“The United Nations said Tuesday that it was no longer able to distribute food
aid in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity.
The humanitarian crisis has escalated over the past two weeks since Israel
launched an incursion into Rafah that closed a vital border crossing, vowing to
root out Hamas fighters. The fighting sent hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians fleeing out of Rafah, many of whom were displaced earlier in the
war. A U.S. official said Tuesday that Israel has addressed many of President
Joe Biden’s concerns about a full-scale ground invasion of Rafah, although the
Americans stopped short of greenlighting a total Israeli assault on the city.
Israel and the United States are also seeking to contain fallout after chief
prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court requested arrest warrants for
leaders of both Israel and Hamas. Among the prosecutor’s allegations against
Israel was using “starvation as a method of warfare.” Israeli and U.S. leaders
harshly condemned the accusations.”











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Eye on Extremism



May 22, 2024



Associated Press: The Latest | UN Food Aid Collapses In Rafah As Israeli
Leaders Decry War Crime Accusations
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“The United Nations said Tuesday that it was no longer able to distribute food
aid in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity.
The humanitarian crisis has escalated over the past two weeks since Israel
launched an incursion into Rafah that closed a vital border crossing, vowing to
root out Hamas fighters. The fighting sent hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians fleeing out of Rafah, many of whom were displaced earlier in the
war. A U.S. official said Tuesday that Israel has addressed many of President
Joe Biden’s concerns about a full-scale ground invasion of Rafah, although the
Americans stopped short of greenlighting a total Israeli assault on the city.
Israel and the United States are also seeking to contain fallout after chief
prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court requested arrest warrants for
leaders of both Israel and Hamas. Among the prosecutor’s allegations against
Israel was using “starvation as a method of warfare.” Israeli and U.S. leaders
harshly condemned the accusations.”



Express: Terrifying Warning Issued That Britain's ‘Unprepared’ For ISIS ‘Drone
Attack Plot On UK’
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“A leading expert in terrorism has warned that the UK is unprepared for drone
attacks that an Express investigation revealed ISIS is plotting. Messages
exchanged on encrypted message platforms by pro-Islamist groups uncovered by
this website revealed fanatics are being urged to "strike crowds at major
sporting events from the sky" with manuals on drone warfare and making homemade
explosives being shared. When we shared the details with Professor Dr.
Christian Kaunert, Chair of Policing and Security at University of South Wales,
he warned the UK is yet to adapt its defences to cope with such a threat. “It's
not that British air defences couldn't handle drone attacks,” he explained.
“It’s that they're not prepared for these types of drone attacks [on crowds at
events]. “They pose a significant threat. They are, in a sense, the more
high-tech version of the guy who's taking a truck and drives into a crowd. It’s
the next level of that.””




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* Russian Connections to Israel-Gaza Protests
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* Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Wagner Group –
Part 2
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* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in April 2024
<[link removed]>
* Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Wagner Group –
Part 1
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* Remembering the heroism of Poway amid soaring antisemitism
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CEP Mentions



The New European: Europe Is Walking The Terror Tightrope
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“…“The terrorist threat to Europe right now is actually quite high because you
have an intersection of a range of disconnected but unfortunately mutually
reinforcing events,” said Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Berlin- and New
York-based Counter Extremism Project. “October 7 changed the threat level from
groups that didn’t really pose any threat on the European continent for many
years. It’s definitely always been Islamist terrorism, but it’s not Islamist
terrorism in all of its varieties from Hamas to al-Qaida. Usually it’s Islamic
State, it’s al-Qaida, and it’s lone actors. Now you have Hamas, Hezbollah, lone
actors, Islamic State, al-Qaida, the left wing, the right wing – all of them
who could potentially see this large conglomeration of really soft targets. “We
have the threat that has been there all along, but because of October 7 has
been fairly diligently pushed out of the headlines, and that’s the Islamic
State threat,” he added.”



International Development Committee Hearing On FCDO And Civil Societies |
Parliament Live TV
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“Witness: Edmund Fitton-Brown, Former Ambassador to Yemen and CEP Advisory
Board Member.”



