CEP Mentions
The Messenger: What Could Come Next In Gaza: Hamas In Exile, ‘Safe Zones,’ And Arab Governing Coalition
“..."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
“... 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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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’
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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’
“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"
“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
“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.”
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