Email from Counter Extremism Project (CEP) German-Afghan relations under scrutiny over deportations Eye on Extremism July 25, 2025   Top Stories  New York Times: Israel and the U.S. Pull Back From Talks With Hamas The Israeli government and President Trump’s Middle East envoy said on Thursday that they were recalling the teams that had been negotiating on a Gaza cease-fire with Hamas, perhaps imperiling the hope for the return of some of the last surviving Israeli hostages and relief for besieged Palestinians. Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, said in a statement that the latest response to an offer of a deal from Hamas’s surviving leadership showed “a lack of desire to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.” He added that “we will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,” without specifying what those alternatives might include. Deutsche Welle: German-Afghan relations under scrutiny over deportations An estimated 377,000 individuals of Afghan origin currently live in Germany, with many of them coming as refugees. Many have been permitted to stay, although their individual asylum requests have not been granted. In Germany, just under 11,500 Afghans are registered as required to leave the country, according to data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in May. The BAMF was unable to say whether and how many criminals or dangerous individuals are among those required to leave. Interior Minister Dobrindt nevertheless intends to stick to his course. "Serious criminals have no right to reside in our country," he said.   CEP's ARCHER at House 88 The Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88 is sited at the former residence of Rudolf Höss, Commandant of the Auschwitz concentration and death camp from 1940-1944. We will transform it into a unique symbol of the fight against antisemitism, extremism, and terrorism. Follow ARCHER at House 88 on X, Facebook, and Instagram to stay updated on our progress.   CEP Mentions The Telegraph: Incredibly, Essex Police have just made a bad situation worse CEP Senior Advisor Ian Acheson writes: The Chief Constable of Essex, Ben-Julian Harrington, spoke to journalists yesterday about the policing operation in Epping on July 17 and the violent clashes, wrecked police vans, and injured officers that resulted on that and later evenings. The disorder occurred when a peaceful protest was held by people from the town against illegal migrants housed in a hotel where one of the occupants had been charged with sexually assaulting a local girl. Berliner Morgenpost: Expert warns: “Iran determined to build nuclear bombs” CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler quoted by Funke Mediengruppe on Iran and the nuclear program. Analysis CTC Sentinel: From TikTok to Terrorism? The Online Radicalization of European Lone Attackers since October 7, 2023 The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel marked a pivotal moment not only in Middle East security policy but also in the global Islamist and particularly jihadi propaganda landscape. This article examines how the ensuing digital “victimhood-revenge” narrative rapidly spread across platforms like TikTok, fueling a new wave of radicalization among adolescents in Europe. Drawing on six European case studies from 2023 to 2025—including foiled and executed attacks in Vienna, Solingen, and Zurich—this article identifies a recurring radicalization pattern involving emotionally vulnerable, digitally native individuals exposed to algorithm-driven Islamist content in social media, but predominantly on TikTok. CTC Sentinel: The Escalation of U.S. Airstrikes in Somalia and the Role of Perceived Threats to the U.S. Homeland In 2025, the United States substantially increased the pace of its airstrikes in Somalia. At the same time, it increasingly cited not just regional security rationales for the increased pace of strikes but also rationales rooted in an assessed potential threat to the U.S. homeland from Somalia—in particular from the Islamic State-Somalia’s recruitment of foreign fighters. This article examines the increased pace of strikes, the rationales that have been cited to explain the increase, and what existing evidence reveals about the potential threat to the U.S. homeland. It also underscores the need for greater clarity from the U.S. government regarding its assessment of the extent of such a threat. Jewish Insider: NEA’s rejection of anti-ADL measure calms tensions — but concerns linger over mixed messaging on antisemitism With a unanimous vote last week rejecting a measure that would’ve cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, the board of directors of the National Education Association extended an olive branch to frustrated Jewish educators and parents who are concerned about creeping antisemitism within the union’s ranks. