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.

Issues

ADL: Number of Americans believing antisemitic stereotypes nearly doubled since 2019

Poll finds that 85% of people in US agree with at least one racist trope about Jews, while 20% believe at last six; 20% think Jews have ‘too much power’
The number of Americans who believe antisemitic stereotypes has doubled since 2019 to the highest level in decades, the Anti-Defamation League said Thursday, calling the findings “stunning and...

Issues

Senior PLO official: ‘Martyrs’ and prisoners are ‘most precious jewel’ for Palestinians

"Even if we have one penny left, it will be spent on the families of the martyrs and prisoners," said PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General Hussein Al-Sheikh at a ceremony celebrating Palestinian Martyr's Day on Jan. 7.
The Palestinian “martyrs” and prisoners, as well as their families, are the Palestinian people’s “most precious jewel,” PLO...

Issues

UK probing uranium bound for Iranians in Britain

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the uranium could have been used to build a so-called dirty bomb, a type of improvised nuclear device, according to reports.
(January 11, 2023 / JNS) British counter-terrorism forces have opened an investigation after confiscating an undeclared shipment of uranium at Heathrow airport on Dec. 29...

Issues

Ancient Byzantine church with preserved mosaic floor found near Jericho

Archaeologists working with the Civil Administration have been excavating the well-preserved mosaic flooring of what was once a large church in Israel's West Bank.
An ancient Byzantine church with large and preserved mosaic floors was discovered by the Civil Administration near the city of Jericho in Israel's West Bank, the Civil Administration...

Issues

Report: Iran steps up air defense deployment in Syria in bid to curb Israeli strikes

Unnamed intelligence source tells Newsweek that Israel has struck at least seven targets related to the network over the past two years, and killed 10 Iranians
Iran has invested millions of dollars in an effort to ramp up the deployment of an advanced air defense network in Syria, amid repeated attempts by Israel to target Iranian sites and...

Issues

West Bank: Stabbing in Hebron leaves one wounded, assailant shot – report

A 25-year-old man was reportedly stabbed in the Hebron Hills in the southern West Bank on Wednesday before the assailant was shot by Israeli forces.

"When we arrived at the scene, we saw that the wounded man was fully conscious and suffering from bleeding injuries to his upper body," Eliashiv Ameti, a paramedic for Israel's Magen David Adom...

Issues

US Navy intercepts over 2,000 assault rifles headed from Iran to Yemen

This is the third shipment of lethal aid from Iran to Yemen intercepted by the US in the past two months.
The US Navy intercepted over 2,000 assault rifles being carried on a fishing vessel from Iran to Yemen on January 6, the US 5th Fleet announced on Tuesday.

A US Navy team from the USS Chinook patrol coastal ship discovered and seized the...

Issues

Dermer in Washington for meetings on Iran nuke program

The Israeli strategic affairs minister is the first official from Israel’s new government to visit the U.S. • Israel and the U.S. agree that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons, but have “some tactical differences,” says U.S. State Dept.
(January 10, 2023 / JNS) Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer landed in Washington on Monday...

Issues

Police data shows antisemitic incidents in NYC more than doubled over last 2 years

City saw 263 attacks in 2022, or one every 33 hours on average; $11,000 offered for info on suspect who shouted ‘Kanye 2024’ during assault; Hasidic man rammed with car in Brooklyn
NEW YORK — There were over 250 antisemitic hate crimes reported to authorities in New York City last year, marking a steep rise in incidents targeting Jews over the...

Issues

Lion’s Den member nabbed by troops in Nablus; 15 more suspects arrested in West Bank

Wasim Estitiyeh wanted for recent shooting attacks in northern West Bank; Palestinian gunmen attempt to target troops during operation
Israeli troops on Tuesday morning detained a member of the Lion’s Den terror group in the West Bank city of Nablus as local gunmen attempted to target the forces, the military said.

The arrest came amid a...

Issues

Israeli Forces Thwart Smuggling of 32 Handguns Near Jordanian Border

Israeli Forces Thwart Smuggling of 32 Handguns Near Jordanian Border

Israeli forces confiscated 22 handguns after busting a smuggling attempt in the Jordan Valley on Sunday, days after seizing 10 other firearms along the border.

IDF soldiers noticed the suspect near the town of Yafit in the West Bank, and apprehended him while he was...

Issues

Blinken to visit Israel amid tension over anti-PA sanctions

Blinken’s visit will come on the heels of a scheduled trip to the region by President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel by the end of January for talks with the new government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid tension over the Temple Mount, Israeli sanctions...

Issues

Iranian protesters demonstrate at prison as 3 are sentenced to death

The threatened executions come just a day after two other Iranian protesters were executed by the Iranian regime.
Iran's judiciary sentenced three more anti-government protesters to death on charges of "waging war on God," the Mizan news agency reported on Monday, defying growing international criticism over its fierce crackdown on demonstrators....

Issues

United Arab Emirates to add Holocaust studies to its national school curriculum

US antisemitism envoy praises move, which will see primary and secondary school students learn about the Nazi genocide in history classes; says she ‘expects others to follow suit’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates will begin teaching about the Holocaust in history classes in primary and secondary schools across the country,...

Archeology In The News

Coin from Bar Kochba revolt found in Judean Desert

A coin from the Bar Kochba revolt was found recently during an archaeological dig in Murabba'at caves in the Nahal Darga Reserve in the Judean Desert, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.

The coin, dated to the second year of the revolt (133 AD), features a date tree on one side with the name "Shimon" on it. Shimon Bar Kochba...

Hamas In The News

As young Gazans die at sea, anger rises over Hamas leaders’ extended sojourns abroad

Khaled Shurrab had been waiting more than half his life to get out of Gaza.

The 27-year-old had never left the coastal enclave, which has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since 2007. He couldn’t find a job — the territory’s youth unemployment rate is over 60 percent. Like a growing number of Gazans, he packed his life into a suitcase and...

In The News Iran

A single Iranian attack drone found to contain parts from more than a dozen US companies

Parts made by more than a dozen US and Western companies were found inside a single Iranian drone downed in Ukraine last fall, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment obtained exclusively by CNN.
The assessment, which was shared with US government officials late last year, illustrates the extent of the problem facing the Biden...

Hezbollah In The News

Hezbollah in Lebanon: Israel’s greatest threat on its quietest border

An IDF soldier slips into a grassy spot next to a tree to gain a concealed position.

Two Hezbollah border spies appear for a moment from behind a tree on their side of the Lebanese border and then briskly fade into the shadows.

It is a slow and constantly unfolding chess match.

Luckily, however, it is only an IDF drill to bolster Israel’s...

In The News

Terror convict who murdered IDF soldier released after 40 years, says he’s ‘proud’

Karim Younis, the longest-serving prisoner jailed for security-related offenses, was released from prison Thursday after serving 40 years behind bars.

Younis, an Arab Israeli, was convicted of terrorism offenses for the murder of an Israeli soldier in 1980. He was freed from Hadarim Prison, north of Tel Aviv, at 4 a.m.

With a black and white...

Antisemitism In The News

London Antisemitic Crime Wave Shows No Signs of Stopping According to Latest Data

Antisemitic hate crimes in London were slightly higher in December than the preceding month, according to the latest data issued by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

MPS recorded 44 such incidents in the British capital last month. There were 43 in November, bringing the total for 2022 to 575. A total of 3,211 antisemitic hate crimes have...