Email from Counter Extremism Project (CEP) World Jewish leaders warn of rising antisemitism at Sydney summit Eye on Extremism December 9, 2025   Top Stories Times of Israel: Hamas official says no Gaza truce second phase while Israel ‘continues violations’ A Hamas official says that the Gaza ceasefire cannot proceed to its second phase as long as Israeli “violations” persist, calling on mediators to pressure Israel to respect the deal. “The second phase cannot begin as long as the occupation (Israel) continues its violations of the agreement and evades its commitments,” Hamas political bureau member Hossam Badran tells AFP, referring to the fragile ceasefire that came into effect on October 10. Jewish News Syndicate: World Jewish leaders warn of rising antisemitism at Sydney summit Jewish leaders from the world’s seven largest diaspora communities concluded the first J7 Task Force summit ever held in Australia with a warning that the country’s dramatic spike in antisemitic incidents reflects a dangerous global pattern threatening Jewish safety and democratic stability.   CounterPoint Blogs & Briefs The Overlooked Nexus between Sports and Extremism Financing Abduction As a Tactic, Not a Byproduct of Terrorism Islamic State Propaganda Evolution Since October 7 — Content De Retour de Daech 3: La réhabilitation des revenant∙e∙s en Allemagne   Analysis Jerusalem Post: Gaza ceasefire's Catch-22: Hamas delays disarmament as it calls for IDF withdrawal – analysis Hamas is trying to slow-play the Gaza ceasefire deal so that it can eke out as much wiggle room as possible and remain in charge of Gaza. “We accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force, tasked with monitoring the borders and ensuring compliance with the ceasefire in Gaza,” Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said recently. Jerusalem Post: Doha Forum draws world leaders, but Gaza war puts negative spotlight on Qatar – analysis This year’s Doha Forum in Qatar brought together a large number of people, from leading officials to commentators and businesspeople. This is not unusual when it comes to the Doha Forum or events in Qatar. The country has spent decades making itself a destination for world leaders, thinkers, academics, and investors. It is not the only country like this either; Qatar competes with the UAE and Saudi Arabia for attention in the Gulf. +972 Magazine: The GOP fed the antisemitism monster. Now it’s turning on its masters Republicans and their allies have mainstreamed antisemitism for years, only to portray it as a left-wing problem to advance Trump's authoritarian agenda. So why are they feigning shock as it spills into full view? United States Jerusalem Post: Hamas terrorists eulogized as ‘Gazan reporters’ at Washington gala The Association and Club of Foreign Press Correspondents USA bestowed posthumous honors on individuals exposed as terrorists who were posing as journalists for the Qatari news network Al Jazeera, Honest Reporting shared on Monday. According to the report, 10 Al Jazeera reporters were eulogized during the association's annual gala in Washington with a moment of silence and their photos displayed at a “memorial table.” Reuters: U.S. imposes sanctions on network it accuses of fueling war in Sudan The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on actors it accused of fueling the war in Sudan, taking aim at what it said was a transnational network that recruits former Colombian military personnel and trains soldiers, including children, to fight for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement seen by Reuters said that it imposed sanctions on four individuals and four entities that were part of the network, which it said was largely comprised of Colombian nationals and companies. Kurdistan24: Washington Prepares Major Sanctions against Iraqi Figures Over Money Laundering, Armed Groups Funding Iraqi authorities have been informed that the United States is preparing to issue a new round of sanctions targeting politicians, businessmen, and multiple companies, according to three Iraqi government sources familiar with the matter. One official told Al-Araby al-Jadeed that Washington views the move as a response to recent attacks on gas and oil fields, as well as part of a wider effort to curb money laundering and financial support to armed groups. Jewish News Syndicate: Schumer introduces resolution decrying white supremacy, Carlson, Fuentes The most powerful Jewish official in Washington introduced a resolution Monday that condemns white supremacy and antisemitism and specifically calls out far-right provocateurs Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes. The resolution introduced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), which every other Senate Democrat co-sponsored, is a response to Carlson’s recent friendly interview with Holocaust denier Fuentes. The National News Desk: Antisemitism rampant on 14 college campuses that got an F on an antisemitism report card Antisemitism is on the rise on 14 different college campuses, according to a student survey from a group called StopAntisemitism. According to the survey obtained by the New York Post, 39% of Jewish college students had to hide their identity on college campuses. The Guardian: Florida declares US Muslim civil rights