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

Air Defenses Respond to Rocket Attack on US Embassy in Baghdad – Report

Air defense systems responded to a rocket attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday night, according to Al-Arabiya.

The eastern entrance of the “Green Zone” in Baghdad where the embassy is located was reportedly closed after the attack. The rocket reportedly fell near a number of protesters near the suspension bridge in the Green Zone.
...

Hamas

IDF Strikes Hamas Targets in Response to Gaza Rocket Fire

The Israel Defense Forces bombed a number of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night after terrorists in the enclave fired three rockets into southern Israel earlier in the evening, the military said.

According to a number of Palestinian outlets in the Strip, in several rounds of airstrikes, the Israeli military targeted a Hamas...

Iran

Iran Admits Fire at Natanz Nuclear Site Set Back Its Centrifuge Program

Iran admitted Sunday that its Natanz nuclear facility had incurred “considerable” damage from a mysterious fire last week that ravaged a building at the site, as satellite pictures appeared to show widespread devastation at the sensitive facility.

Iran had sought to downplay the damage from the blaze, though analysts said it had likely destroyed...

In The News

Israel Launches Ofek 16 Recon Satellite Into Orbit

A new advanced Israeli reconnaissance satellite took off and reached the planet's orbit Monday morning, Israel's Defense Ministry announced.
According to a press statement, the satellite, dubbed Ofek 16, took off from a launchpad in central Israel at 4:00 am local time -- 21:00 Eastern Time.
The launch came as a joint endeavor of the Space...

Iran

IMF is Angling to Undermine US Sanctions Against Iran

When I served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, I made it clear that the American people expect the institution to uphold its founding ideals, and to hold irresponsible regimes accountable for their actions. That was badly needed in the cases of Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela, among others.

The same is true with the rest of...

Terrorism

Palestinian Authority TV Honors Terrorists in Program-Filler Clips

The Palestinian Authority has launched a new series of filler clips, aired between programs on its official television station, which glorify terrorists who killed Israelis, Palestinian Media Watch reported on Monday.

Each clip, broadcast on PA-TV Live, begins with the text “Our prisoners,” and ends with a call for “Freedom for our prisoners.”
...

Incitement

Russia Did Pay Extremists to Attack US soldiers in Afghanistan, According to 3 Separate Taliban Sources

Taliban commanders have confirmed that Russia has offered financial and material support to its members in exchange for attacking US forces in Afghanistan.

The practice was first reported on Friday by The New York Times, which cited US intelligence officials.

Three separate Taliban sources told Insider they were aware of Russian bounty payments...

Antisemitism

Swastikas Drawn on Home and Bench in Jewish Neighborhood of Baltimore

Swastikas were found drawn on a public bench and on the side door of a home in a Jewish neighborhood of Baltimore. 

The symbol on the home, in the northwest section of the city, was drawn with a black marker and discovered on June 24, the local CBS affiliate WJZ reported, citing the police report. 

Area residents found the swastika spray-painted...

Iran

US Accuses Iran of Destabilizing Middle East, Calls for Indefinite Arms Embargo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed the UN Security Council on Tuesday to extend an arms embargo on Iran before it expires in October, prompting Russia to slam Washington's policy toward Tehran as like "putting a knee" to the country's neck.

The United States has circulated a draft resolution to the 15-member council that would indefinitely...

Iran

‘Incident’ Damages Building Near Iran Nuclear Plant

An “incident” damaged an under-construction building Thursday near Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, though it did not affect its centrifuge operations or cause any release of radiation, a spokesman said.

The affected building, described as an “industrial shed,” was above ground and not part of the enrichment facility itself,...

Antisemitism

State Department: ‘There Must be Justice’ for Slain Jewish Journalist Daniel Pearl

The US State Department called for “justice” one day after Pakistan’s Supreme Court refused to suspend a lower court’s ruling freeing Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was convicted of being part of the 2002 killing in Pakistan of Wall Street Journal Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl, paving the way for him to walk free.

“The United States is watching...

Iran

Iran Issues Death Sentence for Prominent Opposition Activist

Iran's Revolutionary Court issued a death sentence Tuesday for Ruhollah Zam, administrator of an opposition news service.
"The court has considered 13 counts of charges together as instances of 'corruption on earth' and therefore passed the death sentence," judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said.
The sentence could be appealed before the...

Antisemitism

Pakistani Supreme Court Paves Way to Free Man Convicted of Jewish Journalist’s Murder

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday refused to suspend a lower court’s ruling freeing Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was convicted of being part of the 2002 killing in Pakistan of Wall Street Journal Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl, paving the way for him to walk free.

The Supreme Court also declined to hear the Pakistani government’s appeal...

Medical Advancement

Israel Becomes First Country to Incorporate Breakthrough Leukemia Therapy

Israel is the first country to incorporate a breakthrough therapy developed for cancer patients suffering from an aggressive type of leukemia which, although extremely common, often leaves them with no other treatment options.

The new therapy, the first of its kind to be developed in twenty years, is by AbbVie, a research-based global...

Archeology

Two Millennia-Old Clay Seals Hint at Jews Rebuilding Jerusalem After Babylonian Exile

An ancient seal and a seal impression found at an archaeological site in Jerusalem offered Israeli archaeologists a glimpse at the restoration of the city after its fall to the Babylonian armies in 6th century BCE, Israel's Antiquities Authority recently announced.
The two artifacts were discovered at the Givati Parking Lot Excavation site in the...

Iran

At Least 17 Dead in Explosion in Medical Center in Tehran

A loud explosion was heard in northern Tehran on Tuesday evening causing thick clouds of smoke to fill the skies, Iranian News Agency ISNA reported on Tuesday.

According to state media, the blast in question happened in the underground levels of Tehran's Sina Athar medical clinic and patients are currently still inside the building.

The head of...

Antisemitism

Swastika Spray-Painted Outside Synagogue in Maine

A swastika was spray-painted Thursday night in white on the sidewalk in front of a US synagogue in Bangor, Maine.

Bangor police are investigating the incident.

Security camera footage taken by Congregation Beth Israel captured clear images of the teenagers who drew the swastika.

“I do hope, rather than criminal mischief or vandalism charges, we...

In The News

Brazil Names First Jewish Chief Justice

Brazil on Sunday appointed Luiz Fux, 67, its first Jewish Supreme Federal Court (SFC) president.

This is the second time Fux has made history in Brazil; in 2011 he became the first Jewish judge to be named to the bench at SFC.

Brazil rotates the post of chief justice among the 11 members comprising its Federal Supreme Court, a panel that decides...

Hezbollah

Israel: Shin Bet Reveals Hezbollah’s Efforts To Recruit Israeli Informants

Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed Tuesday Hezbollah's efforts to recruit spies among Israelis.
According to a press release, Beirut Hamud -- an Israeli woman from Majd al-Krum, a predominantly Arab town in Israel's north -- together with her husband, Balal Bizari, tried to recruit Israelis to spy for the Lebanese terrorist group.
The...

Iran

Pro-Iran Iraqi Militias Burn Images Of Their PM, Israel And US Flags

A group of men affiliated with the pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah, who had been released after a counter-terror raid several days earlier, burned the Israeli and US flags and trampled on photos of Iraq’s prime minister.

It is the latest show of force by Iranian-backed elements in Iraq – who are part of the official security forces but increasingly...