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.

Passenger plane lands safely at Ben Gurion after blown tire scare

A passenger plane with a blown tire landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport on Monday after rescue services were put on high alert for a potential emergency situation.

Over 100 ambulances, firetrucks and emergency workers had been scrambled to the airport and Israeli fighter jets followed the Boeing 737 as it prepared to land four hours after taking...

Anti-Israel protesters end rallies at Amsterdam’s WWII memorial

AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Campaigners for boycotting Israel said they will stay away from this city’s World War II monument, where their supporters have staged incidents of anti-Semitic hate speech and violence.

Gustav Draijer, a leader of Holland’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, announced Sunday that regular, so-called one-man protests by...

Israeli parliament holds funding talks for Gaza border towns affected by cross-border arson attacks

Although officially in recess, the Israeli parliament (Knesset) on Monday held a special session on funding for Israeli communities near the Gaza border hit by ongoing incendiary balloon attacks launched from the Gaza Strip.
The session -- titled “Budgeting the fortification of communities located near the Gaza border, including large cities” --...

Paris inaugurates square honoring Jerusalem

(JTA) –- Paris inaugurated a square named for Jerusalem, sparking protests by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Several dozen people staged a protest rally Sunday in Paris’ 17th district as Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon and Jewish community leaders applauded the unveiling of the sign honoring the Israeli capital.

Paris used to have a Jerusalem Square...

US envoys lend a hand as Israel digs down in east Jerusalem

US envoys wielded hammers on Sunday to break open a new tunnel at a Jewish heritage site in east Jerusalem, signaling Washington’s support for Israel’s hold over parts of the city that Palestinians seek for a future state.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman attended the event along with three other visiting American ambassadors as well as US...

Iran breaks through enriched uranium limit set in nuclear deal – state media

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday that the country’s stockpile of 3.67 percent enriched uranium has now passed the 300-kilogram limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal.

Citing what it said was an “informed source,” Fars reported that the stockpile was measured and found to have exceeded the agreed limit laid out in the so-called...

15 killed in Israeli strikes against Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria

(July 1, 2019 / JNS) Israeli warplanes attacked multiple targets in Syria early Monday morning, killing at least nine Syrian and Iranian military personnel and at least six civilians, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Reports indicated tens of wounded.

Israeli jets and naval gunships targeted at least ten sites around...

Israelis and Palestinians participate in run for peace on Gaza border

Israelis and Palestinians cycled and ran in unison on Friday on both sides of the Gaza border in a historic solidarity event.

"I think it's a very big statement and message, that first of all, the initiative came from Gaza. They wanted this and we are just supporting their call for action," Budo for Peace founder Danny Hakim said. "And I think we...

Peretz said weighing making Arab, Haredi schools fly Israeli flag

Newly appointed Education Minister Rafi Peretz is considering requiring ultra-Orthodox and Arab schools to fly the Israeli flag, according to a report Wednesday.

Under a 1997 law, all educational institutions must fly an Israeli flag on their main school building.

Associates of Peretz, who took office Wednesday, told the Ynet news site that...

Starting quarterback for the Houston Texans get baptized in the Jordan River

(June 27, 2019 / JNS) Houston Texans starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was baptized in Israel during his first trip there, accompanied by the group America’s Voices In Israel, which organizes week-long trips to the Jewish state for celebrities.

“It is simply overwhelming,” said Watson, who was in Israel with his trainer, Quincy Avery. “To be...

Kosovo designates Hezbollah as a terrorist group

(June 27, 2019 / JNS) Kosovo has now included Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations.

The World Jewish Congress lauded the move as a “principled step in the critical quest for international peace and security.”

“The global community has been terrorized for more than three decades by Hezbollah and its operatives, who have executed their...

Incendiary balloons from Hamas in Gaza cause dozens of fires in southern Israel

(June 27, 2019 / JNS) Incendiary balloons launched from Gaza on Thursday caused at least 30 fires, including 17 substantial ones, in southern Israel, according to estimates by Israeli authorities.

“The rash of arson attacks put Thursday on pace to see the largest number of fires started by Gazan balloons in a single day since Palestinians began...

Israel, Hamas said to agree on new truce amid wave of arson terrorism

UN and Egyptian officials have been able to broker a renewed truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, Palestinian media reported overnight on Thursday.

The cease-fire took effect in the early hours of Friday morning, the report said.

The deal came amid a new wave of arson terrorism, which saw Palestinian terrorists launch dozens of incendiary...

Terrorism

Canada lists two neo-Nazi groups as terrorist organizations

Canada on Wednesday placed far-right organizations on its terror watch list for the first time, after intelligence services said they had raised their level of vigilance on two groups.
Public Safety Canada published an update to its "Listed Terrorist Entities" that included the neo-Nazi group "Blood & Honour" and its armed branch, "Combat 18."...

Israel, US and UK conduct first joint F-35 exercise

(June 27, 2019 / JNS) Israeli F-35 fighter jets participated this week in an international exercise alongside F-35s from the United States and United Kingdom, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday.

The exercise, the first of its kind, was dubbed “Tri-Lightning” (a reference to the aircraft’s official designation: Lockheed Martin F-35...

Report: Israeli businesses added $18.6 billion in revenue to NY economy in 2018

(June 27, 2019 / JNS) According to a report by the independent New York-Israel Business Alliance, Israeli-founded companies operating in New York City contributed $18.6 billion in revenue in 2018, and a whopping $33.8 billion—two percent of the New York gross domestic product—when accounting for spending on local goods and services.

Data on the...

Jerusalem Light Festival

Over the years, the Jerusalem Light Festival has become known as one of the most impressive and enjoyable events that take place in the capital every summer. Every night during the festival, amazing modern light art installations illuminate the walls and sites inside and around the Old City.

The festival, which has already begun and will continue...

Salesforce to turn Israel into second-largest global innovation hub

San Francisco-headquartered cloud technology giant Salesforce will significantly expand its Israel-based operations in the coming years, a company executive said on Thursday, making Israel the company’s second-largest research and development hub worldwide.

Founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff and Parker Harris, Salesforce is recognized as a global...

Russia reportedly interfered with air navigation in Israel

Senior Israeli officials believe that Russia has been disrupting civilian aircraft navigation systems for the past three week, according to reports released Thursday morning. Army Radio called the move a "hostile attack."

The Israel Airports Authority announced on Wednesday that pilots were having difficulty landing, experiencing mysterious...

Antisemitism

Canada adopts universal definition of anti-Semitism

(June 25, 2019 / JNS) Canada’s government announced on Tuesday that it will formally adopt the widely accepted definition of anti-Semitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance as part of the country’s anti-racism initiative.

“To help address resurgent anti-Semitism in Canada, we’re adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance...