Hizballah Continues Recruiting Palestinians to Kill Israelis

Israeli security authorities arrested a suspected Palestinian member of Hizballah for planning terrorist attacks against Israelis, Israel's domestic security agency announced on Thursday.

A subsequent Shin Bet interrogation revealed that Hizballah recruited Yusef Yasser Suylam, 23, via Facebook page. Suylam hails from the West Bank town Qalqiliya.

Investigators say the Palestinian operative was responsible for establishing a cell devoted to kidnapping Israeli civilians. Hizballah also directed Suylam to conduct surveillance on Israeli military bases and other security sites, in addition to various places in Jerusalem.

After an Israeli military court filed an indictment, several felony charges are expected against the Palestinian terrorist.

Over the years, Hizballah has tried to establish a West Bank foothold to carry out terrorist and kidnapping attacks against Israelis. Members of Hizballah's Unit 133 external operations branch used social media, particularly Facebook, to recruit West Bank Palestinians.

Last August, a Shin Bet investigation found disrupted a terror cell that was recruited though the "Palestine the Free" Facebook page featuring anti-Israel Hizballah posts. Cell leader Mustafa Kamal Hindi recruited other operatives in hopes of waging a shooting attack against the Israeli military. Each operative was between the ages of 18-22 and lived in Qalqiliya.

One of the cell members purchased the material required to build a suicide bomb, while another was tasked with building the explosive device. Another terrorist focused on garnering intelligence about IDF patrols in the area. The group also began training with rifles for shooting attacks.

The characteristics, modus operandi, and recruitment methods match the description and reports surrounding recently arrested Yussef Suylam.

In January 2016, a Shin Bet investigation found that Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah's son, Jawan, used social media to recruit terrorists in the West Bank. Through encrypted email exchanges with a Hizballah handler, cell leader Muhammad Zaghloul received instructions for carrying out suicide-bombing attacks and provided a plan to kill an IDF officer. Zaghloul admitted that the cell conducted surveillance of the officer and requested $30,000 to purchase arms to kill him. The plot to kill Israeli troops was likely in the execution phase, considering the two operatives were arrested in possession of a firearm.

Click here to read more details about other Hizballah attempts at recruiting Palestinians to conduct terrorist attacks against Israelis.

Hizballah's Ongoing Threat to U.S. National Security

Most analyses of Hizballah focus on the terrorist group's intervention in Syria or its threat to Israel. But the Iranian-backed organization maintains a significant presence in and near the United States, threatening national security. Current American proposals to strengthen borders and immigration measures may be limited to address this important, yet poorly understood, threat.

A recent Al-Arabiya article examines Hizballah's North American threat.

It has the expertise to build advanced tunnels on the southern U.S. border, enabling Hizballah terrorists and Mexican cartel operatives to infiltrate the United States. Relations between Iranian-backed proxies, including Hizballah, and Latin American drug cartels are well established. Mexican gang members learn from Hizballah's combat experience and use of advanced weaponry. Hizballah, in turn, derives a significant portion of its finances from the drug trade and other illicit activities.

In recent years, security officials in southwestern states noticed a rise in tattoos featuring Hizballah's insignia among imprisoned drug cartel operatives. This surprising trend indicates a strengthened relationship between the terrorist group and Mexican gang members. In line with its foreign policy, Iranian operatives infiltrating Latin America seek to convert individuals to adopt its extremist Shi'ite ideology. Over the years, pro Iranian websites have proliferated across Latin America, in an attempt to cultivate support for the Islamic Republic.

Powerful Latin American politicians also help Iran and Hizballah penetrate the region and threaten the United States. In February, CNN received a 2013 secret intelligence document from several Latin American countries demonstrating ties between Venezuelan Vice President Tarreck El Aissami and 173 Venezuelan identification cards and passports issued to people from the Middle East, including Hizballah operatives. El Aissami "took charge of issuing, granting visas and nationalizing citizens from different countries, especially Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Iranians, and Iraqis," the report shows.

Iranian and Hizballah operatives have cultivated and consolidated operating bases in South America, especially in the tri-border area (TBA) of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. With a large Muslim population featuring significant numbers of Hizballah sympathizers, the region is ripe for recruitment, arms smuggling and drug trafficking. Hizballah continues to exploit other Lebanese Shi'ite diaspora communities, including in the United States, to strengthen its presence worldwide.

In 2011, the United States disrupted a plot led by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in cooperation with a Mexican drug cartel to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington.

The problematic nexus between Iranian-backed operatives, including Hizballah, and Mexican drug cartels allows terrorists to earn big money to fuel their violent operations. These connections also enable Hizballah to make inroads into the United States through its porous border with Mexico.

American intelligence reports show that Hizballah maintains a significant network of sleeper cells in the United States. Though Hizballah has not conducted a major attack on U.S. soil, the group could decide to strike key American sites should U.S.-Iran relations deteriorate substantially. Preparations to combat Islamist terrorism broadly should strongly consider the nuanced and growing Hizballah threat to U.S. national security.

Canadian Imams Call for Death of Jews

Some weak excuses are being offered after two Canadian imams attracted media attention for giving incendiary, anti-Semitic sermons.

Ryerson University in Toronto announced it fired Ayman Elkasrawy from his teaching assistant position in the wake of reports he prayed for Allah to "purify" Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque "from the filth of the Jews."

He also prayed that anyone who "displaced" Muslims be destroyed: "Count their number; slay them one by one and spare not one of them, O Allah! Purify Al-Aqsa Mosque from the filth of the Jews!"

The Muslim Association of Canada suspended Elkasrawy, describing him as a "junior employee" whose sermon was "unauthorized." Toronto police are investigating Elkasrawy's remarks to determine whether his remarks constitute hate speech.

Elkasrawy apologized in a Feb. 20 Twitter post, saying he misspoke. "I firmly believe that all human beings, Muslim, Jews and people of all and no faith, deserve to live a life free of any threat to their safety."

In Montreal, calls for an investigation into similar comments by a Sheikh Wael Al-Ghitawi are growing after the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) posted videos showing him denying Jewish roots in Israel.

"Jews do not have any historical right to Palestine," Al-Ghitawi said in the 2014 sermon. He falsely asserted that "for long periods of time, there was not a single Jew in Jerusalem and Palestine."

Jews "slayed the prophets, shed their blood and cursed the Lord," Al-Ghitawi said. He also called Jews the offspring of "Turkish mongols" who were "punished by Allah."

The comments need to be investigated, said Rabbi Reuben Poupko, co-chair of the Quebec branch of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

Al-Ghitawi preaches at the Al-Andalous Islamic Centre, which already faced scrutiny for another 2014 sermon by a guest preacher who called for the death of Jews "one by one" and called for Allah to "destroy the accursed Jews."

The center tried to rationalize the comments, noting they came during the 2014 Gaza war between Israel and Hamas. It issued a statement claiming the imam used "clumsy and unacceptable phrasing," Canada's National Post reported.

These incidents are the latest in a series of radical statements from Canadian imams. Last year, MEMRI exposed a sermon by an imam in Edmonton, Alberta, who urged Muslims to "look forward" as "Rome will be conquered." Shaban Sherif Mady also glorified the restoration of the "rightly-guided" Islamic Caliphate – mirroring similar calls by the Islamic State's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Iran's Leader Urges Palestinians to Launch Violent Uprising

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is urging Palestinians to launch another violent "intifada" targeting Israelis, Reuters reported.

Speaking at a recent conference in Tehran, Khamenei called for Israel's destruction and referred to the Jewish state as a "cancerous tumor."

"... by Allah's permission, we will see that this intifada will begin a very important chapter in the history of fighting and that it will inflict another defeat on that usurping regime," Khamenei said, according to a transcript of the remarks featured on his website.

"The Palestinian intifada continues to gallop forward in a thunderous manner so that it can achieve its other goals until the complete liberation of Palestine," the Ayatollah added.