group a foreign terrorist organization Florida is declaring the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) – a US civil rights and liberties group – a foreign terrorist organization, the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, announced on Monday. The move closely follows a similar order issued in November by Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, DeSantis’s fellow Republican, even though only the federal government can designate terrorist organizations. Jewish Insider: New report documents foreign engagement driving online antisemitic activity The neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes has drawn a sizable online following that has fueled debate over his influence in the Republican Party as it grapples with how to address mounting antisemitism within its ranks, particularly among younger conservatives. But a new report suggests that his rise may in part be artificially driven by a cluster of anonymous social media accounts largely based in foreign countries, and raises questions about the organic popularity of Fuentes’ movement in the United States as he seeks to grow his political reach to shape the coming midterm elections. CBS News: Man listed on FBI terrorist watch list arrested after traffic stop in Southeast Michigan A man whom the FBI suspected of being a member of the MS-13 gang was taken into custody after a traffic stop in Macomb County, Michigan, police said. The Shelby Township Police Department said one of its officers did a traffic stop about 12:13 p.m. Friday in the area of West Utica Road and Dequnidre Road. The driver presented an identification card from El Salvador to the officer. New York Post: Nick Fuentes makes bigoted admission after Piers Morgan probes his sexuality Notorious woman-hater Nick Fuentes has revealed he is a virgin and finds the opposite sex “very difficult to be around” — despite still being attracted to them. The far-right podcaster, 27, made the chauvinistic declaration about the female gender after Piers Morgan bluntly questioned him on Monday about his sexuality and his long history of hate-filled misogynistic views. Times of Israel: Cal State investigating professor seen coaching class to oppose antisemitism bill A prominent professor at a public university in California coached her students on opposing a state antisemitism bill and taught them that Israeli interests had subverted the US government, a video that surfaced this week showed. The university said it was aware and investigating. KLAS: UNLV addresses antisemitism on campus amid federal probe Months into the Trump Administration’s investigation into antisemitism at several universities, including the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a nonprofit released its report card grading the climate at campuses. StopAntisemitism is the group behind the annual report card that grades how colleges and universities have responded to the mistreatment of Jewish students. Their 2025 report did not list UNLV, but last year, StopAntisemitism gave UNLV a B grade. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Final assailant charged in 2021 antisemitic assault of Joey Borgen sentenced to 2 years in prison Four and a half years after Joey Borgen was beaten in the street in New York City while en route to a pro-Israel rally, a sixth individual involved in his assault has been sentenced. Salem Seleiman, 30, was sentenced to two years in state prison on Thursday in New York State Supreme Court. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 29 to assault in the second degree and assault in the third degree as a hate crime, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. New York Post: Students form human swastika on Calif. high school football field — call for ‘annihilation of Jews’ in Hitler-themed Instagram post Eight San Jose high school students formed a human swastika on their school’s football field in a horrifying display of antisemitism that has sent shockwaves through the Silicon Valley community. The disturbing scene was photographed and shared in a since-deleted Wednesday social media post that featured an antisemitic 1939 quote from Adolf Hitler. ABC 7: Little Rock shocked by Neo-Nazi march as NAACP demands answers from police and officials The Little Rock community is shocked after a Neo-Nazi demonstration took place throughout the city over the weekend. The group is known as the "Blood Tribe", and they were seen marching down streets like Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Drive and Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive on Saturday. Argentina Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Left-wing Argentine lawmakers pledge allegiance to ‘free Palestine’ in their oaths of office As 127 newly elected Argentine lawmakers took the oath of office in Buenos Aires last week, several departed from the standard formula to pledge allegiance to a “free Palestine.” The demonstration by the left-wing elected officials transformed what is typically a boilerplate ceremony into a political showdown over Israel, with shouting on the floor of the legislature as well as a wave of criticism from both pro-government and opposition voices. Austria Reuters: Austrian government presses ahead with planned headscarf ban in schools