“The scene is the same scene: the bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem. A year
and a week ago, terrorists attacked the same place, killing two and wounding
over 20 people.Itamar Ben-Gvir is also the same: a year and one week ago he was
a member of Knesset and the national security minister, as he is now. Then as
now, he dismissed anyone who argued he wasn't the right man for the job. Back
then, as his habit, he arrived at the scene of the attack and promised to
battle terrorism. "We must establish a government as soon as possible -
terrorism is not waiting," he proclaimed, in typical bombastic fashion. He then
added a few phrases on the necessity to reintroduce targeted killings and
collective punishment, as well as confiscate firearms and "restore governance."
Since then, so many Israelis have been killed in terror attacks that graph
scales have had to be expanded. The number of Israelis killed in terror attacks
or fighting in 2023 is expected to be 10 times that of the past decade
combined. But Ben-Gvir goes on as usual, and on Thursday he returned to the
same bus station, promising to fight terrorism. "Hamas is speaking here in two
voices, one of so-called cease-fire and the other of terror. My position on the
cease-fire is well known; we cannot let Hamas speak to us in two voices," he
said.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Eye on Extremism



December 1, 2023



Haaretz: Jerusalem Terror Attack Raises Fear Over Spillover Of Gaza Fighting
<[link removed]>



“The scene is the same scene: the bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem. A
year and a week ago, terrorists attacked the same place, killing two and
wounding over 20 people.Itamar Ben-Gvir is also the same: a year and one week
ago he was a member of Knesset and the national security minister, as he is
now. Then as now, he dismissed anyone who argued he wasn't the right man for
the job. Back then, as his habit, he arrived at the scene of the attack and
promised to battle terrorism. "We must establish a government as soon as
possible - terrorism is not waiting," he proclaimed, in typical bombastic
fashion. He then added a few phrases on the necessity to reintroduce targeted
killings and collective punishment, as well as confiscate firearms and "restore
governance." Since then, so many Israelis have been killed in terror attacks
that graph scales have had to be expanded. The number of Israelis killed in
terror attacks or fighting in 2023 is expected to be 10 times that of the past
decade combined. But Ben-Gvir goes on as usual, and on Thursday he returned to
the same bus station, promising to fight terrorism. "Hamas is speaking here in
two voices, one of so-called cease-fire and the other of terror. My position on
the cease-fire is well known; we cannot let Hamas speak to us in two voices,"
he said.”



Associated Press: Germany Arrests French Woman Who Allegedly Committed War
Crimes After Joining IS In Syria
<[link removed]>



“German authorities said Thursday they had arrested a French woman who
allegedly committed war crimes is Syria after joining the Islamic State
extremist group. Germany’s federal prosecutor said the woman, who was only
identified as Samra N. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested Tuesday
in the western city of Trier. The woman is suspected of having participated as
a member of two foreign terrorist organizations as a teenager, the prosecutor’s
statement said. She allegedly traveled to Syria in September 2013, where she
first joined Jabhat al-Nusra, Syria’s al-Qaida affiliate at the time, and
married one of the group’s fighters according to Islamic rites. In November
2013, the couple joined the Islamic State extremist group. Syria was in the
throes of a civil war that broke out following a brutal government crackdown on
pro-democracy mass protests in 2011. Protesters took up arms and the unrest
eventually devolved into a civil war that drew in Islamic extremists and
fighters from around the world. While in Syria, N. allegedly tried to persuade
people living in Germany to also go to Syria to become a member of Jabhat
al-Nusra. She also temporarily took in a woman who had been persuaded to leave
the country in this way. The suspect ran the household for her husband and
helped him procure military equipment for IS, according to the charges.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

* CEP Calls on U.S. Universities To Take Immediate Action Against Qatar
Partners
<[link removed]>
* Help Support CEP's Work To Hold Qatar Accountable For Harboring Terrorist
Leaders
<[link removed]>
* New CEP Report Recommends Sanctions Due To Houthi Terrorization Of Women
And Journalists In Yemen
<[link removed]>
* Extremist Content Online: Active Clubs And Extreme Right Groups Found Using
TikTok To Spread Propaganda
<[link removed]>
* CEP Calls On U.S. Lobby Firms To Cease Work With Qatar Until Hamas
Leadership Is Removed
<[link removed]>



