Eye on Extremism: July 9, 2026
Top Stories
The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Mideast countries in an exchange of fire that threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Middle East.
Times of Israel: At Haifa gathering, scholars launch association for ‘contemporary antisemitism’
Scholars from around the world gathered in Haifa on Thursday to launch a new academic organization for studying antisemitism at what organizers say is the largest annual academic conference on contemporary antisemitism in the world.
Analysis
Conservative Home: Ian Acheson: A review of our Prisons system must not be so broad it gets blurred
CEP Senior Advisor Ian Acheson writes that a review of the United Kingdom’s prison system is overdue and potentially dangerous.
War on the Rocks: Victory for al-Qaeda’s Affiliate in Mali Would be a Catastrophe
Mali is not Syria, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin is not Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. While the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and the rise of the Ahmed al-Sharaa government in Damascus, Syria can be seen as a net positive for regional security in the Levant, a Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin victory in Mali would devastate the region.
Iran International: Hamas gives up Gaza government, but not Iran ties
Hamas says it is stepping away from governing Gaza. But is it actually giving up power or turning away from its longtime backers in Tehran? The group’s announcement that it is dissolving the governing body that administered Gaza for nearly two decades has been presented as a significant political concession under a US-backed roadmap for the enclave’s future.
United States
UPI: Trump tells Congress he intends to lift Syria's terrorism designation
President Donald Trump informed Congress on Wednesday of his intent to rescind Syria's decades-old designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, another crucial step signifying Damascus' transition from international pariah toward diplomatic acceptance.
Washington Post: Rubio tries to enlist other nations in antifa fight, but some allies recoil
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has invited senior ministers from more than 60 countries to a meeting next week about what the Trump administration views as a major peril: the “resurgence of transnational far-left terrorism,” according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Jewish adults don’t feel well represented by political leaders at a troubling moment for many in their community. Most Jewish Americans, 63%, say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the U.S. At the same time, few believe that either party is doing a good job supporting Jewish people in the United States.
Federal law enforcement at the nation’s borders is on track to stop 16 times as many people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list this year than it did in any year during the Biden administration, according to a Washington Examiner investigation.
Jewish Insider: New Ted Cruz-aligned organization takes aim at right-wing antisemitism
Allies of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) are launching a new political organization aimed at countering antisemitism within the Republican Party, Jewish Insider has learned, led by Arielle F. Klepach, a former assistant U.S. attorney and senior counsel for the National Jewish Advocacy Center.
Jewish Insider: Jewish orgs cite ‘reason for optimism’ as NEA works to address union antisemitism
Major Jewish organizations expressed “reason for optimism” that the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, is taking meaningful steps to address rising antisemitism following its annual Representative Assembly, which concluded in Denver on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Times: ‘Los Rugrats’ cartel boss charged with narco-terrorism in Southern California
Federal prosecutors have charged alleged Sinaloa Cartel lieutenant Carlos Alberto Paez Pereda, 30, with narco-terrorism, providing material support to terrorism and drug trafficking.
Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., described to CNN Tuesday an instance of a fellow House Democrat appearing to dismiss antisemitism because "all the Jews are rich." Balint was one of multiple Jewish Democratic politicians who spoke to CNN about concerns regarding a growing sense of antisemitism among grassroots campaigns that have begun affecting established political figures like California state Sen. Scott Wiener.
The National Desk: Nihilistic Violent Extremist Sentenced to 40 Years in prison: FBI
The FBI announced Wednesday that a Nihilistic Violent Extremist was sentenced to 40 years in prison in San Antonio, Texas. “Alexis Chavez, a San Antonio-based member of a Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) group related to the 764 network, was sentenced to 40 years in prison, lifetime supervised release, and to pay $10,000 in restitution for racketeering activity and multiple acts relating to the sexual exploitation of children,” the FBI wrote on the social media platform, X.
Jewish Insider: Platner suspends campaign, blames organized conspiracy for forcing him out
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, the scandal-plagued progressive insurgent, announced on Wednesday evening that he plans to drop out of the race amid intense pressure, two days after a former romantic partner accused him of rape. Even as he announced his withdrawal, Platner remained defiant, claiming that the allegations against him were a conspiracy aimed at forcing him out of the race.
Jewish Insider: Graham signals support for Syrian leader he once moved to sanction
In a change of tone, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Wednesday that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa deserves a chance to rebuild the war-torn country, arguing that his efforts to curb Iran’s influence in Syria should prompt Israel to reassess its approach to the new government.
WSMV 4: East Nashville silo owner partners with nonprofit to cover white supremacist graffiti
The owner of a silo in East Nashville is partnering with a nonprofit to cover the graffiti promoting a white supremacist hate group. Graffiti spray-painted on a silo at a mulch lot off South 5th Street in East Nashville has been up for more than a month, and city officials say it is the property owner’s responsibility to remove it.
