At CUFI, we believe a strong, secure, and sovereign Israel is key to a strong and secure United States. Israel needs America, and America needs Israel. We are two nations with shared values, defending the same principles, and thus engaged in the same fight against common enemies. On May 14, 1948, the US was the first country to recognize the nascent State of Israel just eleven minutes after Israel declared its independence. Since then, the US has been a friend to Israel, our most critical ally in the Middle East. One of CUFI’s core concerns is to shape and strengthen the US-Israel relationship to the safety and security of both our nations.
On Jan. 26, the historic five-day joint Israeli-American military exercise called “Juniper Oak” came to an end. The exercise saw unprecedented levels of cooperation between the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for the Middle East, and the Israel Defense Forces.
“Juniper Oak” tested Israeli-American readiness and…
A bill calling to end a United Nations probe against Israel has been reintroduced to the US Congress after similar legislation failed to advance last year.
The US has repeatedly opposed the contentious Commission of Inquiry against Israel, but continues to fund the investigation as part of its budget to the UN, despite opposition from Israel…
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned both the two Palestinian terror attacks in Jerusalem and condemned retaliatory acts of violence as he landed in Jerusalem Monday afternoon amid rising tensions.
“It is the responsibility of everyone to take steps to calm tension rather than inflame them, to work toward a day when people no longer…
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Israel Air Force control center on Wednesday to observe the joint Juniper Oak exercise taking place with the U.S. military.
“This exercise expresses the unshakeable strategic partnership between Israel and the U.S., and constitutes an additional stage in building up…
The US and the IDF on Monday launched what has been described by both some Israeli and US officials as the most significant large-scale joint exercise to date, in a not-so-veiled message to Iran and other adversaries.
Though the Jerusalem Post was informed by multiple senior officials of the exercise weeks ago as being extremely significant, it…
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel next week. The country’s top diplomat is set to visit the West Bank as well.
He is going to be holding meetings in Israel on Monday before moving to meet with Palestinian leadership in the West Bank on Tuesday.
This will mark the second high-profile U.S. official to visit Israel in a month…
A joint Israeli American strategy against Iran and a possible normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and the Jewish state were among the top agenda items that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed on Thursday when he met in Jerusalem with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
The two men discussed the joint effort between their…
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan plans to visit Jerusalem in mid-January to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in the new government, according to five senior Israeli officials’ report to Walla!
Israeli officials said, as it stands now, Sullivan will be the first American senior official…
Hosting a top US general, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohav said Wednesday that the two countries were developing “joint” capabilities to counter Iran.
Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), wrapped up his fourth official visit to Israel since entering the role in April on Wednesday.
In…
06/03/2021
A bipartisan group of 55 members of the US House of Representatives wrote to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday in support of more American funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which intercepted hundreds of rockets during the country’s conflict with the Hamas militant group.
“As Members of Congress…
04/28/2021
National security advisors discuss Iranian threat as nuclear talks continue in Vienna
The United States and Israel have agreed to set up an inter-agency working group focused on the increasing regional threat posed by Iranian-produced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Precision Guided Missiles, the White House said on Tuesday….
04/11/2021
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin touched down in Israel on Sunday for his first official visit to the country. The visit comes in the shadow of growing military tensions between Israel and Iran, and amid attempts by Washington to engage Tehran in negotiations over its nuclear program.
At a joint press conference following a…
04/01/2021
CUFI Coffee Break
March 25th marked the two-year anniversary of US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which followed just one week after CUFI released a statement backing associated legislation and after a month-long advocacy campaign. This courageous and historic proclamation has significant implications for…
03/30/2021
The annual United States report on global human rights practices affirmed that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel, but reintroduced language that spoke of Israeli occupation of territory, two-states and gave a nod in the direction of Palestinian Authority rights to sections of Jerusalem.
The annual Country Reports on Human Rights…
03/22/2021
Support for Israel among the American public remains very strong, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.
Some 75% of respondents said they viewed Israel favorably, compared to 74% in 2020, 69% in 2019, and 75% in 2018.
Some 30% said they viewed the Palestinian Authority favorably, significantly higher than the 23% in 2020,…
03/17/2021
Israeli and US officials agreed to set up a joint team for sharing intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program during recent strategic talks, according to a report Wednesday.
Last week’s talks were the first held by a bilateral group for cooperating in the effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms. The meeting was led by US…
03/17/2021
President Reuven Rivlin is considering whether to accept a bipartisan invitation to address a joint session of US Congress, the Ynet news site reports.
The report notes it is unclear whether Congress can fully convene before Rivlin ends his term as president in July due to coronavirus restrictions.
The president is currently in…
04/17/2020
As its strategy to address the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to develop, the United States should not overlook the important role that its most scientifically advanced international allies could play in helping both to mitigate the pandemic’s devastating consequences and, ultimately, defeat it. Among those partners, few may…