Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza triggers a surge in hate speech and racially motivated crimes, impacting Jewish and Muslim communities worldwide:
The Gaza war acts as a catalyst for the resurgence of terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, with potential spillover effects in Asia and Europe:
Rising online hatred and violence linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict contribute to the radicalisation of individuals, posing a threat to global security and stability:
Leadership in Tel Aviv claims that taking out Hamas will end its security problems. The evidence suggests the opposite. The prospect of normalised relations between Israel and Arab nations is fading as public anger at Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza grows. Could it lead to radicalisation or violent extremism in the Middle East? Counter-terrorism experts around the world have noted that the Israel-Hamas conflict may cause a resurgence of the terrorist threat. The nature and scale of Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip have generated anger and condemnation across the Muslim world. Radicalisation follows oppression- in any conflict.
Palestinians have the right to self-determination, even if Hamas undermines any attempt at a two-state solution. As the West continues to stand behind Israel, a double standard is applied. De facto, Gaza is still occupied, even though Israel officially withdrew in 2005. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2004 that the wall around the West Bank was illegal and that the building of settlements violated international law. Israel has ignored this advisory opinion.
Looking only at the recent actions of Hamas or Israel does not do justice to this long-standing conflict. The ripple effects of the conflict can be felt far beyond the region. The nonstop stream of pictures coming out of Gaza over the past two months has horrified many. The mounting death toll seems to be rapidly changing attitudes in the Middle East. The involvement of external powers, coupled with the regional powers’ pursuit of geopolitical ambitions through proxies, threatens the fragile stability of Asia.
The UN is struggling to take a clear position. This is considered shameful by many. The UN Security Council has yet to adopt a resolution after several attempts. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution with great difficulty, calling for compliance with international humanitarian law, particularly protecting civilians. Several Western countries abstained from voting- which shows their hypocrisy.
Terrorist stimulus
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, the Israel Defence Forces have been bombing the Gaza Strip. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organisation by Germany, the European Union, the United States and others. Israel has also launched a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip, and fighting is ongoing. Hamas has not committed any terrorist acts outside of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories so far.
The escalating Gaza war has acted as a stimulus for terrorist groups like al-Qaeda (AQ) and the Islamic State (IS), as well as other regional terrorist organisations. In South Asia, too, terrorist organisations and their sympathisers are using developments in West Asia to spur radicalisation and rally vulnerable youth to fill their ranks. This radicalisation is also getting a boost from Hamas’ disinformation and propaganda tactics, seeking to generate sympathy for its actions by using explicit imagery and videos from the Israeli ground and air offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas-linked channels regularly post violent graphics of its assault and highlight the aspect of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip caused by Israeli raids. This has provided ample fodder for disinformation. It is also spawning antagonism between religious communities – something that terrorist organisations are eager to exploit. When innocent civilians lose their homes and become refugees- they will develop resentment and revenge. They will desire to take up arms, even years later. War impacts human emotions and scars the mind.
Applying double standards can cause a rift between countries, leading to anger and can even contribute to creating a breeding ground for terrorism globally. The terrorist threat has changed significantly in the West. After a long period in which jihadist terrorism was the main threat, the focus has shifted to right-wing extremism, and increasingly, anti-institutionalism is a cause of great concern. Yet, the threat of jihadist terrorism remains.
Targeted attacks
IS and al-Qaeda, as well as smaller violent Islamic groups, will probably benefit from the current conflict. The recent Quran burnings in Sweden, the attacks by Hamas, and the military response by Israel can all contribute to fuelling a rise in violent extremist and jihadist terrorism. The Israel-Hamas conflict is spilling over into Europe, as threats and physical attacks targeting minority groups have escalated across the continent, and a terrorist attack in Paris was allegedly triggered in part by the Gaza situation.
Online hatred against Jews and Muslims has also surged. Anti-Semitic content soared by almost 1,000 per cent on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in a month. A significant increase in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on YouTube was reported. This increase in hate speech and racially motivated crimes creates a feeling of insecurity among both Jewish and Muslim communities.
The rise of hate speech against Jews and Muslims in Europe, as well as images of massacred civilians on either side, could be conducive to the radicalisation of specific individuals and possibly result in violent acts. As mentioned above, some incidents have already occurred, and more could still occur. These acts do not necessarily qualify as terrorism because they are less motivated by an ideology than by hatred and a sense of retaliation. The global jihadist movement has proven to be resilient and opportunistic. The magnitude and shape of the terrorist threat depends on the course of the conflict: How long it lasts. Whether external parties—Hezbollah or Iran decide on full-scale intervention or Israel launches a pre-emptive attack to prevent them from doing so. Will America become drawn further into the fight?
A U.S. military confrontation with Hezbollah could spark terrorist attacks on American targets abroad and domestically. Israel and its U.S. supporters may only succeed in destroying an entity called “Hamas” and face the exact same problems from one or more groups that have a different name but the same violent designs. Hamas does not have its own international terrorist network, although it has called for action abroad to support its cause. New pro-Hamas terrorist groups will emerge. Few issues have the potential to radicalise and mobilise Islamist extremists as much as their desire for the ‘liberation’ of Palestine and the destruction of Israel. For Islamist extremists, these objectives are core narratives in their ideology.
Dishan Joseph