News

Recent Events Reflect a Growing ISIS Influence in Europe

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

LONDON, England – With the recent beheading video of American journalist James Foley causing major concerns with the Western world, there has been a great effort to find who is responsible for the attack. Likely the biggest hint to go off has been the seeming London accent of the apparent murderer. If true, this further increases the worry over an ISIS presence in Europe.

A member of ISIS carries the Islamic State black flag. (Photo courtesy of Breitbart)

Europe may be a breeding ground of sorts for ISIS to recruit, especially in religiously tolerant and democratic nations such as England. Some European nations have taken a stronger approach against Muslims, like France, Belgium, and parts of Switzerland banning a burqa from being warn in public. England, however, has continued to preach religious freedom, which may have ultimately opened the doors for ISIS to spread their influence under the “free speech” banner.

The Netherlands has attempted to avoid taking a stronger stance on targeting religions like some of their neighbors, but eventually decided to crack down by banning the display of ISIS’s black flag. A growing concern over anti-Semitic protests in the Netherlands has led to a classification of the ISIS flag as banned political paraphernalia, now seen in the same light as a Nazi symbol.

Greece has recently discovered the conversion that occurred to a one-time resident of their country. Shamal Ahmad Tofiq of Kurdistan moved to Athens, and a little while thereafter met new acquaintances at a mosque that radicalized him. Now known as Sina Ahmad, he is fighting for ISIS in Kurdistan, regularly posting graphic images online of horribly disfigured bodies and regularly asking prior contacts to repent their sins and join the fight.

Some British, like Malcolm Rifkind, a former foreign secretary and defense secretary who is chairman of Parliament’s intelligence and security committee, seek a stronger response from England. “[The militants] need to be eliminated, and we should not be squeamish about how we do it,” Mr. Rifkind reported.

The alleged British murderer in the Foley video would be far from the only British member of ISIS. Three British militants who cling together, known as “The Beatles” and known for their brutality, have been handling hostages of ISIS in Syria. Further, there are as many as 400 Britons estimated within ISIS, along with 2,000 estimated Europeans. As these numbers continue to grow, and with what appears to be an easy entry from the Middle East into Europe through Turkey, Europe and the Western world worry over the possibility of a major attack.

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – Britain Rejects Calls at Home to Join Forces With Assad Against Jihadists – 22 August 2014

NBC – Why Is Britain a Breeding Ground for ISIS Terrorists? – 22 August 2014

Fox News – How one Iraqi returned from Europe ready to kill family, friends – 21 August 2014

Breitbart – NETHERLANDS BANS ISIS FLAG AFTER ANTI-SEMITISM SURGE – 3 August 2014

Hamas Executes 18 Palestinians Suspected of Collaborating with Israel

By Thomas Murphy
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GAZA CITY, GAZA – Hamas has executed 18 Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel.  The executions come one day after Israel killed three of Hamas’ top military commanders in an airstrike on a house in southern Gaza Strip.  The killings suggest an attempt to by Hamas to deter any future collaboration with Israel.

Palestinians watch outside of a mosque in Gaza as seven alleged Israel collaborators are executed by masked gunmen. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

Early Friday 11 people were killed, but whereabouts of the execution is uncertain.  Reports vary, claiming that the executions took place in the Gaza City police headquarters, an abandoned police station outside of Gaza, or in a public park in Gaza City.  These 11 were allegedly already sentenced to death for collaborating with Israel.

Seven more alleged collaborators were executed publicly in a central Gaza square later on Friday.  Masked gunmen dressed in black shot the victims outside a mosque after prayers had ended.  The victims had their heads covered and their hands tied.  Video footage showed blood running down the streets as children watched.

“The spies had their heads covered and were sitting by the wall outside the mosque,” said a witness at the mosque, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “There were about 20 masked gunmen in the area. One of them said loudly that the death sentence is going to be carried out against seven collaborators.”

“They did not mention their names,” he added. “They shot them after that and then the militants left. People were shouting, God is great.”

Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland, reporting from West Jerusalem, said Israel’s intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders.

