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

Pompeo: ‘Clock is ticking’ on Iran arms embargo

U.S. secretary of state urges America’s allies to stop Iran from engaging in "destabilizing behavior," warning of a possible Mideast arms race after U.N. arms embargo on Iran expires.

(August 13, 2019 / JNS) Warning that sanctions and an arms embargo on Iran will expire in the coming months, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday urged...

US-Israel Relationship

US ambassador, Israel president pay condolence visits to family of slain student

President Reuven Rivlin paid a condolence visit Monday to the family of Dvir Sorek, the 18-year-old killed in a terror attack in the West Bank last week, calling the youth an “inspiration.”

Rivlin’s visit came shortly after US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman also paid a condolence call to the family in the settlement of Ofra.

Sorek was...

Israeli Technology

NEW ISRAELI SATELLITE AIMS TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIVERSE

The Weizmann Institute of Science has partnered with the Israel Space Agency to launch a new scientific satellite that could offer previously unseen insights into the Universe around us.

With a projected launch date of 2023 and weighing just 160 kg., the ULTRASAT satellite will be equipped with a telescope designed to operate in ultraviolet...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

IDF thwarts third infiltration attempt from Gaza in a week

(August 13, 2019 / JNS) Israeli troops on Monday arrested an armed Palestinian man attempting to infiltrate into Israel from the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF.

“A short time ago, IDF soldiers arrested a suspect crossing the security fence into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip in the south,” the IDF said in a statement on social media....

Antisemitism

Suspect arrested in Crown Heights anti-Semitic attack

A 39-year-old man was arrested over the weekend in connection with an anti-Semitic attack that took place on Friday evening in New York’s Crown Heights neighborhood, just before to the beginning of the Jewish sabbath.

The man, identified as Kenya Dean from Brooklyn, allegedly sprayed a Jewish man with mace after shouting “You Jews, Hitler should...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

ISRAEL TO BUILD ADDITIONAL WALL WITH GAZA TO PREVENT INFILTRATIONS

Israel’s defense establishment will begin building an additional wall along the northern part of Gaza border fence to protect communities after three infiltrations along the border in under two weeks.

According to a report on Israel’s Channel 12, the Defense Ministry is planning to build a 6 m. (20 feet) high defensive wall inside Israeli...

Israeli Technology

Israeli researchers develop breakthrough sonar technology for identifying hostile divers

Researchers at the University of Haifa have created an innovative system for identifying hostile divers attempting to approach ships or ports in an attempt to sabotage strategic targets.

Amid increasing threats from Iran, the result of its establishment in Syria, and heightening tensions following a series of incidents in the Persian Gulf,...

Israeli Society

Israeli women’s lacrosse teams gives Kenyan opponents brand-new cleats

Israel’s Women’s Lacrosse team has become a worldwide sensation—but not for their performance on the field.

When the Israeli team played Kenya in in the 2019 Women’s Lacrosse U19 World Championships in Ontario, Canada last week, the players noticed the Kenyan team did not have cleats but were wearing regular sneakers.

The day after team Israel’s...

Antisemitism

Iranian pilgrims in Mecca chant ‘Israel is the enemy of Allah, should be erased’

Iranians practicing their hajj pilgrimage duty according to Islam were seen at a ceremony in Mecca shouting, “Israel is the enemy of Allah should be erased from the face of the Earth!” reported the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on Saturday.

The footage of the incident aired on IRINN TV, an Iranian TV station, as part of a report...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

‘Major terror attack thwarted’ after IDF prevents militants from crossing Gaza border

The Israeli army thwarted Saturday morning an attempt to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire and killed all four fully-equipped fighters who approached the security fence in the southern border.

The IDF spokesperson issued a statement saying that apparent from the manner of operation of the terrorist...

Terrorism

Fire sparked in southern Israel by Gaza balloon, as border tensions heat up

A balloon-borne incendiary device launched from the Gaza Strip sparked a fire in southern Israel Sunday, the local fire department said, amid rising tensions along the border.

The blaze was quickly extinguished and did not spread, a spokesperson for the fire department said in a statement.

“An investigator from the Ashkelon Station of the Fire...

United Nations (UN)

Danon urges action by UN Security Council after terror groups kill Israeli student

(August 8, 2019 / JNS) Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon urged the world body to condemn the murder of an Israeli teen in an apparent terrorist attack in the West Bank on Thursday.

In a letter addressed to Poland’s U.N. ambassador Joanna Wronecka, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council,...

Terrorism

Arson balloon attacks on southern Israel resume

(August 8, 2019 / Israel Hayom) A fire that broke out on Wednesday in the Gaza-adjacent Simhoni forest was the result of an arson balloon flown over the Gaza border fence, an arson investigator from the Ashkelon Fire and Rescue Service determined on Wednesday.

The incident marked the first fire in the area to be caused by an arson balloon from...

Terrorism

Report: Terrorists behind 2001 Jerusalem bombing received over $900K

The terrorists behind the suicide bombing at a Sbarro pizzeria 18 years ago have received $910,823 from the Palestinian Authority, according to a Palestinian Media Watch report released on Thursday.

The bombing in downtown Jerusalem killed 15 people, including two Americans, and wounded around 130 others.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and...

Hamas

Hamas: Killing of IDF soldier was response over West Bank annexation talks

Gaza-based terror organization Hamas hailed the stabbing to death of Israeli off-duty soldier Dvir (Yehuda) Sorek, 18, from Ofra settlement in the West Bank on Thursday.

“The attack in Etzion is a powerful response to talks of annexing the occupied ,” Hamas said in an official statement.

“This is a decision of our people to expel the occupier...

Israeli Society

Thousands attend funeral of slain IDF soldier Dvir Sorek

Thousands of people on Thursday attended the funeral of a young Israeli soldier found stabbed to death near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

A burial ceremony for 18-year-old Dvir Sorek was held in Ofra, some 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of where his body was found at dawn, who was remembered by family and friends for his “light and love.”...

Hezbollah

US slaps Hezbollah financier with 5-year prison sentence, $50m. fine

WASHINGTON — A Lebanese businessman designated by US authorities as an important financial supporter of Hezbollah was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to forfeit $50 million, the Justice Department said Thursday.

Kassim Tajideen, 63, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to launder money as part of a scheme to evade...

US-Israel Relationship

Israel to participate in US ‘Operation Sentinel’ in Strait of Hormuz

(August 7, 2019 / JNS) Israel is assisting the U.S.-led naval mission to bolster security for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

According to a report by Israel’s Ynet news site, Katz told a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel is providing intelligence...

Hamas

Backlash prompts mental health group to rethink canceling Israel confab

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A European mental health association said it will rethink a decision to cancel a planned conference in Israel following widespread objections by academics worldwide.

The European Network for Mental Health Service Evaluation, or Enmesh, had decided to scrap the gathering out of concern that it would cause pushback from pro-BDS...

Israeli Society

Slain student Dvir Sorek, 19, had a ‘heart of gold,’ teachers say

Dvir Sorek, 19, was reportedly on his way to West Bank from Jerusalem when he was abducted, murdered

Israeli student and off-duty soldier Dvir (Yehuda) Sorek, 19, was found dead late Wednesday night at 2 AM near a settlement in the Gush Etzion area, reportedly with stabbing marks over his body. Medical services have confirmed his death upon...