“The United States on Tuesday vetoed an Arab-backed and widely supported U.N.
resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas
war in the embattled Gaza Strip, saying it would interfere with negotiations on
a deal to free hostages abducted in Israel. The vote in the 15-member Security
Council was 13-1 with the United Kingdom abstaining, reflecting the strong
support from countries around the globe for ending the war, which started when
Hamas militants invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people
and taking 250 others hostage. Since then, more than 29,000 Palestinians have
been killed in Israel’s military offensive, according to the Gaza Health
Ministry, which says the vast majority were women and children. It was the
third U.S. veto of a Security Council resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza
and came a day after the United States circulated a rival resolution that would
support a temporary cease-fire linked to the release of all hostages.”











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Eye on Extremism



February 21, 2024



Associated Press: The US Vetoes An Arab-Backed UN Resolution Demanding An
Immediate Humanitarian Cease-Fire In Gaza
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“The United States on Tuesday vetoed an Arab-backed and widely supported U.N.
resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas
war in the embattled Gaza Strip, saying it would interfere with negotiations on
a deal to free hostages abducted in Israel. The vote in the 15-member Security
Council was 13-1 with the United Kingdom abstaining, reflecting the strong
support from countries around the globe for ending the war, which started when
Hamas militants invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people
and taking 250 others hostage. Since then, more than 29,000 Palestinians have
been killed in Israel’s military offensive, according to the Gaza Health
Ministry, which says the vast majority were women and children. It was the
third U.S. veto of a Security Council resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza
and came a day after the United States circulated a rival resolution that would
support a temporary cease-fire linked to the release of all hostages.”



New York Post: Israel Uncovers Hole That Hamas Used To Move Militants,
Weapons At UN School Used As Refugee Shelter
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“Israeli forces discovered a hole in the wall of a United Nations
school-turned refugee shelter that about 60 Hamas gunmen used to stash and
access a weapons cache to attack Jewish soldiers, the army said Tuesday.
Footage taken at the three-story school in Khan Younis shows a large hole in
the courtyard wall covered by a tarp, with the space allowing for easy access
from the school to an adjacent building. Just a few feet past the courtyard
hole, another impromptu entrance was created on the neighboring building, where
the Israel Defense Forces discovered a slew of weapons and explosives.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* CEP – KAS: Sahel Monitoring December 2023
<[link removed]>
* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in January 2024
<[link removed]>
* Afghanistan Content Report: February 3 – February 9
<[link removed]>
* Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Russian Imperial
Movement (RIM) - Part 2
<[link removed]>
* Afghanistan Content Report: January 20 – February 2
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CEP Mentions



ACAMS Today: Edmund Fitton-Brown On Yemen And The Houthis
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“In the latest episode of the “Sanctions Space” podcast, Justine Walker is
joined by Edmund Fitton-Brown, senior advisor at the Counter Extremism Project
and former U.K. ambassador to Yemen. They discuss the ongoing tensions in the
Red Sea, the political situation in Yemen and the origin and aspirations of the
Houthi group, as well as sanctions actions taken by the U.S. and others against
the Houthis. Fitton-Brown holds advisory or fellowship positions with RUSI, the
Middle East Institute, The Soufan Center and New America. In addition, one of
Fitton-Brown’s former roles includes being coordinator of the United Nations
ISIL/Al-Qaida/Taliban Sanctions Monitoring Team. Read Fitton-Brown’s bio here.”



United States



Politico: Russia Adds Lindsey Graham To List Of ‘Terrorists’ After He Pushes
Consequences For Navalny’s Death
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“Sen. Lindsey Graham has been added to Russia’s list of “extremists and
terrorists” days after he proposed that the U.S. designate Russia a state
sponsor of terrorism following the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny.
Russian state media first reported that Graham (R-S.C.), a long-time Russia
hawk, had been added to the list, which is monitored by Rosfinmonitoring, the
country’s state financial watchdog. That followed Graham blaming Russian
President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death in prison last week.”



