Eye on Extremism

November 2, 2023 

Reuters: Suspected Boko Haram Kills At Least 40 In Nigeria's Yobe State, Police Say

“At least 40 people were killed in Nigeria's Yobe state between Monday and Tuesday after suspected Boko Haram militants shot at villagers and set off a land mine, in the first major attack on the northern eastern state in 18 months, the police said on Wednesday. The attack happened at about 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) on Monday, at Gurokayeya village, Gaidam local government in Yobe State, the state's police spokesperson Abdulkarim Dungus said. He said gunmen opened fire on villagers, killing at least 17 people and that on Tuesday a land mine exploded, killing at least 20 villagers who were returning from burying victims of the previous attack. The Islamist group has been killing and abducting villagers in Borno state, a hotbed for militancy that has been the epicentre of a 14-year war on insurgency in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu and his cabinet on Monday approved $2.8 billion supplementary budget to fund "urgent issues" including defence and security. Tinubu, preoccupied with the economy, has yet to disclose how he would tackle insurgency in the north and widespread insecurity in other parts of the country. The Yobe community had been at peace for over a year before this attack, residents said. The last time a bomb exploded in Yobe state was in April 2022.”

Associated Press: Biden Calls For Humanitarian ‘Pause’ In Israel-Hamas War

“President Joe Biden said he thought there should be a humanitarian “pause” in the Israel-Hamas war, after his campaign speech Wednesday evening was interrupted by a protester calling for a cease-fire. “I think we need a pause,” Biden said. The call was a subtle departure for Biden and top White House aides, who throughout the Mideast crisis have been steadfast in stating they will not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. But the president has faced intensifying pressure from human rights groups, fellow world leaders and even liberal members of his own Democratic Party, who say that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is collective punishment and that it is time for a cease-fire. In his comments, Biden was exerting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Palestinians at least a brief reprieve from the relentless military operation that’s left thousands dead and mired the 141-square-mile strip in a roiling humanitarian crisis. The White House has refused to call for a cease-fire but has signaled that the Israelis should consider humanitarian pauses to allow civilians to receive aid and for foreign nationals trapped on the strip to leave Gaza.”

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CEP Mentions

CBC News: Qatar’s Complicated Role In The Israel-Hamas War

“On October 31, 2023, Counter Extremism Project (CEP) CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace appeared on CBC News for a segment on “Qatar’s complicated role in the Israel-Hamas war”. "The way the Qataris pulled this off is by whitewashing their role in supporting Islamic extremism, by supporting businesses and investing vast sums of hydrocarbon wealth across places in London, in the United States, and elsewhere. "...The perpetrators of these acts are hiding in plain sight, not even hiding, posted in plain sight in luxury."

United States

Associated Press: The US Has Strongly Backed Israel’s War Against Hamas. The Allies Don’t Seem To Know What Comes Next

“When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked who would govern the Gaza Strip following Israel’s devastating war against Hamas, he said a return of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority made “the most sense.” What he failed to mention is that the Palestinian Authority, weak and deeply unpopular with its own people, has already said it has no interest in assuming power if it is helped by Israel. Blinken’s comments Tuesday reflected what some analysts see as the questionable assumptions and short-term thinking that have guided American and Israeli policymakers since Israel declared war in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack in which its militants killed more than 1,400 people and took roughly 240 others hostage. With strong American backing, Israel has defined two clear goals: bringing home all of the hostages and destroying Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has governed Gaza since ousting the Palestinian Authority in 2007. Even if these hard-to-achieve goals are realized, neither Israel nor the U.S. appears to have given much thought to what would come next for Gaza. Officials have floated several ideas — each with seemingly slim odds of success — while acknowledging that no one has a plan for the territory once the war ends.”

Fox News: AOC Accuses Pro-Israel PAC Of Being 'Extremist Organization That Destabilizes Us Democracy'

“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., accused a pro-Israel political action committee (PAC) of being an "extremist organization" that "destabilizes" American democracy. The leader of the progressive "Squad" attacked the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Tuesday night amid Israel's war with the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Ocasio-Cortez — who accused Israel of committing "war crimes" last month — accused the pro-Israel PAC of being "racist" and "bigoted" toward lawmakers of color.  Ocasio-Cortez also accused AIPAC of being an "extremist organization that destabilizes US democracy." "AIPAC endorsed scores of Jan 6th insurrectionists," the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) congresswoman said. "They are no friend to American democracy." "They are one of the more racist and bigoted PACs in Congress as well, who disproportionately target members of color," she continued. "They are an extremist organization that destabilizes US democracy," she wrote. AIPAC responded to Ocasio-Cortez's post, blasting the democratic socialist congresswoman over her peddling "of the same tired lies [and] spin."”

