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’s Regime Destroyed Grave Of Executed Champion Wrestler

12/19/2020

The Islamic Republic of Iran continued its violent repression of the executed champion wrestler Navid Afkari, desecrating his grave on Thursday after his brother and father were arrested during a visit to the cemetery.

Afkari’s sister Elham posted a photograph of Navid’s ravaged grave, writing on Instagram: “You can threaten,...

US-Israel Relationship

Top US Commander Stops In Israel On World Tour, Amid Lingering Iran Tensions

12/18/2020

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley stopped in Israel on Thursday during a whirlwind tour of the region, to discuss the threats from Iran facing the Jewish state.

During his two-day visit, Milley met first with IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi on Thursday night at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, along with a...

Turkey

America Needs To Take A Firm Approach To Turkey | Opinion

12/18/2020

American-Turkish relations have been in a steady decline for the better part of the last decade in large part because Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government have found new and creative ways to undercut the relationship. Without a major change in Turkish behavior, the relationship will only get rockier.

Ankara...

Iran

Why Is Iran Executing, Kidnapping So Many People?

12/17/2020

Iran’s regime appears to be on an execution spree. It murdered wrestler Navid Afkari in September and hung journalist Ruhollah Zam this month after kidnapping him from Iraq. Iran’s regime is not afraid to kill people: It gunned down some 1,400 protesters last year.

What the regime is showing through the high-profile executions is...

In The News

Community Platform Launched To Bolster Tech Ties Between Israel, UAE

12/18/2020

Start-Up Nation Central (SNC), Nobex, Hybrid and Fusion LA created a new community aimed to form and bolster connections within the innovation-technology-business sector between the UAE and Israel

The new community has already garnered 1,000 sign-ups, listing investors, developers and government organizations within the UAE-Israel...

Antisemitism

Menorah At Dartmouth Shot With Pellets, In Latest Hanukkah Attack

12/18/2020

A public menorah at Dartmouth College was shot with a pellet gun, in the latest antisemitic incident during the holiday of Hanukkah.

Rabbi Moshe Gray, who runs the campus Chabad center with his wife Chani, said he discovered the vandalism on Wednesday evening, as he prepared to turn on the menorah’s electric lights for the...

In The News

Israel’s Technology Is a ‘Gift to the World,’ Says Nikki Haley Amid Recent Arab Peace Agreements

12/18/2020

Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has urged people to talk about Israel with regard to its tech talents and not just “the Palestinian issue.” The remarks were made during an interview with former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon at the first DiploTech Global Summit, a conference bringing together world leaders, heads...

In The News

Pfizer CEO, Son Of Holocaust Survivors, Joins Israeli Embassy Hanukkah Lighting

12/17/2020

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla lit the Hanukkah candles at a virtual ceremony organized by the Israeli embassy in Washington on Wednesday evening, just days after his pharmaceutical corporation received the final go-ahead to distribute its coronavirus vaccine across the US.

Introducing Bourla, Ambassador Ron Dermer pointed out that the...

Incitement

The First Palestinian Uprising

CUFI Coffee Break
Lesson 45
A four-year period of violence and terrorism broke out on December 8, 1987 after rumors spread in Gaza that Israel had killed four Palestinians in retaliation for an Israeli who had been stabbed to death. Huge riots soon broke out among the Palestinians, and each additional death added fuel to the fire. In the eyes of...

In The News

Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill To Elevate Status Of US Special Envoy On Anti-Semitism

12/16/2020

A bipartisan bill to elevate the status of the U.S. special envoy on anti-Semitism overwhelmingly passed in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) reintroduced the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act in January 2019. Although the bill passed the U.S. House Representatives that same month, the...

Turkey

Turkey Says It Will Not Give Up Russian S-400 Deal Over US Sanctions

12/17/2020
Turkey's top diplomat says Ankara to slap retaliatory restrictions on Washington

Turkey will not cancel its acquisition of Russian-made S-400 air defense batteries over US sanctions,  Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday.
The top Turkish diplomat also said that Ankara will retaliate with tit-for-tat measures against...

Iran

US Refuses To Share Intel With Qatar Due To Its Support For Iran

12/17/2020

British MP Ian Paisley Jr. delivered a shocking presentation last week during a House of Commons debate, saying the American government does not share military intelligence with Qatar, where the US has a huge military base, because the Gulf monarchy is aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Some of the reading in that report...

Iran

Iran Arrests Father And Brother Of Executed Wrestler While Cleaning Grave

12/17/2020

Iranian regime intelligence agents arrested the brother and father of Navid Afkari, the champion Greco-Roman wrestler who was illegally executed by the regime in September for his participation in a protest against the clerical system of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

According to a Thursday report on the website of IranWire, “A...

In The News

Israel’s Historic Missile Test: A Message To Iran, Hezbollah, Allies

12/15/2020

Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and the US Missile Defense Agency have successfully completed an unprecedented, historic test designed to confront multiple threats using a multitiered system. Nothing like this has ever been reported to have been done before, and it represents a response to the latest threats emerging in the...

In The News

Tel Aviv Stock Exchange And Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange Sign MOU

12/16/2020

Abu Dhabi Securities exchange (ADX) and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, the ADX and TASE announced in a joint statement.

This is the first time an Arab exchange has entered into a commercial relationship with the State of Israel, according to the statement. The MOU aims to...

Antisemitism

Long Island Jewish Day School’s Website Hacked With Antisemitic Messages, Nazi Imagery

12/15/2020

Parents and students at a Jewish school in Long Island, New York, were left deeply shaken on Monday after hackers using the name “K-ke Slayer” defaced the institution’s website with Nazi imagery and antisemitic invective.

Shortly after 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon, visitors to the website of the Great Neck North Shore Hebrew Academy...

Turkey

Turkish Media Vows To Take Over Tel Aviv, Calls Opposition ‘Terrorists’

12/16/2020

Turkey has in the last few weeks sought to use media connections abroad to push narratives about how it wants reconciliation with Israel, even as its own media pushes extremist anti-Israel comments. One commentator, according to T24 Turkish media, said that Turkey could “enter Tel Aviv in 48 hours.” He claimed, “we are not like the...

US-Israel Relationship

Israel, US Successfully Complete Series Of Advanced Version David’s Sling Missile Tests

12/15/2020
Iron Dome system upgrade not only includes short-range rockets and mortars but also drones, cruise missiles.

Israel's Defense Ministry in conjunction with the United States Missile Defense Agency (USMDA) announced Tuesday a successful series of intercept tests of an advanced version of the David's Sling Weapon System.
The Israel...

Morocco To Become First Arab Nation To Teach Jewish History, Culture In Schools

12/13/2020

Trailblazing change, Morocco on Sunday announced that its schools will soon begin teaching Jewish history and culture as part of the official curriculum — a first in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion.

The decision follows King Mohammed VI of Morocco’s decision to normalize relations...

Iran

US Accuses Iran For ‘Probable Death’ Of Former FBI Agent

12/14/2020
Iranian intelligence officers were involved in Bob Levinson's abduction and detention,' FBI director says

The United States for the first time accused Iran of direct involvement in the "probable death" of former FBI agent Bob Levinson, who vanished 13 years ago, and imposed sanctions on two intelligence agents.
Releasing the...