“Israel has a long and successful history of recruiting collaborators and informers both in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, and they do so through a variety of different means: sometimes it is financial inducements; other times it is blackmail, bullying, threats, promises [and] maybe intimidating family members,” Rowland said.

The killings are reminiscent of executions that took place during Israel last Gaza offensive in 2012.  During that period at least seven vigilante executions took place, including one of a handcuffed man identified as Ashraf Ouaida.  Quaida’s bloody body was left beneath a billboard with a sign indicating that he aided in the killing of 15 Palestinian leaders.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Hamas executes 18 suspected informers – 22 August 2014

BBC –  Gaza: Hamas says 18 suspected informants executed – 22 August 2014

Haaretz – Hamas executes 18 ‘collaborators’ in Gaza – 22 August 2014

NY Times – Gazans Suspected of Collaborating With Israel Are Executed – 22 August 2014

Reuters – Gaza gunmen execute ‘collaborators’; mortar kills Israeli boy – 22 August 2014

Growing Concerns Over ISIS Lead France to Question Whether European Involvement is Necessary

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

PARIS, France – The United States began a series of airstrikes in Iraq this week in an attempt to assist resistance against the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (“ISIS”), leading Europe to question whether to get involved, and if so, how involvement should be done.

An ISIS soldier holds up an ISIL flag. (Photo courtesy of the Christian Post)

On Monday, France called a meeting of European Union foreign affairs in order to determine what should be done about the Middle East. ISIS is spreading and growing at a rapid pace, and European nations are worried that if left alone, turmoil in the Middle East could become a global threat. ISIS fighting has already spread throughout the nations of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and has caused massive disturbances.

The fears of a possible Christian genocide by ISIS has led to a huge fleeing of Christians from the region, leaving areas like Mosul completely free of Christians. In an attempt to mitigate the number of Christians killed, France has helped facilitate asylum for those in Iraq fleeing ISIS.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius believes that the way to counter ISIS is to give the Kurds in Iraq “equipment that will allow them to defend themselves and to counterattack.” Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini further said the goal is “providing support, even of a military sort, to the Kurdish government.”

One problem, however, is that France is already committed militarily to Africa. France further believes that the United States is better suited to fight ISIS in Iraq and help support the Kurds. France, on the other hand, is better suited to support Lebanon in the fight against ISIS, as France has close ties with the Lebanese army and trains Lebanese officers. It is also believed that weapons held by the Lebanese army would be less likely to fall into the hands of the enemy.

After allowing the fight in Syria to develop over three years into the large catastrophe that it is now, concerns loom over whether an early intervention now is necessary to prevent a larger ordeal in the future with ISIS. However, NATO has recently declared it a “high probability” that Russia will militarily intervene in Eastern Ukraine under the guise of a “humanitarian aid.” 45,000 Russian troops are currently aligned on the joint border with Ukraine, having amassed as Kiev pushes further east and nears the larger pro-Russian held cities like Donetsk. With a possible invasion of a European nation looking more and more possible by the day, the EU will certainly be cautious to invest militarily to any outside conflicts just in case help is needed at home.

For more information, please see:

Arab News – France asks EU to arm Kurds in Iraq – 12 August 2014

Vice News – Europe Is Still Pondering What to Do in Iraq – 11 August 2014

Reuters – Russia sending aid convoy to Ukraine despite Western warnings of ‘invasion pretext’ – 11 August 2014

France 24 – French military effort against ISIS ‘should focus on Lebanon’ – 11 August 2014

France 24 – Iraq’s fleeing Christians rebuild shattered lives in France – 10 August 2014

South Sudan Rebels Skip Out on Peace Talks

By: Danielle L. Cowan (Gwozdz)
Senior Desk Operator, Africa

JUBA, South Sudan – South Sudan rebels have failed to attend the second day of peace talks aimed at ending months of conflict, BBC News reports.

The UN is struggling to cope with the large number of refugees fleeing the fighting (photo courtesy of AFP)

 

Organizers of these talks state that it is unclear why the rebels did not show up.

