“For six weeks, the hard-won ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas
survived fraught hostage exchanges, disputes over alleged deal violations — and
the shock of President Donald Trump’s unexpected proposal to remove
Palestinians from Gaza and take control of the Strip. And yet, the fragile
truce may now be entering an even more precarious juncture. With time running
out on the first, 42-day phase of the deal, set to expire Saturday, Israel and
Hamas, along with the Trump administration and Arab government mediators,
appear far from reaching an agreement to proceed to the second, decisive phase
of the ceasefire, which would involve the release of all living Israeli
hostages still held by Hamas, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent end
to the war.”











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Eye on Extremism



February 26, 2025



The Washington Post: Dispute Over Disarming Hamas Bedevils Efforts To Extend
Gaza Ceasefire
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“For six weeks, the hard-won ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas
survived fraught hostage exchanges, disputes over alleged deal violations — and
the shock of President Donald Trump’s unexpected proposal to remove
Palestinians from Gaza and take control of the Strip. And yet, the fragile
truce may now be entering an even more precarious juncture. With time running
out on the first, 42-day phase of the deal, set to expire Saturday, Israel and
Hamas, along with the Trump administration and Arab government mediators,
appear far from reaching an agreement to proceed to the second, decisive phase
of the ceasefire, which would involve the release of all living Israeli
hostages still held by Hamas, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent end
to the war.”



Associated Press: Syria’s National Dialogue Conference Held As The Battered
Country Seeks To Rebuild
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“Syria’s new rulers held a long-awaited national dialogue conference Tuesday,
which they touted as as a “rare historical opportunity” to rebuild the country
after the fall of former President Bashar Assad and nearly 14 years of civil
war. About 600 people from across Syria were invited to the gathering in the
presidential palace in Damascus, hosted by the new authorities led by the
Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The group led the
offensive that ousted Assad in December. “Just as Syria has liberated itself by
itself, it is appropriate for it to build itself by itself,” interim President
Ahmad al-Sharaa told the conference.”





Counter Extremism Perspectives

Active Clubs: White supremacist network
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CounterPod

U.K. Home Office Counter Terror ‘sprint’ report; Donald Trump on Gaza; Eric
Glass; extremism in South Africa; kicked off by an irreverent explanation of
the Tush Push.
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CEP Mentions



Express: Hamas' Six Biggest Supporters Revealed As 61 Hostages Remain In Gaza
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“Hamas' six biggest allies have been identified in a new study as the group
continues to benefit from a "well-established international support system". A
bombshell new report by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), shown exclusively
to the Express before its publication, claimed the countries as "largely
responsible" for Hamas' survival. The findings, titled "Friends and Enablers of
Hamas: State Actors", also identified the four different types of allyship
Hamas is receiving. The six countries are: Iran, Qatar, Turkey, North Korea,
Russia, and China. Iran, Qatar, and Turkey were identified as "the most
explicit and vocal state supporters of Hamas" as they all provide aid in terms
of finances, diplomacy, and ideology. Iran also gives Hamas significant
military aid.”



The Baltimore Sun: Evil Hides In Plain Sight. It’s Our Job To Stop It.
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“Vice President JD Vance recently visited the Dachau concentration camp, and
it’s clear he got the right message. After touring the camp with 97-year-old
survivor Abba Naor, Vance said: “I’ve read a lot about the Holocaust in books,
but being here and seeing it up close in person really drives home what
unspeakable evil was committed … It’s very important that those of us who are
lucky enough to be alive can walk around, can know what happened here, and
commit ourselves to prevent it from happening again.” In line with Vance’s goal
of preventing hate from spreading and devolving into extraordinary evil, the
Counter Extremism Project (CEP) — a nonprofit aimed at combating extremist
groups — recently purchased House 88, home of the infamous Auschwitz commandant
Rudolf Höss and his family, which sits just beyond the walls of the Auschwitz
extermination camp in Poland. The number 88 was code for Heil Hitler — the
letter “H” is the 8th letter of the alphabet.”



Tagesspiegel: A Second Gaza?: What Israel Could Be Aiming For With Its
Military Operation In The West Bank
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“The detonation in Tel Aviv could be heard for miles. On Friday night, bombs
exploded in three empty buses in the towns of Holon and Bat Yam… Hans-Jakob
Schindler, senior director of the international Counter Extremism Project, sees
a direct connection between Israel's military actions in the West Bank and the
situation in the Gaza Strip. "Although there is still no clear strategy for the
long-term administration of the Gaza Strip, it is nevertheless clear that Hamas
will be weakened at least in the short to medium term," he told the
Tagesspiegel. Therefore, from Israel's point of view, it is important to
prevent "a strengthening of terrorist structures in the West Bank. As the
recent attacks in Tel Aviv have demonstrated, this is still within the realm of
possibility."”



