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

Gazan laborer arrested in Israel as Hamas spy, Shin Bet says

Israeli security forces have arrested a Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip on suspicion that he spied in Israel on behalf of the Hamas terror group, the Shin Bet security service said Thursday.

The agency said that Saber Mahmoud Yosef Abu Thabat, 28, from the central Gazan city of Deir al Balah, had a permit to enter Israel for work. He was...

Antisemitism In The News

New report reveals severity of antisemitism in Virginia

A new state report reveals the scope of antisemitism in Virginia and outlines steps to address the problem.

In one of his first executive orders, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced plans to create the Commission to Combat Antisemitism. The panel’s report says there is an alarming national trend of increasing hate toward the Jewish community, and...

In The News Iran

Sister of Iran’s Supreme Leader condemns his rule, urges IRGC to disarm

A sister of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has condemned his crackdown on nationwide protests and called on the widely-feared Revolutionary Guards to lay down their weapons, according to a letter published by her France-based son.
"I think it is appropriate now to declare that I oppose my brother's actions and I express my sympathy...

In The News

Germany busts far-right terror cell said planning coup with violent Reichstag attack

Thousands of police carried out a series of raids across much of Germany on Wednesday against suspected far-right extremists who allegedly sought to overthrow the state in an armed coup.

Federal prosecutors said some 3,000 officers conducted searches at 130 sites in 11 of Germany’s 16 states against adherents of the so-called Reichsbuerger or...

In The News Terrorism

Palestinian gunmen clash with IDF in Nablus; eight terror suspects arrested

Palestinian gunmen clashed with Israeli troops early Wednesday in the northern West Bank city of Nablus during an attempt by the army to arrest a wanted man.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, troops operating in the city came under fire from armed Palestinians. The IDF said the forces returned fire, and that no soldiers were hurt.

A...

In The News Iran

Iran sentences 5 to death over killing of Basij paramilitary officer

Iran has sentenced to death five people over the killing of a member of the Basij paramilitary force during nationwide protests, the judiciary said Tuesday.

Another 11 people, including three children, were handed lengthy jail terms over the death of Ruhollah Ajamian, judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told a news conference, adding the...

In The News

Experts from Israel and 6 Arab countries head to Morocco to discuss coexistence

Government officials, scholars and policy experts from Israel and more than six Arab countries are convening in Morocco on Monday for a three-day meeting on education, coexistence and people-to-people ties in the region.

Why it matters: The conference, which is organized as part of the Atlantic Council and the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation N7...

Antisemitism In The News

125 lawmakers call for interagency antisemitism task force, coordinator

A bipartisan group of 125 lawmakers urged President Joe Biden on Monday to establish a  “whole-of-government” approach to antisemitism, the broadest call yet for such a unified plan to combat spiking antisemitism across the country.

In a letter to Biden, the lawmakers suggest that the administration establish an interagency task force to combat...

Antisemitism In The News

Police: Antisemitic crimes up 125% in New York City

The New York Police Department on Monday reported 45 antisemitic crimes in the city in November, compared to 20 over the same period in 2021, according to police data.

In the most high-profile incident, two men were arrested for plotting to attack Jewish targets in the city. One was in possession of a hunting knife and a swastika arm band at...

In The News

Palestinians entitled to fight Israel ‘by all legitimate means,’ ruling Fatah says

For the second time in recent weeks, Palestinian leaders who met in Ramallah on Sunday evening said the Palestinians are entitled to “resist the occupation by all legitimate means,” implying they also have the right to resort to violent activities against Israel.

The latest call, made during a meeting of the ruling faction’s Fatah Revolutionary...

In The News

Iran may be able to build ‘crude’ nukes within 6 months – report

Iran may be launching an accelerated effort to achieve a few “crude” nuclear weapons in only six months, a new think tank report, obtained first by The Jerusalem Post, has warned.

According to Monday’s report by Institute for Science and International Security president David Albright, even though top Israeli officials just recently told...

In The News

Lockheed Martin joins Iron Beam project to build variant of system for US market

US defense contractor Lockheed Martin on Monday signed an agreement with the Israeli Rafael weapons manufacturer to join the development of a high-powered laser interception system, dubbed Iron Beam.

In a statement, Lockheed Martin said the cooperation would be geared toward developing, testing, and manufacturing a variant of the Iron Beam...

In The News

Herzog visits the UAE after historic trip to Bahrain

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday touched down in the United Arab Emirates, kicking off the second day of his state visit to the Gulf.

Herzog was greeted at the airport by Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Israeli leader then addressed the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, a forum on space exploration that...

In The News

Gantz: Iran conducted 16 separate attacks in past 5 years in the Gulf and Red Sea

Iran has conducted at least 16 separate attacks on international vessels in the Gulf and Red Sea in the past five years and can reach a significant quantity of enriched uranium for one nuclear bomb (SQ1) at 90% in only two weeks, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Thursday.

“Just this month we saw an attack on a commercial vessel using a Shahed...

Antisemitism In The News

Ye quits Twitter after Elon Musk confronts him for tweeting swastika with Star of David

Just hours after praising Hitler and Nazis in an Infowars interview, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took to Twitter to share a photo of a swastika embedded in a Star of David.

“YE24 LOVE EVERYONE #LOVESPEECH”, he captioned the tweet containing the symbol, which appeared to be a 2024 presidential campaign logo.

Shortly after, Ye posted a...

In The News

US sanctions Hezbollah’s accountants, weapons facilitator

The United States on Thursday sanctioned individuals and companies for allegedly providing financial services to and facilitating weapons procurement for Hezbollah, the US Treasury Department said.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against two individuals and two companies based in Lebanon for...

Antisemitism In The News

Kanye West praises Hitler, calls himself a Nazi in unhinged interview

Rapper Kanye West praised Adolf Hitler and said people should not criticize Nazis in an interview with far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Thursday, sparking a fresh round of condemnations of the antisemitic rapper who recently dined with former US president Donald Trump.

“I see good things about Hitler,” West, who also goes by Ye, told...

In The News

Israeli president’s security detail boosted for Gulf visit after online threats

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s personal security will be increased following online threats ahead of his scheduled visit to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.

In one of the threats, Herzog was portrayed as a kind of devil, with reddened eyes and lips and flames behind him. Stamped beneath his distorted image was the word:...

In The News

Iran intensifying efforts to kidnap, kill officials, activists and journalists – report

Iran is intensifying its efforts to kidnap and kill government officials, activists and journalists, with security agencies in the US, Canada and the UK warning residents of threats to their lives by the Iranian regime, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

The report is based on government documents and interviews with 15 officials in the...

In The News

UNRWA condemns ‘man-made cavity’ found under Gaza school

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency on Wednesday condemned the presence of a “man-made cavity” found beneath a school in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The agency said in a statement that after “recently” identifying the cavity, it had protested strongly to the relevant authorities in Gaza to “express outrage and condemnation.” The...