For years, senior Iranian figures have called for Israel's destruction. These statements, however, are not just rhetoric to invigorate domestic audiences. Iran has invested considerable resources to prop up terrorist proxies, including Hamas and Hizballah, to militarily confront Israel. Iran also finances and explicitly encourages Palestinians to engage in individual terrorist initiatives.

Sanctions relief in the 2015 Iran nuclear enabled Iran to enhance terrorist operations and increase funding for Palestinians who attack Israelis. Last year, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon confirmed that every Palestinian terrorist's family will receive $7,000 for attacking Israelis and $30,000 if a family's home is demolished by the Israel Defense Forces. Financial transfers would be distributed through the Palestinian branch of Iran's 25-year-old "Shahid Institutions."

"The martyrs' blood will release the entire Palestine, from the river to the sea," Ambassador Mohammad Fathali said.

In January 2016, Hizballah's Unit 133 tried to coordinate a Palestinian terrorist cell in the West Bank, sending the operatives $5,000 to buy weapons to kill Israeli soldiers. Similar to previous Hamas attempts, Hizballah was trying to escalate Palestinian violence into a full-fledged uprising, seeking to introduce an organized element to a phenomenon that was largely characterized by individual acts.

Acting on Iranian orders, Hizballah was able to direct and coordinate dozens of Palestinian terrorist cells during the second Intifada. From 2002 to 2007, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hizballah directed and coordinated dozens of Palestinian terrorist networks, mostly cells that were part of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Throughout the 1990s and beginning of 2000s, Hizballah sent Lebanese operatives with foreign passports to Israel via Europe in order to support Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups devoted to sabotaging the Oslo Peace Process and damage the Palestinian Authority.

Ayatollah Khamenei's latest call for the Jewish state's destruction is much more than political bluster. His remarks are a direct signal to ignite widespread terrorist violence.

Maryland Mosque Lauds Pakistani Assassin

On Sunday, an American mosque glorified a terrorist responsible for killing a Pakistani governor who was critical of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, the Rabwah Times reported.

Salman Taseer, the former governor of Punjab province, became an instant target for radical Islamists after he defended a Christian woman facing blasphemy charges. In 2011, Taseer's own bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri shot and killed him.

When Qadri was executed for the killing last year, more than 100,000 Pakistanis paid their respects at his funeral.

The Gulzar E Madina Mosque in Pikesville, Md. apparently shared in the mourners' zeal, hosting a celebration Sunday in Qadri's memory. The mosque held a traditional "Urs" ceremony usually reserved for holy figures, the Rabwah Times story said.

Days earlier, the mosque advertised the event in the Urdu Times, America's most distributed Urdu language newspaper. The event featured several speakers spewing radical views, including Syed Saad Ali, an Islamist scholar based in New Jersey.

"Warrior Mumtaz Qadri kissed the noose in love for Prophet Muhammad," Ali said. "When Qadri was in jail for 5 years what did we do? What effort did we make (for his release)? Why did we not go where he was being held? Qadri did everything for us, and for the love of Islam and we could not even stand by him. People say Islam teaches peace...I say Islam teaches us Ghairat (Honor). Who will now stand up?"

According to the Rabwah Times, the event was "attended by dozens of people including young children and teenagers."

Pakistan has charged about 1,000 people with blasphemy since 1987, and convictions can carry the death penalty. These laws especially target members of Pakistan's minority communities, including the Ahmadi and Christians. But the law can be also applied to anyone that is seen as a threat to the government.

Sunday's event in Maryland is another example of a radical mosque in the United States glorifying terrorists and inciting violence among younger generations. Impressionable children in these contexts view terrorists as heroes and are encouraged to support and violence for Islamist objectives.

Rasmieh Odeh's Co-Conspirators' Testimony Sought for Retrial

Federal prosecutors want to travel to the Middle East to question two women who previously have acknowledged helping Rasmieh Odeh bomb a Jerusalem supermarket in 1969 along with the British Consulate. The supermarket bombing killed two college students, Leon Kanner and Edward Joffe.