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told Jewish Insider earlier this week that he was “pleased” to see the NEA reject the anti-ADL measure. But, he added, the union still has a “long way to go” toward making clear that it respects the Jewish community. United States Jerusalem Post: From naivety to hatred: How misinformation is fueling antisemitism in America The result is a coalition of the malicious and the well-intentioned, bringing together the haters of Jews and Israel with poorly informed and often self-righteous advocates for innocent Gazans. We are threatened by the hatred of antisemitic arsonists and the naivete of would-be champions of human rights. Fine and meaningful distinctions between opposition to Israeli policies and actions, anti-Zionism, and Jew-hatred are lost on the mobs in America and around the world who glide from one to the other. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Stanford suspends student co-op that it said asked Jewish students to leave Stanford University has suspended a student “co-op house” on its campus for discriminating against Jewish students by labeling them as “Zionists” and requesting that they leave the house. The investigation into the co-op house, called Kairos, began last spring after multiple reports were filed alleging that Jewish students participating in an unnamed extracurricular activity were “asked to leave the house and told that, among other things, the presence of ‘Zionists’ in the group was making residents of the house uncomfortable,” Stanford said in a statement. Associated Press: A Columbia genocide scholar says she may leave over university’s new definition of antisemitism For years, Marianne Hirsch, a prominent genocide scholar at Columbia University, has used Hannah Arendt’s book about the trial of a Nazi war criminal, “Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil,” to spark discussion among her students about the Holocaust and its lingering traumas. But after Columbia’s recent adoption of a new definition of antisemitism, which casts certain criticism of Israel as hate speech, Hirsch fears she may face official sanction for even mentioning the landmark text by Arendt, a philosopher who criticized Israel’s founding. Bergen Record: NJ Assembly committee approves bill to establish definition of antisemitism A New Jersey Assembly committee voted in favor of a measure to define antisemitism in the state on the evening of July 24, following over eight hours of heated debate on the issue. The Assembly State and Local Government Committee unanimously voted to advance the bill in the Assembly, which is a significant step towards enshrining the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism into law. The hearing drew huge crowds that filled five rooms of the statehouse. Chilkat Valley News: Patriot Front stickers found in downtown Haines Multiple stickers with the name and slogans of a white supremacist group were found posted around downtown Wednesday afternoon. The group, Patriot Front, was founded by organizers of the 2017 white-supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. The group has been described by the FBI and non-governmental organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League as a Neo-Nazi and white supremacist group. San Diego Union-Tribune: Aryan Brotherhood sentencing offers glimpse at San Diego’s White supremacist underworld In the brutal world of the Aryan Brotherhood, the notoriously violent White supremacist gang born some 60 years ago in California’s prisons, it’s an unwritten but widely understood rule that any member of the exclusive gang must inflict violence on anyone who falsely claims membership. Europe Newsweek: Europe's Spate of Hostilities Toward Jews and Israelis Prompts Antisemitism Callsv A series of incidents in which Israelis and non-Israeli Jews have been targeted in Europe recently has sparked accusations of anti-Israeli bias and antisemitism amid rising international tensions and pressure on Israel over the Gaza war as images of starving Palestinians heighten emotions. Austria Associated Press: Acquaintance of suspect in Taylor Swift concert plot convicted at trial in Austria An Austrian court on Friday convicted an acquaintance of the main suspect in last year’s foiled plan to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna on terrorism charges unrelated to the plot and sentenced him to two years in prison. The state court in Wiener Neustadt convicted the 18-year-old defendant, whose name was given only as Luca K. in line with local privacy rules, of involvement with a terrorist organization and criminal organization, the Austria Press Agency reported. He largely admitted to the accusations, which included sharing propaganda of the Islamic State group and glorifying an IS sympathizer who killed four people in Vienna in 2020. France Reuters: French plan to recognise Palestinian state draws fire from Israel, US France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday in hopes of bringing peace to the region, but the plan drew angry rebukes from Israel and the United States. Macron, who unveiled the decision on X, published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition and work to convincing other partners to follow suit. Reuters: France's highest court rules arrest warrant for ex-Syrian leader Assad is invalid France's Cour de Cassation, the country's highest court, ruled on Friday that a warrant issued for former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was invalid. Germany B.Z.: 400 Syrians call for the murder of Druze in Berlin Once