Austria's governing coalition said on Tuesday it plans to pass a ban on headscarves in schools for girls under 14 despite criticism from rights groups and the possibility that it will be overturned by the Constitutional Court. The conservative-led government took office in March after the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) came first in last year's parliamentary election with around 29% of the vote but could not find a coalition partner to govern with. France Jerusalem Post: WATCH: Noa Tishby chased and cursed at Paris pro-Hamas rally Israeli activist and author Noa Tishby posted a video on Instagram, displaying a scene where she was attacked at a pro-Hamas rally in Paris on Monday. Shortly after Tishby's video begins, a protester appears to snatch and throw the phone of Tishby's companion, leading the Israeli to say that they are being attacked. Politico: France’s far right wants to reopen brothels Marine Le Pen’s party wants France to reopen brothels managed directly by prostitutes. The party will soon submit a bill allowing brothels to reopen as cooperatives, Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a prominent lawmaker from the National Rally, said in a series of interviews with French media. The Guardian: Far-right National Rally ‘not a danger’ to France, Sarkozy claims The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has said Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party is “not a danger” to France, and he would not support a united front of parties against Le Pen at the next election. In his new book, written at a “small plywood table” in prison where he recently served 20 days of a sentence for criminal conspiracy, Sarkozy said many of his former supporters were now potential Le Pen voters, and he appeared to include the RN in his vision of a broad French right. Germany Afghanistan International: German Police: Afghan, Syrian Newcomers Linked To Higher Violent Crime Rates In Germany A new report by Germany’s Federal Police indicates that newly arrived Syrian and Afghan migrants without residency status are involved in crime, particularly violent offences and homicides, at disproportionately higher rates than Germans. However, the report also notes that overall migrant-related crime fell by more than 3 per cent in 2024. Brussels Signal: Foreigners in Germany much less worried about right-wing extremism than ethnic Germans Germans without a migrant history are considerably more afraid of right-wing extremism than migrants and foreigners living in the country. This is the main result of a study released on December 6 by conservative think-tank Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) for which 3,000 people were polled. The Telegraph: The Jewish German intelligence chief trying to ban the AfD With his distinctive long beard, Stephan Kramer might seem an unusual fit for the grey and anonymous world of the German intelligence services. Having witnessed the rise of the hard-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD), from fringe eccentrics to de facto opposition, the country’s only Jewish spy chief is unafraid to be the face of the state’s crackdown on the party. As president of the BfV domestic intelligence agency in the east German state of Thuringia, a political stronghold of the AfD, Mr Kramer has long been a thorn in the side of Alice Weidel, the party’s leader. Lithuania Reuters: Lithuania ruling party to stay in coalition with group whose leader found guilty of hatred against Jews Lithuania's governing Social Democrats will remain in coalition for now with a populist junior partner whose leader was found guilty last week of incitement to hatred against Jews and belittling the Holocaust. The founder of the populist Nemunas Dawn party, Remigijus Zemaitaitis, was fined 5,000 euros ($5,800) last week for a series of social media posts that a court said falsely blamed Jews for historical crimes and promoted hostility towards them. United Kingdom Jewish News Syndicate: Arsenal leads summit on antisemitism in soccer Arsenal hosted more than 100 English soccer officials last week in a landmark effort to combat antisemitism in the sport, Jewish News reported on Dec. 5. The summit, held at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on Dec. 4, brought together representatives from clubs, leagues, county football associations and fan groups to develop protections for Jewish players, staff and supporters. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Piers Morgan grills Nick Fuentes on Jews, the Holocaust and Hitler. Did it pay off? Another conservative media personality with links to mainstream culture has interviewed Nick Fuentes, the avowed white nationalist and antisemite whose rising popularity and recent chummy interview with Tucker Carlson has fractured the Republican Party. The British commentator Piers Morgan hosted Fuentes on his YouTube show “Piers Morgan Uncensored” Monday, for a two-hour chat. Morgan, who considers himself a free-speech absolutist, told viewers he decided to interview Fuentes in order to understand his views better. Sky News: BBC enforcing mandatory antisemitism training following ‘series of scandals’ Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power discusses the BBC enforcing mandatory antisemitism training for its