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Cover art for the article Belgium's Deal with Iran

Belgium’s Shameful and Dangerous Deal with Iran

Recently Belgium reached a shameful deal with Iran: an innocent Belgian aid worker, Olivier Vandecasteele, held for 455 days in Iran on fake charges of spying, was swapped for an Iranian intelligence officer, Assadollah Assadi, convicted to 20 years in prison for orchestrating together with

Expanding Influence in Mali

The Islamic State is Expanding its Areas of Influence in Mali

The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) is expanding its influence in Mali, endangering the city of Ménaka. The Malian government’s armed forces and al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters are absent in the region. ISGS engages in combat with government forces, killing civilians and displacing settlers from

protests in Iran

The Hijab Protest: Between Continuity and Change

The ongoing protests in Iran, which began following the death of Mahsa Amini, present a significant challenge to the post-revolutionary regime. The protests have not diminished despite violent suppression efforts by the establishment, and there are several distinguishing features of the current unrest compared to

Twitter

Big Tech Becomes Alt-Tech

Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, considered part of the Big-Tech ecosystem, heralds an alarming change regarding online disinformation. Statements about removing censorship and allowing free speech, accompanied by solid end-to-end encryption and weakening the enforcement of online content monitoring, are prominent warning signs for democracy

Discursive War on Terror

A Discursive War on Terror: The Case of France

When looking at terrorist groups’ narratives, one can notice that they define themselves in opposition to another group, usually the West and its values, that is declared to be the enemy. Likewise, the Western group perceives itself as diametrically opposed to “the terrorists,” which represent

Security and Liberty

Security and Liberty – Striking a Balance

“The State of Israel is undergoing a difficult period… We are doing all we can to balance properly between human rights and the security of the area. In this balance, human rights cannot receive complete protection as if there were no terror, and State security

Predetermined Fate

Violence in the Arab Sector – A Predetermined Fate?

During Operation Guardian of the Walls (May 2021) the Arab sector in Israel launched a wave of violence that was extremely wide and severe, especially in the mixed cities. It seems that its circumstances and characteristics require an updated assessment and regrouping. Even though it

Terrorism epidemic

What can and should be done in order to mitigate the situation and halt the deterioration? First published in the Jerusalem Post 

The Islamic State versus the Islamic Emirate

Summary: Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, there has been an increase in attacks byISIS – K militants targeting Taliban members. ISIS – K is based largely in eastern Nangarhar province but the group has ramped up attacks across Afghanistan since the Taliban

From State Chemical Warfare to Chemical Terrorism

On the backdrop of French and Belgian leaders expressing their worry concerning a chemicals terrorist attack in the aftermath of the Paris 13 November ISIS attacks in Paris please see below my presentation at the panel on “Chemical Warfare at 100” at The 4th EU

Terror Tagging for Iran and Liberal Democracy

“Terror tagging” refers to labeling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). We argue that terror tagging of Iranian institutions and individuals would facilitate the growth of liberal democracy in Iran, e.g., provide real guarantees to the people of Iran

The Chemical attack near Idlib

In my previous post, I argued that it is of major interest to know if the murderous chemical Syrian air attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Iblib province has been approved or coordinated with the Russian air-force active in Syria. The Russian position

The May 2017 Manchester Suicide Bombing Attack

On Monday, May 22nd, 2017, at around 22:30, 22 people lost their lives and close to a hundred were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the foyer of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom. At the time of the explosion, close

The Amman Shooting Incident at the Israeli Embassy

The deputy security chief of the Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital of Amman was wounded Sunday night, July 23, after being stabbed by a Jordanian man who was subsequently shot dead. A second Jordanian was also injured in the incident and later succumbed to

The killing of Qassem Soleimani

The killing of Qassem Soleimani, the most powerful Iranian military commander, the long-serving head of Iran’s Quds (“Jerusalem”) Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), will have a major impact on the conflict between Iran and the United States and the situation in the Middle

ISIS’s al-Qurashi’s declaration of war on Israel

On January 27, 2020, ISIS released a new audio speech by its spokesman Abu Hamzah Al-Qurashi, produced by its media arm Al-Furqan and distributed on social media. Al-Qurashi delivers a defiant message: ISIS is not only surviving, despite the declarations by consecutive U.S. presidents that

Jihad in the shadow of the coronavirus

As the coronavirus pandemic spread across the world, some radical Islamic clerics believe the virus was perhaps sent by Allah because of the disobedience and sins of mankind. Other clerics claimed that the pandemic is edging the world closer to the Day of Judgement.[1] [1]

Looming Jihadi Anarchy in Pakistan

There has been an increasingly disturbing challenge to the authority of Pakistan’s President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, from jihadis inspired by the Neo Taliban and Al Qaeda, who are actively supported by a group of retired officers of the Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).  

Aviation Security: The Human Eye vs. Detection Technology

This article aims at discussing the aspect of aviation security, with regard to two security platforms. The first is the ‘Human Eye’ philosophy, which has been Israel’s philosophy for decades until now, regarding the ability to detect suspicious passengers or potential terrorists (the profile method).

Hamas: A Gun in One Hand, a Qu’ran in the Other

Hamas (“Islamic Resistance Movement”) is a radical Islamist terror organization that strives to establish a shari’a-based society from the Nile to the Euphrates. The rise of Hamas has been noticeable for several years but the substantial change occurred with the local elections of December 2005,

Analysis: Does Syria want peace?

Against the background of Syria’s invitation to the Annapolis conference and the eagerness with which politicians and the defense establishment have supported its participation, we should try to analyze the Syrian leadership’s strategic considerations vis-à-vis a peace process with Israel.

Kenya: So Much for Democracy

Civil unrest in Kenya appears likely to increase as the opposition rejects Kibaki’s rule, which may have serious implications for intra-national conflicts prevalent in the region, Kenya could likely be the ignition for further regional bloodshed. This article was first published in the Jerusalem Post,