again, an international conflict is being fought out on the streets of the capital - this time directly in front of the official residence of Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU): Syrians are calling for the murder of Druze. The police are now investigating. Last Saturday, up to 400 Syrians had already called for the murder and rape of Druze, a separate religious community that emerged from Islam. The Arabic word for "bending over", the term for a particularly humiliating posture that people in the region have to adopt before they are shot kneeling in the streets, was also mentioned several times. A video with corresponding footage of the Syrian demonstration can be seen on social media. Eyewitnesses accuse the police of failing to intervene. ARD: Internal party paper: How the AfD strategy works The AfD is the largest opposition party in the German Bundestag and wants to become the strongest political force in some federal states next year. It could actually be satisfied, but those who engage in politics usually also want to govern - this has so far been impossible for the AfD, which many consider unelectable and is being monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The party is currently taking legal action against its classification as "confirmed right-wing extremist". It has set out how it wants to get into the chancellor's office in an internal strategy paper - and the past few weeks have clearly shown how the AfD is following this paper. Reuters: Germany not planning to recognise Palestinian state in short term Germany is not planning to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term and said its priority now is to make "long-overdue progress" towards a two-state solution, a German government spokesperson said on Friday. "Israel's security is of paramount importance to the German government," said the spokesperson. "The German government therefore has no plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term." Greece Jerusalem Post: 'Rise of hatred is concerning,' Gen. Sec. of Greek Jewish body tells 'Post' The Post contacted Eliezer following a spate of incidents involving Jews or Israelis in Greece over the last few weeks, including a pro-Palestinian protest that blocked Israelis attempting to disembark from a ship in Syros, an alleged attack against Israeli teens in Rhodes, and an attack on King David Burger, a kosher eatery in Athens. He did note, however, that there are groups that come “mainly from the extreme Left,” and “demonstrate against Israel and Zionists, accuse the Israelis of genocide in Gaza, write anti-Israeli slogans, put up posters against the presence of Israelis in Greece and recently attacked two businesses of Israeli citizens and did not allow the disembarkation of Israelis on the island of Syros.” United Kingdom Reuters: UK backs future Palestinian statehood but says ceasefire the top priority Britain supports eventual recognition of a Palestinian state, but the immediate priority should be alleviating the suffering in Gaza and securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a British cabinet minister said on Friday. Successive British governments have said they would formally recognise a Palestinian state at the right time, without ever setting a timetable or specifying the conditions for it to happen. AFP: UN urges UK to repeal 'disproportionate' Palestine Action ban The United Nations rights chief on Friday slammed Britain's ban on activist group Palestine Action as a "disturbing" misuse of UK counter-terrorism legislation and urged the government to rescind its move. "The decision appears disproportionate and unnecessary," Volker Turk said in a statement. The ban, introduced under Britain's Terrorism Act 2000, took effect earlier this month after activists from the group broke into an air force base in southern England. Afghanistan Afghanistan International: Taliban Receptive To Concerns Over TTP Presence, Says Pakistan Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has said that the Afghan Taliban have shown a willingness to address Islamabad’s concerns over the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants operating from Afghan territory. The announcement followed a recent visit by Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, to Kabul, where he held talks with senior Taliban officials, including Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani. Discussions focused on cross-border security, the threat posed by the TTP, and ongoing efforts to counter drug trafficking. Afghanistan International: Chinese Envoy Meets Taliban FM To Discuss International Ties China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul to discuss cooperation with the international community, regional diplomacy, and Afghanistan’s reconstruction and stability. In a statement on Friday, Xiaoyong described the meeting on his X account as “very good” and noted that it followed recent trilateral talks involving the foreign ministers of China, the Taliban, and Pakistan. Those discussions focused on enhancing cooperation among neighbouring countries and fostering broader international engagement for Afghanistan’s recovery. Saudi Gazette: Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers to discuss Islamic unity and extremism Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League and President of the Association of Muslim Scholars, held high-level meetings with Afghan ministers in Kabul this week, focusing on strengthening Islamic solidarity, confronting extremism, and promoting the true image of Islam. During a meeting at the Presidential Palace with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, both sides discussed the importance of clarifying the values of Islam based on the Quran and Sunnah, and the impact of these values on individual and communal behavior among Muslims. Gaza Strip Reuters: Exclusive: USAID analysis found no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid An internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the U.S. give for backing a new armed private aid operation. The analysis, which has not been previously reported, was conducted by a bureau within the U.S. Agency for International Development and completed in late June. It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of U.S.-funded supplies reported by U.S. aid partner organizations between October 2023 and this May. Jewish News Syndicate: IAF kills key Hamas terrorist in Gaza as hostage talks stallv The Israeli Air Force this week killed Amjad Muhammad Hassan Shaer, the head of the Counterintelligence Directorate in Hamas’s General Security Apparatus, in a targeted strike in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Friday. Iran New York Times: Iran Starts New Talks Today Over Its Nuclear Program. Here’s What to Know. Little is expected to emerge from Friday’s meeting, which is at a lower level and does not include foreign ministers. But some deadlines are looming. The Europeans have said that they will move to restore sanctions by the end of August if Iran does not respond with a serious effort at a new deal. Without progress in negotiations to extend the deadline on restoring sanctions, any U.N. restrictions could vanish for decades thanks to the difficulty of achieving unanimity in a Security Council where Russia and China both hold vetoes, said Ellie Geranmayeh, an Iran expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Israel Reuters: Netanyahu says Israel is considering 'alternative' means to achieve Gaza goals, in apparent end to ceasefire talks Israel and its U.S. allies are now considering "alternative" options to bring their hostages home from Gaza and end the rule of Hamas in the territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, apparently calling an end to ceasefire talks. The remarks echoed statements made overnight by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff after Israel and the United States pulled their delegations out of the talks in Doha, mediated by Egypt and Qatar. Reuters: Gaza truce talks expected to resume next week as Israel studies Hamas response, Egypt's Al Qahera news says Gaza ceasefire talks are expected to resume next week following Israel's review of the response by Palestinian Hamas militants, Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Friday, citing an Egyptian source. Al Qahera said the Israeli delegation left one day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled the negotiating team for consultations. Axios: Senior Israeli and Syrian officials hold U.S.-brokered talks on de-escalation Senior Israeli and Syrian ministers met in Paris for four hours on Thursday under the auspices of President Trump's special envoy Tom Barrack and discussed de-escalation of tensions between the countries. Why it matters: The meeting that was brokered by the Trump administration was the most high-level official engagement between Israel and Syria in more than 25 years. It was the first meeting between the parties since the crisis erupted last week in the city of Suwayda in southern Syria last week and the Israeli strikes on Damascus that followed. Jerusalem Post: Hamas gambles with Gaza’s future, leaving Israel with the blame This is not some theoretical exercise. It’s the very real situation currently facing Hamas. Its people are in anguish, and, according to various reports this week that cannot be dismissed as mere propaganda, some are going days without food. They claw at one another to reach distribution sites where food is being handed out. Hamas could end this misery immediately by agreeing to a ceasefire deal that’s on the table. But it hasn’t. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Tel Aviv rally calls for war’s end, as hunger reigns in Gaza and ceasefire talks collapse anew Standing inside a mass protest in Habima Square to demand an end to the war in Gaza, Roy Rieck said the atmosphere felt more charged than at previous demonstrations. The difference, he said, is that it’s not just the plight of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages weighing on those who turned out. “There was more of a feeling that people want to stop the war not only to bring back the hostages, but also from the understanding that the war has gone too far — that the cost to soldiers is too high, and that the suffering in Gaza has become unbearable,” he said. Jewish News Syndicate: IAF downs Houthi drone from Yemen The Israeli Air Force intercepted