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.

Antisemitism

US Education Department to investigate anti-Semitic event sponsored by Duke-UNC

(June 17, 2019 / JNS) The U.S. Department of Education announced on Monday that it will investigate an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel conference in March hosted jointly by Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

This was in response to U.S. Rep. George Holding sending U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos a letter in April, calling for...

Hamas

16 House Republicans urge Twitter CEO to ban Hamas

(June 18, 2019 / Israel Hayom) Sixteen U.S. lawmakers have called on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to remove “all content promoting terrorist activity” from the social media platform, and to ban “senior Hamas officials and associates from Twitter who radicalize individuals to incite violence against Israelis.”

In a letter to the San Francisco-based...

Hamas

Official New Zealand government website wipes Israel off the map

SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) — Immigration New Zealand, an official government website, published a fact sheet with a map of the Middle East that showed a “Palestine,” but not Israel.

Following a barrage of complaints on social media, the web page was removed, though screenshots remain.

The Israel Institute of New Zealand called for a retraction of...

Hamas

Israel reopens Gaza fishing zone

(June 18, 2019 / JNS) Israel has reopened the Gaza fishing zone to 10 nautical miles off the coast, despite recent tensions due to border riots, rocket attacks and incendiary balloons launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip.

Last Wednesday, Israel totally shut down the Gaza fishing zone after Hamas failed to hold up its end of a ceasefire...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

Israel Air Force holding large-scale drill simulating multi-front war

The Israeli Air Force is holding a week-long large scale drill simulating a multi-front war with all the platforms and squadrons, including for the first time the F-35i Adir stealth fighter jet.

The drill, which began on Sunday June 16th, includes all aircraft from combat squadrons, helicopters and transport planes as well as troops from the...

Hezbollah

House bipartisan group urges Merkel to label Hezbollah a terror group

(June 14, 2019 / JNS) A bipartisan group of members in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging Germany to officially designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

The signees were Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.).

This week, the German...

Hamas

Funding at state and federal levels supports hardening of security at synagogues, faith-based institutions

(June 14, 2019 / JNS) The Ohio Senate recently released an amended version of the state’s operating budget for the next two fiscal years that includes key funding for nonprofit security needs in the aftermath of increasing attempted and carried-out attacks on houses of worship, faith-based institutions, cause-based nonprofits and individuals who...

Palestinian Authority

Israel’s strategic affairs minister: time for PA leader Abbas to go

(June 17, 2019 / JNS) Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan on Sunday urged the international community to take immediate action to oust Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, saying this was the only way to ensure the diplomatic process with the Palestinians moves forward.

Speaking at The Jerusalem Post Conference in New York,...

Hamas

California man arrested after threatening synagogue mass shooting

(JTA) — A California man who threatened in an online chatroom to kill Jews and to commit a mass shooting at a synagogue was arrested.

Ross Anthony Farca, 23, of Concord, California, said in the chatroom on the video game platform Steam that he wanted to emulate the Poway synagogue shooter “except with a Nazi uniform on,” The Mercury News...

US-Israel Relationship

Israeli Cabinet lays cornerstone for ‘Trump Heights’ in special session

(June 17, 2019 / Israel Hayom) A special Cabinet meeting was held in the Golan Heights on Sunday to lay the cornerstone of Trump Heights, a new Israeli community named after U.S. President Donald Trump.

The groundwork on Trump Heights began a few days ago, and the sign marking the entrance to the community was unveiled on Saturday.

U.S....

Terrorism

Balloon-borne device found near community in Gaza border region

A suspicious package attached to balloons was found Monday morning near a community close to the border with the Gaza Strip, the Eshkol Regional Council said.

“A bunch of balloons attached to a package was found in an open area outside an Eshkol community,” the council said in a statement.

Police sappers were alerted to deal with the device....

US-Israel Relationship

House Armed Services Committee votes to continue security assistance to Israel, block F-35 jets to Turkey

(June 13, 2019 / JNS) The U.S. House Armed Services Committee passed a $733 billion 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday morning that, if enacted, would continue security assistance to Israel and block the U.S. transfer of F-35 jets to Turkey.

The tally was 33-24.

The House NDAA is $17 billion less than the Senate version,...

Antisemitism

Is anti-Semitism becoming mainstream? Experts see alarming trend in media, campus and public life

(June 13, 2019 / JNS) Moderating a panel in Jerusalem this week titled “The Mainstreaming of Anti-Semitism: The Media, BDS and Celebrated Bigotry,” David Hazony, executive director of the Israel Innovation Fund, analyzed the issue right off the bat: “What you are seeing on campuses is only a thin slice of the anti-Semitic beast that has emerged...

Israeli Society

Israeli company Fiverr stock spikes 90% on first day of trading on the NYSE

The share price of Israeli online freelancer platform Fiverr rose 90% on Thursday, its first day of trading on Wall Street.

began trading on the New York Stock Exchange at a value of $650 million. The company announced that its Initial Public Offering (IPO) was being held at $21 per share on the NYSE and the share will trade under the FVRR...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

IDF braces for violent protests on Gaza border

Israel struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip early Thursday morning after the launching of a rocket towards Israeli border communities.

"The IDF said fighter jets “attacked an underground terrorist infrastructure on a military compound belonging to the Hamas terror group in the southern Gaza Strip. The attack was carried out in response to the...

Hamas

Rocket fired from Gaza strikes school building in southern Israel

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A rocket fired from Gaza hit a school building in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on Thursday evening.

The building, identified as a Jewish religious school, was damaged but no injuries were reported. It was reported to be empty at the time of impact and was fortified against rockets.

No one has taken responsibility for...

Antisemitism

Bipartisan resolution condemning anti-Semitism unanimously passes Senate

(June 13, 2019 / JNS) The U.S. Senate unanimously passed on Thursday a bipartisan resolution, introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), condemning anti-Semitism.

“‘In the United States, Jews have suffered from systematic discrimination in the form of exclusion from home ownership in certain neighborhoods, prohibition from...

Israeli Society

Car maker opens research center in Tel Aviv as ‘lifeblood of future Ford’

Ford Motor Company on Wednesday launched a research center in Tel Aviv to help the US car maker stay abreast of cutting-edge automotive technologies.

The Ford Research Center Israel will focus on identifying technology partners for the firm in the areas of connectivity, sensors, in-vehicle monitoring, and cybersecurity, and will serve as a...

Hamas

Man seriously hurt in Jerusalem knife attack released from hospital

An Israeli man who sustained life-threatening stab wounds in a terror attack in Jerusalem’s Old City last month was released from a Jerusalem hospital on Wednesday, vowing to reporters, “We will not be afraid.”

Gavriel Lavi, 47, said he struggled to remember the details of the stabbing attack at Damascus Gate in the capital on May 31, but...

US-Israel Relationship

Toronto Raptors Jewish co-owner says team will visit Israel if it wins NBA championship

(JTA) — The Toronto Raptors are one win away from the NBA championship — and a free trip to Israel.

The team’s Jewish billionaire co-owner, Larry Tanenbaum, said he will bring the club to visit if it wins the title.

The Raptors are up 3 games to 1 in the best-of-7 Finals over the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. But the...