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Good Wednesday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to DC JCRC head Ron Halber about the “extremely disappointing” decision by Rep. Jamie Raskin to sign onto legislation restricting aid to Israel, and interview Rep. Laura Gillen about her recent trip to Israel alongside 13 other House Democrats. We cover Seb Gorka’s comparison of Tucker Carlson to Pat Buchanan, and report on recent comments by the president of the American Association of University Professors in support of a boycott of Israeli academics. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Shari Redstone, Yariv Mozer and Eliya Cohen.

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Israel is finalizing plans this week for a ground offensive into Gaza City, with the goal of having fully evacuated the city by the symbolic date of Oct. 7, 2025. Speaking at his weekly Sunday meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would “complete the victory” over Hamas. Tens of thousands of IDF reservists will begin receiving call-up notices today in preparation for the offensive.

The plans come amid a renewed push for Palestinian statehood, led by France and Saudi Arabia, that has seen a surge in support from global heads of state, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. 

Palestinian statehood efforts also have support in Congress, where Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is leading a group of House Democrats in calling on President Donald Trump to recognize a Palestinian state.

But both objectives — “total victory” over Hamas and Palestinian statehood — are at present incompatible with the realities on the ground.

Netanyahu has not wavered from his stated objective of “total victory” — even as he has yet to articulate, in practical terms, what that looks like — or how the Gaza City offensive will achieve it.

Outside of Israel, efforts to unilaterally recognize Palestinian statehood have ignored core challenges facing both Palestinian society and government, the former of which was plagued by antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric long before Oct. 7, 2023, and the latter of which has for decades been mired in corruption and nepotism and lacks the ground support needed for long-term stability.

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Ron Halber, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, strongly criticized Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) over his recent decision to support legislation that seeks to severely restrict U.S. aid to Israel. “Jamie’s signing on that legislation was extremely disappointing,” Halber said in an interview with Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel on Tuesday, referring to the Block the Bombs Act, a bill led by far-left lawmakers that would place unprecedented new conditions on U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. 

Private plea: “It unfortunately follows his signing on to other similar letters and a vote against additional arms to Israel last year, which really raised a lot of people’s eyebrows,” Halber said of Raskin, whom he considers a friend. Halber said he had spoken with Raskin, one the most prominent progressive Jewish lawmakers in Congress, three times over the last two days, asking him to withdraw his name from the bill and instead issue a statement voicing the concerns about the war in Gaza that motivated him to back the legislation. Raskin, who became a co-sponsor of the bill this month, has not issued any statement about his decision.

Read the full interview here.

Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) came away from her recent visit to Israel feeling resolute in her determination to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship and support the Jewish state in its efforts to bring all remaining hostages in Gaza home, she told  Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs in an interview on Monday. Gillen, a freshman lawmaker who represents a Nassau County, Long Island, swing district with a significant Jewish population, took part in a delegation of 14 House Democrats to Israel last week, sponsored by the AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation, which organized a similar visit to Israel for House Republicans that overlapped for several days with the Democratic trip.  

Common ground: “Hamas needs to end this war. It needs to give the hostages back. That’s something that can happen today, and the world needs to remember that,” Gillen said. The Long Island lawmaker noted that the trip highlighted the nonpartisan nature of support for Israel in the United States. “Just being on this trip with colleagues from the other side, having the opportunity to sit down and talk about some of the things that we saw, the conversations we were having with various elected officials and various nonprofit groups and business leaders in Israel, and talking to our colleagues on the other side of the aisle about what we’re sharing, the shared experience of visiting Israel, I think is really important going forward,” Gillen said.

Read the full story here.

Seb Gorka, the White House senior director for counterterrorism and a deputy assistant to the president, aired his grievances with the anti-Israel faction within the Republican Party on Tuesday, alleging that the wing of the GOP aligned with podcast host Tucker Carlson is “basically Pat Buchanan in a new guise.” Gorka made the comments in a conversation on counterterrorism and U.S. strategy at the Hudson Institute after being pressed on the foreign policy disputes within the MAGA movement and Carlson’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. 

‘Nothing new’: Asked by moderator Michael Doran, a Hudson senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, if he was comfortable addressing the growth of anti-Israel, antisemitic sentiment on right-wing podcasts and social media, Gorka replied, “Yeah, I am, because it bothers me immensely, but I've come to a certain realization with regards to that, that this wing of isolationism is nothing new. We had this 100 years ago.”

Read the full story here.

