“A US envoy has arrived in Israel to continue negotiations on a ceasefire with
Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, after reporting “additional progress” during a
second day of talks in Beirut. Amos Hochstein, who has led the Biden
administration’s efforts to end more than one year of conflict, was expected to
meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday amid cautious
optimism in Lebanon. In what was seen as a positive development, he returned to
Beirut on Tuesday after the Lebanese government and Hezbollah accepted a
US-drafted proposal, although with some comments. He unexpectedly extended his
visit by a day for further discussions. After meeting Lebanese Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri, who has Hezbollah’s support to negotiate, Hochstein said
he would go to Israel “to try to bring this to a close if we can”.”











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Eye on Extremism



November 21, 2024



BBC: US Envoy In Israel After Progress On Hezbollah Ceasefire
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“A US envoy has arrived in Israel to continue negotiations on a ceasefire with
Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, after reporting “additional progress” during a
second day of talks in Beirut. Amos Hochstein, who has led the Biden
administration’s efforts to end more than one year of conflict, was expected to
meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday amid cautious
optimism in Lebanon. In what was seen as a positive development, he returned to
Beirut on Tuesday after the Lebanese government and Hezbollah accepted a
US-drafted proposal, although with some comments. He unexpectedly extended his
visit by a day for further discussions. After meeting Lebanese Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri, who has Hezbollah’s support to negotiate, Hochstein said
he would go to Israel “to try to bring this to a close if we can”.”



Reuters: Belarusian Leader Lukashenko Pardons 32 People Jailed For 'Extremism'
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“Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 32 people who were
convicted of extremism, according to the Pul Pervogo Telegram account which
reports widely on his activities. It was the sixth group of pardons issued this
year, beginning in July by Lukashenko, who has been in power in the ex-Soviet
state since 1994. Human rights groups say more than 1,200 detainees labelled as
political prisoners remain in detention more than four years after Belarusian
authorities launched a crackdown against protesters opposing his election to a
sixth term in office. Lukashenko is running for a seventh term in office in
January. The Interior Ministry said police would conduct drills this week to
ensure that "manifestations of extremism and terrorism" were prevented.”



CEP Mentions



Daily Mail: Europe Is 'Totally Unprepared' For The Level Of Hybrid Warfare
Putin Is Set To Unleash, With Energy And Communications Sabotage, Aviation GPS
Jamming And Weaponizing Migrants All Tools Of The Kremlin
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“Europe is 'totally unprepared' for Russia's tactics of hybrid warfare,
defence officials have warned amid mounting fear that Moscow is already
sabotaging critical infrastructure on the continent in anticipation of a wider
conflict. Western leaders have accused Russia of sabotaging vital cables in the
Baltic twice within 48 hours, after Biden relaxed rules on Ukraine firing
long-range missiles into Russia and amid speculation Europe may follow suit…
'Russia could easily suffer losses from indiscriminate Houthi actions in the
Red Sea. But it's happy to run that risk for what it sees as bigger gains from
stoking conflict,' said Edmund Fitton-Brown, Senior Advisor to the Counter
Extremism Project and former Ambassador of the UK to Yemen.”



Cicero: “Legitimate Organizations Do Not Deal Drugs”
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“Hezbollah has been classified as a terrorist organization in Germany since
2019. Nevertheless, it has a considerable support scene - also in Germany and
Europe. In an interview, extremism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler explains
Hezbollah's activities in Lebanon and Europe. Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler is
Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project. He is also the former
coordinator of the UN Security Council's ISIL, Al-Qaida and Taliban Monitoring
Team.”



Zdfheute: Expert: Breivik Not Mentally Ill
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“According to experts, the Norwegian right-wing terrorist Anders Behring
Breivik cannot be classified as mentally ill. In a new report, two experts
stated, according to the NTB news agency, that the 45-year-old is neither
considered ill nor psychotic or mentally ill... Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob
Schindler is critical of the discussion about gun-free zones or stricter laws.
For him, radicalization on the Internet must be stopped”



WTOP: The Hunt: 2025 Could See Resurgence Of Global Terrorism
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“This year has been a transformative one for terrorist groups, proven by the
fact there have been increasingly radical background actors discovered in
Europe and the United States. In this week’s episode of “The Hunt with WTOP
national security correspondent JJ Green,” Hans Jakob Schindler, senior
director at the Counter Extremism Project, says terrorist groups have been
gradually increasing their capacity to launch attacks. “We did see a massive
spike there, partially because of the Middle East conflict, partially also
because, as I always say, we decided no longer to fight terrorism there. So
hence, we’re now fighting it (in the U.S.),” Schindler said.”



