A conversation with Shari Redstone
What Trump said on and off the UNGA stage
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In today’s Daily Kickoff, we interview Shari Redstone about her mission to fight antisemitism after selling Paramount, and talk to diplomatic sources in Jerusalem about the Qatari and Egyptian officials poised to take over key roles at UNESCO. We highlight a letter by House Democrats warning Israel against unilaterally annexing territory in the West Bank or Gaza, and talk to a Syrian Jewish community leader about his opposition to leaving sanctions against Damascus on the table. We also report on a call by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers for President Donald Trump to “be very careful” in negotiations with Turkey today. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Reps. Jared Moskowitz, Maria Elvira Salazar and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss, Israel Editor Tamara Zieve and U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik, with an assist from Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- President Donald Trump is hosting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today at the White House. More below.
- On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, MILE and Pillsbury’s Climate Week is holding a daylong event focused on energy tech and development in the Middle East. Speakers include Rich Goldberg, Mark Donig and former Israeli chief scientist Dr. Gideon Friedmann.
- The American Jewish Committee is holding its annual Global Jewish Diplomacy Reception this evening on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Attendees include: former Ambassador Daniel Shapiro, former White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, and Ambassador Serge Berdugo, president of the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco.
- Elsewhere in New York, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan is holding a screening tonight of the first episode of the second season of “House of David.”
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’s gabby deutch
By calling the United Nations “useless” and saying many countries were “going to hell” by pursuing liberal governance, President Donald Trump was his usual provocative, impolitic self in his Tuesday speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Where other nations and the U.N. itself have promoted a vision of greater global cooperation in an interconnected world, Trump doubled down on a call for national sovereignty and closed borders. Where nearly all U.N. member states have pledged to make tackling climate change a priority, Trump took issue with the very concept of sustainable energy.
“Immigration and the high cost of so-called green renewable energy is destroying a large part of the free world and a large part of our planet,” Trump said at the close of his address. “Countries that cherish freedom are fading fast because of their policies on these two subjects.”
But it was Trump’s continued support of Israel, even in the face of growing hostility from European countries and other Western allies to the Jewish state, that stood out the most. Trump, in his General Assembly speech, blasted the European nations that this week formally recognized a Palestinian state.
“Now, as if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state,” he said. “This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7th, even while they [Hamas] refuse to release the hostages or accept a ceasefire.”
The U.S. also joined Israel in boycotting the two-state solution conference on Monday, which was hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, and was joined by several major nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
But even while Trump used his nearly hourlong address to place himself firmly on Israel’s side in its nearly two-year-long war with Hamas, reports indicate that he is privately advocating for restraint. During a meeting Tuesday with Arab and Muslim leaders where U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff proposed a 21-point plan to end the war in Gaza, Trump promised the world leaders in attendance that he would not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the West Bank, Politico and The Times of Israel reported.
Q&A
Post-Paramount sale, Shari Redstone is ‘full speed ahead’ on addressing antisemitism
Shari Redstone, 71, has been busier than she had expected after selling Paramount, where she served as chair, to Skydance Media in a widely scrutinized merger this summer. The Jewish media mogul recently joined the Israeli entertainment studio Sipur as chair, and in leading the Redstone Family Foundation, she is involved in a range of projects fostering cultural ties between the Black and Jewish communities and combating the rise in antisemitism, among other initiatives. In an interview with Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel on Friday, Redstone explained how her current efforts underscore a renewed commitment to fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, an event she cites as accelerating her decision to finally agree to offload Paramount in an $8 billion deal with Skydance, the Hollywood studio led by David Ellison.
Oct. 7 impact: “I was in Israel years and years ago. My kids studied there, and Israel was always important. But after Oct. 7, it was the first time I thought about what my life would be without Israel, and how in so many ways, we’ve taken for granted the existence of Israel and everything that they do, frankly, for peace in the Middle East. You know, to give Jews a place that they know they will always have a home, which has become even more important in the past several months. It took on a new energy for me, and a new desire to really be supportive of Israel in every way I can,” Redstone told JI.