Washington Post: A Reporter Investigated Neo-Nazis. Then They Came To His
House In Masks
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“Jordan Green reports on extremists for the news website Raw Story, where his
stories have included alleged neo-Nazis joining the U.S. military or protesting
at drag shows. For the past few months, he has worked on an investigation into
a teenage gang that local police had linked to a spate of racist vandalism,
including a brick attack on a Jewish center in Pensacola, Fla. As Green
prepared to publish his story, neo-Nazis came to his house. Green’s reporting
had found that the Pensacola gang was part of a larger online network known as
2119 Blood and Soil Crew, with members operating in several states. On Feb. 10,
five people connected to 2119 appeared outside his home in Greensboro, N.C.,
according to Green, as well as photos the group itself shared on social media.”



Syria



Associated Press: Syria Says An Israeli Strike That Hit A Damascus Residential
Area Killed 2 People
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“Israeli strikes hit a neighborhood of the Syrian capital on Wednesday
morning, killing two people and causing material damage, Syria’s state TV said.
There was no confirmation of the strikes from Israel. The Syrian state TV
reported that several missiles hit the western neighborhood of Kfar Sousseh but
did not elaborate or say who were the people killed. The pro-government Sham FM
radio station said the strike hit a building near an Iranian school. Rami
Abdurrahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based
opposition war monitor, said the two killed were inside an apartment but did
not give any clues about their identities. He added that the strike was similar
to last month’s killing in Beirut of Saleh Arouri, a top official with the
militant Palestinian Hamas group. The strike damaged the fourth floor of a
10-story building, shattered window glass on nearby buildings and also damaged
dozens of cars parked in the area. An empty parked bus for the nearby
Al-Bawader Private School was also damaged and people were seen rushing to the
school to take their children.”



Turkey



Reuters: Turkey Detains Six Suspected Of Spying On Uyghurs For China
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“Turkish authorities have detained six people suspected of spying on Uyghurs
in Turkey for China's intelligence service, and another suspect was being
sought by police, state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
Prosecutors in Istanbul identified seven people believed to be gathering
information on notable individuals from the Uyghur community and some
associations tied to them in Turkey, Anadolu said, without providing further
details. Some 50,000 Uyghurs are estimated to live in Turkey, the largest
Uyghur diaspora outside Central Asia. Turks have close ethnic, religious and
linguistic ties to the Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim people who speak a Turkic
language. Beijing has come under scrutiny - including from Ankara - over its
treatment of its Uyghur minority. The Chinese embassy in Turkey did not
immediately respond to a request for comment on the Anadolu report. Last month,
Turkish authorities detained 34 people suspected of being linked to Israel's
Mossad intelligence service and of targeting Palestinians living in Turkey. The
MIT intelligence service has since carried out other operations against
suspected Mossad agents in Turkey.”



Reuters: U.S.-Turkey Ties Now Have Significant Momentum, Senator Murphy Says
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“There is significant momentum in relations between the United States and
Turkey upon which the two NATO allies can capitalise, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy
said on Wednesday during a visit to Turkey following its approval of Sweden's
NATO membership bid. Ties between them have long been strained by issues
ranging from Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems to U.S.
support for a Kurdish militia in Syria that Ankara regards as a terrorist
group, and various human rights issues. "You definitely feel some real new,
purposeful, good feeling in the relationship, and we very much felt that in all
of our meetings yesterday," Murphy told Reuters in an interview in Istanbul
after talks in the capital Ankara with Turkish leaders. Last week, President
Tayyip Erdogan himself spoke of a positive trend in relations between the two
NATO allies, with the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey going ahead after it
ratified Sweden's NATO accession following 20 months of delay.”



