ISSUES

At CUFI, we are focused on several key issues with the goal of defending Israel’s strength, security, and sovereignty.

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Gravestones vandalized with swastikas at Jewish cemetery in Baltimore

More than a dozen headstones were discovered vandalized with swastikas over the July 4 weekend at a Jewish cemetery in the Baltimore suburb of Dundalk, Maryland.
“It’s something I’ve never seen in all my years of cemetery-going,” said Deborah R. Weiner, a Baltimore Jewish historian who discovered the vandalism at German Hill Road Jewish...

Israeli NGO urges UNICEF to probe Hamas, PIJ for using child soldiers

The Israel-based NGO International Legal Forum (ILF) has called on UNICEF to investigate allegations of Palestinian children being trained as child soldiers in Gaza, following a report by The Jerusalem Post.

The NGO, which is a network of over 3,000 lawyers and activists in over 40 nations worldwide, stated that they have "grave concern"...

With Lebanon in dire straits, Hezbollah seeks to cast Iran as country’s savior

Fuel prices in Lebanon rose Wednesday to new heights, with a single liter of 95-octane gasoline costing 71,600 pounds ($47) after a 45 percent price hike prompted by the ending of government subsidies. Even the price of donkeys has tripled over the past two weeks, compounding the severity of Lebanon’s economic crisis, which has brought it to the...

Israel hails UN adoption of resolution linking antisemitism to terrorism

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan has lauded the General Assembly’s passage of a resolution that for the first time linked antisemitism and other forms of hate as causes of terrorism.
The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy GCTS resolution, which is reviewed by the council every two years, was passed last Wednesday by the General...

Lavish Second Temple period building found by Western Wall in Jerusalem

A grandiose building dating back to the Second Temple period has been unearthed adjacent to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation announced on Thursday.
The structure contained two imposing rooms which might have been used to welcome important dignitaries visiting the city and the...

US Expects Seventh Round of Iran Nuclear Talks; No Details When

The United States said on Wednesday it expected a seventh round of indirect US-Iran talks on resuming compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to take place “at the appropriate moment,” but did not say when that might be.
“Of course, nothing is certain in the world of diplomacy, but I think we have every expectation that there will be a seventh...

Israel, Hamas on path to more violence, warns official familiar with Cairo talks

Israel and Hamas are “on a path” toward another round of violence just weeks since the most recent flareup in the Gaza Strip, an official familiar with the indirect negotiations between the sides in Cairo told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.
The official noted Israel’s toughened stance since the 11-day May war vis-a-vis the Kerem Shalom goods...

Rockets hit Iraqi base housing U.S. forces, wounding two – U.S. coalition

t least 14 rockets hit an Iraqi air base hosting U.S. and other international forces on Wednesday, slightly wounding two people, the U.S.-led coalition said, as Kurdish-led forces in Syria said they thwarted a drone attack in an area where U.S. forces also operate.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks, part of a recent...

Iran Hosts Taliban Talks With Afghan Officials as U.S. Exits War

Iran is hosting talks between senior Taliban negotiators and officials from the Afghan government, as the militants make rapid territorial gains ahead of the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces.
The Taliban said its delegation was led by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, deputy head of the movement’s political office in Qatar, where months of formal...

Israel slams ‘unacceptable’ remarks by Belarus leader that world bows to Jews

The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday criticized statements made recently by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, in which he said the world ‘bows’ to the Jews.
The ministry said the comments are “unacceptable” and that Gary Koren, deputy director-general for Eurasia and the Western Balkans, had summoned the chargé d’affaires at the Belarus embassy...

Iranians protest over power outage crisis, chant ‘Death to Khamenei’

President Hassan Rouhani apologized to Iranians on Tuesday over massive power outages during a heatwave that have drawn widespread criticism and triggered street protests.

Officials have blamed the blackouts on surging demand for power, along with low rainfall cutting hydroelectric output and illegal cryptocurrency mining farms accessing...

Iran takes steps to make enriched uranium metal; U.S., Europe powers dismayed

Iran has begun the process of producing enriched uranium metal, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Tuesday, a move that could help it develop a nuclear weapon and that three European powers said threatened talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Iran's steps, which were disclosed by the International Atomic Energy Agency and which Tehran said...

Iran accuses Israel of June attack on alleged centrifuge plant

Iran on Tuesday accused Israel of a sabotage attack in June that reportedly targeted a nuclear facility near Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported.
According to the report, cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei said the alleged attack sought to thwart ongoing talks in Vienna on resurrecting Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers. IRNA...

NYPD Says Hate Crimes Skyrocket in New York City, Including 69% Rise in Attacks on Jews

Hate crimes have skyrocketed in New York City over the past year, including a 69% rise in attacks on Jews, NYPD figures reveal.
Through June 27 of this year, antisemitic assaults rose from to 113 from 67 in the same period of 2020, according to statistics cited by the New York Post.
One unnamed woman — who in June was pelted with eggs while...

Iraqi militia chief boasts: Election of Raisi will boost Iran’s regional proxies

The leader of an Iran-backed Iraqi militia has vowed to retaliate against America for the deaths of four of his men in a US airstrike along the Iraq-Syria border last month, saying it will be a military operation everyone will talk about.
Abu Alaa al-Walae, commander of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, said in an exclusive interview with The Associated...

Foreign Ministry director heads to Morocco for talks

Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz flew to Morocco on Tuesday at the behest of Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
Ushpiz will meet with his Moroccan counterpart Fouad Yazourh, as well as other senior Moroccan diplomatic officials.
The meetings come ahead of the opening of direct flights between the countries, expected to begin in a matter...

Iran’s supreme leader appoints new hardline judiciary chief

Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday appointed a hardline cleric sanctioned by the West as the country’s new judiciary chief, state media reported, replacing the president-elect who previously held the powerful post.
The new chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi, 64, takes the reins from Ebrahim Raisi, who will ascend to the country’s highest civilian...

Tel Aviv team develops RNA ‘missiles’ to directly target cancer cells

A team of researchers at Tel Aviv University has developed a breakthrough RNA-based drug delivery system to target diseased cells that could improve the treatment of blood cancers, various types of solid cancers, different inflammatory diseases and viral diseases – including coronavirus.

“Today, we flood the body with antibodies that, although...

Chabad rabbi stabbed and wounded in attack outside Boston Jewish center

A Chabad rabbi was attacked and stabbed multiple times outside a Jewish center in Boston on Thursday in an apparent antisemitic attack. He was hospitalized in stable condition.
Rabbi Shlomo Noginski was attacked while outside Shaloh House, a Chabad institute for Russian-speaking Jews in the Brighton neighborhood, Chabad.org reported.
The report...

Israel bombs Hamas weapons factory in Gaza in response to arson balloons

Israeli warplanes bombed a Hamas weapons factory in the Gaza Strip early Friday in response to a wave of arson balloon attacks launched at Israel from the coastal enclave the day before, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The army said the site was used by the terror organization to develop and build weapons.

“The strike was carried out in...