Iran

The New York Times: After Years Of Vowing To Destroy Israel, Iran Faces A Dilemma

“For more than four decades, Iran’s rulers have pledged to destroy Israel. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rarely appears in public without wearing a black-and-white checkered Palestinian kaffiyeh. Iranian military commanders gloat over training and arming groups across the region that are enemies of Israel, including Hezbollah and Hamas. And when Hamas conducted the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people, Iranian officials praised it as a momentous achievement, shattering the Jewish state’s sense of security. Now Iran faces a dilemma, weighing how it and its proxy militias — known as the axis of resistance — should respond to Israel’s invasion of Gaza and whether to bolster its revolutionary credentials at the risk of igniting a broader regional war. More than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. “There is no need for Iran to directly get involved in the war and attack Israel itself because it has the resistance axis militia who follow Iran’s policies and strategies and act on its behalf,” said Nasser Imani, an analyst close to the government, in a telephone interview from Tehran. “Right now Iran is in control mode — it is telling all of them, including Hezbollah, to keep things boiling but have restraint.””

Pakistan

Reuters: Pakistan Starts Rounding Up Undocumented Foreigners, Mostly Afghans, Ahead Of Deadline

“Pakistani authorities began rounding up undocumented foreigners, most of them Afghans, on Wednesday, ahead of a midnight deadline for them to leave or face expulsion. The removal of people to temporary holding centres began a day earlier than previously announced. The interior ministry said 140,322 people had already voluntarily left after days in which trucks piled high with belongings and crammed with people have jammed major roads out of the country. Pakistan set the Nov. 1 start date last month for the expulsion of all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans. It cited security reasons, brushing off calls to reconsider from the United Nations, rights groups and Western embassies. Some of those ordered to leave have spent decades in Pakistan. "A process to arrest the foreigners... for deportation has started as of Nov.1," the interior ministry said in a statement, while adding that voluntary return would still be encouraged. Within hours of the interior ministry statement, authorities had begun detaining and transferring what they said were undocumented foreigners to transit centres. In the southern port city of Karachi, home to a large number of Afghan migrants and refugees, deputy commissioner Junaid Iqbal Khan said up to 74 people had so far been moved to one of the transit centres, up to 40 of them without any proper documents.”

Yemen

Associated Press: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Claim Attacks On Israel, Drawing Their Main Sponsor Iran Closer To Hamas War

“Yemen’s Houthi rebels for the first time Tuesday claimed missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, drawing their main sponsor Iran closer into the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and further raising the risks of a regional conflict erupting. The Houthis had been suspected of an attack earlier this month targeting Israel by sending missiles and drones over the crucial shipping lane of the Red Sea, an assault that saw the U.S. Navy shoot down the projectiles. This time on Tuesday, however, Israel said its own fighter jets and its new Arrow missile defense system shot down two salvos of incoming fire hours apart as it approached the country’s key Red Sea shipping port of Eilat. The Houthis, who have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 as part of that country’s ruinous war, claimed three attacks on Israel in a later military statement, without elaborating on the timeframe of the operations and whether Tuesday’s salvos represented one or two attacks. Beyond the attack that saw the U.S. shoot down missiles, there had been a mysterious explosion Thursday that hit the Egyptian resort town of Taba, near the border with Israel. The blast, which Egyptian authorities have not explained, wounded six people.”

Middle East

Reuters: Israeli Army Battles Hamas Fighters In Drive Towards Gaza City

“Israeli tanks and troops pressed towards Gaza City on Thursday but met fierce resistance from Hamas militants using mortars and hit-and-run attacks from tunnels as the Palestinian death toll from nearly four weeks of bombardments mounted. At the southern end of the besieged enclave, foreign passport-holders were being allowed out through the Rafah crossing into Egypt. The war is closing in on the Gaza Strip's main population centre in the north, where the Islamist group is based and where Israel has been telling people to leave as it vows to annihilate Hamas once and for all. "We are at the gates of Gaza City," Israeli military commander Brigadier General Itzik Cohen said. Fighters of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad were emerging from tunnels to fire at tanks, then disappearing back into the network, residents said and videos from both groups showed, in guerrilla-style operations against a far more powerful army. "They never stopped bombing Gaza City all night, the house never stopped shaking," said one man living there, asking not to be identified by name. "But in the morning we discover the Israeli forces are still outside the city, in the outskirts and that means the resistance is heavier than they expected."”

