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.

US-Israel Relationship

KENTUCKY BECOMES 26TH US STATE TO PASS ANTI-BDS LAW

Gov. Matt Bevin signed Kentucky’s anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) legislation in the State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky on August 27.

The signing was primarily ceremonial since the law went into effect when it was passed by the state legislature during its last session, codifying into law Executive Order 2018-905 made by Gov. Bevin...

Iran

Iran building new classified military base in Syria: intelligence sources

EXCLUSIVE: Iran has established a new military base in Syria and has plans to house thousands of troops at the location, according to multiple Western intelligence sources.

The classified Iranian project, called the Imam Ali compound, was approved by top leadership in Tehran and is being completed by the Iranian al-Quds Forces.

Using a civilian...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

Israel says uncovers Hezbollah missile site in Lebanon

Israel says Hezbollah is housing dozens of precision missiles in Lebanon, including densely populated areas

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday published information regarding a site allegedly set up by Hezbollah to produce precision-guided missiles in Lebanon's Bekaa valley near the town of Nabi Chit.

"The facility was established in...

Archeology

Israeli Archaeologists May Have Found Emmaus, Where Jesus Appeared After Crucifixion

Archaeologists have uncovered the massive walls of a 2,200-year-old Hellenistic fortification that may have been built by the Seleucid general who defeated Judah the Maccabee, the famed Jewish leader at the center of the Hanukkah story. In an unexpected twist, the discovery could also help identify the location of the biblical town of Emmaus,...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

NETANYAHU: ISRAEL ACTED WITH DETERMINATION, KEPT CITIZENS SAFE

"We acted with determination and responsibility yesterday," Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benjamin Netanayhu said on Monday in a video message, adding that "We kept our citizens safe and maintained the peace of our soldiers."

"The man in the bunker in Beirut knows exactly why he is in the bunker," he said, referring to Hezbollah leader...

Iran

Iran praises Hezbollah missile attack on IDF targets

A senior Iranian security official praised Hezbollah’s firing of anti-tank missiles from Lebanon at Israeli territory on Sunday, as the deputy leader of the Iran-backed terror group said the attack changed the rules of the game.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the attack demonstrated the willingness of...

Hezbollah

Hezbollah fires rockets at IDF base in northern Israel; no injuries reported

Hezbollah fired several guided anti-tank missiles from Lebanon towards an army base on Israel’s northern border on Sunday, destroying an Israel Defense Forces’ vehicle. Despite Hezbollah claims that the attack had “killed and injured” the vehicle’s occupants, the IDF reported that there had been nobody was inside the vehicle when it was hit.
...

United Nations (UN)

Unprecedented: United Nations panel urges Palestinians to stop hate speech and incitement to violence ‘that fuels antisemitism’

GENEVA—For the first time, a United Nations panel this week criticized the Palestinians, urging them ”to stop hate speech and incitement to violence that fuels antisemitism.”

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva said it was ‘’concerned about statements by Palestinian officials, as well as in school...

Hezbollah

Hezbollah fires into Israel, IDF responds, as tension keeps mounting

Several anti-tank missiles were fired by Hezbollah toward an IDF base and at military vehicles along the northern border on Sunday, and Israel’s military responded by firing over 100 artillery shells into southern Lebanon as well launching an airstrike against the cell responsible for the attack.

There were no injuries or casualties reported in...

Hezbollah

Hezbollah fires anti-tank missiles at military jeep, IDF base; none hurt

The Hezbollah terror group fired several anti-tank guided missiles at an army base and a military jeep just inside northern Israel’s border with Lebanon on Sunday afternoon, causing no injuries, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Military sources said that the vehicle was empty when it was struck, but that soldiers had been inside half an hour...

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS)

Gov. Bevin signs bill that would block the BDS movement

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Gov. Matt Bevin signed Senate Bill 143, a law which will allow the Commonwealth to refuse to do business with companies that boycott other countries with which Kentucky has open trade, into law Tuesday.

The bill was supported by local Jewish leaders who say it will prevent openly antisemitic businesses from operating in...

Israeli Technology

ISRAEL INAUGURATES VAST NEGEV THERMO-SOLAR POWER PLANT

The largest renewable energy project in Israel – a vast thermo-solar power plant near Ashalim in the Negev – was inaugurated on Thursday at a ceremony attended by Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz and senior government and business officials.

Spanning approximately 390 hectares – larger than the central city of Givatayim – the 121-megawatt solar...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

As tensions spike in north, IDF cancels leave for combat brigades

The army’s Northern Command said Thursday it had canceled all leave for combat brigades on Israel’s northern border, just hours after the military’s commander in the north warned Israel would offer a “harsh” response to any Hezbollah attack.

Israeli troops on the Lebanese and Syrian borders have been on high alert this week over fears of a...

Hamas

Israel offers Hamas economic benefits in return for long-term ceasefire – report

Israel has offered Hamas economic concessions and will ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip in return for a long-term ceasefire, as tensions rise amid a flurry of rocket attacks emanating from the enclave and mutual threats, Lebanon’s al-Akhbar newspaper reported Friday.

According to the report, the proposal was made by Egyptian intelligence...

US-Israel Relationship

Pompeo: Israel can rely on diplomatic, legal, military support in any war with Iran

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated on Thursday that Israel can rely on diplomatic, legal and military assistance from Washington in the event of a war with Iran, however long.

In an interview with syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt, Pompeo pledged that Israel can rely on the United States for aid if the growing tensions with the Islamic...

Jerusalem

Honduras recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez will travel to Israel on Friday to inaugurate a “diplomatic office” in Jerusalem, recognizing the holy city as Israel’s capital.

The diplomatic office in the city will be an extension of Honduras’s Tel Aviv-based embassy.

“For me it’s the recognition that Jerusalem is the capital...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

IDF strikes Hamas targets in Gaza over rocket fire on Israel

 

The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday evening that it hit a Hamas target in Gaza less than an hour after a rocket fired from the coastal enclave failed to land in southern Israel.

The rocket landed inside Gaza, the IDF said after conducting an investigation. It remains unclear which Palestinian organization initiated the exchange....

Iran

Report: US cyberattack hurt Iranian capability to target oil tankers in Persian Gulf

A cyber attack by the United States against Iranian computer systems on June 20 “wiped out a critical database used by Iran’s paramilitary arm to plot attacks against oil tankers and degraded Tehran’s ability to covertly target shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf, at least temporarily,” reported The New York Times on Wednesday, citing senior U.S....

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

IDF: Gaza rocket fired at Israel lands in Strip, triggering sirens in south

Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket toward southern Israel on Wednesday night, the army said, prompting a retaliatory Israeli raid.

The projectile failed to cross the border and landed inside the enclave, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

In response, an Israeli military aircraft bombed a Hamas observation post along...

Jerusalem

ISRAEL: REPUBLIC OF NAURU RECOGNIZES JERUSALEM AS ISRAEL’S CAPITAL

The Republic of Nauru has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Israel Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

"I commend @Republic_Nauru’s important decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We will continue to strengthen Jerusalem and to bring about the recognition and opening of diplomatic missions and embassies in our...