CEP Mentions



The Messenger: What Could Come Next In Gaza: Hamas In Exile, ‘Safe Zones,’ And
Arab Governing Coalition
<[link removed]>



“..."They will ask for the highest price," said Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior
director of the Counter-Extremism Project, a Washington and Berlin-based policy
institute. "Hamas knows this, and they hold those back to the very end," he
said, referring to the service members captured on Oct. 7. "For the final
group, the asking price from the Hamas side will not be 1,000 [Palestinian]
prisoners, it will be free passage to another Arab country." But even as Hamas
holds what Schindler called the "ultimate life insurance policy," Israel has
vowed vengeance on the organization's senior leaders for the terrorist attacks,
making any deal that would allow them to simply walk away likely unpalatable to
Israel. "Israel won’t stop until they end the terrorist structure and have
killed as many leaders as they can find," Schindler told The Messenger. "Israel
cannot accept after [Oct. 7] that any of these leaders remain in Gaza."



Good World News: Truce Extended, New List Of Hostages Sent – DW – 11/30/2023
<[link removed]>



“... Hans-Jakob Schindler, who currently heads the political non-profit
Counter Extremism Project, told DW that Israel was balancing the twin goals of
safely releasing the hostages while eradicating Hamas in the Gaza Strip. When
asked if it was still possible to continue the temporary truce, Schindler
replied that it was in the interests of Hamas and Israel, in particular, to
release as many hostages in “this first phase of negotiations because it is,
what I say, trust.” -construction stage.” “Any further steps will be much more
complex and, to be very honest, Hamas is going to ask for more with regard to
the Israeli Defense Forces servicemen that it is currently holding hostage.”
Schindler divided Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas into three stages. The
first would be to militarily eradicate the group’s infrastructure in Gaza, and
“that’s what Israel can do.” Second, closing Hamas’s sources of income is “in
reality a task for the entire international community, since it has various
sources of income beyond the support of the state of Iran and Qatar.” , he
added. And third, destroying Hamas’ ideology, which “is going to be the big
breakthrough here.” “We saw it with ‘Islamic State,’ we saw it with Al-Qaeda.
Eradicating an ideology is a very political and educational task that will take
many years.””



United States



Reuters: U.S. Presses Sceptical Turkey To Curb Hamas Fundraising
<[link removed]>



“The U.S. Treasury's top terrorism financing official said on Thursday he had
discussed with Turkish government officials his deep concerns about Palestinian
militant group Hamas raising funds in Turkey and potentially breaking local
laws. Turkey is "prominent" in Hamas fundraising schemes and the group is
likely to take advantage of that as it seeks more cash amid its war with
Israel, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial
Intelligence Brian Nelson said. "We are profoundly concerned with Hamas's
ability to continue to fund raise and find financial support (here in Turkey)
for potential future terrorist attacks," Nelson told reporters in Istanbul
between meetings with Turkish government officials and financial and business
groups. Turkey's foreign ministry was not immediately available to comment.
Unlike most of its Western allies and some Gulf states, Turkey does not view
Hamas as a terrorist group and hosts some of its members. President Tayyip
Erdogan has called Hamas "freedom fighters" and criticised Israel as a "terror
state" over its bombardment of Gaza in recent weeks. The United States,
Israel's closest ally, has sanctioned several Turkish entities and individuals
in its effort to curb funding for Hamas following its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Nelson said Turkey was connected to Hamas' past efforts to raise funds from
donors, investment portfolios, charities and non-profit organisations.”



The New York Times: Blinken Urges Israel To Protect Gaza’s Civilians If Truce
Ends <[link removed]>



“As Israel and Hamas edged closer to the expiration of a fragile cease-fire,
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Israeli leaders on Thursday and
urged them to take concrete steps to reduce civilian deaths before it resumes
an offensive against Hamas in Gaza. With the cease-fire set to expire in a
matter of hours, Mr. Blinken made clear that the U.S. does not oppose the
resumption of Israel’s military offensive, despite international pressure for a
permanent cease-fire. But he sought to shape the expected next phase of Israeli
attacks on Hamas, hoping to limit civilian casualties, protect critical
infrastructure like hospitals and power plants and ensure the flow of
humanitarian aid into Gaza. The steps Mr. Blinken outlined at a news conference
in Tel Aviv after his meetings included designating safe areas for civilians to
take refuge, protecting critical infrastructure and avoiding the long-term
displacement of refugees within Gaza. “The way Israel defends itself matters,”
Mr. Blinken said. Israeli military officials insist that they are working to
limit civilian casualties. But the first phase of their attack on Hamas drew
international outrage after it killed more than 13,000 Palestinians, most of
them women and children, according to Gazan health officials. Mr. Blinken said
that he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday: “Intent matters —
but so does the result.””