United States



Associated Press: Middle East Latest: US Vetoes A Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution
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“The United States vetoed a U.N. resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire
in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with the Americans saying they the resolution
Wednesday was not linked to an immediate release of hostages still held by
Hamas. Meanwhile in Lebanon, a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah was
showing signs of progress. However Israel’s defense minister says his country
wants the right to act militarily against Hezbollah in any agreement to end the
fighting. Lebanon’s government is likely to view any such demand as an
infringement on its sovereignty, complicating efforts to end more than a year
of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that erupted into all-out war in
September. Israeli strikes and combat in Lebanon have killed more than 3,500
people and wounded 15,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.”



The Jerusalem Post: More Than 55 Jewish Groups Come Out Against Terrorism Bill
That Could Threaten Nonprofits <[link removed]>



“A coalition of more than 55 centrist and progressive Jewish groups is
lobbying against a bipartisan bill that would give the Treasury Department
broad powers to revoke the tax exemption of any nonprofit it deems to be a
“terrorist-supporting organization.” The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax
Penalties on American Hostages Act is slated for a vote in the House of
Representatives Thursday. Last week, the bill was fast-tracked for a vote but
failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority for advancement as many
Democratic lawmakers argued the bill could be abused by the incoming Trump
administration.”



Iran



Middle East Monitor: Iran President Calls On Pope Francis To Use Influence To
Stop War In Middle East
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“Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, called on Pope Francis to use his
influence with Christian governments to stop war in the Middle East,
semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday. “Encourage world leaders,
especially Christian governments, to prevent the continuation of aggressions
made by the criminal Israeli regime,” Pezeshkian said, in what Fars described
as a message to the Pope, Reuters reports. The message was delivered by an
Iranian delegation participating in a religious dialogue event held in the
Vatican, Iran’s government website said.”



Pakistan



ABC News: In Pakistan, Afghan Journalists Face Deportation And Yearslong Waits
For Humanitarian Visas
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“As Jahanzeb Wesa fled toward the Pakistani border in the middle of the
night, he wondered if his career defending human rights would help protect him
now that he was a refugee himself. A 28-year-old Afghan journalist and women's
rights advocate, Wesa said he was attacked by a Taliban fighter while covering
a women's rights protest just after the fall of Kabul in August 2021. If he
didn't make it across the border, he said, he knew he would likely be killed.
"We worked for 20 years for a better future for Afghanistan," he recalled
thinking. "Why did we lose everything?" But arriving in a new country brought
no sense of safety. Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, some
Afghan journalists said they have been in limbo waiting for humanitarian visas
while living in exile in Pakistan, where they fled across the shared border
when Kabul fell.”



Lebanon



Reuters: Hezbollah Chief Says It Reviewed Truce Proposal, Ceasefire In
Israel's Hands
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“Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said in a televised speech aired on Wednesday
that his group had reviewed and given feedback on a U.S.-drafted ceasefire
proposal to end fighting with Israel, and that a halt to hostilities was now in
Israel's hands. Qassem made his comments in a pre-recorded address aired a few
hours after U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein said he would head to Israel to try to
close a deal on a truce, after two days of meetings with Lebanese officials
including two sit-downs with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally.
Qassem said his Iran-backed group had seen the draft U.S. deal and provided
feedback. "These comments were presented to the U.S. envoy and they were
discussed with him in detail," Qassem said. "The comments we presented show
that we approve this track of indirect negotiations through Speaker Berri."”



The Washington Post: Can Lebanon’s Army Secure The South? A Cease-Fire Deal
Could Depend On It.
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“The Lebanese army convoy snaked through the capital’s battered southern
suburbs on a recent afternoon, past buildings demolished in Israeli air raids,
in a show of public reassurance rather than force by soldiers keenly aware of
the limits of their power. There was nothing they could do about the
airstrikes, even ones that had killed fellow soldiers. “Not antiaircraft,” a
soldier said, gesturing to a gun mounted on a Humvee supplied by the United
States. Along with other foreign benefactors, Washington has provided the
Lebanese army just enough support over the years to survive — but hardly enough
to give it an edge over foreign enemies or domestic rivals. The army’s strength
and readiness are matters of growing urgency as the Biden administration makes
a new push for a cease-fire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah,
which would end more than a year of war and thrust Lebanese soldiers into a
critical role.”



