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.

US-Israel Relationship

Israeli president said to be invited to address joint session of US Congress

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...

In The News

Israel among world’s biggest arms exporters, counts up to 90 nuclear weapons: report

03/16/2021

Israel is ranked among the world’s top ten arms exporters during the past five years and has an estimated 90 operational nuclear weapons, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published Monday.

The report said Israel was the eighth largest arms exporter during the 2016–2020 period....

In The News

Rocket Exchange With Gaza Signals Israel Won’t Hesitate to Act Despite Coronavirus Crisis

02/24/2020

The Israel Defense Forces fired on Hamas military positions in the northern Gaza Strip after a rocket was fired into Israel just after 9 P.M. Friday.

The Israeli strikes were meant to send the message that Israel would not hesitate to act despite the coronavirus crisis and would not tolerate any attempt to drag the region into a...

In The News

Israeli UN Ambassador Danon: Palestinians getting coronavirus aid from Israel respond with outrageous claims

04/22/2020
Israel has gone to great lengths and donated generously to protect Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from the coronavirus pandemic, but our lifesaving assistance has been greeted by Palestinians spreading lies and inciting hatred against Israel and the Jewish people.
The Palestinian Authority that governs much of the...

Hamas

Why is the Gaza Strip calm these days? Hamas knows the answer

03/10/2020

The recent relative calm on Israel's southern border is a result of progress in talks between Hamas and Israel, senior Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday.

The officials also noted that the novel coronavirus outbreak, as well as the political processes that have followed the March 2 Knesset election, are also factors.
...

In The News

Israel loans PA money, FM warns against Palestinian COVID-19 crisis

04/16/2020

Israel loaned money to the Palestinian Authority to help avert a COVID-19economic and humanitarian crisis.

“The situation with in the West Bank worries us all and could cause a humanitarian crisis,” Finance Minister Moshe Khalon (Likud) said on Thursday after he met with President Reuven Rivlin and UN Special Coordinator to the...

US-Israel Relationship

COVID-19 and the Need for Enhanced U.S.-Israel Technology Cooperation

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...

In The News

Spy Agency’s Phone Surveillance Detected a Third of Israel’s Covid-19 Cases

05/26/2020

Spying by Israel's Security Agency, better known as the Shin Bet, was responsible for the early discovery of around a third of all the verified coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the country, according to a report by the Ministry of Health submitted to the Parliament’s Subcommittee of Secret Services seen exclusively by Calcalist.

As...

In The News

Eugene Kontorovich: To fight coronavirus spread, Israel is using cellphone technology – Could US do the same?

03/19/2020
Israel’s government this week approved the use of people’s cellphone location information to help battle the coronavirus epidemic – the strongest such action of any Western country.
This has raised serious – and legitimate – concerns about privacy and governmental intrusion in the form of unseen surveillance. Placing such sweeping...

In The News

Ahead of Biden’s Pentagon nominee’s confirmation, CUFI calls on Joe Manchin to oppose

03/17/2021

WASHINGTON - Christians United for Israel (CUFI), published a full-page ad in six West Virginia newspapers this week, urging state residents to contact Senator Joe Manchin and ask him to oppose the nomination of Colin Kahl to serve as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. 

The ads feature an op-ed from CUFI’s West Virginia State...

Syria

Israel launches strike on targets in Syria – report

03/16/2021
Israeli military strikes were reportedly launched at targets located near the Syrian capital of Damascus, state media said late Tuesday night.
It remains unclear if any casualties resulted in the reported attack.
Israel maintains a policy of ambiguity regarding regional military operations and has not commented on the development....

In The News

Israel’s Iron Dome simultaneously intercepts drones, rockets in hi-tech leap

03/16/2021

After significant upgrades, Israel’s famed Iron Dome missile-defense system successfully and simultaneously intercepted a barrage of rockets and drones in a recent round of tests.

The news comes as the IDF warns of a possible new confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed terrorist group is constantly...

Archeology

Oldest woven basket in the world found in Israel, dates back 10,000 years

03/16/2021

A perfectly preserved large woven basket dating back some 10,500 years was unearthed in the Judean Desert, the Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday. 

Experts believe the artifact is probably the oldest of its kind ever uncovered. It was excavated in a Judean Desert cave by the IAA in cooperation with the Civil Administration’s...

Archeology

2,000-year-old biblical texts found in Israel, 1st since Dead Sea Scrolls

03/16/2021

A 2,000-year-old biblical scroll has been unearthed in the Judean desert, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday. The groundbreaking discovery marks the first time that such an artifact has been uncovered in decades, since the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The two dozen fragments were found in a cave in the Judean...

In The News

Netanyahu: Israel will have four more peace deals soon

03/16/2021

Israel is on the way to making peace with four more countries in the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

“One of the leaders in the region” had called him on Monday night, and they spoke for 45 minutes, he said.

Netanyahu rebuffed accusations that he did not attend a planned Likud event in Ashkelon on Monday...

Iran

Iranian terrorists claim to have active cells in Washington, D.C.

03/04/2021

Iranian militia groups claim to have active cells of operatives stationed in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities, according to chatter in online forums used by these groups.

Kawtheryoon Electronic Team, a Telegram network used by Iranian militia groups and supporters, claimed in a recent posting that Iranian "resistance cells...

US-Israel Relationship

US, Israel navies hold joint patrols in east Mediterranean

03/15/2021
Israeli missile boats join guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey for maneuvers in Mediterranean

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the US Navy conducted joint patrols in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the US military said on Monday.
According to the press release, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey and Israeli...

In The News

Seven rockets target Iraqi air base hosting US troops

03/16/2021
Two rockets hit near base, causing no reported injury, while five miss mark, hitting village closeby

Seven rockets targeted an air base in Iraq holding US troops Monday, according to a security source that spoke to AFP.
Two rockets made it outside al-Balad base, north of Baghdad, but no casualties or structural damage was...

Iran

Iran showcases new ‘missile city’ secret base for anti-ship missiles

03/16/2021

Iran has unveiled a new “missile city” which includes a massive amount of missiles and munitions.

It is allegedly located near the sea and provides easy access for Iran’s anti-ship ballistic missiles. Iran has claimed new anti-ship capabilities since last October and reports in January appeared to confirm these capabilities with...

In The News

IDF soldiers thwart terrorist attack, arrest three suspects

03/16/2021

IDF troops stopped an attempted terrorist attack in the West Bank settlement of Beit El late Monday night, according to the IDF Spokesperson.

The soldiers identified three suspects throwing Molotov cocktails at houses and worked to apprehend them, using live fire as required.

Two suspects were said to have been hit by the...