ISSUES

At CUFI, we are focused on several key issues with the goal of defending Israel’s strength, security, and sovereignty.

If you want to keep up with all things Israel, sign up for CUFI’s Daily Briefing – our daily news roundup created exclusively for CUFI members. Every morning, Monday through Friday, receive an email with some of the top headlines in the news so you are always informed and ready to debunk lies with the truth.

In The News

IsraAID to supply essential medical, relief items in wake of Afghanistan earthquake

IsraAID is launching a humanitarian response to the earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on June 22 and killed at least 1,000 people, injured more than 1,600 and damaged thousands of homes. Those numbers are expected to rise as search-and-rescue operations continue.

It will work with local partners to assess the needs of the affected...

In The News

US envoy Lipstadt plans Saudi trip next week to kick off global antisemitism fight

Deborah Lipstadt’s first overseas tour as the Biden administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism will start in Saudi Arabia, her office said Thursday, signaling the kingdom’s willingness to change its image in the West and among Jews.

Lipstadt, who was confirmed to the ambassadorial post in March, said in a briefing last...

In The News

The UK must end its double standard over Jerusalem

Earlier this month, the United Kingdom celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, marking Her Majesty’s 70th year on the throne. To mark the occasion, the United Kingdom hosted parties for the Queen around the world, including in Israel. However, there seemed to be a disparity between how Israelis and Palestinians were able to mark the occasion.
...

In The News

Senate Shoots Down Biden’s Anti-Semitic Ambassador Pick

The Senate on Thursday morning voted not to advance the Biden administration's nominee to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Brazil to a full vote, less than a day after the Washington Free Beacon reported on the candidate's past remarks about the "Jewish lobby" and its "major money."

Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, a longtime diplomat and Democratic...

In The News

37 members of Congress send letter urging investigation into Boston BDS map

A bipartisan group from the U.S. House of Representatives is calling for the federal government to investigate the use of the Boston “BDS Map” by violent extremists and terrorists, and boost security for the organizations listed.

Sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI director...

In The News

Flourishing in the crosshairs of Hamas terror

In any other country Sderot would be just an idyllic, well-maintained small town. But in southwestern Israel, less than a mile from the border with Gaza, it’s all that as well as a place where almost everyone suffers from PTSD.

The post-traumatic stress disorder, that affects residents of all ages in Sderot, is caused by both the threat as well...

In The News

How China’s oil imports are helping Iran withstand sanctions – analysis

If anyone is mystified about how Iran has managed to withstand US and EU sanctions and seems unconcerned about its current conflict with the IAEA, its key ally, China, is no mystery.

On Wednesday, it was reported by Reuters that China had received a new shipment of nearly 2 million barrels of Iranian oil in the past week alone at a southern...

In The News

Iranian kidnapping of Israeli diplomats and tourists in Istanbul foiled

Just before the arrival of Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Turkey, Turkish intelligence revealed on Thursday that it managed to thwart an Iranian attack attempted in Istanbul last Friday, Israeli media reported.

According to intelligence reports, Iranians planned to kidnap Israeli diplomats and tourists in Istanbul. The report states that the...

In The News

Scoop: U.S. working on normalization “road map” for Saudi Arabia and Israel

The White House has been working on a “road map for normalization” between Israel and Saudi Arabia ahead of President Biden’s visit to the Middle East next month, according to four U.S. sources briefed on the issue.

Why it matters: The trip could show that the Biden administration has continued to help foster progress on the warming of...

In The News

Anti-Semites Lose: Federal Court Upholds Arkansas Anti-BDS Law

An Arkansas law that bars state contractors from engaging in Israel boycotts was upheld Wednesday by a U.S. appeals court, dealing a major setback to supporters of the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Arkansas's anti-BDS law—which bars state contractors from waging economic warfare on Israel—"does not violate the...

In The News

UN Human Rights Council report aims to put Israelis behind bars

The United Nations Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on the May 2021 Israel-Hamas conflict released its highly anticipated report on Tuesday. The commission distorts history and erases Jerusalem’s security concerns to cast Israeli actions as the byproducts of racism.

The early days of May 2021 were a tense time for Israelis and...

In The News

Palestinian terror groups may increase attacks ahead of Israeli elections

Buoyed by the collapse of the Israeli coalition, Hamas and other terror groups have threatened to continue carrying out attacks against Israel.

The groups said that they see the collapse of the government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennet as a direct result of its failure to confront the Palestinian “resistance” factions, especially during and...

In The News

Exercise app used to spy on Israeli soldiers, sensitive facilities – report

Fake profiles used the popular Strava exercise app to spy on Israeli security personnel working at sensitive sites in Israel, a new report by the Israeli FakeReporter watchdog revealed on Tuesday.

The security risks associated with the Strava app were first reported on in 2018, when The New York Times reported that analysts were warning that a...

In The News

Bennett, Barlev announce formation of Israel National Guard

Israel’s prime minister, public security minister and police commissioner on Tuesday announced the formation of the Israel National Guard, which will be part of the Israel Police.

“Today we are starting out with a budgeted and approved decision to establish the Israel National Guard,” said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a statement. “The...

In The News

Jerusalem court orders PA to pay $37.5 million to Israeli terror victims

The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday ordered the Palestinian Authority to pay 130 million shekels ($37.5 million) in compensation to 32 Israeli families that lost members to terror attacks during the Second Intifada (2000 to 2005), according to a report by Ynet.

The ruling comes after the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in April that the P.A.’s...

Issues

Exclusive: Iran prepares enrichment escalation at Fordow plant, IAEA report shows

VIENNA, June 20 (Reuters) - Iran is escalating its uranium enrichment further by preparing to use advanced IR-6 centrifuges at its underground Fordow site that can more easily switch between enrichment levels, a United Nations nuclear watchdog report seen by Reuters on Monday showed.
The move is the latest of several steps Iran had long...

Rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia expected to deepen, regardless of Biden visit

U.S. President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to the Middle East in July, when he is expected to visit Saudi Arabia and Israel with a stop likely in Bethlehem, where he will meet with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, is sure to be full of expectations. It is likely that the trip will be fully prepared and scripted beforehand with agreements...

Issues

Israel cancels youth trips to Poland over Holocaust studies

JERUSALEM — Israel has canceled educational trips to Poland for thousands of high school students this summer, claiming the Polish government is trying to control the Holocaust-studies curriculum taught to Israeli children, the Israeli foreign minister said.

The announcement by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid reignited longstanding tensions...

Amid political upheaval, US says Biden to visit Israel next month as planned

US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides confirmed Monday that President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel will go forward as planned, despite the political turmoil in Israel.

The envoy spoke to The Times of Israel shortly after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced that they would be submitting legislation next week to...

Issues

The Scourge of Antisemitism Has Returned to America

The Jewish community is in crisis. For decades, we viewed the specter of antisemitism as a ghost of the past, a hatred from another time and another place. We still saw it in the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe, even in occasional glimpses from our Western allies. But when antisemitism appeared here in the U.S., it used to be on the...