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.

Iran

Iran Loses UN Voting Rights Over Unpaid Dues, Blames US Sanctions

01/18/2021

Iran and six other countries lost their right to vote in the UN General Assembly, because they have not paid their dues, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

Iran blamed US sanctions for blocking the Islamic Republic from paying its required contribution to the UN.

Guterres wrote a letter to General Assembly...

In The News

Morocco Jews ‘Already Packing’ For Direct Israel Flights

01/17/2021
Morocco, home to North Africa's biggest Jewish community and the ancestral homeland of some 700,000 Israelis, is also hoping for an influx of Israeli tourists when the COVID-19 pandemic eases.
"I'm very happy" that the five-hour route will be served by direct flights, said Mergui, a Moroccan Jew who lives in Casablanca. "It's a true...

In The News

City of David Recognized As ‘Testament’ To US Judeo-Christian Heritage

01/18/2021

The City of David was recognized as a "testament to America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and founding principles" by the US Embassy in Jerusalem and the US Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad at a special ceremony on Monday.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Chairman of the Commission for the...

Hamas

IDF Strikes Hamas In Response To Rocket Attack

01/18/2021

Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets toward the southern Israeli city of Ashdod before dawn on Monday, which landed in the sea just off the coast of the city, the army said.

The projectiles did not trigger warning sirens, the Israel Defense Forces said. There were no injuries or damage reported.

In...

In The News

US Says Bahrain, UAE Are ‘Major Security Partners’ After Normalizing Israel Ties

01/16/2021

The United States called Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates “major security partners” early Saturday, a previously unheard of designation for the two countries home to major American military operations.

A White House statement tied the designation to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalizing ties to Israel, saying it...

In The News

Israel In ‘Final Stages’ Of COVID, Showing World An Exit Strategy, Says Top Official

01/15/2021

Israel is in the “final stages” of the coronavirus pandemic, a senior health official said Friday after data showed the country was seeing clear results of its massive vaccination drive.

“We are in the final stages of the coronavirus. Israel, with the scale of its vaccine drive, is showing the world that there is an exit...

In The News

Massive Iran Missile Drill Is Message To US, Gulf and Israel

01/16/2021

A massive Iranian missile drill showcasing long range missiles, drones and other weapons is taking place this weekend and serves as a message to Gulf countries, the US and Israel.

It comes a year after Iran launched ballistic missiles at US forces in Iraq and follows Tehran’s sending of missile technology to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon...

In The News

US, Moroccan NGO Sign Deal To Fight All Forms Of Antisemitism

01/16/2021

The US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism signed a groundbreaking agreement with the NGO Association Mimouna of Morocco on Friday to jointly combat antisemitism and efforts to strip Israel of its legitimacy.

Ellie Cohanim, the Deputy Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism for the State Department, told The...

Iran

Reports Say Iran Has Expanded Drone Base In Yemen

01/14/2021

Iran has sent drones to Yemen, enabling the creation of a base for so-called “suicide drones” or what are known as loitering munitions, according to Newsweek. The report claims that “Shahed-136” drones are now based in Al-Jawf. These are supposedly “advanced UAVs.” 

The report is unclear regarding most of the details, only noting...

In The News

UNRWA Admits Educational Materials Rife With Anti-Israel Racism And Incitement

01/14/2021

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which serves Palestinian refugees, admitted on Thursday that its educational materials contain exhortations to violence, hate speech, and terrorism that violate UN regulations.

In a statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini one day after the release of a report...

Iran

Iran Tests Ballistic Missiles, Drones In Military Exercise, State TV Says

01/15/2021

Iran‘s Revolutionary Guards fired “abundant” surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and tested locally manufactured new drones in a military exercise on Friday, state television reported.

The drill, which it said was overseen by Guards commander Major General Hossein Salamiin the central desert region, came in the waning days of...

Iran

Report: IDF Drawing Up Plans To Strike Iran’s Nuclear Program

01/14/2021

The Israel Defense Forces is drawing up plans for an attack on Iran’s nuclear program, the Israel Hayom daily reported Thursday in a front-page article.

The newspaper said that IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi has asked for three alternate proposals to derail Tehran’s program, without elaborating on them. It only indicated one of...

In The News

Israel: 162 Ethiopian Jews Immigrate to Israel

01/15/2021

'I am extremely excited to see these new arrivals in Israel,' Minister for Aliyah and Integration says

On Thursday morning, Israel welcomed another 162 Ethiopian Jews, members of the Falash Mura community, who landed in the Jewish state to make their aliyah -- immigration.

The newly-made Israelis made their way into the Jewish...

In The News

West Bank: Two Palestinian Terrorists Arrested Over Roadside Shooting

01/15/2021
Arresting officers found many firearms and munitions in the suspects' houses

Israeli security forces on Friday arrested two suspected Palestinian terrorists who last month opened fire on an Israel Defense Forces vehicle in the West Bank.
No one was hurt in the December 19 incident that saw the suspects flee after shooting at an...

In The News

Operation Pillar of Defense

01/13/2021
Coffee Break
Lesson 49
On November 14, 2012, Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense in response to a barrage of more than 150 rockets fired into Israel by terrorist organizations in Gaza in one day.

Israel’s main goal for the operation was to decrease the number of rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.

The operation began...

In The News

Israel, UAE Sign Visa-Free Travel Agreement

01/13/2021

Israel and the United Arab Emirates will allow visa-free travel between the countries, after the UAE ratified an agreement on the matter on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said “the ratification of the agreement is a central element of the full and quick implementation of the many agreements being worked on these days...

US-Israel Relationship

Jerusalem Approves Expanded US Embassy

01/13/2021

The Jerusalem Municipality’s Building and Planning committee approved plans for a new US embassy building in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion called it a “historic and exciting moment,” and that he thinks it will inspire other countries to move to the capital.

“After two years, we’re thrilled the local...

In The News

Israel, Slovakia To Ink Defense Deal Worth Over $182 Million

01/14/2021
'Israel’s defense industry is at the forefront of global technology,' Gantz says, hailing agreement

Israel and Slovakia are set to sign a defense agreement worth some €150 million, or over $182 million, Israel's Defense Ministry said Thursday.
In a press release, the ministry said that the Slovakian government has approved a...

In The News

IHRA Definition Is Useful – Antisemitism Must Be Fought On All Forms

01/13/2021

"Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

That is the International Holocaust...

Iran

Iran Is Assembling Gear Able To Produce Key Nuclear-Weapons Material

01/13/2021

Iran has taken a significant new step toward possible atomic-weapons production, starting work on an assembly line to manufacture a key material used at the core of nuclear warheads, the United Nations atomic agency said in a confidential report Wednesday, raising the stakes in Tehran’s standoff with Washington ahead of...