Islander News: International Anti-Hate Initiative Launches With South Florida
Support
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“On January 27, 2025, the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of notorious
death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, The Counter Extremism Project, a transnational,
non-partisan, non-profit organization that has been successfully fighting
extremism since its founding in 2014, announced the creation of The Auschwitz
Research Center on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization: ARCHER) at House 88.
House 88 is the site of the residence of Commandant of the Auschwitz from
1940-44, Rudolf Höss and his family. It sits a few meters from the camp wall
and across from Auschwitz’s original gas chamber and crematorium.”



Dezeen: Daniel Libeskind To Transform Former Auschwitz Commandant's House Into
Anti-Extremism Centre
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“Non-profit organisation Counter Extremism Project has announced that
Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind will design the ARCHER at House 88
learning centre in the former home of an Auschwitz commandant. Located next to
the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and former concentration and extermination camps
in Oświęcim, Poland, the house will be transformed with the aim of honouring
the memory of the site's victims. The building, numbered 88 and 88a, will
contain exhibition spaces and facilities for the Auschwitz Center on Hate,
Extremism, and Radicalization (ARCHER), lending its name ARCHER at House 88.”



Scottish Daily Express: Scottish Children Being 'Brainwashed' By Neo-Nazis
Through Popular Video Game Minecraft
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“Experts have warned that Scottish children are being 'brainwashed' by the
far right on the world's most popular children's video game. Concerns have been
raised that neo-Nazis are exposing young people to vile propaganda on Minecraft
with the aim of radicalising them. Fascists are said to be using the game's
open-ended tools that allows users to build worlds to characters to flowers to
make avatars that resemble Adolf Hitler, KKK members, perpetrators of mass
shootings and even Jews being burnt alive at concentration camps. Senior
adviser to the Counter Extremism Project, Ian Acheson, warned that video games
were the "perfect way to recruit kids" due to how "easy" it was to disguise
interactions that were "seamless and social".”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

*
Nasrallah’s funeral and Hezbollah’s show of strength
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*
The Islamic State in Puntland, Somalia
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*
The Houthi Torture Industrial Complex
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* CounterPoint Brief: The U.S.-Jordan Struggle to Extradite Hamas Member
Ahlam al-Tamimi
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* CounterPoint Brief: Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal
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United States



Fox News: Texas Official Issues Warning After Rancher Killed By Cartel IED In
Mexico: 'A Terrorist Attack,' Son Says
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“Texas ranchers working near the southern border have been urged to exercise
extreme caution when traveling through Mexico after one of their own was killed
earlier this month by an improvised explosive device (IED). Antonio Céspedes
Saldierna, 74, a Texas rancher who worked on both sides of the border, was
driving near his ranch in Tamaulipas, Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas,
when he was killed by an IED, KRGV-TV reported. Also killed was Horacio Lopez
Peña. Ninfa Griselda Ortega, Lopez's wife, was hospitalized with injuries. In a
statement, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the deadly explosion
was part of a "growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern
border.””



Fox News: Maine’s Girl Athletes Paying The Price For Extremism Of State
Politicians
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“Maine’s education officials have reached a new level of absurdity by defying
President Trump’s executive order banning biological male athletes from women’s
sports. By decreeing that public schools should ignore new federal guidelines
and instead follow the Maine Human Rights Act, the Maine Principals’
Association has placed the Left’s woke agenda above the welfare of our students
and the dignity of our female athletes. They have undermined fair competition
and blatantly violated federal guidelines meant to restore sanity, safety and
fairness across the country. And now, Maine students may pay the price for it.”



Voice Of America: What's Behind Israeli, US Silence On Lebanon Blocking
Iranian Flights Delivering Cash To Hezbollah?
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“Israel and the United States have responded with silence to claims by
Hezbollah that the two allies secretly threatened Lebanon this month into
stopping the arrivals of Iranian commercial airliners delivering cash to the
Lebanese terror group. The silence of the Israeli and U.S. governments on
Hezbollah's allegations is typical of their low-key approaches to dealing with
some regional security problems, according to U.S. and Israeli researchers who
spoke to VOA in recent days. The researchers also say Lebanon's indefinite
suspension of landing rights for Iranian airlines, in effect since Feb. 13,
will make it harder but not impossible for Iran to airlift cash to Hezbollah,
its main regional proxy force.”



Syria



Voice Of America: VOA Kurdish: US Increases Airstrikes Against Al-Qaida
Affiliate In Syria
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“The United States Central Command has carried out several operations in
Idlib province in northwest Syria since the beginning of this year, targeting
several members and leaders of the al Qaida-linked Hurras al-Din (HaD)
organization.”



The New York Times: Talks On Syria’s Future Fall Short Of Promises,
Participants Say
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“It was billed as the first step in establishing a representative government
as Syria emerged from decades of a brutal, one-family dictatorship. But for
some in Syria, the highly anticipated “national dialogue” that ended on Tuesday
night fell far short of those promises. Instead, the two-day conference only
added to concerns about the openness of the country’s new Islamist rulers to
setting up a genuinely inclusive political process. “We have a lot of
objections to how this happened,” said Ibrahim Draji, a law professor at
Damascus University who was among the hundreds of attendees at the conference.
“There’s no transparency. There is no clear criteria for who gets invited,” he
added.”



Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. Sanctions Hold Up Qatari Support For Syria, Sources
Say
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“Qatar is holding off providing Syria's new rulers with funds to increase
public sector pay due to uncertainty over whether the transfers would breach
U.S. sanctions, four sources said, a setback to efforts to revive the
war-stricken economy. The delay in Qatar's plan to help pay for the increase,
which Reuters reported in January, underlines the considerable challenges
Syria's new Islamist authorities face as they seek to stabilise the fractured
state and assure foreign powers about their leadership. While the previous U.S.
administration issued a sanctions exemption on January 6 to allow transactions
with Syria's governing institutions for six months, Qatar does not see this as
enough to cover payments it would need to make via the central bank to finance
the salary increase, the sources said.”



Afghanistan



The Guardian: Taliban Says ‘Misunderstanding’ Led To Arrest Of British Couple
In Afghanistan
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“A British couple were arrested in Afghanistan due to a “misunderstanding”
that they had fake Afghan passports, the Taliban said on Tuesday. Peter and
Barbie Reynolds, 79 and 75, were detained by the Taliban’s interior ministry on
1 February while returning to their home in the central province of Bamiyan.
The couple, who run education and training programmes in Afghanistan, were
arrested along with Faye Hall, a Chinese-American friend and an interpreter
from their business. Taliban spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani said the arrests
were due to a “misunderstanding” that they possessed fake Afghan passports.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: Graffiti Left By Israeli Soldiers Turn South Lebanon Homes
Into A Canvas Of War
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“Residents of southern Lebanon have been gradually returning to their
villages to find their homes heavily damaged by the fighting between Israel and
the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. As they scour what remains, they are
discovering that the battle-scarred walls of their houses served as a canvas
for Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah supporters that tell the story of the war.
The scrawled messages give insight into the battles that erupted after Israel
launched a ground invasion into southern Lebanon in October 2024, months after
Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at Israel in solidarity with the
Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”



Middle East



The New York Times: Israel And Hamas Will Move Forward With Another Swap
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“Hamas has agreed to release the remains of four Israeli hostages in exchange
for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Israeli officials and the group said,
resolving a dayslong impasse between the two sides. The agreement comes as the
first phase of a fragile cease-fire deal draws to a close. Negotiators have yet
to reach terms to extend the deal into a more comprehensive truce, raising
concerns that the fighting in Gaza could resume. During the first phase, Hamas
had agreed to free 25 Israeli hostages and hand over the bodies of eight more
in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel. On Saturday,
Hamas released the last living captives set to be freed in the first phase, and
Israel was supposed to release 620 Palestinian prisoners in return.”



Associated Press: Medics Say 6 Babies Have Died From The Cold In Gaza As
Displaced People Shelter In Tents And Rubble
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“At least six infants have died from hypothermia in the last two weeks in the
Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of people are living in tent camps and
war-damaged buildings during a fragile ceasefire, Palestinian medics said
Tuesday. The coastal territory experiences cold, wet winters, with temperatures
dropping below 10 degrees Celsius (50 F) at night and storms blowing in from
the Mediterranean Sea. The last few days have been especially cold. Yusuf
al-Shinbari woke up in his family’s tent just after midnight on Tuesday to find
that his 2-month-old daughter, Sham, was cold to the touch. He could feel no
heartbeat.”



Somalia



Voice Of America: AU, Somalia Agree On Troop Numbers For New Mission
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“The federal government of Somalia and the African Union have agreed on the
number of troop-contributing countries for a new AU mission following weeks of
differences between Ethiopia and Somalia, and later on between Somalia and
Burundi over the number of troops coming from each country. An AU official, who
requested anonymity because he does not have authorization to speak with media,
told VOA that Burundian forces who have been in Somalia since 2007 will be
leaving the country after the two governments disagreed on the number of troops
coming from Burundi. The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in
Somalia, or AUSSOM, is expected to have 11,900 personnel operating on the
ground in Somalia, including soldiers, police and civilian support staff,
according to Somali and AU officials.”



Europe



Reuters: Slovak Investigators Seek Terrorism Charges Against Man Who Shot PM
Fico
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“Investigators have called for terrorism charges to be brought against a man
suspected of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the
country's general prosecutor said on Wednesday, after the completion of their
probe. The suspect, who was 71 at the time of the incident last May, shot Fico
four times at close range in the abdomen, leaving him in a critical condition.
Fico, 60, four-times prime minister, later recovered and returned to work
months later. The attacker, identified by prosecutors as Juraj C., has said he
aimed to hurt, not kill Fico, and disagreed with his policies, court documents
show.”



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