Odeh failed to disclose her conviction in Israeli court and her resulting 10 years in an Israeli prison when she applied for naturalization as an American citizen in 2004.

The Investigative Project on Terrorism examined Odeh's terrorist history and the heroic treatment she enjoys among Palestinian activists in a five-part video series, "Spinning a Terrorist Into a Victim."

She was convicted of naturalization fraud in 2014, but won a new trial after arguing the court improperly kept out testimony supporting her claim that her incorrect answers on immigration papers resulted from post-traumatic stress caused by torture while in Israeli custody.

The claim is unsubstantiated, but defense and prosecution psychologists who examined Odeh say that she does exhibit signs of post-traumatic stress.

Prosecutors responded with a superseding indictment placing greater emphasis on Odeh's membership in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which carried out the 1969 bombings. Membership in a terrorist organization, let alone a conviction for a terrorist act, is sufficient to deny immigrants a visa or to reject a naturalization application.

Aisha Odeh and Rasheda Obideh, in separate videos available online, talked about helping Rasmieh Odeh in the 1969 bombings, prosecutors wrote in a motion filed Tuesday. Aisha Odeh (who is not related to Rasmieh Odeh) admitted placing the supermarket bomb after scouting the store with Rasmieh. Obideh made similar statements in another video," the prosecution brief said.

The women "have uniquely relevant testimony," prosecutors argued. But to get to them, they need the court's consent and cooperation from the Palestinian Authority.

If the motion is granted, prosecutors and defense attorneys would travel abroad and then determine whether the statements provided should be shown to the jury.

Their testimony has added significance, prosecutors said, because of new federal case law in the Sixth Circuit, which covers Detroit – the site of Odeh's trial. In a ruling since Odeh's 2014 trial, the Sixth Circuit ruled that a jury can consider factors such as "good moral character" and involvement in terrorism in naturalization fraud cases.

The Palestinian women "have highly material testimony because they have personal knowledge of the defendant's involvement in terrorist activity and the defendant's membership and association with a terrorist organization. These topics are directly relevant to the charges in the first superseding indictment," prosecutors wrote.

The trial is scheduled to take place in mid-May. Tuesday was the deadline for pre-trial motions.

In other filings, prosecutors requested an anonymous jury and other measures meant to keep the jury from being influenced by Odeh's supporters who protest outside of court each day. They also asked the court to bar the defense from claiming Odeh is being subjected to a selective or "political" prosecution.

Defense attorneys asked that all the Israeli evidence showing Odeh's connection to the 1969 be kept out of the trial, along with the U.S. government's designation of the PFLP as a terrorist group.

ISIS Terrorists Tapping Organized Crime to Infiltrate Europe

With the help of organized criminal elements, Islamic State terrorists reportedly are buying legitimate British passports that can evade security detection from security authorities, the Daily Beast reports.

An Italian intelligence investigation into the Camorra mafia discovered an advertisement on the deep web that linked to a Naples firm capable of producing sophisticated biometric passports.

"We are selling original UK Passports made with your info/picture. Also, your info will get entered into the official passport database," the advertisement reads. "So its (sic) possible to travel with our passports. How do we do it? Trade secret! Information on how to send us your info and picture will be given after purchase! You can even enter the UK/EU with our passports, we can just add a stamp for the country you are in."

Other investigations also shed light onto the broader ties between terrorists and European criminal organizations, including in the smuggling of weapons and forged documents.

Last year Italian authorities arrested an Iraqi man in Naples for facilitating weapons and document transfers to the Islamic State.

"Naples has been, for many years, a central logistics base for the Middle East," prosecutor Franco Roberti told the Daily Beast last year, adding that "the Camorra (mafia) is also active in the world of jihadist terrorism that passes through Naples."