EYE ON UNESCO
Concern mounts in Jerusalem as Qatar, Egypt set to take key roles in UNESCO
Israel is eyeing the upcoming United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization executive board meeting with concern, with Egypt and Qatar poised to take influential roles in the body. Qatar is set to take the body’s chairmanship, and former Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enani is considered a leading candidate for the organization’s director general. The UNESCO Executive Board Meeting will begin on Wednesday in Paris and continue for two weeks, during which the new board chairperson and director general will be selected. The director general must receive a majority vote on Oct. 6, while the executive board chairmanship rotates between geographic blocs and the Middle East bloc agreed to put Qatar in the role, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Israel angle: With two Arab countries expected to assume UNESCO’s leading positions, some observers have expressed concern that Israel may again face disproportionate scrutiny and criticism — a pattern seen in other U.N. bodies where geopolitical tensions often surface. The potential new leadership of UNESCO is “bad for Israel and bad for America,” an Israeli diplomat told JI this week. Another Israeli diplomatic source said that it is an “unusual combination to have a director general and chairman of the executive board from Arab countries. It puts Israel at a disadvantage. … Israel is not a member of the executive board and has no influence on who will be chairman.”
WORDS OF WARNING
Majority of House Democrats warn Israel against West Bank, Gaza annexation
Most House Democrats, including all of the current and former top Democratic leaders, signed onto a letter on Thursday to Israeli leaders warning them against unilaterally annexing territory in the West Bank or Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. At a time when Democrats are increasingly divided over the U.S.-Israel relationship and its direction, the letter highlights a strong degree of unanimity within the party against annexation, among both Democrats who largely remain supportive of Israel and those who have become more critical over the war in Gaza.
What they said: “As long-standing supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Israel’s security, and Israel’s future, we are deeply opposed to proposals for unilateral annexation of territory in the West Bank,” the 178 lawmakers, led by Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), said. “Such a move would not only violate international law but undermine decades of bipartisan U.S. policy and threaten the progress of the Abraham Accords, which offer Israel and its neighbors the opportunity to build a more secure, cooperative, and prosperous regional future. Unilateral annexation of the West Bank would plunge the region, already reeling from tens of thousands of deaths in the horrific Gaza war, into further chaos and violence.”
DAMASCUS DEALINGS
Syrian Jewish community leader urges Senate to reject conditions on Syria sanctions relief
A debate is quietly simmering in Washington over the prospect of repealing congressionally mandated sanctions on Syria, an effort that has bipartisan support — but is not without its opponents, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. As part of the Senate’s consideration of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, a provision is moving forward to fully repeal the Caesar Act, which placed strong sanctions on the Assad government in response to human rights violations. But other lawmakers are attempting to place conditions on the repeal of those authorities.
Community concerns: Some, like Rabbi Yosef Hamra, the nephew of the last chief rabbi of Syria, have argued that leaving the sanctions on the books in any capacity would cripple rebuilding efforts. But others say that the U.S. must maintain that tool as leverage to prevent future sectarian and human rights issues. Hamra, in a letter to congressional offices on behalf of the Jewish Heritage in Syria Foundation that was shared with JI, said, “Lifting the Caesar sanctions is essential to restore synagogues and cemeteries, safeguard irreplaceable Jewish heritage and re-establish a mutli-faith community in Syria after more than 30 years in exile. Simply put, this amendment would be devastating to the Jewish community in Syria.”