Washington Post: House Passes Resolution To Block Iran's Access To $6 Billion
From Prisoner Swap
<[link removed]>



“The House passed a bipartisan measure Thursday that would block Iran from
ever accessing the $6 billion recently transferred by the U.S. in a prisoner
swap, a step Republicans pushed in response to the nation’s alleged role in the
deadly attacks last month by Hamas on Israel. The measure — titled the No Funds
for Iranian Terrorism Act — passed 307-119 as Republicans sought to hold the
Biden administration accountable for what they call their complicity in funding
Iranian-backed terrorism in the Middle East. “With such instability in the
region, the last thing we need to do is to give access to $6 billion to be
diverted to more Iranian-sponsored terrorism,” Rep. Michael McCaul, the
Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a debate.
U.S. officials have rebuffed this criticism, noting that not a single dollar
has yet to be made available to Iran and insisting that when it is, it can only
be used for humanitarian needs. Republican critics like McCaul say that despite
the money being restricted to aid, it is fungible, and could free up other
funds for Tehran to provide support to Hamas like they believe it did before it
attacked Israel in early October. The U.S. and Iran reached the tentative
agreement in August that eventually saw the release of five detained Americans
in Tehran and an unknown number of Iranians imprisoned in the U.S. after
billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets were transferred from banks in
South Korea to Qatar. But days after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the U.S. and
Qatar agreed that Iran would not be able to access the money in the meantime,
with officials stopping short of a full refreezing of the funds.”



Syria



Voice Of America: Rocket Launched At US Forces In Syria; No Injuries
<[link removed]>



“Iranian-backed proxies launched a rocket assault against U.S. forces in the
Middle East, bringing the total number of attacks on U.S. and coalition troops
in Iraq and Syria to 74 since October 17. A U.S. defense official told VOA a
single rocket was launched overnight against Mission Support Site Euphrates in
eastern Syria, causing no casualties or damage. U.S. naval forces in the Middle
East continue to counter threats at sea as well. On Wednesday, while in the
southern Red Sea, the USS Carney missile destroyer shot down an
Iranian-produced drone launched from areas of Yemen controlled by
Iranian-backed Houthi militants. “Although its intentions are not known, the
UAV [drone] was heading toward the warship. At the time of the shootdown, the
USS Carney was escorting the USNS Supply [oiler] and another U.S.-flagged and
-crewed ship carrying military equipment to the region,” U.S. Central Command
said. There were no injuries or damage to any of the vessels during the
incident. On Sunday, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled
areas in Yemen in the direction of the USS Mason, a destroyer, as it came to
the aid of a commercial vessel that was dealing with an apparent pirate attack.
The Pentagon has officially said that it doesn’t believe the USS Mason was the
missiles’ target, but two defense officials have since told VOA they disagree
with that assessment.”



Iraq



Reuters: At Least 10 Killed In Iraq Roadside Bomb Attack
<[link removed]>



“At least 10 people were killed and 14 others wounded in an attack with
roadside bombs and gunfire on a vehicle and rescuers in Iraq’s eastern Diyala
province on Thursday evening, two security sources said. The sources said the
attack near the town of Amraniyah targeted relatives of a local MP and began
with the detonation of two roadside bombs that destroyed a vehicle in which
several people were travelling. Locals who arrived to the scene to help were
then targeted with sniper fire, the sources said. They did not elaborate
further on possible motives for the attack. Security forces announced the
imposition of a curfew in the area and the search was ongoing to detain those
responsible on Thursday night.”