Pakistan



The Independent: Pakistan Parties ‘Stealing Election Mandate’ As Coalition
Formed Without Imran Khan
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“Two political parties in Pakistan led by Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari
have decided to form a coalition government following 8 February’s elections
marred by accusations of rigging. The Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz [PMLN] and
the Pakistan Peoples Party [PPP] individually won fewer seats than independent
candidates backed by imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan’s party,
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf [PTI]. PTI has accused PMLN and PPP of stealing their
mandate and election rigging. PPP chair Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced during
a joint press conference at the Zardari House in capital Islamabad held at
midnight that the PMLN and PPP collectively possessed enough seats to establish
the federal government. “The Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim
League – Nawaz now have complete numbers and we are in the position to form the
next government,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said alongside top leaders from both the
parties.”



New York Times: An Election Shatters The Image Of Pakistan’s Mightiest Force
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“The intimidating myth of an all-powerful military in Pakistan has been
smashed in public view. The first cracks began to appear two years ago, when
thousands of Pakistanis rallied alongside an ousted prime minister who had
railed against the generals’ iron grip on politics. A year later, angry mobs
stormed military installations and set them aflame. Now comes another searing
rebuke: Voters turned out in droves this month for candidates aligned with the
expelled leader, Imran Khan, despite a military crackdown on his party. His
supporters then returned to the streets to accuse the military of rigging the
results to deny Mr. Khan’s allies a majority and allow the generals’ favored
party to form a government. The political jockeying and unrest have left
Pakistan, already reeling from an economic crisis, in a turbulent muddle. But
one thing is clear: The military — long respected and feared as the ultimate
authority in this nuclear-armed country of 240 million people — is facing a
crisis.”



Yemen



Bloomberg: Houthis Fire At Ship Carrying Humanitarian Aid To Yemen, US Says
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“Houthi militants in Yemen on Tuesday fired two missiles at a ship carrying
humanitarian assistance to the country, according to US Central Command. One of
the missiles exploded near the M/V Sea Champion, causing minor damage, but the
ship continued on its course to the Yemeni port city of Aden, Centcom said in a
statement on the social media platform X. The statement accused the Houthis of
making the humanitarian crisis in their own country even worse. “Houthi
aggression in the region has exacerbated already high levels of need in
conflict-impacted Yemen, which remains one of the largest humanitarian crises
in the world, with nearly 80% of the entire population needing humanitarian
assistance,” Centcom said in its statement. The regular attacks have snarled
shipping through the Red Sea, forcing traffic around the southern tip of Africa
and other alternate routes. Although the Houthis say their missile and drone
attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are a response to Israel’s military
campaign in Gaza, Centcom pointed out that the Sea Champion “has delivered
humanitarian aid to Yemen 11 times in the past five years.”



Associated Press: Attacks On Ships And US Drones Show Yemen’s Houthis Can
Still Fight Despite US-Led Airstrikes
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“Despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels
remain capable of launching significant attacks. This week, they seriously
damaged a ship in a crucial strait and downed an American drone worth tens of
millions of dollars. The continued assaults by the Houthis on shipping through
the crucial Red Sea corridor — the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — against the backdrop
of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip underscore the challenges in trying
to stop the guerrilla-style attacks they have used to hold onto Yemen’s capital
and much of the war-ravaged country’s north since 2014. The campaign has
boosted the rebels’ standing in the Arab world, despite their human rights
abuses in a yearslong stalemated war with several of America’s allies in the
region. Analysts warn that the longer the Houthis’ attacks go on, the greater
the risk that disruptions to international shipping will begin to weigh on the
global economy.”



Middle East



Reuters: UN Food Agency Pauses Deliveries To The North Of Gaza
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“The World Food Programme said on Tuesday it was pausing deliveries of food
aid to northern Gaza until conditions in the Palestinian enclave allow for safe
distribution. "The decision to pause deliveries to the north of the Gaza Strip
has not been taken lightly, as we know it means the situation there will
deteriorate further and more people risk dying of hunger," the Rome-based WFP,
the United Nations' food agency, said in a statement. Three U.N. agencies - the
WFP, the World Health Organization and children's agency UNICEF - said on
Monday food and safe water were "incredibly scarce and diseases are
rife...resulting in a surge of acute malnutrition" in Gaza more than four
months into the Israel-Hamas war. The food crisis is particularly serious in
the north, where in January one in six children under the age of two were
reported as acutely malnourished, and where "the situation is likely to be even
graver today", the agencies said. The WFP said it had resumed food deliveries
to the north on Sunday after they were suspended for three weeks because of an
attack on a U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) truck and "the absence of a
functioning humanitarian notification system."