Terrorists are diversifying their funding sources through various criminal means to underwrite their violent and nefarious activities. The criminal-terrorism nexus manifests itself in several ways: mainly in the form of cooperation between terrorist groups and organized criminal elements, and crimes by terrorists which are conducted to finance their own operations. Terrorists' reliance in counterfeiting in particular has attracted more attention recently with the rise of Islamic State networks in Europe and other parts of the world.

Lacking a formal state sponsor, and facing setbacks in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State may start to depend more on criminal relationships to fuel their operations and to infiltrate terrorists into Western for the purposes of carrying out attacks abroad.

Defections Challenge Hamas' Cooperation With the Islamic State

Hamas continues to play a double game when it comes to the Islamic State. The Palestinian terrorist organization is trying to supress ISIS-inspired jihadists in Gaza, while simultaneously cooperating with the terrorist group's Sinai Peninsula affiliate – Wilayat Sinai.

Despite some tactical benefits, Hamas' seemingly counterintuitive, yet calculated, engagement with Islamic State elements has resulted in tangible setbacks for the Palestinian group. Palestinian sources speaking with the Times of Israel revealed that dozens of Hamas operatives have defected to Wilayat Sinai, including highly trained terrorists from elite units.

Roughly two months ago, Hamas forces arrested Abed al-Wahad Abu Aadara, a Hamas naval commando who defected to ISIS after he re-entered Gaza. His brother also joined ISIS and died in clashes with the Egyptian military. Facing pressure from ISIS, Hamas recently released Abu Aadara from prison.

Other defectors include highly trained Hamas operatives who enhance the Islamic State's ability to build bombs and use anti-tank missiles. Senior military wing members, including Abu Malek Abu Shwiesh, a key assistant to Hamas' Rafah commander, reportedly joined Wilayat Sinai.

The ISIS affiliate has created significant Egyptian casualties in recent years, particularly after acquiring and deploying sophisticated weaponry in the Sinai.

Israeli officials have outlined detailed aspects of Hamas-Islamic State cooperation in the past. Both organizations engage in smuggling terrorists and arms, including advanced weapons systems. For example, Hamas provided Wilayat Sinai with Kornet anti-tank missiles that have destroyed Egyptian military vehicles. Hamas also provides military training and medical services for injured Wilayat Sinai fighters in Gaza, in addition to reportedly transferring money directly to the terrorist organization.

In return, Hamas cultivates a safe haven for its leaders and fighters in case of a future confrontation with Israel, understanding that Israel's military engagement on Egyptian territory is limited.

Since the end of the 2014 summer war in Gaza, Hamas has invested significant resources into reconstructing its terrorist infrastructure. It also continues to rebuild its elite forces – including its naval commando unit – dedicated to infiltrating into Israel to carry out terrorist attacks. Reports of Hamas defections are a clear setback for the Palestinian organization, but are not likely lead to a wider rift with the Islamic State.

Despite broader ideological differences, both groups remain committed to challenging the Egyptian military in Sinai and destroying the Jewish state.

Israel Foils Another Hamas Kidnapping and Murder Plot

Israeli security forces indicted three Palestinians Monday, saying they were part of a Hamas terrorist cell planning to kidnap and kill Israelis in the West Bank and within Israel.

According to the indictment, Hamas officials in Gaza sent instructions to the terrorists via Facebook, explaining how to carry out shooting attacks, detonate explosives, and coordinate kidnappings around Hebron. The cell also scouted several locations within Israel for future attacks, including a bus station in Afula, a military base, the Binyamina Train Station, and a synagogue. The terrorists gained important information about the targets while working in Israel illegally.

To facilitate the attacks, the terrorists saved about $270 per month to buy weapons, build bombs and recruit other Palestinians.

"The uncovering of the infrastructure and activities it planned demonstrates the high threat level posed by Hamas militants, especially those who enter Israel and remain their illegally," according to the Shin Bet.

Israeli authorities have foiled several Hamas terrorist plots since the latest wave of Palestinian violence, which peaked in October 2015. While most attacks were largely individual terrorist initiatives, groups like Hamas and even Hizballah sought to hijack the popular uprising by planning and coordinating terrorist attacks. Both organizations failed to execute a sophisticated attack thus far due to vigilant Israeli intelligence practices.

