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

Cabinet Approves Visa-Free Travel From UAE

11/22/2020

The cabinet voted in favor of a visa-free agreement with the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, a deal that would allow Israelis and Emiratis to travel between the countries without the need for a visa.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out that this was the first time Israel has ever signed such an agreement with an Arab...

Hamas

IDF Launches Retaliatory Strikes Against Hamas Targets After Gaza Rocket Attack

11/22/2020
Israel said Sunday its military struck Hamas targets in Gaza in response to a rocket attack launched from the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli airforce struck two rocket ammunition manufacturing sites, a military compound and "underground infrastructures," the Israel Defence Forces said.
A rocket was fired at Israel from the Gaza...

In The News

Saudi Diplomat Says Nobody ‘Naive’ Enough To Go Back To Old Iran Deal

Saudi UN envoy calls for new deal that would include Riyadh and stretch beyond Iran's nuclear program

Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Saudi Arabia's UN envoy, said Sunday that nobody can be "naïve" enough to re-enter the old Iranian nuclear deal.

In his interview with Fox News, the diplomat asserted that the world had already witnessed the deal's...

In The News

Israel’s Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Reportedly Hold First Known Meeting

11/22/2020

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Saudi Arabia’s crown prince in the kingdom on Sunday, according to two Saudi government advisers, in their first known meeting and amid a U.S. push to normalize ties between the longtime foes. Saudi officials have denied the meeting took place.

Mr. Netanyahu made the secret trip on...

In The News

IDF Strikes Syrian Army Targets Near Border After Munitions Fired at Israel

Israeli attack helicopters on Friday night struck several military targets in southern Syria belonging to the Syrian military, in response to munitions fired at Israel earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Targets included “observation positions and intelligence-gathering tools inside Syrian posts,” the military said.

Syrian state...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

In First Drill, IDF’s Ghost Unit Tests Out New Tactics with Jets, Tanks and Robots

The Israel Defense Forces new multidisciplinary Ghost Unit completed its first major exercise on Thursday, testing a variety of new fighting techniques including a method of having ground troops identify targets for fighter jets, the military said.

The Ghost Unit was created earlier this year as part of the IDF’s multiyear Momentum Plan and is...

Hezbollah

Iranian Hezbollah Poised for Large-Scale Attack on Israel, Says Former IDF Officer

The Iranian terror group Hezbollah is laying the groundwork for a large-scale attack on Israel’s northern border, according to new warnings from a former member of the Israel Defense Forces' Intelligence Corps.

Hezbollah forces have been building complex tunnels and amassing arms along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon in recent months,...

In The News

Russia Taking Over Golan Heights in Syria to Israel’s North – Report

The Russians have been steadily gaining control over the Syrian Golan Heights region in recent weeks, establishing their own strong militia in the area, Hebrew-language outlet N12 reported Friday.

Dubbed “The Huran Army,” the biblical name of the region, the militia is headed by a local rebel commander, Ahmed al-Ouda, who fought against Syria’s...

Syria

Anti-Aircraft Missile Shot at Israeli Aircraft from Syrian Territory: Report

Civilian building and vehicle damaged following incident, 'likely cause by fragments,' IDF says

An anti-aircraft missile was reportedly fired at an Israel Air Force (IAF) aircraft Friday from across the Syrian border as shrapnel landed in Israeli territory, causing damage to a civilian building and vehicle in the Druze town of Majdal Shams.
The...

US-Israel Relationship

Israel’s Trophy APS System Backs US Battle Tanks

US forces in Europe are featuring a new Israeli technology that will make them less vulnerable to attack, according to a report in Task and Purpose.

US Army M1 Abrams tanks deployed to Europe are now packing a battle-tested Israeli-made active protection system designed to thwart Russian anti-tank missiles.

Photos released on July 10 ahead of...

Holocaust

Memorial to Holocaust Victims Unveiled in Moldova

A new Holocaust memorial was unveiled in the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova this week on the site of a former Jewish ghetto.

The memorial in the city of Cahul — in the south of the landlocked nation that is sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine — was the site of mass executions of Jews during the Nazi Holocaust. The massacres in the ghetto were...

Antisemitism

US Department of Justice Takes Action Against New York Village Targeting Orthodox Jews

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York sent a letter Monday notifying the Village of Airmont in Rockland County, NY, that they plan to file suit against the village on the grounds that are violating terms of the Federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA).

RLUIPA, as the law is commonly...

Antisemitism

Bid to Oust Florida State University Student Senate President With History of Antisemitic Statements Fails

A no-confidence vote to remove the new Florida State University Student Senate president due to past antisemitic statements he had made failed to gain a necessary two-thirds majority on Wednesday night, though the final tally revealed a majority in favor of removal.

Ahmad Daraldik — who is Palestinian-American — recently replaced a previous...

Antisemitism

FSU Student Senate Upended by Social Media Posts: President Ousted, Successor Faces Outcry

Less than a week after Jack Denton, former Student Government Association (SGA) Senate President at Florida State University was removed from office for derogatory speech against the LGBTQ community, students are calling for his successor Ahmad Daraldik to also be removed.
An online petition created by someone under the username “FSU Student”...

Antisemitism

Palestinian Foreign Minister Claims the Jews Control Apple and Google

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki claimed in a recent interview that Jews controlled the giant tech companies Apple and Google.

Appearing on Palestine TV on July 18, Maliki was asked about a claim that appeared on Instagram – which was later proved to be false — that Apple Maps and Google Maps had removed the name “Palestine”...

Hezbollah

IDF Beefs Up Northern Command Over Tensions with Hezbollah

The IDF reinforced the Northern Command with additional infantry troops on Thursday following a situational assessment as tensions with Hezbollah rose following the death of one of its fighters in Syria.

“In light of a situational assessment that was held in the IDF, it was decided to send a pinpoint reinforcement of infantry troops to the...

US-Israel Relationship

US House Votes to Maintain Security Aid to Israel

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $740.5 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2021 on Tuesday that includes the continuation of American assistance to Israel for missile-defense programs and other initiatives.

The Pentagon blueprint for the upcoming year allocates $500 million towards missile-defense systems in Israel...

Antisemitism

Spain Adopts Int’l Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Definition of Anti-Semitism

JTA — The government of Spain has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain issued a statement Wednesday thanking the Spanish government for its decision.'

The IHRA working definition describes various forms of anti-Semitism, including hatred and...

Archeology

Over 120 Impression Seals from First Temple Period Unearthed in Jerusalem

2,700-year-old administrative storage center from days of Kings Hezekiah and Manasseh found at site

A significant administrative storage center from the days of Jewish Kings Hezekiah and Manasseh has recently been uncovered at archaeological excavations in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced in...

Terrorism

Neo-Nazi Gunman Wears ‘Big Grin’ as Court Views Footage of Yom Kippur Attack on German Synagogue

The second day of the trial of a German neo-Nazi for a gun attack on a synagogue in the central city of Halle on Yom Kippur last year saw the defendant smiling widely as video footage of his outrage was broadcast on a screen in the courtroom.

German media outlets reported that the 29-year-old gunman, Stephan Balliet, wore a “big grin” as...