The head of the American Association of University Professors said in a recent interview that the United States should not send defensive weapons to Israel amid its war against Hamas, which he called a genocide in Gaza. “We believe strongly that no weapons should be sent to Israel, at all. Not defensive or offensive, nothing,” Todd Wolfson, the president of AAUP, told Inside Higher Ed, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. 

What he said: “First and foremost, our job is to safeguard ourselves at home and to set a vision that aligns with what we’re trying to do in the United States,” Wolfson, who was elected president in June 2024, continued. “We need to stand up for academic freedom, for freedom of speech, for freedom of assembly for our students so they can protest the war — the genocide, excuse me — that’s taking place in Gaza.” Wolfson, who is on leave from his position as a Rutgers University associate professor of journalism and media studies until 2027, has a history of making hostile comments towards Israel. 

Read the full story here.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Tuesday he is “optimistic” while also remaining “realistic,” about the latest round of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with Hamas. “I want to be optimistic about a deal with Hamas but I’m also aware of who we are dealing with, we’re not dealing with a nation-state. We’re dealing with savages,” Huckabee said during an online briefing co-hosted by the American Jewish Congress and World Zionist Organization, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.

Huckabee’s hope: The former governor of Arkansas’ comments come as Hamas has reportedly agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposed by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, during which some of the remaining 50 hostages would be released. “Whether or not [Hamas is] serious about bringing this to a close, all I can tell you is I hope so. But what’s happened before, even when they say they are thinking seriously about bringing this to a conclusion, making a deal, they always add one or more things that are completely unacceptable, bring those to a table, then it all starts over again,” he continued.

Read the full story here.

Redstone’s Rationale: In an interview with The New York Times’ James Stewart, Shari Redstone explains the rationale behind her decision to sell Paramount to Skydance Media. “Potential buyers reached out over the years. David Ellison pressed his case several times, including over breakfast at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills in 2023. Ms. Redstone was noncommittal. That all changed on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel. The attack had a profound impact on Ms. Redstone, an ardent supporter of Israel whose ex-husband, Yitzhak Korff, known as Ira, is a rabbi and direct descendant of the founder of the Hasidic movement. (Her son Tyler is also a rabbi.) ‘Once that happened, I wanted out,’ she said. ‘I wanted to support Israel, and address issues around antisemitism and racism.’” [NYTimes]

Bibi’s Bind: In his “Clarity” Substack, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Michael Oren considers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s options for ending the war in Gaza. “In English, one says that a leader or a government has ‘climbed up a ladder’ while in Israel the expression is ‘climbs up a tree.’ Either way — a ladder or a tree — Israel’s government and its leader have ascended very high. Ever since Prime Minister Netanyahu declared his intent to conquer the remaining one-quarter of Gaza and achieve ‘total victory’ over Hamas, commentators both in Israel and abroad have asked, ‘Now that Bibi has climbed up the highest ladder or tree, how can he get down?’ … Ultimately, there is no cost-free way to bring this war to an end. Every path is filled with obstacles and abysses. Whichever policy the government adopts must be clear, strong, and effectively communicated. Whether Israel climbs up or down the ladder or the tree, it must do so courageously and responsibly all the way.” [Clarity]

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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the security clearances of more than three dozen current and former intelligence officials; Maher Bitar, a Biden administration National Security Council official who faced criticism from Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) over his past ties to Students for Justice in Palestine and anti-Israel organizing activities, was one of the 37 individuals who lost clearance…

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is fending off a primary challenge from Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, announced endorsements from AIPAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition…

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) campaign said it raised $3.6 million in the 24 hours after Brown announced his entry into the state’s 2026 Senate race…

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu was announced as the incoming head of the trade group Airlines for America…

Philanthropist Elizabeth Simons made a $250,000 donation last week to a super PAC supporting New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani; Simons, the president and chair of the Heising-Simons Foundation, is the daughter of Democratic donor and Renaissance Technologies founder James Simons, who died last year…

The Wall Street Journal reports on the financial challenges facing developer Michael Shvo, as he faces legal challenges and construction delays over properties ranging from Miami to North Carolina…

The Omega Institute banned psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk from teaching at future retreats at the tony Hudson Valley center, after the author and trauma therapist angered attendees with what the institute called “inappropriate and antisemitic comments” about Israel and the Gaza war…

Paris-born chef Olivia Ostrow is opening Maison Ostrow, a kosher Mediterranean-inflected French bistro, in Miami’s North Bay Village…

“Parade,” the 1998 Alfred Uhry musical about the 1913 lynching of Leo Frank in Georgia, opens at Washington’s Kennedy Center this week…

Major League Soccer approved an exception to a ban on the display of Israeli and Palestinian flags at league soccer matches, following Columbus Crew’s $7.5 million acquisition of Danish-born Palestinian player Wessam Abou Ali; MLS said that the team’s official support group could display the Palestinian flag at upcoming matches…

The Israel-based Sipur Studios inked a first-look deal with Yariv Mozer, director of the “We Will Dance Again” documentary about the Nova Music Festival massacre, formalizing what Sipur head Emilio Schenker described as a “longstanding partnership”...