Eastern Shore Undercover: Maryland Man Gets 15 Years for ISIS Plot
A Maryland man is heading to prison for 15 years after trying to join ISIS and plotting an attack close to home. U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson sentenced Michael Sam Teekaye Jr., 22, to 15 years behind bars followed by lifetime supervised release. The charge was attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Teekaye had revealed his plans to an undercover officer.
Norway
Norwegian police have dismissed a complaint against a university professor who called the October 7 massacre “the most beautiful thing that has happened in our century,” The Jerusalem Post has learned on Thursday.
Switzerland
AFP: Convicted of attempted murder for stabbing Jewish man near synagogue, Swiss teen avoids jail
A teenager who stabbed a Jewish man in March 2024 in Zurich was sentenced on Tuesday to one year in prison — the maximum for someone of his age — but his punishment was commuted to compulsory mental care.
United Kingdom
The anti-Israel protests that exploded across the UK after October 7 have been organized by a globally connected and financed network of NGOs aimed at promoting IRGC propaganda, Islamist and anti-Western narratives, and Israel eliminationism, NGO Monitor revealed in a new 129-page report, presented in the UK’s House of Lords on Wednesday.
The Guardian: Mosque effigy on loyalist bonfire in Northern Ireland condemned as ‘vile’
A loyalist bonfire in Northern Ireland featuring an effigy of a mosque has been condemned as an incitement to hatred. The effigy sits atop a tower of pallets that is to be burned on Friday night in the County Tyrone village of Moygashel as part of wider loyalist commemorations. Placards beneath the display read “secure our borders” and “end the threat of radical Islam”.
Middle East
Naharnet: Trump again claims al-Sharaa promised to help on Hezbollah
U.S. President Donald Trump has said anew that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has promised to help on the issue of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Asked whether al-Sharaa has made any “commitments” to him on “helping with Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Trump told a reporter: “Yeah he did. He’s done a great job. He’s unified Syria.”
Egypt
The Guardian: LGBTQ+ cruise ship refused entry to Egypt days after Turkey turned it away
An LGBTQ+ cruise ship blocked from Turkish waters this week has been refused entry into Egypt. The Scarlet Lady’s 2,000 passengers, including the Broadway performer Patti LuPone, woke on Thursday morning to find a note placed under their cabin doors informing them that the ship was urgently looking for alternative ports.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: Terrorist who invaded Israel on Oct. 7 and took hostages killed in strike, IDF says
Another Palestinian terrorist who invaded Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip this week, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.
Euractiv: Palestinian Authority under pressure to end payments to convicted terrorists
The Palestine Donor Group meets in Brussels on Monday, bringing together representatives of EU countries, alongside Mohammad Mustafa, the Palestinian Authority (PA) prime minister, and Kaja Kallas. The donor conference is an opportunity for the European Commission to build international support for a reformed PA, including getting the US on board. On the agenda is an assessment of the PA’s pledge to dismantle the long-standing, so-called pay-for-slay system, under which payments were made to convicted terrorists and their families.
JNS: Report finds UNESCO repeatedly identified Hamas, Islamic Jihad operatives as journalists
A new report by UN Watch found that the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization repeatedly identified Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives as journalists after they were killed in Gaza, even after evidence of their terrorist affiliations became public.
Reuters: How a Palestinian town is defending itself from Israeli settler attacks
On a cool night in June, some 15 Palestinians from the town of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank gathered on a hilltop to watch the shadowed valleys below for any sign of movement that might signal an impending Israeli settler attack.
Iran
Associated Press: A bitterly divided Iran grapples with Khamenei’s legacy as he is laid to rest
He is the grandson of an influential Shiite cleric, born in Qom — the heart of religious studies in Iran — and raised in a traditional family that embraced the theocracy. But by his late 20s, he had stopped praying and given up on clerical rule. Now, he can barely discuss politics or religion with his siblings and father.
Reuters: Iran to bury slain Supreme Leader in culmination of mass funeral
Iran buries its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday at the country's holiest shrine, with his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei still hidden from public view after being disfigured in the strike that killed his father.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for strikes on the Gulf States on Thursday morning, claiming to target two US military bases in Bahrain and another two in Kuwait.
Iran International: IRGC Navy says foreign powers have no role in Strait of Hormuz
The naval arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Thursday that "foreigners have no place in this land and the Strait of Hormuz," warning that any US “intervention” in shipping routes would disrupt the gradual reopening of the waterway.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Navy says US attacks on Iran and intervention in redirecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupting the strategic waterway’s gradual reopening and jeopardizing the interests of countries benefiting from it.