Europe



Reuters: Belarus Leader Lukashenko Calls For Armed Street Patrols, Warns Of
'Extremist' Crime
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“Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko called on law enforcement agencies on
Tuesday to organise patrols with small arms on the streets of Belarusian cities
to ensure the safety of people. "People should feel safe at home, at work, on
the street, at any time of the day," Lukashenko said in a video from a meeting
with the country's top security bodies, posted on Pul Pervovo, a state outlet
that reports on Lukashenko's activities. Lukashenko said that while the crime
rate in Belarus was decreasing, the country was at risk of crimes of an
"extremist nature". "Today, this is the most important aspect of maintaining
law and order – to suppress the actions of thugs and preventing the loss of
souls, who do not yet fully understand what foreign curators are targeting
them," he said in the video clip. "I warn the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the
KGB, the special services, everyone, the prosecutor's office - anyone: we need
to take control of this. Our patrol guys must be on the streets...Patrols must
be armed with small arms, at least pistols."



Reuters: Greek Ship Attacked In Red Sea By Houthis Arrives In Aden With Cargo
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“The Greek-flagged bulk cargo vessel Sea Champion arrived in the southern
Yemeni port of Aden on Tuesday after being attacked in the Red Sea in what
appeared to have been a mistaken missile strike by Houthi militia, shipping and
military sources said. Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated drone and
missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait by the Iran-aligned
Houthis since November. U.S. and British forces have responded with several
strikes on Houthi facilities but have so far failed to halt the attacks. The
U.S. military's Central Command said late on Tuesday that the Houthis had fired
two anti-ship ballistic missiles at the Sea Champion, a U.S.-owned bulk
carrier. It said one of the missiles detonated near the ship causing minor
damage. The Sea Champion, which was ferrying corn from Argentina to Aden, the
seat of Yemen's internationally recognised government, was attacked twice on
Monday, with a window damaged but no crew injuries, Greek shipping ministry
sources said.”



Associated Press: Italy Again Prosecutes Egypt Officials For The 2016 Torture
And Death Of Italian Student In Cairo
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“Four high-level Egyptian security officials went on trial in absentia before
a Rome court on Tuesday, accused in the 2016 abduction, torture and slaying of
an Italian doctoral student in Cairo. Giulio Regeni’s body was found on a
highway days after he disappeared in the Egyptian capital on Jan. 25, 2016. He
was in Cairo to research union activities among street vendors as part of his
doctoral thesis. His mother has said his body was so mutilated by torture that
she was only able to recognize the tip of his nose when she viewed it. Human
rights activists have said the marks on his body resembled those resulting from
widespread torture in Egyptian Security Agency facilities. Regeni’s parents,
Paola and Giulio Regeni, were on hand for the opening court session and posed
outside the tribunal with a banner “Truth for Giulio Regeni.” “We have been
waiting for eight years this moment,” said Regeni’s longtime family attorney
Alessandra Ballerini. “We finally hope to have a trial against those who
perpetrated all the possible pain in the world on Giulio.”



Technology



Medium: How TikTok’s Lack Of Trust & Safety Enforcements Are A Danger For
Germany’s And The World’s Democracy
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“TikTok did not remove content which explicitly or through dog whistles
support said party members, their actions or the ideology. The reject rate for
actual violative content was 70%, TikTok only accepted 30% of the reports.
Example 1: In these short images you see in the first one a demonstration of a
nazi group (Deutsche Jugend), where else is one of the points of interest is
showing a Nazi salute and the caption “Love for your country is not a crime”
(also a German phrase), explicitly promoting Neo-Nazi actions, and violence,
thus should have been removed and information of the user forwarded to the
Verfassungsschutz.”



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