Eye on Extremism
November 21, 2024
BBC: US Envoy In Israel After Progress On Hezbollah Ceasefire
“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'
“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
“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”
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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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