Israel
JNS: Modern antisemitism has become a battle over belonging, scholars say
The second day of “Contemporary Antisemitism 2026” asked a different question than the first. Rather than focusing on language and definitions, speakers examined the spaces where Jewish identity is increasingly contested: on television screens, social media feeds, university campuses, intellectual frameworks and even within minority communities that once promoted solidarity with other groups.
Jordan
Reuters: Iran fired ten ballistic missiles on Jordan's Azraq military base
Iran fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan's Azraq military base on Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by state media.
Lebanon
A deal between Lebanon and Israel was billed as paving the way for peace. But in Lebanon, it is deepening longtime divisions and raising fears of political paralysis or even a return to civil war. The U.S.-brokered deal envisions an Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon and an eventual peace agreement between the two countries — which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel’s establishment. But the agreement says a full Israeli withdrawal will happen only after Hezbollah is disarmed, infuriating the Iran-backed militant group.
Naharnet: How a push to disarm Hezbollah is deepening divisions in Lebanon
A deal between Lebanon and Israel was billed as paving the way for peace. But in Lebanon, it is deepening longtime divisions and raising fears of political paralysis or even a return to civil war. The U.S.-brokered deal envisions an Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon and an eventual peace agreement between the two countries — which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel's establishment. But the agreement says a full Israeli withdrawal will happen only after Hezbollah is disarmed, infuriating the Iran-backed militant group.
Syria
The curriculum taught over the past two years by Syria's Dar al-Wahi al-Sharif school network includes extremist material and portrays both Jews and Christians as enemies of Islam, according to an analysis of 65 official textbooks and workbooks conducted by the Alma Research and Education Center.
Turkey
Fox News: Critics say Turkey's verbal attacks on Israel have crossed into antisemitism
As Iran, Russia’s war with Ukraine and NATO’s defense spending dominate the organization's summit in Ankara, one issue that has escaped the media glare is the increasingly antisemitic rhetoric coming from Turkish leaders.
Daily Sabah: Türkiye confirms 219 terrorists surrendered since PKK began dissolution
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi announced on Thursday that 219 members of the PKK terrorist group have surrendered to Turkish authorities since the group announced its dissolution on May 12, 2025. Speaking to broadcaster 24 TV, Çiftçi commented on the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched in 2024 and how his ministry contributed to the process, which aims to complete the disarmament of the PKK.
Pakistan
Pakistan’s military spokesman says 42 security personnel and 54 militants were killed in four days of clashes in Balochistan, accusing the Afghan Taliban of sheltering and funding armed groups.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday called for a stronger partnership between law enforcement agencies worldwide to tackle shared challenges of “terrorism,” human smuggling and cybercrime, stressing the importance of adopting modern technology and training to curb crimes.
Africa
Reuters: Russia and Sahel states deepen military ties as insurgent attacks persist
Russia and the West African countries making up the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) - Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso - have pledged to strengthen military cooperation as jihadist insurgents gain ground in the region, according to a joint statement issued on Wednesday night after talks in Niger's capital, Niamey.
Reuters: Russia is ready to help Mozambique fight 'terrorist threat', TASS cites Lavrov
Russia is ready to help Mozambique eliminate the "terrorist threat" it faces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday, the state TASS news agency reported. Government forces have been battling Islamist insurgents in the north of the country.
Australia
The Guardian: Jillian Segal wants ‘independent group’ to examine ABC’s Israel coverage – video
The antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, has told the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion that she wants a new 'oversight' committee to vet the public broadcaster's coverage of Israel. 'I would like the ABC to be as good as it possibly could be,' she said, calling for 'a structure where an independent group of people look at what is happening'.
The Australian: ‘Bad mistake: ABC concedes failures but opposes extra regulator
Australia’s antisemitism envoy has accused public broadcasters of trying to ‘mark their own homework’, demanding a new media regulator as the ABC’s editorial director says it mishandled a story on child starvation in Gaza.
SBS News: ABC and SBS questioned by Royal Commission on Antisemitism
The ABC and SBS have defended their reporting on conflict in the Middle East, after facing scrutiny at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal also spoke to the inquiry, calling for both broadcasters to establish an independent oversight body. ABC and SBS maintain their reporting and editorial approaches have been accurate, balanced and impartial.
Technology
A Google executive told an inquiry on Tuesday that a YouTube video that falsely claimed a wounded survivor of an antisemitic massacre in Sydney was a crisis actor blooded with makeup had met the platform’s standards and would remain online.
Australian Jewish News: Platforms can’t measure antisemitism
The world’s largest social media platforms faced sustained scrutiny at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion this week, with representatives from Meta, TikTok, YouTube and livestreaming platform Kick confronted with evidence of significant gaps in moderating and removing antisemitic content.
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