TALKING TURKEY
Bipartisan group of House lawmakers urge Trump to be ‘very careful’ in Erdogan talks
A bipartisan group of House members urged the administration to “be very careful” in negotiations with Turkey about its potential reentry into a program allowing it to acquire and potentially co-produce F-35 fighter jets, ahead of a White House meeting today between President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Background: Trump said Friday that he would host Erdogan at the White House for trade and military talks, “including the large-scale purchase of Boeing aircraft, a major F-16 Deal, and a continuation of the F-35 talks, which we expect to conclude positively.” Lawmakers have been pressing for months for the administration to be cautious in allowing Turkey to acquire the advanced fighter jets, something it has been banned by law from doing since it purchased a Russian S-400 missile defense system. By law, Turkey must dispense with that system before it can be readmitted into the F-35 program, but some lawmakers have pushed for additional conditions, given various conflicts with Turkey, including its hostile posture toward Israel.
COLOMBIA CONCERNS
House members urge State Department to counter Bogota antisemitism
A bipartisan group of 18 House members is urging the State Department to pressure Colombia’s government to change course on what the lawmakers describe as a dangerous pattern of antisemitic rhetoric and policies by government officials, including the country’s president, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Call to action: “As U.S.-Colombia relations continue to be strained by numerous issues, including the increasingly troubling antisemitic rhetoric and discriminatory policies from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, which are directly threatening the safety and well-being of Colombia’s Jewish community, we write to urge the administration to consider even stronger actions, including leveraging U.S. assistance to push for meaningful change in President Petro and his government,” the lawmakers, led by Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), said in a letter sent on Monday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Worthy Reads
Pompeo’s Point: In The Free Press, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticizes recent moves by European nations, as well as the U.K., Australia and Canada, to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. “The move to recognize a Palestinian state where none exists did not just reward terror groups. It was also a boon to a faltering regime in Tehran desperate to repair its standing among Iranians after its decisive defeat in June’s 12-Day War. Any leader who genuinely desires peace should instead seize the historic opportunity to continue to diminish the Iranian regime and empower the forces across the region that seek a constructive relationship with Israel. History shows that peace has never been secured through appeasement—a lesson one would have thought our European and Anglosphere allies would keenly appreciate. Israel does not have the luxury of forgetting that lesson, and so they will continue to hold the line against barbarism, even if their supposed friends in the West will not.” [FreePress]
Awkward Alliance: The Atlantic’s Helen Lewis details how the rapid demise of the far-left Your Party — born from tensions between its “Gaza left” and “gender left” wings — illustrates the deeper challenges facing the left in Britain and beyond. “… the alliance of ‘rainbow and crescent’—as the historian James Orr, a friend of J. D. Vance, has described it—is extremely fragile. Gay marriage, abortion, and transgender rights are obvious flash points, but other issues can be equally divisive. For instance, many British Muslims support fee-paying schools, which can offer students a more religious curriculum than government-run institutions. The traditional left-wing position, however, is that private schools are engines of privilege and should be abolished. Can these groups happily coexist in a left-wing movement in the long term? The experience of Your Party suggests not.” [TheAtlantic]
Word on the Street
In her new book, former Vice President Kamala Harris writes that concerns about Gaza war protests factored into her decision not to select Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate last year…
At her first book event in New York on Wednesday, Harris was interrupted by anti-Israel protesters, and said later, “I was the first person at the highest level of our United States government or administration to talk about the fact that the people in Gaza were starving. … I was not the president, I couldn’t make the decision, but I made my position clear”…
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) is reportedly preparing to mount a primary bid against Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), hiring campaign staff with a potential campaign kickoff slated for October…
Several countries including the U.S. are looking to develop copycats of Iran’s Shaheed drones, after seeing Russia’s success in using the low-cost, long-range model in its war in Ukraine…