In January 2016, Shin Bet foiled a Hamas terror cell seeking to kidnap and kill Israelis in hopes of using their victims' bodies to negotiate the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. A similar motivation encouraged Hamas affiliated terrorists behind the June 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens, which eventually led to a full-fledged war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Palestinian terrorists continue to provoke Israel, launching a rocket Monday from Gaza into southern Israel and firing at Israeli soldiers working on the Gaza border fence. In response, the Israeli military targeted several Hamas positions in Gaza with airstrikes and artillery shells.

Last week, a senior Israeli military official told Israel's Channel 2 that Hamas has regained its military capabilities since the 2014 Gaza war. Hamas continues to invest considerable resources to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure at the expense of civilian reconstruction efforts.

In the meantime, Hamas actively seeks to recruit and mobilize terrorists in the West Bank to form cells dedicated to killing Israelis in an effort to spark chaos and eventually take over the Palestinian Authority.

Fordham University Facing Backlash for Rejecting SJP on Campus

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) recently condemned Fordham University for banning the radical group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) from campus.

The NLG claims that Fordham's decision continued a "legacy of Anti-Palestinian discrimination, known as the 'Palestinian Exception' to Free Speech..."

In a Dec. 22 email, Fordham Dean of Students Keith Eldredge outlined the university's reasons to block SJP from forming a chapter.

"While students are encouraged to promote diverse political points of view, and we encourage conversation and debate on all topics, I cannot support an organization whose sole purpose is advocating political goals of a specific group, and against a specific country (Israel)..."

Eldredge correctly pointed out that SJP's inherently divisive mandate is a cause for concern.

SJP's purpose "as stated in the proposed club constitution points toward that polarization. Specifically, the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions of Israel presents a barrier to open dialogue and mutual learning and understanding."

Eldredge's email was published by the groups Palestine Legal and the Center of Constitutional Rights as part of a joint letter Jan. 17 protesting to Fordham's president. The letter suggests that the university's rejection "was based on the viewpoint of students' message and/or their national origin."

A Fordham spokesperson denied that charge in a written statement, saying the university "has no registered student clubs" with a singular focus to protest one country. "[T]he narrowness of Students for Justice in Palestine's political focus makes it more akin to a lobbying group than a student club."

Fordham's decision "exemplifies a long and ubiquitous history of Anti-Palestinian censorship rampant across campuses, government, and civil institutions that has largely gone under-reported, unchallenged and is coordinated with many Israeli groups," said Lamis Deek, an NLG member with extremist views.

Last October, Deek – who is also an official with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) – glorified a Palestinian terrorist as "the Lion of Jerusalem" after he killed two Israelis and injured five others. The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) has shown Deek's consistent glorification of violence targeting Jews and Israelis, who has referred to Israel as "the genocidal zionist regime."

Groups like SJP, often make claims of victimization while working to intimidate and silence their detractors. The documentary "Hate Spaces," by Americans for Peace and Tolerance provides overwhelming evidence of widespread anti-Israel intolerance on campuses across the country by organizations like SJP.

In one example, Northeastern University spokeswoman Renata Nyul acknowledges that SJP was suspended after engaging in "vandalism of university property, disrupting the events of other student organizations" and more.

SJP claimed the school's suspension stifled free speech and generated public pressure until SJP was reinstated in 2014.

Now Fordham faces similar pressure.

SJP chapters elsewhere have "a particularly serious impact on Jewish students," Tammi Rossman-Benjamin told the Algemeiner. "Nor do they [universities] end up doing anything about the harmful behavior when it is exhibited."

Her organization, the AMCHA Initiative, tracks campus anti-Semitism. At Fordham University's Middle East Studies Department, it notes, someone posted a sign depicting Uncle Sam calling himself "Israel's b**ch" and included the words "Palestinian apartheid."

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