In The News

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In The News

French police prevent stabbing attack at Jewish school in Marseille

03/05/2021

French police arrested a man who tried carrying out a stabbing attack at a Jewish school in Marseille, France on Friday morning, French media reported.

The attacker was turned away by the Yavne School security, made up of parents who serve as security on a volunteer basis, the Jewish Agency noted. The institution was immediately…

In The News

Iran deal at the center of hearing for Biden nominee, intense criticism from Republicans

03/05/2021

Colin Kahl, President Joe Biden’s nominee for under secretary of defense for policy, faced intense scrutiny from Senate Republicans at his confirmation hearing on Thursday, focusing in particular on his past comments about the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, former President Donald Trump’s actions against the Iranian regime and issues…

In The News

Republicans slam Biden’s Pentagon nominee over tweets, Iran

03/04/2021

Colin Kahl, the former Obama-Biden aide nominated for the Pentagon’s top policy job, faced sharp questioning over his harsh criticism of Republicans on social media during his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.

Republican senators on the Armed Services Committee also pressed Kahl, at Stanford University after serving…

In The News

The birth of modern Zionism

03/03/2021
CUFI Coffee Break
Theodor Herzl is widely considered the father of modern Zionism. Convinced that anti-Semitism was always going to threaten Jews and keep them from being fully-protected citizens, Herzl wrote on the need for a Jewish state. He envisioned a homeland that was multilingual and multinational–where Jews could live their…

In The News

Pro-Israel group opposes Biden nominee for top defense post

03/04/2021

One of the nation’s largest pro-Israel lobbying groups is opposing the Biden administration’s nomination of Colin Kahl for a top Pentagon post, calling the former Obama administration official “plainly anti-Israel” and a “serial Iran appeaser.”

Christians United for Israel, a grassroots advocacy group run by John Hagee with a…

In The News

New attack on Iraqi air base fits profile of Iran-backed militia, US officials say

03/03/2021

Tensions between the United States and Iran simmered on Wednesday after a new rocket attack against Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base that hosts US forces, whichUS officials told Reuters fit the profile of a strike by Iran–backed militia.

There were no reports of injuries among US service personnel but an American civilian contractor…

In The News

State Department: America firmly opposes ICC war-crimes probe of Israel

03/03/2021

The U.S. State Department said it “firmly opposes” the announcement by the International Criminal Court of the opening of its investigation into Israel and the Palestinians over war-crimes allegations.

“We will continue to uphold our strong commitment to Israel and its security, including by opposing actions that seek to target…

In The News

Pro-Israel, Jewish groups react to ICC decision to investigate Israel for purported war crimes

03/03/2021

Pro-Israel and Jewish groups weighed in on the controversial decision announced on Wednesday by the International Criminal Court that it would open its investigation into alleged war crimes conducted by Israel and the Palestinians since 2014.

AIPAC said that the ICC investigation into Israel represents “significant overreaches of…

In The News

Israel Warns Military Action Against Iran To Stop It From Getting Nukes – Israel Defense Minister

02/24/2021

Defense Minister Benny Gantz threatens military action against Iran in order to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining an atomic bomb, though he says that he also supports a comprehensive deal to end the country’s nuclear program and halt its military entrenchment in the region.

Gantz’s comments come as US President Joe Biden…

In The News

GOP opposition to top defense pick grows

03/02/2021

Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee are meeting privately on Tuesday morning to discuss their growing policy concerns about Colin Kahl, President Joe Biden’s nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy at the Pentagon, according to sources close to the committee.

Kahl, a former Obama State Department official,…

In The News

Israeli-owned cargo ship, damaged by explosions blamed on Iran, back at sea

03/03/2021

An Israeli-owned cargo ship that suffered a mysterious explosion last week has left Dubai’s port and was transiting the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, satellite tracking data showed. The suspected attack has raised tensions in the region.

The giant MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle cargo ship, was sailing…

In The News

10 rockets hit Iraq base hosting US troops: security sources

03/03/2021

Iraqi security forces said 10 ‘Grad-type rockets’ hit the sprawling Ain al-Assad base on Wednesday morning

At least 10 rockets hit a military base in western Iraq hosting US-led coalition troops on Wednesday, security sources said, two days before Pope Francis’s historic visit to the country.

The Ain al-Assad base hosts Iraqi…

In The News

Netanyahu welcomes first-ever UAE ambassador to Israel

03/02/2021

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the first Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Israel, Muhammad Mahmoud Al Khaja, on Tuesday, a day after his arrival for a four-day visit.

“We are changing the Middle East; we are changing the world,” Netanyahu told Al Khaja.

The two discussed potential joint regional and…

In The News

UAE ambassador to Israel: ‘Abraham Accords a beacon of light and hope in human history’

03/01/2021
First ever Emirati envoy to Jewish state presents letters of credence to Israeli President Rivlin

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) first ever ambassador to Israel arrived Monday at the Jewish state for a three-day visit, and delivered a warm address in an official ceremony with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem….

In The News

Holocaust survivor Miriam Linial celebrates 100th birthday with friends

03/02/2021

Holocaust survivor Miriam Linial celebrated her 100th birthday, with cakes flowers, friends, wishing to tell her life story to those willing to hear it.

Linial was born in the town of Kozminek in Poland in 1921 to a family of nine, with two parents, seven siblings, and one grandmother.  

Synagogues in her area were closed down….

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Israel in talks with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain for defense alliance against Iran

03/01/2021

Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have discussed expanding cooperation in facing common enemies, an Israeli official familiar with the matter said Monday.

The matter is being “informally discussed,” the source said, adding that the countries are US allies. All four believe a nuclear Iran would be a major…

In The News

Iran Rejects Offer For Informal Nuclear Talks With US, Demands Sanctions Relief

02/28/2021

Iran on Sunday rebuffed an offer from the European Union to hold informal direct talks with the EU and US on Tehran’s nuclear program. US President Joe Biden’s administration had accepted in principle.

“Considering the recent positions and actions of the United States and the three European countries, does not consider the time…

In The News

Israel And Bahrain Sign Historic Agreement Allowing Direct Mail Exchange

03/01/2021
“We welcome the continued cooperation between postal authorities around the world”

Israel and Bahrain have signed an agreement that will allow the Israel Postal Service to send and receive packages and letters from Bahrain beginning from Monday.
The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in telecommunications…