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.

49% of Israelis fear anti-Semitism while traveling abroad

Half of Israelis surveyed say they worry about encountering anti-Semitism while vacationing abroad, this according to a new survey commissioned by the European Conference of Rabbis, which represents hundreds of Jewish communities across the continent.

The Sapio Research and Strategy firm carried out the poll of 502 Israelis about their concerns...

2 Chicago-area men convicted of providing support to ISIS

Two Chicago-area men were found guilty on Thursday of supporting Islamic State in a federal case in which one of them was accused of saying he hoped to see the jihadist group's flag over the White House, local media reported.
Edward Schimenti and Joseph Jones, both 37, were convicted for providing material support and resources to terrorists in a...

Trump’s UN pick vows to fight anti-Israel bias, anti-Semitism

(June 19, 2019 / JNS) Nearly four months after being nominated, Kelly Craft—U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Nikki Haley as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—vowed on Wednesday to fight the international body’s anti-Israel bias, in addition to calling out anti-Semitism.

“Without U.S. leadership, our partners and allies would be...

Number of businesses in Judea and Samaria doubled over the past decade

(June 20, 2019 / Israel Hayom) No fewer than 1,982 small and medium-sized businesses operate in Judea and Samaria, a 100 percent increase over the past decade. Relative to population size, the average rate of entrepreneurship in Judea and Samaria in 2018 was 20 percent higher than in Tel Aviv.

The data—from the Israel’s Central Bureau of Statics...

American Jewish tourist beaten in Berlin

(June 19, 2019 / JNS) An American Jewish tourist was injured in an anti-Semitic assault in Berlin, police announced on Wednesday.

The unnamed 23-year-old man was in the Steglitz district when three men confronted him, according to a police statement.

“The 23-year-old suffered a hematoma on the eye due to blows in the face,” said police, who...

Department of Education to probe anti-Israel bias at North Carolina conference on Gaza

(JTA) — The U.S. Department of Education will investigate a Middle East conference on Gaza co-sponsored by two North Carolina universities over allegations that it had an anti-Israel bias.

Rep. George Holding, R-N.C., called on the department to check into the late March conference co-sponsored by Duke University and the University of North...

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS)

Christians who stand with Israel combat BDS

Among Christians who stand with Israel, none comes so close to being monolithic in their support than evangelicals. A 2017 poll by Lifeway Research revealed that 67 percent of evangelical Christians have a positive perception of the Jewish state.

That is a lot of people. According to France’s Sébastien Fath, there are about 630 million...

US Navy drone shot down by Iranian missile over Strait of Hormuz in ‘unprovoked attack,’ central command says

U.S. military officials returned fire -- verbally -- hours after Iran blasted a Navy high-altitude drone out of the sky over the Strait of Hormuz, with U.S. Central Command leaders on Thursday slamming the "unprovoked" strike and Tehran's subsequent "false" justifications for it.

President Trump said on Twitter that Iran "made a very big...

U.S. antisemitism envoy: Armed guards needed at synagogues, Jewish centers

Carr, interviewed on stage at the Global Coalition 4 Israel Conference by Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Yaakov Katz, said such a move was an unfortunate but necessary step.

"We live in a time of danger," Carr said. "Any synagogue, every JCC, should have guards. God willing, may they never be needed, but they should be there."

Carr was appointed...

Ancient observation tower discovered in present IDF paratrooper base

An ancient observation tower was discovered in southern Israel on Wednesday in an IDF paratrooper base. The tower dates back to the days of the King Hezekiah, who ruled the Kingdom of Judah almost 3,000 years ago, according to the Bible.

"The strategic location of the tower served as a lookout and warning point against the Philistine enemy, one...

Egypt to pay $500 million fine for breaking gas deal with Israel

(June 19, 2019 / JNS) Egypt reached a settlement with Israel on Sunday to pay the Israel Electric Corporation $500 million over the next eight and a half years, after breaking an agreement to deliver natural gas to the Jewish state in 2012.

The gas supply deal was announced under Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2005 and the opening of the...

Israel Air Force conducts massive drill simulating all-out, multi-front war

(June 19, 2019 / JNS) The Israeli Air Force is holding a large-scale, four-day combat exercise simulating simultaneous warfare in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon and featuring F-35 jet fighters, according to the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday.

The drill focuses on fighting in the country’s north, against Hezbollah and Iranian forces.

It will simulate...

15 past and present New England Patriots players accompany Robert Kraft on trip to Israel

(JTA) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is taking eight current and seven of the team’s former players with him to Israel.

Kraft, the billionaire philanthropist and CEO of the Kraft Group, is visiting the Jewish state to receive the Genesis Prize, nicknamed the Jewish Nobel Prize.

The group of former players includes stars such as Drew...

FBI brings together Muslim, Jewish, Christian leaders together to share security information

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The FBI convened a round table meeting of leaders of Muslim, Jewish and Christian groups to discuss means of preventing bias-based attacks on religious institutions.

The event Tuesday at FBI headquarters in Washington DC appeared to be the first of its kind; the FBI has in the past convened similar forums for Jewish groups....

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...