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

Israel-Jordan ties boosted by rare alignment in interests on water, energy

As scientific warnings of dire climate change-induced drought grow, many in Israel and Jordan cast worried eyes at the river running between them and the critical but limited resources they share.

This month, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed unequivocally that the climate is changing faster than previously feared,...

In The News

Hezbollah expands its influence in Syria by buying land on Lebanon’s border

Lebanon’s Hezbollah is expanding its control over the Syrian regions bordering Lebanon by purchasing lands located in the countryside of Damascus, as part of the expansion operations carried out by the militia loyal to Iran.
Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian militias of non-Syrian nationalities have purchased more than 370 plots of land in and...

In The News

With U.S. Troops Leaving Afghanistan, Iran’s New Leader Sends Message to Syria, Region

As the last of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan was set to depart, Iran's recently sworn-in president sent his new top diplomat to Iraq and Syria to send a message of Tehran's enduring commitment and to discuss recent events in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met Sunday with Syrian President Bashar...

In The News

Official close to PM downplays Gantz-Abbas meeting: There won’t be peace talks

An official close to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday downplayed a meeting between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, saying there won’t be any peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

“This is a meeting that deals with security issues. There is no diplomatic process with the Palestinians...

In The News

Israeli Analyst: Iran Entrenching Itself on Israel’s Border With the Syrian Golan

Iran is slowly entrenching itself in the Syrian Golan region at the border with Israel, a top Israeli analyst stated on Sunday.

The area of conflict is taking place in southern Syria, where certain rebel groups are still holding out after 10 years of civil war have seen the ruling regime of dictator Bashar Assad take back most of the country.
...

In The News

Head of Ben & Jerry’s board accused of alleged self-dealing

The head of the board of directors of Ben & Jerry’s is accused of alleged self-dealing, doling out tens of thousands in cash from the controversial ice cream company’s foundation to fund her own pro-Palestinian non-profit, according to a watchdog complaint to the IRS.

Anuradha Mittal, the chair of the ice cream maker’s board since 2008,...

In The News

Israel bombs Hamas sites in Gaza over fire balloons – military

Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza early on Sunday in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave, the military said, as a recent rise in cross-border violence tests a fragile truce that ended fierce fighting in May.
Sanctioned by Hamas, the Islamist armed group that rules Gaza, Palestinian groups said on...

In The News

Israel’s Bennett Presses Biden Over Iran Nuclear Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met President Biden at the White House for the first time since taking office and pressed the U.S. to back off reviving the Iranian nuclear accord while invoking the long ties between the nations and the persistent threat of terrorism.

“These very days illustrate what the world would look like if a radical...

In The News

Bennett-Biden meeting delayed to Friday due to deadly Kabul attacks

The much-anticipated meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden at the White House was postponed Thursday, after deadly attacks at Kabul airport.

No time for the meeting was announced. A spokesperson for Bennett said a time had not been finalized. Due to the sit-down’s proximity to the Sabbath, Bennett will wait...

In The News

Prosecutors will not oppose parole for convicted RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan

Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, faces his 16th parole hearing Friday seeking a release from prison — this time with no opposition from prosecutors.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has no plans for his prosecutors to speak out during Sirhan's parole hearing scheduled for...

In The News

Police seize large arms cache, dozens of firearm parts in West Bank raid

Police announced Friday morning that officers seized a large cache of firearms and dozens of weapon parts in an overnight raid in the West Bank.

Ten pistols, four rifles, over 130 magazines, weapon sights and other unassembled weapons were uncovered inside a Palestinian home near Hebron, police said.

No suspects were immediately arrested in...

In The News

With Afghanistan, all eyes are on terror groups … and Tehran

The dramatic failure on display in Afghanistan has America’s allies and adversaries asking whether the United States can be trusted in the future and if our enemies will ever fear us again. The blame for this current tragedy extends beyond one administration, yet the final failure rests with the one that saw the implications, ignored the warnings...

In The News

Afghan death toll now at least 95 following Kabul airport bombing; 13 US service members dead

A day after two suicide bombings hit the Kabul airport, the death toll in Afghanistan has risen to more than 100 people.
Thursday’s bombings near Kabul’s international airport killed at least 95 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said, in the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.
Late Thursday, U.S....

In The News

IMF Funding for the Taliban?

Billions of dollars in military equipment and vehicles aren’t the only assets the U.S. is leaving behind in Afghanistan as it makes its hasty retreat. On Monday “Afghanistan, Islamic State of” was credited with 310 million in new “special drawing rights” at the International Monetary Fund. That’s the equivalent of some $440 million.

The new...

In The News

Iran’s president lost his right to visit New York by targeting America

When the world’s leaders arrive in New York next month for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), it will be America’s responsibility to provide protection for each. Preparations are under way to ensure their safety, and the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service, New York Police Department, state and federal law enforcement, the FBI and...

In The News

Taliban Takeover Is a Boon for Cash-Strapped Iran

Iran this week restarted fuel exports to Afghanistan that had been disrupted by fighting between the Taliban and forces under the now deposed Afghan government, traders in Tehran and former U.S. officials say, with the Taliban now providing critical dollars to the sanctions-crushed Iranian economy from its lucrative narcotics operations.

The...

In The News

US knows Iran deal may be lost, is open to Israeli proposals — Bennett staffer

The US administration recognizes that a return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran might not be possible, and as a result is open to Israeli approaches to countering Iran, according to a senior member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s entourage.

The staffer said on Wednesday evening that on Iran, the Israeli team’s positions received...

In The News

Biden’s meeting with Israeli prime minister to keep spotlight on Afghanistan, terrorist threats to allies

President Biden's upcoming meeting with new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is likely to center on the escalating crisis in Afghanistan, as well as other emerging threats to the U.S. and its allies due to the rise of terrorism in the region, experts predict.

Biden is set to hold a meeting at the White House Thursday with Prime Minister...

In The News

‘The Women of Afghanistan Must Be Heard’: Israel’s Ambassador to UN Demands Equal Rights for Afghans at Human Rights Council

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva urged member states to safeguard the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan following the takeover of the country by the Taliban.

“Israel remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan. We are extremely concerned about reports of violent crackdowns...

In The News

Hamas demanding ‘impossible terms’ as deadlock with Israel continues

Hamas in the Gaza Strip is pursuing terms that are impossible for Israel to accept as part of its extortion attempt to “change the rules of the equation,” a former defense official and expert on Gaza has said.

Col. (res.) David Hacham, an Arab-affairs adviser to seven Israeli defense ministers and a senior research associate at the Miryam...