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

Almost all remaining Jews in Yemen deported – Saudi media

03/29/2021

The last three Jewish families in Yemen were deported by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, leaving only four elderly Jews in the country, after heavy pressure by the Houthis, the London-based Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsatreported over the weekend.

The families, totaling 13 people, told Asharq Al-Awsat that they were now searching...

Iran

U.S. senators push for Biden not to return to Iran nuclear pact

03/25/2021
Forty-three U.S. senators, many of whom opposed the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, appealed to President Joe Biden on Thursday to work toward an international agreement that addresses issues beyond just Tehran’s nuclear program.
The letter was released as the Democrat Biden’s administration explores ways to restore the nuclear pact...

In The News

UAE’s ambassador to Israel extends warm Passover wishes to Jewish community

03/29/2021
Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khajah posted his message in Hebrew and English

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to Israel tweeted a message for the Passover holiday on Sunday evening in which he called for celebrating freedom and new beginnings.
Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khaja, who is currently not in the country, posted his message in...

In The News

Iraq’s Jewish community dwindles to fewer than five

03/28/2021
A turning point for Jewish history in Iraq came with the first pogroms in the mid-20th century

The death of Dhafer Eliyahu hit Iraq hard, not only because the doctor treated the neediest for free, but because with his passing, only four Jews now remain in the country.
At the Habibiya Jewish cemetery in the capital Baghdad, wedged...

In The News

Palestinian arrested after attempting to ram vehicle into IDF soldiers

03/28/2021

A Palestinian driver tried to ram his vehicle into a group of Israel Defense Forces soldiers near the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim on Sunday, the IDF said.

The vehicle instead hit several other Israeli vehicles and the suspect was arrested. There were no injuries reported in the incident, at the parking lot of the Ein...

In The News

‘Iron Sting’: Israel completes testing of ‘groundbreaking’ laser-guided mortar

03/14/2021

A new laser-guided mortar completed trials and will bring greater firepower to smaller units while reducing collateral damage to noncombatants due to its high levels of accuracy, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday.

The Iron Sting 120mm mortar was developed by the ministry along with the Israel Defense Forces and Elbit...

In The News

Iran and China formally sign 25-year cooperation pact

03/27/2021
Iran and China signed a 25-year "strategic cooperation pact" Saturday in the latest expansion of Beijing's flagship trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative as the US rivals move closer together.
Negotiations for the deal, launched five years ago, sparked controversy in Iran last year and virtually no details of its contents have been...

In The News

China, Iran to sign 25-year cooperation accord

03/26/2021
Accord expected to include Chinese investments in Iran’s energy and infrastructure sectors

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Iran on Friday for a visit reports said would see the signing of a 25-year cooperation agreement between the two countries, both of which are under US sanctions.
This comes one day after China...

Iran

Bipartisan group of more than 40 senators sound alarm on Iran’s nuclear program

03/25/2021

A bipartisan group of more than 40 senators is sounding the alarm on Iran’s nuclear program, urging President Biden to use a mix of “diplomatic and economic tools.”

The letter to Biden — led by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — comes as Biden seeks to...

In The News

Biden admin restores US humanitarian aid to Palestinians

03/25/2021
US to transfer $15 million to 'the most vulnerable communities' through a charity

US President Joe Biden's administration will restore aid to the Palestinians that was cut by his predecessor Donald Trump, the US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Thursday.
"President Biden is restoring US assistance...

In The News

With new tech, Israel prepares for Hezbollah war

03/26/2021

Defending the border from Hezbollah infiltration, destroying anti-tank missile infrastructures and maneuvering inside enemy territory are just some of the skills that were exercised in the 188th Armored Brigade drill that was completed on Thursday. 

The brigade’s drill was the culmination of a 17-week training session. The 53rd,...

In The News

Lawmakers Investigate State Department Over $1 Billion Ransom Payment to Iran

03/25/2021

Republican foreign policy leaders in Congress are pressing Secretary of State Antony Blinken to fully disclose the contents of secret talks with South Korea that are believed to have paved the way for that country to hand Iran $1 billion as part of a ransom payment.

Reps. Bryan Steil (R., Wis.), Jim Banks (R., Ind.), and Greg...

In The News

Iran fired missile at Israeli ship in Arabian Sea – report

03/25/2021

An Iranian missile was fired at an Israeli ship in the Persian Gulf, N12 reported Thursday.

The container ship is owned by an Israeli businessman and was making its way from Tanzania from India, N12 reported.

As the ship sailed between Indian and Oman, it was hit by a missile that damaged it, according to N12.

The incident...

In The News

The story of Passover

03/25/2021
CUFI Coffee Break

Being Jewish means much more than belonging to a religious group. In fact, you can be religious or secular and still be Jewish. Essentially, the Jewish people are made up of a group of individuals who share a common identity. That identity is made up of key aspects, including:...

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,"...