staff. “Since October 7, there has been so much bias against Israel playing out in the media and the media’s coverage of the war,” Ms Power said. Afghanistan Associated Press: Pakistan’s top general calls on Afghanistan to pick between ties with Islamabad or Pakistani Taliban Pakistan’s newly appointed armed forces chief called on Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Monday to choose between maintaining ties with Islamabad or supporting the Pakistani Taliban, the militant group blamed for a surge in deadly attacks in recent years. Afghanistan International: Afghan Opposition Leaders Unite Amid Reports Of Iran-Backed Talks Abdullah Qarluq, spokesperson for the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, says three major political movements opposing the Taliban have reached an agreement and are speaking with a unified voice to address the current crisis. According to him, the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, the National Assembly for Salvation and the Afghanistan National Movement for Peace and Justice will issue a joint statement. The Telegraph: Afghan ‘Peaky Blinders’ arrested by Taliban for violating ‘Islamic values’ Four Afghan men who dress up as the Peaky Blinders have been arrested by the Taliban for violating “Islamic values”. The group, all in their early 20s, who are known online as the “Jebrael Shelbys” after the Shelby family in the BBC crime show, were arrested in the Herat province in western Afghanistan. Gaza Strip/West Bank Associated Press: Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan faces pitfalls in a complicated second phase With the remains of one hostage still in Gaza, the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas is nearly complete, after a two-month process plagued by delays and finger-pointing. Now, the key players — including Israel, the Palestinian militant Hamas group, the United States and a diverse list of international parties — are to move to a far more complicated second phase that could reshape the Middle East. Jerusalem Post: PIJ claims it handed over 'last hostage in its possession' as Israel awaits Ran Gvili's return Palestinian Islamic Jihad has "closed the file" on Gaza hostages as it claimed to have "handed over the final remains" of hostages on December 2, Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the terror group's so-called military wing, the al-Quds Brigades, said in an official Telegram post on Tuesday. Hamza's statement comes despite the remains of the final Israeli hostage, police officer St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, still being held in Gaza captivity. The Guardian: Tony Blair reportedly dropped from Trump’s Gaza ‘board of peace’ shortlist Tony Blair will not occupy a key position on Donald Trump’s Gaza “peace council” after Arab and Muslim nations were reported to have objected to the involvement of the former UK prime minister. According to the Financial Times (FT), Blair has been quietly dropped from consideration for Trump’s “board of peace”, which Trump has said he would chair himself. Associated Press: Israeli army takes journalists into a tunnel in a Gaza city it seized and largely flattened One by one, the soldiers squeezed through a narrow entrance to a tunnel in southern Gaza. Inside a dark hallway, some bowed their heads to avoid hitting the low ceiling, while watching their step as they walked over or around jagged concrete, crushed plastic bottles and tattered mattresses. On Monday, Israel’s military took journalists into Rafah — the city at Gaza’s southernmost point that troops seized last year and largely flattened — as the 2-month-old Israel-Hamas ceasefire reaches a critical point. Israel has banned international journalists from entering Gaza since the war began more than two years ago, except for rare, brief visits supervised by the military, such as this one. Jerusalem Post: Border Police, IDF evacuate four illegal outposts across West Bank Border Police officers, accompanied by IDF soldiers, carried out raids and evacuations of four illegal outposts and farms across the West Bank on Sunday. Most of the locations have not yet been demolished; they are only in the preliminary stage of evacuating residents, Walla learned. Iran Iran International: Iran summons Jewish MP over constituents’ social media activity Homayoun Sameh Yah Najafabadi, the Jewish representative in Iran's parliament, said on Monday that he had been summoned by security agencies over Jewish users’ likes and comments on Israeli content. “Unfortunately, in the past two weeks, I was summoned to these agencies because some fellow Jews posted comments and liked false content, causing misunderstandings among the country's intelligence agencies,” Najafabadi said in an open letter published on his Telegram channel. Israel Jerusalem Post: Ex-hostage Rom Braslavski recounts 'horrors' of Oct. 7 at Italy’s ruling party conference Former hostage Rom Braslavski recounted the "horrors" of seeing murdered Israelis during the October 7 massacre at a speech to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party's conference on Sunday. "They were murdered and slaughtered simply for being Israelis, Jews," he said. Reuters: Mother of last Gaza hostage says Israel won't heal until he's back The mother of the last