements are currently in place — but in most cases they pertain to U.S. allies and partners. A 123 Agreement was not part of the original 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — they are only required in cases in which the U.S. is going to be sharing nuclear material or technology with a foreign country, directly or indirectly. The prospect of inking such a deal with Iran is meeting with surprise and heavy skepticism from experts.

Read the full story here.

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A group of 25 Senate Democrats, comprising more than half of the caucus and led by several senior leaders, wrote to President Donald Trump on Friday condemning new plans for expanded Israeli military operations in the Gaza strip and accusing the Trump administration of failing to push for peace, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Signatories include top lawmakers on some key Senate committees and senior members of the Democratic caucus.

What they said: “This is a dangerous inflection point for Israel and the region, and while we support ongoing efforts to eliminate Hamas, a full-scale reoccupation of Gaza would be a critical strategic mistake,” the lawmakers said, of Israel’s plan to expand military operations in Gaza. They also rejected a new plan for aid distribution in Gaza, which they described as an Israeli plan but which U.S. officials have described as American-led.

Read the full story here.

Hostage hopes: A bipartisan group of 50 House members wrote to President Donald Trump on Friday urging him to “prioritize the release of the five Americans” who remain hostage in Gaza. 

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Most of the best-known hostage relatives in Israel are those who have led demonstrations and called to topple the government. But Iris Haim became renowned in Israel for taking a radically different approach. Haim's son, Yotam, was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. He and fellow hostages Samar Talalka and Alon Shimriz managed to escape captivity, only to be mistakenly killed by the IDF on Dec. 15, 2023. Yet days after Yotam was killed, rather than express anger or even anguish, Haim chose to send a message of forgiveness and encouragement to the troops. Since then, Haim has been lauded by many Israelis, even granted the honor of lighting a torch at Israel's official Independence Day ceremony last year. Jewish Insider’s Lahav interviewed Haim at the Global Network for Jewish Women Entrepreneurs and Leaders' 2025 Global Leadership Conference last week. 

Haim’s philosophy: “I’m not avoiding life, but I’m choosing how to deal with it … I don’t blame anybody, because I don’t believe in that way … I have my philosophy of life. Life can be good for me. It all depends on me. I can find so much good, and I need to choose to see it. It depends on where we put our focus,” Haim told JI. “There is also a lot of bad. Yesterday we heard about two more soldiers who were killed … I cannot control this. What I cannot control, I’m not dealing with. I can’t change what [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi [Netanyahu] thinks or what this government is doing. I can only vote differently next time, and that’s the way to keep myself normal and not go crazy.”

Read the full interview here.

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The University of Washington suspended 21 students who were arrested during anti-Israel protests at the Seattle campus earlier this week, according to the university, a marked shift from the school’s reaction to previous anti-Israel activity, Jewish Insider’s Danielle Cohen and Haley Cohen report. The suspended students, who are also now banned from all UW campuses, were among more than 30 demonstrators, including non-students, arrested for occupying the university’s engineering building on Monday night — causing more than $1 million worth of damage. Masked demonstrators blocked entrances and exits to the building and ignited fires in two dumpsters on a street outside. Police moved into the building around 11 p.m. 

University response: After Monday’s events, the university’s president, Ana Mari Cauce, quickly denounced the “dangerous, violent and illegal building occupation and related vandalism” and condemned “in the strongest terms the group’s statement celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.” Miriam Weingarten, co-director of Chabad UW with her husband Rabbi Mendel Weingarten, expressed gratitude to the school for its swift response to the latest incident, which she called “appalling and horrific.”

Read the full story here.

On the East Coast: Columbia University suspended more than five dozen students in connection with last week’s protest at the school’s main library; 33 other individuals were barred from the New York City campus over the incident.

Show of Force: Former Wall Street Journal publisher Karen Elliott House suggests that the U.S. and Israel mount a joint strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. “The only honorable option is to dismantle it. This can be done through diplomacy, which is highly unlikely, or with force. Any other outcome endangers both Israel and Saudi Arabia, key U.S. partners in the Middle East, and destroys Mr. Trump’s credibility with the world. The president adamantly — and repeatedly — has insisted he will accept nothing less than ‘total dismantlement’ of Iran’s nuclear program. The mullahs in Tehran will never agree to that. They saw what happened to Ukraine and Libya after giving up their nuclear ambitions. They think that enriching uranium for their nuclear reactors is a national right. Their real goal isn’t electricity generation but the ability to produce material for a bomb. … Destroying Iran’s nuclear capability involves risks, and Mr. Trump wants to avoid war. But if he believes Iran can be trusted to execute a new pact, he hasn’t done his homework.” [WSJ]

Altman’s Ascent: The Financial Times’ Roula Khalaf interviews OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in his California home about his rise in the tech industry and future plans for the AI company. “As we talk, I search for clues in his upbringing that hint at his future stardom. He says there are none. ‘I was like a kind of nerdy Jewish kid in the Midwest . . . So technology was just not a thing. Like being into computers was sort of, like, unusual. And I certainly never could have imagined that I would have ended up working on this technology in such a way. I still feel sort of surreal that that happened.’ The eldest of the four children of a dermatologist mother and a father who worked in real estate, Altman read a lot of science-fiction books, watched Star Trek and liked computers. In 2005, he dropped out of Stanford University before graduating to launch a social networking start-up. In those days, AI was still in its infancy: ‘We could show a system a thousand images of cats, and a thousand images of dogs, and then it [the AI] could correctly classify them, and that was, like, you were living the high life.’” [FT]

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Former hostage Emily Damari, visiting London on Sunday, attended her first Tottenham game since being released. Ahead of the game, Damari and her mother, Mandy Damari, met with supporters and called for the release of her friends Gali and Ziv Berman, twin brothers who were taken, alongside Damari,  from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023, and remain in captivity.

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