US-Israel Relationship

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.

Pentagon chief: US preparing response to attack on Saudi oil facility

WASHINGTON — United States Defense Secretary Mike Esper said Monday that the US military is preparing a response to the attack on major Saudi Arabia oil facilities.

After briefing US President Donald Trump in the White House, Esper singled out Iran as undermining international order, without directly pinning blame on Tehran for the attack.

“The…

US sanctions leaders in terror groups Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad

(September 10, 2019 / JNS) The United States announced on Tuesday that it has sanctioned leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror groups as part of amending an executive order to strengthen and expand the U.S. State and Treasury departments’ authority to target terrorists and their supporters.

Those leaders include…

U.S. POLICE DELEGATION VISITS ISRAEL AHEAD OF 9/11 ANNIVERSARY

Close to 50 high-ranking American police officers are in Israel to take part in a series of consultations and events marking the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Known as the Police Unity Tour, the delegation will be in Israel for nine days to hold discussions with their Israeli counterparts and strengthen the domestic security…

US nixes Security Council statement that fails to condemn Hezbollah

Washington rejects text that puts terror group and Israel on equal footing following exchanges of fire along border, diplomatic sources say.

The US on Thursday blocked a UN Security Council statement on tensions between Israel and Hezbollah that did not single out violence by the Lebanese terror group, forcing the text to be scrapped, according…

KENTUCKY BECOMES 26TH US STATE TO PASS ANTI-BDS LAW

Gov. Matt Bevin signed Kentucky’s anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) legislation in the State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky on August 27.

The signing was primarily ceremonial since the law went into effect when it was passed by the state legislature during its last session, codifying into law Executive Order 2018-905 made by Gov. Bevin…

Pompeo: Israel can rely on diplomatic, legal, military support in any war with Iran

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated on Thursday that Israel can rely on diplomatic, legal and military assistance from Washington in the event of a war with Iran, however long.

In an interview with syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt, Pompeo pledged that Israel can rely on the United States for aid if the growing tensions with the Islamic…

US-Israel Relationship

Bolton: Trump’s readiness to talk with Iran doesn’t signal shift in stance

US President Donald Trump’s willingness to hold direct talks with Iran doesn’t signal any change in his administration’s stance toward the Islamic Republic, his national security adviser, John Bolton, said Tuesday.

“Talking with them does not imply for President Trump changing your position and the idea that Iran would receive some tangible…

US-Israel Relationship

At summer conference, pro-Israel students learn tools to respond to hostile campus environment

Universities have long been one of the toughest environments for pro-Israel students. They have battled stilted curriculums when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and more recently, grappled with on-campus pressure in the face of growing BDS activity. Combined with a general uptick in anti-Semitism, including the deadly shootings in…

Pence tells Netanyahu US backs Israel’s right to defend itself

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday spoke to US Vice President Mike Pence, who said that the US backs Israel’s right to self defense, as tensions skyrocketed in the Middle East following reports of Israeli strikes against Iranian and Iran-linked targets in multiple countries, and reported concern among Israeli officials over US President…

US and Israel sign agreement to strengthen partnership

The United States and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wednesday to strengthen the alliance between the two countries.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Mark Green and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz signed the global partnership agreement in Jerusalem to enable “the American and Israeli…

US-Israel Relationship

Australia signs on to US-led mission to protect Hormuz shipping

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia has joined Britain and Bahrain in signing onto a US-led maritime security mission to protect international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Iran, the country’s prime minister said Wednesday.

Australia will contribute troops, a surveillance plane and a Navy frigate to protect the shipping lanes…

New York Governor Cuomo plans to bolster economic ties with Israel

The Empire State does the most business with Israel than any other state

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has plans to bolster economic ties with Israel despite already being its top trade partner, in order to make it a hi-tech capital akin to Silicon Valley.

Cuomo recently held a two-day trade mission to the Jewish state, where he said he would…

Pompeo: ‘Clock is ticking’ on Iran arms embargo

U.S. secretary of state urges America’s allies to stop Iran from engaging in “destabilizing behavior,” warning of a possible Mideast arms race after U.N. arms embargo on Iran expires.

(August 13, 2019 / JNS) Warning that sanctions and an arms embargo on Iran will expire in the coming months, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday urged…

US ambassador, Israel president pay condolence visits to family of slain student

President Reuven Rivlin paid a condolence visit Monday to the family of Dvir Sorek, the 18-year-old killed in a terror attack in the West Bank last week, calling the youth an “inspiration.”

Rivlin’s visit came shortly after US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman also paid a condolence call to the family in the settlement of Ofra.

Sorek was…

Israel to participate in US ‘Operation Sentinel’ in Strait of Hormuz

(August 7, 2019 / JNS) Israel is assisting the U.S.-led naval mission to bolster security for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

According to a report by Israel’s Ynet news site, Katz told a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel is providing intelligence…

Top Trump diplomat shares plans for future peace accords between Israelis, Palestinians

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Greenblatt spent 20 years as the top real estate lawyer for New York developer Donald Trump. He worked on numerous deals from his office in the gleaming Trump Tower on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.
But on a summer day this week Greenblatt was in another gleaming skyscraper several blocks away from his old office, this time at the…

Orthodox Jewish woman named cybersecurity chief for US spy agency

An Orthodox Jewish woman whose parents were among the hostages rescued by Israeli commandos from Entebbe Airport has been tapped to head the United States National Security Agency’s new Cybersecurity Directorate.

Anne Neuberger of Baltimore has worked at the NSA for the past decade. She helped establish the US Cyber Command and worked as chief…

Netanyahu and Perry discuss US-Israel cooperation achievements

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry discussed the achievements of US-Israel cooperation in a meeting on Tuesday.

Netanyahu took the opportunity to thank US President Donald Trump for recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Golan Heights and for his strong action against Iran, including…