CNN interviews former Israeli hostage Eliya Cohen, who was freed from Hamas captivity earlier this year, about his time in captivity and friendships with Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Alon Ohel, the latter of whom remains in Gaza…

The IDF said it killed one of the terrorists involved in the abduction of Yarden Bibas; in a social media post, Bibas said that the elimination of Jihad Kamal Salem Najjar gave him “a small part” of closure, but that he is still waiting for his friends, David and Ariel Cunio, who were also taken hostage, to return home…

Israel's controversial E1 settlement project received final approval to move forward with construction between Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement in the West Bank…

The Financial Times looks at Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s efforts to crack down on the country’s drug trade that boomed under former President Bashar al-Assad…

Meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Yerevan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the countries planned to elevate relations “to a strategic level,” following Tehran’s response to a U.S.-brokered peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan; Armenian and Iranian officials also signed a series of agreements regarding trade, infrastructure and economic cooperation…

Danielle Foreman was named chief strategy and impact officer of the Bay Area’s Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund…

Film and podcast producer Elon Dershowitz, the son of attorney Alan Dershowitz, died at 64…

CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90

At a memorial in Jerusalem on Tuesday, the family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin marked the yahrzeit of the Israeli American’s murder in Hamas captivity alongside Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Or Danino and Alex Lubanov — known in Israel as “the beautiful six.”

DIA DIPASUPIL/GETTY IMAGES

Real estate agent, author and television personality as an original cast member on the show “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles,” Josh Flagg turns 40..

Laguna Hills, Calif., resident, Phoebe Bryan... News anchor and reporter for ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC, she converted to Judaism in 1984, Connie Chung turns 79... Director of the National Economic Council during the Trump 45 administration, now a commentator for Fox Business, Larry Kudlow turns 78... Former secretary of labor for the state of Kansas, Lana Goodman Gordon turns 75... Immediate past chair of the Golda Och Academy in West Orange, N.J., Steven H. Klinghoffer... Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, from 2004 until 2014 and the owner of minor league baseball's Winnipeg Goldeyes, Samuel Michael "Sam" Katz turns 74... Managing director of equity derivatives at Rice Financial Products, Jay A. Knopf... U.S. representative (D-IL), Brad Schneider turns 64... Wilmington, Del. resident and trustee of Jewish Federations of North America, Suzanne Barton Grant... President of the Council on Foreign Relations, he was the U.S. trade representative during the Obama administration, Ambassador Michael Froman turns 63... U.S. senator (R-MT), Steve Daines turns 63... Founder and controlling shareholder of the Altice Group (one of the world's largest telecoms firms including N.Y.-based Cablevision), he acquired Sotheby's in 2019, Patrick Drahi turns 62... Israeli writer known for his short stories and graphic novels, Etgar Keret turns 58... Film director and screenwriter, Mark Levin turns 57... British ambassador to Israel from 2010 to 2015, the first Jewish U.K. ambassador to be posted to Tel Aviv, he is now the CEO of the Zoological Society of London, Matthew Gould (family name was Goldkorn) turns 54... Ethiopian-born, former member of the Knesset for Kulanu, Asher Fentahun Seyoum turns 54... Director of communications at the Institute for Law & AI, Ari Goldberg... Executive director of Lisa Stone Pritzker's LSP Family Foundation, Abigail Michelson Porth... Co-CEO and one of the founders of the Jerusalem Season of Culture, a summer music festival that showcases Jerusalem, Karen Brunwasser... Co-founder of Boundless Israel, Rachel Lea Fish, Ph.D.... Israeli teacher and writer, he is the founder of People of the Book focused on communicating about the Jewish faith with the Arab world, Elhanan Miller turns 44... Partner in the Iowa office of Cornerstone Government Affairs and foundation president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines, David Ryan Adelman... Canadian television and film actress, Meghan Ory Reardon turns 43... . Ice skating professional at The Skating Club of Boston, he won a bronze medal in the team pairs event at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Simon Shnapir turns 38... Stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster and internet personality, Gianmarco Vincent Soresi turns 36... Canadian guitarist, YouTuber, producer and music teacher, Roy Ziv turns 34... Triathlete and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Israel 2019, Sella Sharlin turns 29...