Afghanistan



The Independent: Taliban Is Exploring Options To Obtain Tactical Nuclear
Weapon, Claims Former Afghan Spy Chief
<[link removed]>



“The Taliban is actively exploring ways in which it can obtain a tactical
nuclear weapon as it seeks to cement its grip on power in Afghanistan, the
country’s former spy chief has claimed. Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of
Afghanistan’s national security service, said the Taliban had ambitions to
follow in the footsteps of the likes of North Korea, Iran, China and Russia in
acquiring a nuclear weapon as the emblem of a modern military power. The
Islamist militant group is desperate for international recognition after
seizing control of Kabul following the withdrawal of Western allied forces in
August 2021. It has gone on to implement a brutal misogynist regime in the
country, and the group has still not been recognised by the UN as Afghanistan’s
legitimate government. “I have reports indicating that a group of the Taliban
is looking into how to access tactical nuclear weapons. Whether they can get
them from Pakistan or pay engineers to get them. That is going to be a
disaster,” Mr Nabil told the Herat Security Dialogue, an annual conference on
the situation in Afghanistan that was held this week in Dushanbe, Tajikistan
and attended by The Independent. Experts at the conference voiced scepticism
about the Taliban having the capabilities, connections or indeed motivation to
acquire a tactical nuke, but in an interview on the sidelines of the
conference, Mr Nabil told The Independent that the possibility was too
dangerous to ignore.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: A Pakistani Province Aims To Deport 10,000 Afghans A Day
<[link removed]>



“A Pakistani province is setting targets for police to arrest and deport
hundreds of thousands of Afghans it says are in the country illegally,
officials said Thursday. The measure is part of a nationwide crackdown
following a sharp decline in the expulsion of Afghans living in Pakistan
without legal permission. Near the Chaman border crossing between Pakistan and
Afghanistan, local residents were protesting against new travel visa
requirements aimed at cutting down on illegal immigration that have disrupted
traffic in the area. Some of those targeted for deportation had apparently gone
to remote areas in Pakistan to avoid arrest, authorities said. “Instructions
have gone to police to arrest Afghans living in Pakistan illegally,” said Jan
Achakzai, spokesperson for the government in southwestern Baluchistan province.
He said authorities have been asked to deport 10,000 Afghans a day. Achakzai
made his comment days after authorities at the two key northwestern Torkham and
southwestern Chaman border crossings acknowledged a sudden decrease in the
number of Afghans who were sent back to Afghanistan after being arrested on the
charges of living in Pakistan illegally. An estimated 1.7 million Afghans were
living in Pakistan in October when authorities announced the crackdown, saying
that anyone without proper documents had to go back to their countries by Oct.
31 or be arrested.”



Yemen



The National: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Say Any US Action Would Be A ‘Declaration
Of War’
<[link removed]>



“Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said that any US measures against the group would
be considered as a declaration of war, as fears widen that Israel’s war on Gaza
has hindered US and UN efforts towards a lasting peace deal in Yemen. In a
televised speech on Yemen’s Independence Day on Thursday, the head of the
Supreme Political Council of the Houthi group, Mahdi Al Mashat, said that "any
American escalation will not dissuade us from our principled position on the
Palestinian issue, and that any measure that harms the interests of our people
will be tantamount to a declaration of war and will be dealt with on this
basis". "I call on Washington to make fundamental adjustments in its hostile
behaviour towards Yemen, as it does not serve peace in the region, and I warn
it against any persistence or escalation,” he added. Mr Al Mashat’s comments
came just hours after a US Navy warship sailing near the Bab El Mandeb Strait
shot down a drone launched from Yemen, the US military said, the latest in a
string of threats from Iran-backed Houthi rebels. US Central Command said the
USS Carney, a navy destroyer, downed the drone – an Iranian-made KAS-04 – which
was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen and was heading towards the
warship.”



Lebanon



Reuters: Israeli Army Intercepts Target From Lebanon, Israel Says
<[link removed]>



“The Israeli military said it intercepted an "aerial target" that crossed
from Lebanon on Thursday, in an incident that jolted the calm prevailing at the
frontier since the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel agreed a temporary truce.
Reuters witnesses heard blasts along the southeastern Lebanese frontier. There
were no immediate claims of responsibility for any attacks from Lebanon. Israel
and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, had been trading
fire across the border for weeks following the eruption of the Hamas-Israel war
on Oct. 7, in the worst Israel-Hezbollah fighting since a 2006 war. Other
groups, including Hamas and the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, also launched
attacks from Lebanon against Israel during the conflict. The Israeli army said
on Thursday it had "successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that
crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory". A spokesperson for the U.N.
peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) told Reuters a launch was detected from
Lebanon towards Israel, followed by Israeli retaliation. At about 5 pm (1500
GMT) local time, shells landed in the vicinity of Marwahin, a village in south
Lebanon on the border with Israel, according to a UNIFIL spokesperson. The
shells landed a few hundred metres from a UNIFIL base and there was no damage
to the base, he said. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a comment
request.”