Right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson is among the public figures set to tour U.S. college campuses with Turning Point USA, following the assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk earlier this month during the first stop of his campus tour. Carlson will speak at the University of Indiana on Oct. 21…
Federal prosecutors agreed to move faster in providing discovery evidence in the case of the alleged Capital Jewish Museum shooter, as the Department of Justice considers whether it will seek the death penalty in the shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the museum in May…
Two Syracuse University students are facing hate crimes charges and disciplinary actions for throwing a package of pork products into a Jewish fraternity house during Rosh Hashanah…
The U.S. is mulling sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court, with a State Department spokesperson saying that the body poses “a threat to our national interests”; previously the Trump administration had imposed sanctions on individuals tied to the court, including its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan…
Queen Rania of Jordan and First Lady Melania Trump met at an event launching the first lady’s Fostering the Future Together initiative on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, the fourth time the women have met…
More than 20 people were injured, including two seriously, in a Houthi drone attack on the Israeli port city of Eilat…
Archeologists in northern Israel discovered a trove of coins dating back to the fourth century…
New satellite images indicate that Iran is beginning to rebuild the missile-production sites that were degraded by Israel during the 12-day war between the countries in June…
The Iranian rial fell to an all-time low of 1.1 million rials to the dollar hours before Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, during which he pledged that Tehran “has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb”…
Iranian diplomats traveling to the U.S. for the UNGA were banned by the Trump administration from shopping at Costco and other big-box stores…
Jailed Egyptian-British pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah was pardoned and released after serving 12 years in an Egyptian prison for his role in anti-government protests…
The debut of Apple TV+’s “The Savant,” which stars Jessica Chastain as a woman who attempts to foil domestic terror attacks, was postponed; Chastain said in a social media post that she disagreed with Apple TV+’s decision, citing “an unfortunate amount of violence” since the show began filming that “illustrate[s] a broader mindset that crosses the political spectrum and must be confronted.” The series is based on an Anti-Defamation League staffer profiled in a 2019 Cosmopolitan article…
Abdulaziz Al Asheikh, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, died on Tuesday…
Pic of the Day
Oyster Bay (Long Island) Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and members of the Town Board were joined on Sunday by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, District Attorney Anne Donnelly, community leaders, clergy, students and residents to dedicate a parklet in Plainview in memory of Omer Neutra, who grew up in the community and was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel while serving in the IDF.
Birthdays
Director and co-creator of the award-winning HBO series “Game of Thrones,” known professionally as David Benioff, David Friedman turns 55…
Member of the U.K.’s House of Lords, Baroness Vivien Helen Stern turns 84… Former member of Knesset, he also served as Israel’s ambassador to France and then the United Nations, Yehuda Lancry turns 78… Lakewood Ranch, Fla., resident, Dvora Millstone turns 77… Israeli television anchor and popular singer, Yardena Arazi turns 74… Founder of ALMA, she served as a member of Knesset for Yesh Atid from 2013-2015, Ruth Calderon turns 64… President and CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, Boaz Levy turns 64… Founder, chairman and CEO of Salesforce, Marc Russell Benioff turns 61… Best-selling author and serial entrepreneur, Marissa Levin… Son and grandson of leading British rabbis, he is the senior rabbi at the Beverly Hills Synagogue, Pinchas Eliezer “Pini” Dunner turns 55… Former member of the Knesset for Likud, she has appeared on multiple Israeli reality television shows, Inbal Gavrieli turns 50… White House correspondent for NPR, Tamara Keith turns 46… Member of the California State Assembly where he serves as co-chair of the Legislative Jewish Caucus, Jesse Gabriel turns 44… VP of government relations at the ADL, Carmiel Arbit… Features writer at New York magazine and its culture magazine Vulture, Lila Shapiro… Actor and comedian, best known for his role as Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom “The Office,” Zach Woods turns 41… Videographer and virtual program producer for the U.S. State Department, Mitchell Israel Malasky… Assistant appellate federal defender at Federal Defenders of San Diego, Daniel Yadron… Former center and power forward for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague, Jacob Greer (Jake) Cohen turns 35… Asset manager for Capital Realty Group, Yanky Rodman… Senior director of Next Gen at Christians United for Israel, Destiny Albritton… Strategic director at Laurel Strategies, Adam Basciano…