hostage in Gaza says Israel will not heal until he or his remains are brought home, and that the next phase of a peace plan should not proceed until he is back. Police officer Ran Gvili was one of 251 hostages seized and taken to Gaza by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Lebanon Naharnet: Report: Iran agrees to handover of Hezbollah's weapons Tehran has approved the handover of Hezbollah’s medium- and heavy-caliber weapons to the Lebanese Army and the transfer of the precision-guided missiles to Iraq, informed sources said. Naharnet: Clashes and counter-demos in Lebanon as Sharaa supporters celebrate Assad’s fall Supporters of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa staged motorbike and car rallies across Lebanon overnight to mark the first anniversary of the ouster of Bashar al-Assad at the hands of an Islamist-led uprising. The rallies sparked tensions and led to clashes in some areas, prompting an intervention by the Lebanese Army. Kurdistan24: Israeli Air Force Strikes Elite Hezbollah "Radwan Force" Training Complex in Southern Lebanon In a significant escalation of hostilities that underscores the fragility of the regional security architecture, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday that its Air Force has executed precision strikes against a series of Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon, including a specialized training compound used by the group's elite Radwan Force. Syria CNN: A year on from the ousting of Assad, Syrians remember the pain but rejoice at their freedom Now, Syrians are loudly and proudly celebrating the first anniversary of their liberation from Assad’s regime following a lightning rebel offensive on December 8 last year led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a former jihadist who is now president. Times of Israel: IDF confirms opening fire on ‘suspects’ in Syria The IDF confirms opening fire on suspects at the entrance to the southern Syrian town of Khan Arnabeh a short while ago. According to the military, riots erupted as troops operated in the area, during which “several suspects approached the forces and posed a threat to them.” Yemen Associated Press: UAE-backed separatists tighten grip over southern Yemen, and airspace is briefly closed A government official said Yemen’s airspace was briefly closed on Monday as tensions escalated in the country’s south after a separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates took over an oil-rich region. The recent takeover of areas in Hadhramaut province by the Southern Transitional Council reflects a rift in forces aligned against the Houthi rebels who have taken most of the country’s north, including the capital, Sanaa. Congo Reuters: 200,000 flee new advance of Rwanda-backed rebels in Congo despite Trump peace deal Two hundred thousand people have fled their homes in eastern Congo in recent days, the United Nations said, as Rwanda-backed rebels march on a strategic town just days after Donald Trump hosted the Rwandan and Congolese leaders to proclaim peace. In a statement released late on Monday, the U.N. said at least 74 people had been killed, mostly civilians, and 83 admitted to hospital with wounds from escalating clashes in the area in recent days. Sudan Reuters: ICC sentences Darfur Janjaweed militia leader to 20 years Judges at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced a Janjaweed militia leader to 20 years in prison for atrocities committed in Sudan’s Darfur region, including beating detainees to death with an axe. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, was convicted in October on 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, and orchestrating rape and other atrocities carried out by Janjaweed militias more than 20 years ago. Australia J-Wire: AFP charges three men with Nazi-related offences in national crackdown on extremism The Australian Federal Police have charged three men with offences linked to Nazi symbols and extremist material. This forms part of a coordinated national operation announced this week aimed at groups that threaten Australia’s social cohesion. Technology Jewish Insider: ADL study finds leading AI models generate extremist content after antisemitic prompts Several leading AI large language models generated dangerous responses when asked for addresses of synagogues and nearby gun stores, according to research published on Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center for Technology & Society. The study tested 17 open-source models in September, including Google’s Gemma-3, Microsoft’s Phi-4 and Meta’s Llama 3. CEP Podcasts Unpacking the week's extremism-related anniversaries and news, as well as counter extremism developments and prospects. A deep dive into CEP's research and topics that are relevant to our mission, from our Berlin-based team.   The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is a nonprofit and non-partisan international policy organization working to combat the growing threat posed by extremist ideologies. CEP depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation. DONATE Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe for yourself here. Counter Extremism Project (CEP) | PO Box 3980 | NEW YORK, NY 10185 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice