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.

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

NETANYAHU: ISRAEL IS PREPARED FOR ALL SCENARIOS WITH HEZBOLLAH

No one was injured in Israel by a number of anti-tank missiles fired from Lebanon across the border, prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday evening.

Israel, he said, responded to the fire by firing 100 mortars into Lebanon and attacking from the air.

“We are consulting about the future, are prepared for any scenario, and will decide on...

Archeology

NEW ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDINGS AT GOLIATH’S BIRTHPLACE RECONTEXTUALIZE HISTORY

A new layer to the ancient Philistine city of Gath has been uncovered in an archaeological excavation led by Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University which has the potential to re-contextualize much of biblical history.

Known to historians as part of the Pentapolis of Philistine cities – a group of five cities, consisting of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath,...

Micro-History

In remembering 1929 Hebron massacre, top Israeli leaders visit … and make history

(September 4, 2019 / JNS) “We are not strangers in Hebron, and we will stay here forever!” were the climactic remarks made on Wednesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an official state ceremony at the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron commemorating the 90th anniversary of the 1929 Jewish massacre.

Netanyahu also...

Iran

Iran’s Rouhani orders abandonment of all nuclear R&D commitments

US Treasury Department slaps more sanctions on Tehran, blacklisting a shipping network of 16 entities

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday ordered all limits on nuclear research and development to be lifted, the country's third step in scaling down its commitments to a 2015 deal with world powers.

His announcement came shortly after the...

Palestinian Authority

PALESTINIAN TEXTBOOKS FULL OF INCITEMENT, STUDY FINDS

Palestinian schoolchildren are exposed to a dramatic amount of incitement and intolerance against Jews and Israel, a research institute based at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found.

IMPACT-se describes itself as a “research, policy and advocacy organization that monitors and analyzes education,” according to “international standards on peace...

Israeli Society

Israeli, Jewish organizations provide disaster relief to storm-stricken Bahamas

(September 4, 2019 / JNS) Several Jewish and Israeli humanitarian aid groups are providing aid or relief teams to the Bahamas following the catastrophic devastation unleashed by Hurricane Dorian.

The storm struck the Bahamas as a powerful Category 5 storm on Sunday with wind gusts up to 220 mile per hour and a 23-foot storm surge, then stalled...

Medical Advancement

ISRAELI-MADE INNOVATIVE CANCER TREATMENT GETS FDA STAMP OF APPROVAL

The world’s first drug to prevent proliferation of cancerous cells, established by Israeli scientist Dr. Sharon Shacham, just received FDA approval, kicking off Leukemia Awareness Month.

XPOVIO was developed by Karyopharm Therapeutics, a Newton, Massachusetts company established by Israel’s Dr. Sharon Shacham.

“We believe that our activity at...

Israeli Society

Israel sends group to help Brazil battle Amazon fires

Eleven-member team of firefighters and rescuers to assist local authorities with search-and-rescue operations as Bolsonaro feuds with Europe on environmental issues.

Israel announced Tuesday it was sending a delegation of experts on natural disasters to help Brazil combat the fires ravaging its Amazon basin.

“An Israeli delegation of...

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...