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

IDF intelligence report: ‘Reasonable risk’ of clash with Hezbollah in near future

An intelligence report produced by the Israel Defense Forces’ Northern command has assessed that there is a reasonable risk of an armed clash between Israel and Hezbollah in the near future, Israeli media reported on Saturday.

Hezbollah has become corrupt and is losing support as it faces harsh criticism in Lebanon, the report states, according...

In The News

Shin Bet chief: Iran ‘the fundamental problem’ in region

The head of Israel's Shin Bet internal security service on Sunday warned against a renewal of the Iran nuclear deal, saying that it would lead to increasing instability in the region.
"Iran is not only a nuclear problem - it is the fundamental problem of the Middle East," Ronen Bar remarked during a speech at the World Summit on Counter-Terrorism...

In The News

Israel, Guatemala sign free trade agreement, Economy Ministry says

Israel and Guatemala on Thursday signed a free trade agreement that will include industry, food and agriculture goods, the Israeli Economy Ministry said.
The ministry said the agreement will come into effect once it receives final ratification in Guatemala and Israel, whose trade reached $40 million in 2021 - an 11% rise from 2020.
Israeli...

In The News

Israeli leaders mourn death of Queen Elizabeth II: Ties ‘flourished’ under her reign

Israeli leaders on Thursday mourned the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II after a record-setting reign of 70 years.

Elizabeth took the throne following the death of her father King George VI in 1952, just four years after a then-nascent Israel was founded.

“On behalf of the Government and people of Israel, I send my condolences to the...

In The News

Israel won’t stand by while Iran cheats world, Mossad chief warns US

Mossad chief David Barnea on Thursday wrapped up a trip to Washington for high-level talks with US officials as part of Israeli efforts against a restored nuclear deal with Iran.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Barnea held meetings with CIA chief William Burns, FBI Director Christopher Wray, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, US...

Antisemitism In The News

Morningstar’s Crisis Communications Playbook

Since 2020, Chicago-based financial services firm Morningstar has been under fire for acquiring an ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings business that has been quietly seeking to advance the goals of the BDS movement through investment advice. Since the activist-investor group JLens brought this issue to Morningstar and the larger...

In The News

Gantz: Palestinians must not only condemn terrorism, but act to thwart attacks

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Wednesday that the Israeli military would continue to operate in Palestinian Authority-controlled areas if the P.A. fails to maintain security there.

“I conveyed this message again today to P.A. leadership: We will not allow armed men who seek to murder Israelis to roam around freely. We will pursue...

In The News

‘Just scratched the surface’: Israel, UAE celebrate growing ties and trade

“My mother sends her regards to the people of Israel,” Fahima Al Bastaki, the chief business and market development officer of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), said to laughter at a gathering of UAE and Israeli business leaders and officials on Tuesday in Tel Aviv.

The simple words perhaps best reflect the excitement, enthusiasm, and —...

In The News

Lapid: Shin Bet thwarted hundreds of attacks this year, including suicide bombings

The Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security and counterintelligence service, thwarted hundreds of terror attacks this year, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Thursday at an awards ceremony for the organization’s agents who excelled in intelligence operations in 2021.

“The Shin Bet foiled hundreds of attacks since the beginning of the year. Shooting...

In The News

How is Albania’s severance of ties with Iran related to Israel?

Albania announced on Wednesday that it was severing ties with Iran and expelling Iranian diplomats due to a cyberattack it says was conducted by Iranians in July in an attempt to destroy Albania's digital infrastructure.

In the announcement, Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that after thorough investigations, it was confirmed "with...

In The News

Blood-soaked lessons of the Munich Olympics

Fifty years ago this week—on Sept. 5, 1972—11 Israeli Olympic athletes and coaches were murdered in Munich at the hands of Palestinian terrorists. Since then, Europe has come to understand the cruelty of radical Islamic terrorism but failed to absorb its blood-soaked lessons. This has never been as clear as it is today with the continent’s leading...

In The News

Ingathering of the exiles? Extremely rare First Temple-era papyrus repatriated

The hunt for additional Dead Sea Scrolls has taken archaeologists and adventure-seekers all over the Judean Desert. But the successful quest for a recently repatriated First Temple-era papyrus letter took the head of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit to a much more unlikely location — Montana.

This 4-centimeter-high,...

In The News

Explosions heard at airports in Syria, state media points to Israel

Explosions were heard on Tuesday night at Aleppo International Airport and at Deir ez-Zor Airport in northern Syria, reported Syrian state news agency SANA.

According to the state-controlled outlet, the Syrian army’s air defenses downed some of the Israeli missiles.

There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.

Read More: JNS

In The News

Israel, US complete simulated missile-defense exercise

The United States and Israel recently completed a simulated joint missile defense exercise, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Monday.

The ministry’s Israel Missile Defense Organization, in collaboration with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the Israeli Air Defense Command and the U.S. Air and Missile Defense Task Force, conducted the...

In The News

Standing next to an F-35 fighter jet, Lapid issues stern warning to Iran

Prime Minister Yair Lapid visited an the F-35 fighter jet squadron at an Air Force base in southern Israel on Tuesday and issued a stern warning to Iran standing next to the imposing warplanes.

"If Iran continues to try us, it will discover Israel's long arms and capabilities," the premier said curtly.

The prime minister's message was made...

In The News

Nuclear deal with Iran off the table for time being, US has indicated to Israel

A new nuclear deal between Iran and world powers is off the table and will not be signed in the foreseeable future, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister site Zman Yisrael has learned. This is the message that was conveyed to Prime Minister Yair Lapid in his recent conversations with US President Joe Biden and other administration officials.

This...

In The News

Rare First Temple period ivories discovered in Jerusalem

Archaeologists are describing as “extraordinary” the discovery of a collection of ivory plaques from the First Temple period recently unearthed in Jerusalem. They are among only a few ever found and the first to be unearthed in the city.

The plaques, approximately 2,700 years old, were discovered during the excavations being conducted by the...

In The News

IDF releases name, pic of third Palestinian suspect in Jordan Valley assault

The Israel Defense Forces on Monday identified Maher al-Sayeed, 50, as the third suspect in Sunday’s attack on a passenger bus in the Jordan Valley that wounded seven Israelis, according to Ynet.

Al-Sayeed, who remains at large, is a farmer from a village located in the area where the attack took place, according to the report. He was arrested...

In The News

Report: Iran-backed militias suspend operations in Syria

Iranian-backed militias in Syria were reportedly told to stop their activities by their leadership, the Al-Arabiya news site reported Tuesday, citing local sources.
Wejdan Abdel Rahman, an Iranian affairs expert, allegedly told the news site that there were several reasons why the militias suspended their activities.
The first reason was...

In The News

Don’t stand by as Iran threatens to destroy Israel – Herzog in Berlin

Israel is prepared to stop any threat from Iran, Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned during a visit to the Nevatim Air Force Base on Tuesday.

“If Iran keeps trying, it will discover Israel’s long arm and its abilities,” Lapid said. “We will continue to act on every front against terrorism and those who wish us harm.”

The prime minister said it...