Middle East



Reuters: Hamas: No Hostages-For-Prisoners Swap Deal With Israel Unless Gaza
War Ends
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“Hamas' acting Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said in remarks broadcast on
Wednesday that there would be no hostages-for-prisoners swap deal with Israel
unless the war in the Palestinian enclave ended. "Without an end to the war,
there can be no prisoner swap," Hayya said in a televised interview with the
group's Al-Aqsa television channel, reiterating the group's position on how to
bring the war to an end. "If the aggression is not ended, why would the
resistance and in particular Hamas, return the prisoners (hostages)?" he said.
"How would a sane or an insane person lose a strong card he owns while the war
is continuing?" Efforts to negotiate a truce for Gaza have stalled, and the
U.S. on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an
unconditional permanent ceasefire.”



Bloomberg: Israel Has A New Operational Freedom After Crippling Hezbollah
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“For years, Israelis were told that in the next war with Hezbollah, the
Lebanese militia would fire thousands of rockets and missiles a day,
overwhelming their air defenses, causing blackouts, death and destruction. Yet
three months after Israel turned its military to the north, Hezbollah is firing
barely 100 on the most intense days and appears vastly degraded as a military
threat, driving it to accept US-brokered negotiations for a cease-fire
unrelated to the war in Gaza. Along with the dismantling of the Palestinian
militant group Hamas and two air strikes on Iran, Israel’s campaigns have
shifted domestic perceptions of its position from one of acute vulnerability
after the devastating attack from Gaza a year ago to one of decisive strength.”



Somalia



Voice Of America: Foreign Fighters Flocking To Islamic State In Somalia
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“The Islamic State terror group's small but influential affiliate in Somalia
is growing, thanks in part to what the United Nations describes as an "influx
of foreign fighters." A new report this week by the U.N. Sanctions Monitoring
Team for Somalia warns that fighters, including some from countries in the
Middle East, have helped the Islamic State's Somali affiliate, also known as
IS-Somalia, to more than double in size to between 600 and 700 fighters.
"Foreign fighters arrive in Puntland [Somalia] using both maritime and overland
routes," according to the report, which is based on intelligence estimates from
U.N. member states. The foreign fighters "have expanded and enhanced the
group's capabilities," the report said, strengthening IS's presence in
Somalia's Puntland region while also helping it take territory from its key
rival, al-Qaida-linked terror group al-Shabab.”



Africa



Bloomberg: Militants Violating Congo Cease-Fire Deal, Regional Bloc Says
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“Militants operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are
violating the terms of a peace accord that was signed in late July and the
civilian population is suffering as a result, the head of a regional trading
bloc said. “Armed groups continue to carry out sporadic attacks on the armed
forces of the DRC and civilians, leading to dire humanitarian conditions,”
Elias Magosi, the executive secretary of the 16-nation Southern African
Development Community, told a meeting of regional heads of state in Harare,
Zimbabwe’s capital, on Thursday. “We are gravely concerned about the reported
violations of the cease-fire by some parties to the agreement, which must be
condemned in the strongest of terms.” Congo accuses Rwanda of backing an
insurgency by the M23 rebel group, an allegation its neighbor denies.”



Europe



Associated Press: ICC Sentences Al-Qaida-Linked Former Police Chief To 10
Years For War Crimes In Mali
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“The International Criminal Court sentenced an al-Qaida-linked extremist
leader to 10 years in prison on Wednesday for war crimes and crimes against
humanity carried out when he headed the Islamic police in the historic desert
city of Timbuktu in the west African country of Mali. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz
Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was convicted of torture, religious persecution and other
inhumane acts in June. Judges found he was a “key figure” in a reign of terror
after Islamic extremist rebels overran Timbuktu in 2012. “This regime and these
acts had a traumatic impact on the population of Timbuktu,” presiding judge
Kimberly Prost told The Hague-based court Dressed head to toe in white
traditional robes, Al Hassan was expressionless as he listened to the sentence
being read out.”



Technology



Fox News: 'Cheerleading For Terrorism': Twitch Star Called For New 9/11,
Dismissed Horror Of Oct 7
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“A popular Amazon-owned video platform geared toward teenagers and young
adults is filled with extremist content, including one of its biggest stars
praising terrorist groups and even blithely calling for another 9/11 to his 2.8
million strong audience, according to a Fox News Digital review. Hasan Piker,
who has millions of followers on Twitch, has broadcast propaganda from Yemen's
Houthis, framed violent terrorist acts as "resistance," expressed sympathy for
extremist groups who target civilians and downplayed the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks
against Jews in Israel. Piker's shocking diatribes are among the most popular
on the video game-streaming platform, which allows viewers to listen to their
favorite personalities opine on topics ranging from pop culture to current
events while playing video games.”



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