United States



Politico: Biden Admin Openly Hammering Israel’s Military Strategy In Gaza
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“The Biden administration fears Israel is disastrously squandering its
opportunity for victory against Hamas, losing its best chance to eliminate the
group’s hold on Gaza and threat to the Israeli people. Top officials are
publicly calling Israel’s strategy in Gaza self-defeating and likely to open
the door to Hamas’ return — a level of criticism of the Middle East ally not
seen since the war began in October. The officials say Israel’s government has
failed to hold parts of Gaza after clearing them, has turned the civilian
population and the rest of the world against it with widespread bombing and
inadequate humanitarian aid, and enabled Hamas to recruit more fighters. The
U.S. for months kept any criticism private, quietly pushing Israel to shift how
it retaliates against Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack that started the war. But the
frustration of watching Israel refuse to change course has increasingly spilled
into the open, each broadside a crowbar widening the rift between Washington
and Jerusalem.”



Nigeria



Associated Press: Hundreds Of Hostages, Mostly Women And Children, Are Rescued
From Boko Haram Extremists In Nigeria
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“Hundreds of hostages, mostly children and women, who were held captive for
months or years by Boko Haram extremists in northeastern Nigeria have been
rescued from a forest enclave and handed over to authorities, the army said.
The 350 hostages had been held in the Sambisa Forest, a hideout for the
extremist group which launched an insurgency in 2009, Maj. Gen. Ken Chigbu, a
senior Nigerian army officer, said late Monday while presenting them to
authorities in Borno, where the forest is. The 209 children, 135 women and six
men appeared exhausted in their worn-out clothes. Some of the girls had babies
believed to have been born from forced marriages, as is often the case with
female victims who are either raped or forced to marry the militants while in
captivity. One of the hostages had seven children and spoke of how she and
others couldn’t escape because of their children.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Appoints New 'Army' Commander
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“Somalia's al-Qaeda network associates; the Al-Shabaab, may have appointed a
new army commander, a top national security official revealed, noting that the
changes may have been occasioned by internal wrangles within the group that
controls central and southern regions. Hussein Sheikh Ali, the National
Security Advisor, said the militants have a new man in charge of Jabha (army),
who will be in charge of ground operations. The militants, however, do not have
sustainable strategies for ground combat. Security officials say they believe
the new al-Shabaab Jabha commander is Guled Ilkacase. The person holding the
position is highly regarded within the ranks of the group and operates
alongside top leadership, including the group leader, Abu Ubaidah. Not much is
known about Guled Ilkacase, but a defector told Voice of America he may have
spent time with Al-Shabaab fighters in Galgala (Puntland).”



Germany



Reuters: Nine In Germany, Accused Of 'Reichsbuerger' Coup Plot, Go On Trial
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“A would-be prince, a former judge and parliamentarian, and retired military
officers were among nine alleged conspirators who went on trial on Tuesday for
a suspected "Reichsbuerger" plot to overthrow Germany's democracy. Prosecutors
say they were ringleaders in a terrorist conspiracy to topple the government
and install property investor Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss, scion of a
now-throneless dynasty, as caretaker head of state. The plot, exposed in 2022,
has both captivated and stunned Germany, which prides itself on its economic
might, stable institutions and consensus-driven politics, despite recent
inroads by the far right.”



Europe



Associated Press: Norway, Ireland And Spain Say They Are Recognizing A
Palestinian State In A Historic Move
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“Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they are recognizing a Palestinian
state in a historic move that drew condemnation from Israel and jubilation from
the Palestinians. Israel immediately ordered back its ambassadors from Norway
and Ireland. The formal recognition will be made on May 28. The development is
a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration that came against the backdrop
of international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis
in the Gaza Strip following Israel’s offensive there. In Jerusalem, meanwhile,
a far-right government minister paid a provocative visit to a flashpoint holy
site sacred to Jews and Muslims. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which Jews refer to as the Temple Mount,
was likely to escalate tensions across the region.”



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