Middle East



The New York Times: Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than A Year Ago
<[link removed]>



“Israeli officials obtained Hamas’s battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist
attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews
show. But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as
aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out. The
approximately 40-page document, which the Israeli authorities code-named
“Jericho Wall,” outlined, point by point, exactly the kind of devastating
invasion that led to the deaths of about 1,200 people. The translated document,
which was reviewed by The New York Times, did not set a date for the attack,
but described a methodical assault designed to overwhelm the fortifications
around the Gaza Strip, take over Israeli cities and storm key military bases,
including a division headquarters. Hamas followed the blueprint with shocking
precision. The document called for a barrage of rockets at the outset of the
attack, drones to knock out the security cameras and automated machine guns
along the border, and gunmen to pour into Israel en masse in paragliders, on
motorcycles and on foot — all of which happened on Oct. 7. The plan also
included details about the location and size of Israeli military forces,
communication hubs and other sensitive information, raising questions about how
Hamas gathered its intelligence and whether there were leaks inside the Israeli
security establishment.”



Reuters: Insight: How Qatar Swayed Israel And Hamas To Land A 7-Day Truce
<[link removed]>



“Last week, as world leaders feted Qatar for brokering a truce between Israel
and Hamas, its negotiators secretly doubled down on their mediation efforts,
fearful the ceasefire would collapse before it even started. Working through
the night, Qatari officials helped clinch the vital final details of a truce
that ultimately lasted for seven days before hostilities resumed on Friday,
permitting the release of dozens of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for
hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and the flow of humanitarian aid into the
shattered coastal strip. Qatar said on Friday it was working with both sides to
repair the deal. Reuters has pieced together the most detailed account to date
of how Qatar's mediators in Doha bridged the divide between Israel and Hamas on
Nov. 22. It offers a glimpse of Qatar's muscular approach in talks between what
one official involved in the negotiations called "two parties that have zero
level of confidence in each other." When the original truce agreement was
unveiled last week, there were real fears it would never get off the ground,
one of Qatar's lead negotiators, career diplomat Abdullah Al Sulaiti, said. "I
thought we were going to lose it and that the agreement wouldn't fly," he said
in an interview. The deal covering the truce and accompanying prisoner and
hostage exchanges had been loosely worded.”



Somalia



Reuters: UN Security Council Due To Vote On Lifting Arms Embargo On Somalia
<[link removed]>



“The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on Friday to remove the
final restrictions on weapons deliveries to Somalia's government and its
security forces, diplomats said, more than 30 years after an arms embargo was
first imposed on the country. The council put the embargo on Somalia in 1992 to
cut the flow of weapons to feuding warlords, who had ousted dictator Mohamed
Siad Barre and plunged the Horn of Africa country into civil war. The 15-member
body is due to adopt two British-drafted resolutions on Friday, diplomats said
- one to remove the full arms embargo on Somalia and another to reimpose an
arms embargo on Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab militants. One of the draft
resolutions spells out that "for the avoidance of doubt, that there is no arms
embargo on the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia." It also
expresses concern about the number of safe ammunition storage facilities in
Somalia, and encourages the construction, refurbishment and use of safe
ammunition depots across Somalia. It urges other countries to help. Al Shabaab
has been waging a brutal insurgency against the Somali government since 2006 to
try to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic
Sharia law.”