a drone launched by Houthi terrorists in Yemen overnight Thursday. The unmanned aerial vehicle did not trigger air-raid sirens in Israel, as it did not pose a threat to populated areas. Lebanon Naharnet: Hezbollah's Qmati calls for unity amid pressure for disarmament Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmoud Qmati called Friday for unity in Lebanon amid ongoing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah to disarm after a bruising war with Israel. Naharnet: Barrack says US goal in Lebanon is 'strong state that can disarm Hezbollah' U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has reminded that during his latest visit to Beirut, he stated that Hezbollah is “an issue that must be resolved by the Lebanese themselves,” reaffirming a “long-standing position of the United States -- that Hezbollah represents a challenge which only the Lebanese government can address.” Times of Israel: Hezbollah commander killed in Israel airstrike in south Lebanon, says military A Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil earlier today, the IDF announces. According to the IDF, Mohammad Hassan Qoutan served as chief of personnel for Hezbollah in the Bint Jbeil area and was involved in efforts to restore Hezbollah’s capabilities and recruit operatives to the terror group. Syria Reuters: Hospitals in Syria's Sweida struggling after sectarian clashes, WHO The main hospital in the southern Syrian city of Sweida is overwhelmed with trauma patients and working without adequate power or water after the local Druze minority clashed almost two weeks ago with Bedouin and government forces. "Inside of Sweida, it's a grim picture, with the health facilities under immense strain," the World Health Organization's Christina Bethke told reporters in Geneva via video link from Damascus. New York Times: A Series of Mysterious Explosions Unnerves Syrians Months before an explosion rocked the small Syrian village of al-Nayrab, residents had pleaded with the government to secure a nearby military base filled with warheads, rockets and other weaponry. After rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December, government soldiers fled the small base near Aleppo, leaving unsecured weapons behind. In the months that followed, children played near the explosives, while shepherds and thieves looking for scrap copper would walk through the base and sometimes tamper with the weaponry, two residents told The New York Times. Pakistan Dawn: Govt urges social media firms to block accounts run by terrorist groups The government on Friday called on global social media organisations to immediately block the accounts of proscribed terrorist groups disseminating propaganda on their platforms. On Wednesday, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry had highlighted how a terrorist group was using WhatsApp channels to “disseminate hateful content and harmful narratives”, urging the platform and the global community to help Pakistan combat terrorism. Somalia Garowe Online: Somalia: Puntland Forces, with U.S. Support, Capture Senior ISIS Leader Puntland defense forces, backed by U.S. partners, have captured a senior leader of the ISIS-Somalia faction in a planned operation in the Calmiskaad mountains of the Bari region, officials said. The leader, identified as Abdiweli Mohamed Aw Yusuf, also known as Abdiweli Walalac, served as the head of foreign relations and finance for ISIS-Somalia. He was arrested along with two others during the operation in Laag, Xumbeys, according to a brief statement posted by the Puntland counterterrorism unit on X [formerly Twitter]. Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Targets Military Bases Near Somali Capital With Bomb-Laden Assaultv Al-Shabaab militants launched coordinated attacks on two military outposts near Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, triggering heavy clashes with Somali forces and African Union troops, officials and witnesses said on Friday. The assaults targeted bases in the Sabiid and Caanoole areas of the Lower Shabelle region, where Somali National Army (SNA) troops and Ugandan forces serving under the African Union Mission are stationed. The attacks began with powerful explosions, followed by intense gun battles. Sudan Reuters: Sudan's Islamists plot post-war comeback by supporting army The Islamist movement toppled in Sudan's uprising in 2019 could support an extended period of army rule as it eyes a political comeback after deploying fighters in the country's war, according to some of its leading members. In his first media interview in years, Ahmed Haroun, chairman of the former ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and one of four Sudanese wanted by the International Criminal Court, told Reuters that he foresaw the army staying in politics after the war, and that elections could provide a route back to power for his party and the Islamist movement connected to it. More than two years of war between Sudan's army and the RSF has caused waves of ethnic killings, famine and massive displacement, drawing in foreign powers and creating what the United Nations has called the world's biggest humanitarian crisis. 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