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.

Israeli Technology

Stranded At Sea? A High-Tech Israeli Drone Can Save the Day

Israeli defense company Elbit Systems has announced in recent days that it has sold a unique version of its advanced Hermes 900 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to an undisclosed customer in Southeast Asia.

The Maritime Patrol version of the Hermes 900 features inflated life rafts placed under the wings that the drone drops off from a low altitude...

Archaeologists Might Have Identified Jezreel Winery Featured in Bible

In the biblical books of Kings I and II, the winery of Jezreel is the setting of some of the most gruesome episodes of greed, violence, sin and divine retribution. Researchers have identified elements that confirm the excavation carried out in northern Israel is compatible with the biblical narrative, according to a paper published in the latest...

Iran

UN Atomic Watchdog Says Iran Now Violating All Restrictions of Nuclear Deal

Iran has continued to increase its stockpiles of enriched uranium and remains in violation of its deal with world powers, the United Nations’ atomic watchdog said Friday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported the finding in a confidential document distributed to member countries and seen by The Associated Press.

The agency said that as...

In The News

Report: Aircraft Strike Iranian-Backed Sites in Syria, 12 Militiamen Killed

Unidentified drones attacked pro-Iranian militia targets overnight Saturday at a base in the eastern suburb of Deir a-Zor in Syria, killing 12 members, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
According to the report, 12 Iraqi and Afghan activists of the militia were killed and vehicles and ammunition were destroyed. It is...

‘It’s Time Gulf States Normalized Ties With Israel,’ Former Top Dubai Official Says

Former Dubai Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim sparked controversy over the weekend when, in a series of tweets, he called on of Persian Gulf states and the rest of the Arab world to admit they want to establish open diplomatic relations with Israel, Channel 12 News reported on Saturday.

Tamim, currently deputy police chief, is known as...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

Israeli Army Arrests Killer of 21-Year-Old Soldier Following a Month-Long Manhunt

The Israel Defense Forces have arrested the killer of Israeli soldier Amit Ben-Yigal, who died last month in a stone-throwing incident in the West Bank.

“We can confirm that after a large-scale operation with Israel’s security services, our soldiers have arrested the assailant who killed 21-year-old Staff Sgt. Amit Ben Ygal during operational...

Iran

US Says Alaska Man Laundered Nearly $1B for Iran Through UAE

An Alaska man accused of laundering $1 billion held in South Korea for Iran funneled nearly all the money through the United Arab Emirates, U.S. federal court documents released early Thursday show.
The court documents, filed as part of a U.S. asset seizure effort, shed further light on how Kenneth Zong allegedly created fake invoices to help Iran...

Israel Aiming to Enable Unprecedented Human DNA Edits, to Help Cure Illnesses

Israel is setting up a task force aimed at bringing a new level of accuracy to genome editing, in the hope it will pave the way to cures for various medical conditions.

The state-run Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) has allocated NIS 36 million ($10 million) for the country’s academic institutions and several companies to advance CRISPR, a...

Iran

Detained US Navy Veteran Freed by Iran as Part of Deal

A U.S. Navy veteran whose family said his only crime was falling in love left Iran on Thursday after nearly two years of detention, winning his freedom as part of a deal that spared an American-Iranian physician any more time behind American bars.
Michael White flew from Tehran to Zurich, where he was met by diplomat Brian Hook, the U.S. special...

Nazi Headstones Will be Removed From US Veterans Cemeteries, VA Leaders Say

Veterans Affairs officials announced Monday they will remove a series of of grave markers bearing Nazi swastikas and tributes to Adolf Hitler from department cemeteries after lawmakers and veterans advocates complained the markers were offensive and disrespectful.

The move represents a turnaround from last week, when VA Secretary Robert Wilkie...

Iran

Google Warns Trump, Biden Campaigns Targeted by State-Backed Hackers From China, Iran

Foreign state-backed hackers targeted staffers with Donald Trump's and Joe Biden's 2020presidential campaigns, Google researchers said Thursday.
According to Google's threat analysis chief Shane Huntley, the internet giant warned the Biden campaign about "phishing" efforts from China, and the Trump campaign -- from Iran.
Phishing attacks normally...

Serbia Adopts Anti-Semitism Definition Including Anti-Israel Hate

JTA — The Education Ministry of Serbia has added to its website a definition of anti-Semitism that includes some examples of hatred against Israel.

The ministry uploaded the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA, to the site on April 30.

On Monday, the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade offered its congratulations on...

Antisemitism

US Military’s Top-Ranking Jewish Officer Pledges Renewed Fight Against Racism in Armed Forces

The highest-ranking Jewish officer in the US military has issued a candid condemnation of “racial prejudice” and “systemic discrimination” in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis on May 25.

In a memo distributed on Monday night, Gen. David Goldfein — the chief of staff of the US Air Force — said that “every...

Iran

Venezuela’s President Announces Plan to Visit Iran to Sign Agreements

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday he would visit Iran soon to sign agreements in energy and other sectors.

“I am obliged to go to personally thank the people,” Maduro said in a state TV address, Reuters reported.

This comes after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Mondaythat Tehran would continue sending fuel...

Holocaust

Supreme Court Expected to Rule on Whether to Hear Case of Nazi-Stolen Art

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on hearing a case about a German arts museum and whether or not a treasure trove, known as the “Guelph Treasure,” should be returned to the heirs of four Jewish art dealers in Germany. The dealers have argued that they were forced to sell it to the Nazi-controlled Prussian government in 1935 in what they...

Iran

Iranian TV Airs Anti-Israel Video Titled ‘COVID 1948’

Iran’s Channel 2 TV aired a video last month titled “COVID-1948,” comparing Israel to the coronavirus.

In the video, which aired on May 22, the narrator says that the world has been shocked that coronavirus has prevented children from going out to play, while Israel has been bombing hospitals and killing children.

It is clear in which “lab”...

US Court Rules Iran, Syria Liable for Terror Attacks in Israel

A US court has ruled that Iran and Syria are liable for compensation to American citizens wounded and killed in a series of attacks by Palestinians in Israel, including the killing of a US Army veteran.

Judge Randolph D. Moss in US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Americans wounded and killed in seven attacks carried out by...

IDF Tanks Stare Down Lebanese Troops, Hezbollah Fighters in Tense Moment on Northern Border

Two IDF tanks crossed the northern border fence into an Israeli enclave on the Lebanon frontier on Tuesday, Israeli news site N12 reported.

The tanks operated in the area for several hours and were approached by Lebanese army soldiers, Hezbollah fighters and United Nations peacekeepers. No exchange of fire took place.

ome of the Lebanese troops...

New Presidential Executive Order Boosts US Efforts for International Religious Freedom

US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Tuesday that boosts American efforts to promote religious freedom internationally by providing a $50 million annual budget for educational, training and advocacy programs.

“This executive order fully integrates the president’s vision — a vigorous defense of international religious freedom...

Israeli Technology

New Israeli Ballistic Missile Passes Sea Tests With High Level of Accuracy

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) successfully tested on Tuesday its latest ballistic missile, the Israeli news site Walla reported.

The LORA missile was tested at sea, with two projectiles fired at prearranged targets. One test was a short-range launch of 90 kilometers and the second a long-range test of 400 kilometers.

In the tests, the...