ISSUES

At CUFI, we are focused on several key issues with the goal of defending Israel’s strength, security, and sovereignty.

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Hamas

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...

Hamas

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...

US-Israel Relationship

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...

Hezbollah

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...

Issues

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...

Hamas

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 Defense Force (IDF)

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...

Israeli Society

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

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...

Israeli Technology

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...

Hamas

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...

Archeology

Building projects at entrance to Jerusalem means real growth (and some growing pains)

(June 25, 2019 / JNS) Just like “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” neither was Jerusalem, says Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum.

As a part of the city’s development endeavors, Jerusalem’s main entrance will undergo a grand makeover—a million-square-meter project including construction of a new entryway into the city, extension of the...

Israeli Technology

Global cybersecurity experts gather at Israel’s Cyber Week

The magnitude of Israel’s cybersecurity industry was on full show this week at the 9th Annual Cyber Week Conference at Tel Aviv University, which saw thousands of participants from all over the world gather to catch up on the latest achievements and challenges in this ever-evolving field.

The week-long event, the largest conference on cyber tech...

Iran

Netanyahu to Russian official: Israel will do anything it takes to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russia’s National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev on Monday that Israel will do anything to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Patrushev met Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday as part of the security summit between US, Russia and Israel.
“I’m certain that Russia understands what it means...

Hamas

Minor earthquake shakes Dead Sea

A minor earthquake shook the Dead Sea region Wednesday morning, with the temblor measuring around 3.8 on the Richter scale, Israel’s Geophysical Institute said in a statement.

There were no reports of damage or casualties.

Minor quakes have rattled parts of Israel over the past year, as concerns grow about the country’s level of preparedness for...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

Netanyahu: Israel used cyber intel. to thwart around 50 ISIS terror attacks

 
Israel has used its cyber intelligence capabilities to thwart around 50 ISIS terror attacks worldwide, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the Cyber Week Tel Aviv University Conference on Wednesday.

While Israel previously disclosed that it had provided the intelligence to thwart an ISIS plot to bomb a flight from Sydney to Abu...

Hezbollah

Hezbollah operating in Venezuela, Maduro’s ex-security chief says

The feared former head of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro’s intelligence police has charged that the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah operates in the Latin American country with the protection of the government.

Gen. Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, who fled his homeland for Colombia and then the US after the failed April 30 uprising in the...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

More fires on Gaza border ahead of expected unrest during Bahrain summit

Israel's Gaza border region saw continued fires on Monday, most of them suspected to have started following launches of incendiary balloons.
 Just a day away from the US-led Bahrain economic summit, the Palestinian Authority's ruling party Fatah made calls for mass demonstration to protest the event which which will focus on economic incentives...