Associated Press: After Weeks In Besieged Gaza, Some Foreign Nationals And Wounded Palestinians Are Allowed To Leave

“Israeli ground troops have advanced to “the gates of Gaza City” in heavy fighting with militants, the military said Wednesday, as hundreds of foreign nationals and dozens of seriously injured Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza after more than three weeks under siege. The news came as U.S. President Joe Biden called for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting. Biden was speaking at a Minneapolis campaign fundraiser when a protester interrupted him, calling for a cease-fire. “I think we need a pause,” Biden responded. White House officials later said a break in fighting would allow more aid to get into Gaza and create a possibility for more hostages held by Hamas to be freed. The first people to leave Gaza — other than four hostages released by Hamas and another rescued by Israeli forces — crossed into Egypt, escaping the territory’s growing misery as bombings drive hundreds of thousands from their homes, and food, water and fuel run low. The U.S. State Department said some American citizens were among those who left, without giving specifics. It said it expected more Americans and other foreign nationals to get out of Gaza in coming days. Talks were reportedly ongoing among Egypt, Israel and Qatar, which has been mediating with Hamas.”

Business Insider: Hamas Militants Ate Family's Meal After They Tortured And Mutilated Parents And 2 Young Children, Blinken Says

“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described how Hamas militants killed a family of four and ate their festive meal during the October 7  terrorist attacks. Speaking at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Blinken said: "A young boy and girl, 6 and 8 years old, and their parents around the breakfast table. The father's eye gouged out in front of his kids. The mother's breast cut off, the girl's foot amputated, the boy's fingers cut off before they were executed." "And then their executioners sat down and had a meal. That is what this society is dealing with," he said. His descriptions echo those of an Israeli emergency responder, who described discovering the scene in a home at Kibbutz Be'eri during a recent press conference. Yossi Landau, the head of Zaka, Israel's volunteer emergency response organization as the head of operations for the country's southern region, described the sadistic scene he found after entering a home at Kibbutz Be'eri. Landau said he saw a father, mother, and two children, aged six and seven, on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs.”’

Business Insider: Israel's Missile Ships Are Joining US Combat Power In The Red Sea As More Iran-Backed Militants Fire Weapons Its Way

“After a series of attacks from Iran-backed militants, Israel has deployed several ships capable of launching missiles to the Red Sea, where they will join US Navy vessels already there.  "In accordance with the situational assessment and as part of defensive efforts in the area, yesterday, Israeli Navy missile boats arrived in the area of the Red Sea," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear how many ships were dispatched to the area. The US currently has several ships in the Red Sea — including guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, and a dock landing ship — that were sent there in October to offer support to Israel and prevent its war with Hamas from widening into a regional conflict. The Israeli force posture change comes after Yemen's Houthi militants, a group that like Hamas is backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for firing long-range missiles and drones at Israel on Tuesday. The IDF said "all aerial threats were intercepted outside of Israeli territory," with some of them downed by Israeli fighter jets around the Red Sea to the south. Early on Wednesday morning, another threat was reportedly intercepted near Israel's southern coastal city of Eilat.”

Voice Of America: Analysts Divided Over Whether Hezbollah Will Wage War With Israel

“Analysts are divided over whether Hezbollah militants in Lebanon will enter the Israeli-Hamas conflict beyond firing rockets across the Israeli-Lebanese border. The Iran-backed militia presents a potentially greater danger to Israel than Hamas, but if Hezbollah did enter the war, it would likely drag ailing Lebanon into it, too. Some people in Lebanon and across the Middle East are jittery as Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, is expected to speak Friday. In some respects, the analysts said, Hezbollah is in a bit of a quandary because it has positioned itself as the chief resistance movement against Israel. So how can it remain on the sidelines of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza? Benjamin Allison of the University of Texas pointed out Hezbollah’s “formidable arsenal of precision-guided munitions, rockets and drones,” unlike anything Hamas possesses. Writing in the online publication Lawfare, he said Hezbollah’s various “smart weapons” pose a “serious danger to Israel’s infrastructure and could even tempt Israel to launch a preemptive war.” Lebanon’s foreign minister, Abdullah Bou Habib, argued that neither Lebanon nor Hezbollah want a war with Israel because it would spell disaster for Lebanon, which is grappling with an extended, crippling economic crisis.”

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