Daily Kickoff: Israelis, Palestinians prepare for next POTUS | Bibi, Putin talk peace | Sen. Tim Scott & Cory Booker visit Ethiopian youth in Israel

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2016 WATCH: “Clinton asks Romney’s allies for cash to stop Trump” by Gabriel Debenedetti: “If Trump’s team had been organized, effective, or putting the party and winning above pettiness, they would have immediately worked — after he became the Republican nominee — through a list of his opponent’s supporters,” explained Republican lawyer Charlie Spies, Romney’s chief financial officer and counsel in 2008 before helping launch his super PAC in 2012. “Instead, they did not. They also made clear: Mr. Trump does not reach out to people, you’re either on board or you’re not.” [Politico] • Major Mitt Romney 2012 Donors Shun Donald Trump in Favor of Down-Ballot Races [ABCNews]

“Inside the exclusive events helping to fund Clinton and the Democratic Party” by Matea Gold and John Wagner: “The former secretary of state devoted much of this month to seeking big money to finance the Democratic Party, a race for cash that has taken her from Greenwich, Conn., to Nantucket, Mass., to Beverly Hills, Calif. The fundraising drive has served as a reminder of her deep and decades-long connections to some of the country’s wealthiest figures, a jarring contrast with her efforts to cast herself as an ally of those left out of prosperity.” [WashPost] • Hillary Collects $5M at Fundraiser Hosted by Haim Saban [JewishInsider]

Norm Eisen talks to the AP about Clinton donor access: “Former senior White House ethics officials said a Clinton administration would have to take careful steps to ensure that past foundation donors would not have the same access as she allowed at the State Department. Norm Eisen, now a governance studies fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that at a minimum, Clinton should retain the Obama administration’s current ethics commitments and oversight, which include lobbying restrictions and other rules.” [AP] • Foundation Donors Who Met, Talked With Clinton [NYTimes]

“Donald Trump finds corner of support among Israel’s Americans” by Ian Lee: “Trump in particular has had problems attracting the Jewish vote after claims of anti-Semitic themes in various tweets and the backing he’s received from the former head of the KKK, David Duke, and the American Nazi Party. “It’s crap, it’s garbage!” said Sruly Cooper, a Florida voter and Trump supporter. “If you want to judge Trump, judge him by his family. Judge him by his children. Judge him by his success and his philanthropy and not what the press says about him, like bringing up David Duke.”” [CNN]

VIEW FROM THE EAST: “Israelis, Palestinians prepare for next US president” by Uri Savir: “A confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the government is looking forward to a new administration, whatever the outcome of the elections… He respects Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, though he has had sharp disagreements with her regarding settlement policy. The confidant implied that while Republican nominee Donald Trump is an unknown, Netanyahu is closer ideologically to Trump’s party…”

“A Palestinian official told Al-Monitor that the Palestinian Authority is envisaging for 2017 two alternative diplomatic strategies. In case of a Clinton presidency, the PLO negotiation team headed by Erekat will focus on advancing new terms of reference for a two-state solution based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. In case of a Trump administration, the plan is to rely on Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Arab League to impress on the new administration the critical importance, in terms of US-Arab relations, of Palestinian statehood — especially in the context of the fight against the Islamic State.” [AlMonitor]

Addressing the new MOU deal, Yair Lapid writes in Foreign Policy: “The agreement with Israel should be analyzed not through the money that is spent, but the money that is saved. A recent Harvard University study found that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost the U.S. taxpayer $4 trillion to $6 trillion. The MoU with Israel is merely a fraction of that. A strong and secure Israel significantly reduces the risk that the United States will need to be involved in another war in the Middle East, which would be not only financially costly but also claim the lives of American soldiers.” [ForeignPolicy]

“US senators visit Ramle center for Ethiopian youth” by Eliyahu Kamisher: “US senators Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) visited the Ethiopian National Project’s Ramle youth outreach center on Tuesday as part of a Middle East congressional trip. Accompanied by US Ambassador Dan Shapiro and Likud MK Avraham Neguise, the senators toured the outreach center, met with staff and shared a traditional Ethiopian meal.” [JPost]

“Netanyahu, Putin Discuss Israeli-Palestinian Peace in Phone Call” by Barak Ravid: “The conversation comes two days after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi said the Russian president was willing to host Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for direct talks in Moscow.”[Haaretz; TheTimes]

KAFE KNESSET — Netanyahu Continues Media Round — by Amir Tibon & Tal Shalev: In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Netanyahu is continuing his unusual series of background meetings with Israel’s leading media outlets. After hosting Walla News and Ha’aretz last week, Netanyahu met yesterday with representatives of Israel’s leading Haredi newspapers, websites and radio stations.

During the meeting, Netanyahu brushed off the reports of a police investigation involving him and his family. He also mimicked the television news reports on the matter, which he claims are exaggerated and hysterical. Netanyahu has shown a good sense of humor and some stage talent during these briefings, at one point even putting up a very accurate impersonation of Ehud Barak, his former rival-turned-partner who is now a rival once again.

The main headline out of yesterday’s meeting was that Netanyahu said the ultra-orthodox parties need to show more flexibility regarding the Western Wall compromise offered by the government. If that doesn’t happen, he warned, the Israeli Supreme Court would eventually impose such a solution. It remains to be seen if his allies in the government will get the message.