Associated Press: Somali Maritime Police Intensify Patrols As Fears Grow Of
Resurgence Of Piracy In The Gulf Of Aden
<[link removed]>



“Somalia’s maritime police force on Thursday intensified patrols in the Gulf
of Aden following a failed pirate hijacking of a ship earlier this week. The
commander of the maritime force in the semiautonomous region of Puntland,
Abdullahi Mohamed Ahmed, told The Associated Press that patrols in the waters
had doubled and were on a 24-hour rotation to deter pirates. “Here now we have
many challenges. We had initially dealt with the pirates and stopped their
activities, but recently on top of al-Shabab and IS we have had to look out for
them again,” he said. On Sunday, the U.S. military said it had captured five
men who had attempted to hijack an Israeli-linked tanker off the coast of
Yemen. U.S. and British militaries said the armed attackers seized the
Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden.
The pirates had attempted to escape using speedboats but surrendered after
being pursued by American destroyer the USS Mason, a statement from the U.S.
Military’s central command said. Yemeni Houthi rebels have conducted recent
attacks on commercial vessels on the Gulf of Eden, seen as part of a rise in
violence in the region due to the Israel-Hamas war. But the Pentagon said this
latest attempt was carried out by Somali nationals.”



Germany



DW: Germany: Teens Allegedly Planned Christmas Market Attack
<[link removed]>



“Two German teenagers are accused of plotting a terror attack on a Christmas
market in the western German city of Leverkusen, German prosecutors said on
Thursday. The suspects, a 15-year-old boy in North Rhine-Westphalia and a
16-year-old boy in the eastern state of Brandenburg, were arrested earlier on
Wednesday. Officials said the 15-year-old boy posted in a chat group about a
plan to attack a Christmas market in Leverkusen, a city near Cologne in the
state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The teenager allegedly claimed to have
acquired gasoline for what prosecutors called "a fuel-induced explosion of a
small truck."”



Europe



Washington Post: In Undisclosed Call, Pope Francis Warned Israel Against
Committing ‘Terror’
<[link removed]>



“As bombs fell and tanks penetrated deep into Gaza in late October, Israeli
President Isaac Herzog held a fraught phone call with Pope Francis. The Israeli
head of state was describing his nation’s horror over the Hamas attack on Oct.
7 when the pope issued a blunt rejoinder. It is “forbidden to respond to terror
with terror,” Francis said, according to a senior Israeli official familiar
with the call, which has not been previously reported. Herzog protested,
repeating the position that the Israeli government was doing what was needed in
Gaza to defend its own people. The pope continued, saying those responsible
should indeed be held accountable, but not civilians. That private call would
inform Israeli interpretations of Francis’s polemic statement, at his Nov. 22
general audience in St. Peter’s Square, that the conflict had “gone beyond war.
This is terrorism.” Taken with the diplomatic exchange — deemed so “bad” by the
Israelis that they did not make it public — the implication seemed clear: The
pope was calling their campaign in Gaza an act of terrorism. “How else could it
be interpreted?” said the senior official, speaking on the condition of
anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.”



Reuters: Russia's Supreme Court Bans "LGBT Movement" As "Extremist"
<[link removed]>



“Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that LGBT activists should be
designated as "extremists", in a move that representatives of gay and
transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. The presiding
judge announced that he had endorsed a request from the justice ministry to ban
what it called "the international LGBT social movement". The move is part of a
pattern of increasing restrictions in Russia on expressions of sexual
orientation and gender identity, including laws outlawing the promotion of
"non-traditional" sexual relations and banning legal or medical changes of
gender. U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk urged Russian authorities to
"repeal, immediately, laws that place improper restrictions on the work of
human rights defenders or that discriminate against LGBT people". President
Vladimir Putin, expected shortly to announce that he will seek a new six-year
term in March, has long sought to promote an image of Russia as a guardian of
traditional moral values in contrast with a decadent West. In a speech last
year, he said the West was welcome to adopt "rather strange, in my view,
new-fangled trends like dozens of genders, and gay parades" but had no right to
impose them on other countries.”



India



Times Of India: J-K: Terrorist Killed In Encounter In Pulwama Village
<[link removed]>



“One terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces and war-like
stores were recovered in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, the Indian Army
said on Friday. The Chinar Corps of the Indian Army, in a post on its social
media platform X, said a joint operation was launched following "specific
intelligence input" by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir police on the
intervening night of November 30-December 1 at Arihal village in Pulwama.
"Cordon laid and contact established. One terrorist has been eliminated along
with the recovery of weapons and war-like stores," the Chinar Corps posted on
X. The search operation is in progress, as per the Army.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>
 




Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>