Sohail Ansari, Ph.D’s Post

This narrative can diminish calls for accountability regarding the humanitarian impact of military actions. If the focus is primarily on Hamas's designation as a terrorist organization, it shifts attention away from the consequences of Israeli actions, including civilian casualties and the destruction of homes and essential services in Gaza. Human rights organizations often highlight the need for accountability for both Hamas's actions and the impact of Israeli military operations. However, the dominant narrative can lead to a lack of scrutiny on Israel's actions, as the framing of Hamas as a terrorist organization oversimplifies the conflict.

Post-9/11 Context: U.S. and Israeli Conflation of Terrorism with Self-Determination Post-9/11 Environment: Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the U.S. government intensified its focus on combating terrorism, framing it as a global war against extremist ideologies. This led to a broader definition of terrorism that included various groups, including those engaged in struggles for self-determination. U.S. and Israeli Narrative: Both the U.S. and Israel have often conflated terrorism with legitimate struggles for self-determination, particularly in the context of Palestinian resistance. This narrative has been used to justify military actions and policies against groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, portraying them as terrorists rather than legitimate political actors.

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel frequently frames its military actions as self-defense against terrorism. For instance, during escalations in violence, Israeli officials and media often emphasize rocket attacks from Gaza, portraying the Israeli military response as necessary to protect its citizens. This narrative effectively garners international sympathy and support for Israel, while the legitimate grievances of Palestinians—such as occupation, displacement, and human rights violations—are marginalized. The narrative framing allows Israel to justify its military actions, including airstrikes that disproportionately affect civilian populations in Gaza, while Palestinian resistance is labeled as terrorism.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked passenger airliners and flew them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, as well as the Pentagon in Washington, killing nearly 3,000 people. It was the first time since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that the United States suffered a blow of this scale on its own soil. The 9/11 attacks had a worldwide impact. The United States launched a global “war on terror,” overthrowing the Islamic regime in Afghanistan and the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. The public has since become familiar with the terrorist movement and its representatives, such as al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Few, however, are aware of the close relationship between terrorism and communism. In the modern world, terrorism comes primarily in three forms: state terrorism under communist regimes; terrorist activity carried out abroad by agents of communist regimes, with the aim of spreading violent revolution; and Islamic extremism, which owes much of its ideology and methods to communism. The Communist Roots of Terrorism: Chapter 15 from How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World. Read it here: https://ept.ms/2XHndh1

• Biden's reported threat to halt or suspend US military supplies to Israel if the IDF enters Rafah is what encourages Hamas to continue fighting and reject every proposal to release the hostages. When Hamas leaders hear that Biden is threatening Israel to prevent the IDF from entering Rafah, they must say to themselves: “Why should we make any concessions to Israel? America doesn't want the Israelis to destroy the four remaining battalions. The US administration is opposed to Israel's plan to eliminate Hamas, so let's wait!” • A total defeat means the elimination of all of Hamas's battalions. An Israeli victory will never be complete as long as one, or even half, a Hamas battalion remains intact. • Biden is actually sending a message to Hamas and Iran's other terror proxies, including Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis, that America is about to throw Israel under the bus. Cutting off US weapons supplies to Israel is the ultimate fantasy of the terrorists. —𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐦 𝐓𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐥

WORLD AFTER 9/11 "Power, Role, and Pride" * 11 September 2001, suicide attackers seized US passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, killing thousands of people. The events set in motion sweeping changes to U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism practices. * The attack itself did not produce the most significant outcome from 9/11; rather, it was the American response to it, which happened in the Middle East and altered the geopolitical scenario in the world. * President George W. Bush signed a joint resolution of Congress, granting the president the right to use "all necessary and appropriate force" against anybody who harbored anyone who planned, authorised, carried out, or assisted in the 9/11 attacks. * Initially targeting al-Qaeda and its Taliban backers in Afghanistan, the Bush administration later broadened the use of the Authorisation for Use of Military Force to encompass any forces "associated" with Al-Qaeda globally. In December 2001, the Bush administration indicated its intent to revoke the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and later launched the invasion of Iraq in 2003. * Extreme : Extreme confrontation between Sunni and Shia arose from the fall of the Ba'ath Iraqi state, pushing Sunni Arab regimes into a de facto alliance with Israel. The U.S. invasion of Iraq also gave rise to Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which eventually evolved into ISIS, fueling the Syrian civil war and drawing Russia back into the Middle East.

A united global community must come together to urge the United States, NATO allies, and Israel to take decisive steps toward ending conflicts and fostering world peace. Israel must immediately withdraw from Palestinian territories and acknowledge a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state. Additionally, it is imperative to lift economic and financial sanctions on nations such as Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, and to call for the withdrawal of American military forces from Asia, Africa, and Europe. Only through collective action and mutual respect can lasting peace and stability be achieved worldwide.

📰 IN THE NEWS | As World Powers Clash, ISIS Returns for Revenge In a recent article for Newsweek, our Senior Intelligence Analyst, Lucas Webber, outlined how ISIS is capitalising on widespread unrest and flaring tensions to pave the way for new, deadly attacks across the globe. "ISKP follows macro geopolitical shifts and rising tensions between the great powers very closely, publishing online propaganda detailing analysis of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and strategic manoeuvring between the United States and China around Taiwan... The group welcomes wars between the great powers that would weaken them and overtly states its intent to exploit existing and potential conflicts to strike its adversaries while distracted and overstretched." Read the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/dCSAnaV9 #CounterTerrorism #ContentModeration

Unpacking Real Solutions: In this video, "Israel can't end terrorism with military might alone," we confront a critical reality. While the IDF's competency in eliminating immediate threats is undeniable, the cycle won't break unless deeper issues are addressed. Due to the prevailing crisis and oppression, terrorism theatres are likely to shift, and even if suppressed in Gaza, new entities can emerge elsewhere. Join me in exploring why resolving the Palestinian issues genuinely is crucial for sustainable peace. #Israel #Hamas #Terrorism #Palestinian #IDF #InternationalSecurity Link: https://lnkd.in/gHT59cRF 

https://lnkd.in/e8Q3NU7N Honored to co-author this OPED with Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) colleague Ari Cicurel. Excerpt: " ... This war is not about punishing the man responsible for 10/7. It is about ensuring that 10/7 can never happen again. It is about bringing home the remaining 100 hostages that were taken from their homes and kept, inhumanely, in tunnels for the last year. And it is about dismantling the remaining military capability of Hamas so that Gazans do not, once again, live under a terrorist regime. As long as Hamas persists in Gaza, these goals are not met and this war will continue. The end of Sinwar is not the end of the war. Hamas will survive Sinwar unless Israel finishes its mission in Gaza. The United States should redouble its support for Israel to prevent the terrorist group’s next leader from rebuilding and not avoid pursuing victory for short term domestic political gain."