Israel’s New Consul Gen. Dani Dayan tells Gary Rosenblatt: “I didn’t come to speak to the choir. Every pro-Israel view that is legitimately expressed in the Knesset, from Meretz [on the left] to Bayit Yehudi [on the right], is legitimate here as well,” he told me, noting that he has participated in conferences sponsored by the New Israel Fund and Haaretz despite criticism from the right.” [JewishWeek]

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BUSINESS BRIEFS: Delphi and Israel’s Mobileye to Produce System for Self-Driving Cars [NYTimes]• Why Starbucks failed in Israel (and only in Israel) [JPost] • Philanthropist J.B. Pritzker: “The best entrepreneurs are grown here in Chicago” [WGNRadio] • Hollywood Agents Sharing Pirated Copies of CAA Book [Variety] • Apollo to Pay $52.8 Million Over Fee Practices [WSJ]

SPOTLIGHT: “Josh Kushner’s Insurance Startup Oscar Quits Two Markets, Rethinks Obamacare Plans” by Zachary Tracer: “Oscar, which pitches itself as a tech-savvy alternative to traditional health insurers, plans to end sales of Affordable Care Act plans in Dallas, a market it entered this year, and New Jersey. “The individual market isn’t working as intended and there are weaknesses in the way it’s been set up,” Chief Executive Officer Mario Schlosser said in an interview.” [Bloomberg;VanityFair]

“A Step Above: Shoemaker Jack Erwin Is Disrupting The Market For Fine Footwear” by Susan Adams: “Ariel Nelson’s decision to get a buzz cut in the middle of a sweltering New York summer four years ago was a turning point in his career. After a frustrating May 2012 shopping expedition for dress shoes, he and his friend Lane Gerson, then 29 and 30 years old, had decided to start a direct-to-consumer footwear company. The European brands they loved, such as John Lobb and Edward Green, retailed for $1,000 or more. Why not make the kind of shoes they wanted to buy but couldn’t afford?” [Forbes]

HOLLYWOOD: “Steven Hill, District Attorney Adam Schiff on ‘Law & Order,’ Dies at 94” by Chris Koseluk: “Steven Hill, the stoic actor who was an original castmember on both the 1960s iconic television series Mission: Impossible and the ground-breaking 1990s drama Law & Order, died Tuesday. He was 94. Hill died in Monsey, N.Y., his son, Rabbi Yehoshua Hill, told The Hollywood Reporter. Born Solomon Krakovsky in Seattle, Hill was first struck by the acting bug when he saw his sister perform in a talent contest… As observing Shabbat made him unavailable for Friday night or Saturday matinee performances, his stage career was essentially over. He also lost movie roles, most notably a lead in The Sand Pebbles (1966).” [HollywoodReporter]

TALK OF OUR NATION: “An Uncommon Friendship: Two friends, one with special needs and one without, have grown close despite their differences” by Clare Ansberry: “Although Anna and Rachel grew up in the same tightknit Jewish neighborhood in Pittsburgh and attended the same high school, they only met during their junior year through Friendship Circle, a Jewish organization that couples teen volunteers with special needs youth. “You bring together kids who are different, let them have fun, and the lines between them blur,” says Danny Rosen, former chairman of Pittsburgh’s Friendship Circle. The organization, with more than 79 locations world-wide, has a big presence in Pittsburgh, and Anna started volunteering there when she was in ninth grade.” [WSJ]

LongRead: “Infiltrated a Ghetto to Expose the Nazis, But Nobody Would Believe Him” by Andrew Nagorski: “As Karski recalled both in his powerful book The Story of A Secret State, published in the United States in 1944, and in an interview with me in 1998 when he could reveal some additional details, the Jewish leaders he met before his departure to London came straight to the point. “Hitler has decided to murder all the Jews in Europe,” one of them told him. The other leader started to cry. “We cannot hope that the Poles will help us. Poles can save individuals but they cannot stop the destruction of the Jews. Approach as many people as possible — the English, the Americans, whoever. Tell them that we are dying.”” [DailyBeast]

DESSERT: “Lox, in a Jewish Museum, Offers a Gallery of Salmon” by Florence Fabricant:”This spacious restaurant on the second floor of the Museum of Jewish Heritage takes its name seriously, offering five varieties of house-cured salmon, some smoked. Legendary Affairs, the company that has provided kosher food for catered events at the museum, was given the restaurant concession, and now David Teyf, the chef and owner, serves an array of Jewish and Russian dishes.” [NYTimes]

“How St. Louis Got Its Kosher Custard” by Sara Toth Stub: “When an Orthodox cardiologist operated on Ted Drewes, Jr., the former owner of a popular St. Louis-based frozen custard franchise, the two struck up an everlasting friendship.” [TabletMag]

BIRTHDAYS: Co-chair of the Real Estate practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Philip Rosen… CNN political analyst and former moderator of Meet the Press, David Gregory turns 46… Donna Barwald… Samantha Feinstein… Regional Director of the Chicago office of the Anti-Defamation League, Lonnie Nasatir… Professor at UCSD and Nobel Prize laureate in Economics, Harry Markowitz turns 89… Actor, producer and director Steve Guttenberg turns 58… Senior principal at TSD Communications, formerly worked for Senator Ted Kennedy and the Obama White House, Ricki Seidman…

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