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.

Archeology

Lost biblical scroll may have been 2,700 years old, Israeli scholar says

03/22/2021

A lost biblical manuscript discovered in 1878 – long believed to be a forgery – was authentic and likely predated the Dead Sea Scrolls by hundreds of years, making it the most ancient biblical scroll ever known in the modern era, Israeli scholar Prof. Idan Dershowitz has suggested.

In his book, The Valediction of Moses,...

In The News

The Biden administration must enforce the Taylor Force Act

03/25/2021

In May 2020, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden spoke clearly when he proclaimed that he would “fully support the Taylor Force Act, which prohibits aid to the PA based on payments they make to terrorists in Israeli jails.” While it’s not uncommon for a candidate’s promises to go unfulfilled once they take office, Biden was...

In The News

Israeli, Slovak defense ministries sign $175 million defense-export agreement

03/25/2021

Israel and Slovakia on Thursday signed a first-of-its-kind, $175 million agreement for the procurement of 17 sophisticated radar systems for the Slovak Air Force, according to a statement by Israel’s Defense Ministry.

The agreement, which was signed in a festive ceremony at the Slovak Ministry of Defense in Bratislava, includes...

Iran

Iran temporarily releases elderly Jewish man jailed for living in Israel

03/24/2021

The Islamic Republic of Iran has temporarily released the 65-year-old Iranian Jew Nourollah Shemian who was imprisoned for allegedly visiting Israel, according to a Tuesday report on the Persian-language website of the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

“The temporary release of Nourollah Shemian as the third recently...

Hamas

IDF: Rocket launched from Gaza Strip lands in Israeli territory

03/23/2021
The incident comes as the Israeli public continues to head to the polls on Tuesday

A projectile launched from the Gaza Strip landed in Israeli open territory near the southern city of Beersheba on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the Israel Defense Forces.
No casualties were reported in the incident and it remains...

Hamas

IDF airstrikes pound Hamas targets in retaliation for rocket fired from Gaza

03/23/2021
Hamas rocket production plant, military post attacked in retaliation for projectile

The Israel Defense Forces struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after a rocket landed in Israeli territory earlier on Tuesday, according to a statement by the military.
"Earlier today, a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory,"...

In The News

Colin Kahl’s nomination will be a disaster for Israel and the region

03/23/2021

For many years, American and Israeli leaders were rightly proud of repeating the mantra that excellent relations between the two nations was a bipartisan issue in Washington. Obviously, for a variety of reasons, that truism has faltered in recent years even while remaining broadly accurate.

However, the nomination of Colin...

In The News

US air defense chief praises Iron Dome and close partnership with Israel

03/23/2021

In a recent conversation with Foundation for Defense of Democracies Brad Bowman the director of US Air and Missile Defense Brig. Gen. Brian Gibson praised the Iron Dome system. He said that the system should be ready by the end of the year. The US currently has two batteries of Iron Dome which was developed by Israel’s Rafael...

In The News

Palestinians Funneled Hundreds of Millions to Terrorists, State Dept Report Reveals

03/22/2021

The Biden administration privately confirmed to Congress last week that the Palestinian Authority has continued to use international aid money to reward terrorists but said the finding won't impact its plans to restart funding.

In a non-public State Department report obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, the administration said...

Iran

Iran threatens to infiltrate US Army base, kill senior general: report

03/21/2021
NSA intercepted chatter in January that suggested IRGC was planning USS Cole-style attacks against the base

Iran reportedly made threats against a United States Army base in the nation's capital and against the Army’s vice chief of staff, said two senior US intelligence officials according to The Associated Press (AP).
They...

In The News

Turkish Nazi sympathizer has park in Istanbul named after him

03/23/2021

The Istanbul metropolitan municipality's naming of a park after a writer who showed great sympathy for the Nazi movement's lethal antisemitism, has largely been ignored in the media outside of the Republic of Turkey.

In November, the Istanbul city government named a park after Hüseyin Nihal Atsız (1905–1975) who is considered by...

Iran

Western officials fear Iran hiding equipment it could use to build nuke — report

03/22/2021

Iran is hiding equipment from international officials that could enable it to build a nuclear bomb, according to a Monday report.

Unnamed Western intelligence officials told The Telegraph that they fear Iran is concealing essential parts and pumps for centrifuges that are used to enrich uranium to the weapons-grade level of 90...

Iran

Iran concealing elements of nuclear activities, officials fear

03/22/2021

Iran is deliberately concealing key components of its nuclear programme from UN inspectors that can be used for producing nuclear weapons, according to the latest reports received by Western intelligence officials.

The equipment being hidden from UN inspectors includes machinery, pumps and spare parts for centrifuges, the machines...

In The News

Israel, Bahrain enter their first medical cooperation initiative

03/22/2021

Israel and Bahrain will be entering their first medical cooperation initiative, Sheba Medical Center and Salmaniya Medical Complex announced on Monday. 

After a formal meeting was held Monday between Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, Director-General of Sheba Medical Center, and Dr. Ahmed Al Ansari, Director of Salmaniya Medical Complex, the...

Antisemitism

Pregnant Jewish woman violently assaulted in London

03/22/2021

A pregnant Jewish woman was assaulted last Thursday in London according to video footage posted on Twitter by the Shomrim neighborhood security organization.

It shows a man sneaking up from behind and attempting to cover her head with a paper bag. The woman resisted, and after the attacker failed to get the bag over her head, he...

US-Israel Relationship

Americans’ support for Israel increases – poll

03/22/2021

Support for Israel among the American public remains very strong, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

Some 75% of respondents said they viewed Israel favorably, compared to 74% in 2020, 69% in 2019, and 75% in 2018.

Some 30% said they viewed the Palestinian Authority favorably, significantly higher than the 23% in 2020,...

In The News

US, Belgium, France, Japan Hold Middle East Naval Drills Amid Iran Tensions

03/21/2021

The US, Belgium, France, and Japan are set to hold joint naval maneuvers in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, the US military said in a statement on Sunday.

In a press release, the US Fifth Fleet announced that the drill, dubbed Group Arabian Sea Warfare Exercise 21, will include the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, as...

In The News

IDF arrests two Palestinians armed with knives who crossed Gaza border fence

03/21/2021
On northern front, Israeli military apprehends 3 suspects who crossed from Lebanon into Israel

Israeli troops on Sunday arrested two Palestinians who crossed the security fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said in a statement.
The individuals were armed with knives. Security...

In The News

Czech prime minister opens embassy office in Jerusalem

03/11/2021

The Czech Republic opened the Jerusalem office of its embassy Thursday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

“We keep our promise,” said Babis, standing in the shadow of the historic YMCA building in the Talbieh neighborhood of Jerusalem. “The...

In The News

Incendiary kites, balloons found in Israel near Gaza border

03/21/2021

Incendiary kites and balloons were found in southern Israel near the border of the Gaza Strip over the weekend, Ynet reporter Matan Tzuri reported on Sunday morning.

The incendiary devices are some of the first to be reported in months after a relatively long break in balloon launches from the Strip.

Read More: Jerusalem...