On Monday, the rebels had appeared and made this appearance with complaints about the continued presence of Ugandan forces in South Sudan.

It is unclear whether these talks are going to continue.

These talks have been part of a long effort by the government to finalize a transition for South Sudan.

The deadline that has been in place for these talks is August 10. By this date, they had hoped to agree on a transitional government and a ceasefire.

They had tried a round of talks in June between President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar, but these talks stopped as well.

Instead, another conflict arose in December. President Kiir accused rebel leader Machar of plotting a takeover.

Although Machar denied these accusations, he gathered a rebel army to fight the government.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry stated that Machar “needs to understand the importance of living by the agreements.”

The UN has warned that this country is on the verge of famine.

More than 1.5 million people have been displaced.

Over the last two days, at least six Sudanese aid workers have been killed in violence close to the South Sudan border.

These ethnically targeted attacks have been said by the UN as characteristic violence which has ruined South Sudan.

The murdered aid workers belong to the Nuer ethnic group, BBC News reports.

For more information, please visit:
BBC News – Rebel no-show at South Sudan talks in Ethiopia – 5 August 2014
Africa Time – Rebel no-show at South Sudan talks in Ethiopia – 6 August 2014
Ethiopian Headline News – Rebel no-show at South Sudan talks in Ethiopia – BBC News – 5 August 2014
Africa News – Rebel no-show at South Sudan talks in Ethiopia – BBC News – 6 August 2014

 

Anti-Semitism is on the Rise in Europe as the Casualty Count in the Israel-Gaza Conflict Continues to Grow

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The battle between Israel and Gaza has led to many casualties, mostly on the side of Gaza. The massive loss by the Palestinians, many of whom were civilians, has led to a growing anti-Semitic behavior across Europe.

Israel strikes Gaza City with an air and artillery strike. (Photo courtesy of The Independent)

With multiple strikes by Israel upon U.N. compounds in Gaza sheltering Palestinian civilians, the most recent occurring this past weekend, many nations have become angered by Israel. Even the United States, an ally to Israel, labeled Israel’s most recent attack as “disgraceful.” French President Francois Hollande also questioned the aspect of remaining neutral with a conflict of such magnitude raging on.

But governments are not the only ones who are upset with Israel as a result of this major conflict. While Israel is not without its own sizeable casualty list, with well over a thousand rockets having been fired at Israel over the past month or more, the Palestinian casualty count is nearly ten times as great. Specifically the high civilian casualty count in Gaza has led to a growing hatred towards Israel that appears to be spreading throughout Europe. A British poll goes as far as to call some of the attacks by Israel against Gaza “war crimes.”

Within Belgium, a doctor refused emergency care to a Jewish woman. In Spain, a writer called for expelling a Jewish community. In Italy, philosopher Gianni Vattimo harshly states how he would like to shoot “Zionists.” A teenager in Germany firebombed a synagogue. In France, anti-Israel protestors attacked a synagogue. Even in Ireland a councilman urged the shelling of Israel.

While given that a large portion of this new brewing dislike is a result of Israel’s actions and it is likely that most of these remarks and attacks are the result of political distaste, it has given fuel to an underlying anti-Semitic minority. Germany is a strong advocate of educating people as to the atrocities that occurred during World War Two, and has always been quick to stomp out any hateful protests.

However, amid condemnation by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck, anti-Semitism has seen a recent violent increase in Germany. This fear has spread not only among Jewish citizens of Germany, but many other European countries as well. France has seen a large emigration of its Jewish citizens to Israel as of late.

With anti-Semitism across Europe slowly beginning to spread and boil as the Israel-Gaza conflict drags on, the safety of Jewish citizens in Europe is becoming more unsure by the day.

For more information, please see:

Daily News – Behind Europe’s anti-Semitic slurs – 4 August 2014

The Washington Post – How Israel is losing Europe – 4 August 2014

The New York Times – Anti-Semitism Rises in Europe Amid Israel-Gaza Conflict – 1 August 2014

The New York Times – Number of French Jews Emigrationg to Israel Rises – 20 June 2014