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'Europe is lost': Muslim Brotherhood infiltration strategy

miriw — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 16:20:03 +0000

European taxpayers are unknowingly funding their own subversion. A bombshell new report reveals how the Muslim Brotherhood has mastered the art of infiltration, securing tens of millions of euros from EU institutions while pursuing an agenda to replace secular democracy with Islamic theocracy.

Vladimir Lenin, the architect of Russia's Communist Revolution and founder of the Soviet Union, is credited with the mocking phrase, "The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them." The Soviet tyrant expressed the idea that Westerners, driven by greed, would cooperate with the Communist revolution without understanding they were ultimately engineering their own downfall.

If Lenin, who died in 1924, were resurrected today and landed this week in the European Parliament corridors during the presentation of the new report on Muslim Brotherhood infiltration into Europe, he would have no choice but to update his prophecy. Greed has given way to blindness. Westerners no longer sell their enemies the rope. They finance it with their own money and cheerfully offer their necks to an enemy plotting their downfall, except now the enemy is cloaked in green.

The comprehensive report, submitted to EU institutions, was compiled by Dr. Florence Bergeaud-Blackler and Dr. Tommaso Virgili, two respected researchers of Islamism in Europe. They present a particularly disturbing situation: Europe is funding, sometimes unknowingly from taxpayer coffers, organizations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, and these organizations are advancing a subversive ideology aimed at changing the continent's face from within.

The organizational structure of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe is a maze, notes Charlie Weimers, a Swedish member of the European Parliament and the initiator of the report, hinting that only a few are capable and willing to delve into its depths. The Brotherhood operates a network of semi-independent groups connected to each other through shared ideology, family ties, and personal relationships. Those not part of the network will find it difficult to understand how it operates and will certainly struggle to track the flow of money sustaining it.

"Historically, we tended to ignore the Muslim Brotherhood because this movement barely existed on the continent," Weimers says in an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom's weekly magazine. "But the tide has turned. Three tectonic shifts created the change: a surge in the volume of Muslim immigration, the growth of a new generation of European-born Muslims who are aware of Europe's weaknesses and willing to exploit them, and the Muslim Brotherhood's deliberate effort to gain a foothold in the West."

One central insight emerges clearly from reading the report: if Europe does not wake up – immediately, now – it is lost. This grim conclusion rests on hundreds of examples and facts carefully collected by Bergeaud-Blackler and Virgili. They describe a rigged game: while European officials operate in their own world, a world of dry regulations, completely oblivious to what is taking shape outside government buildings, the Islamists have mastered the art of camouflage.

Belgium, Brussels (Photo: Valeria Mongelli / Hans Lucas Belgique, Bruxelles) Valeria Mongelli / Hans Lucas vi

"The Muslim Brotherhood in Europe is like a wolf in sheep's clothing," Weimers explains. "Ostensibly, they abandon the path of violence and adopt a pragmatic appearance: willing to work with official systems, and especially to receive funding from them. But we must not fall into the trap: this tactical move is not genuine change. Their ultimate goal has remained as it was – to dismantle Europe's secular democratic institutions and establish a theocratic regime based on the Quran. Their target is a global caliphate, where all areas of life will be dictated by Islam and Sharia law, while pushing non-Muslims into the position of second-class citizens as dhimmi (non-Muslim protected persons living under Islamic rule). The Muslim Brotherhood is a totalitarian force, and must be treated as such."

The "Wasatiyya" method

How does the Islamist wolf don the hide of an innocent sheep? First and foremost, through decentralized action, via countless bodies that at first glance are not connected at all. Some are very small and hidden from view, disguised as authentic and legitimate organizations – mosques, nonprofits, welfare funds, community organizations, and more. Only experts, such as the report's authors, and security service personnel can identify the threads that connect them into a single network. Even their work does not always succeed.

"Identifying active and committed members of the Muslim Brotherhood movement is a complex task, as they tend to deny any official connection," the report states. "In any case, the number of activists in organizations influenced by the movement far exceeds the number of members who have officially joined it. Many of these activists are not even aware they are operating within a framework affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, but continue to operate in organizations that were established or shaped in the spirit of their ideology — such as Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) and its branches, the Council of European Muslims (CEM, formerly the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe – FIOE) network, the Federation of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations (FEMYSO), the European Forum of Muslim Women (EFOMW), as well as a long list of additional national and international bodies."

According to the findings, this is not a collection of isolated bodies, but an organized and sophisticated network operating in Europe for years: student associations, nonprofit organizations, research institutes, civil society organizations, and even religious institutions. All fit into the concept conceived by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Brotherhood's spiritual leader in recent decades: "Wasatiyya" (Islamic centrism or moderation) – an approach portrayed as moderate, but according to the report, its purpose is gradual infiltration into Western systems until changing the democratic order from within.

Under the cover of legitimacy and decentralization, the Islamist bodies can request state and pan-European budgets. Request – and receive. "The research by Dr. Florence Bergeaud-Blackler and Dr. Tommaso Virgili exposes an uncomfortable truth: the European taxpayer is unwittingly funding the insidious infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood movement into our institutions," MEP Weimers argues. "Through grants ostensibly presented as support for immigrant integration efforts or the fight against racism, the European Union has funneled tens of millions to networks promoting separatism and parallel societies inspired by Sharia, which directly harm our cherished democratic values."

Feeding the monster

The report does not settle for presenting theoretical models. It brings a series of harsh examples showing how organizations with deep Islamist connections have succeeded in obtaining European funding on the scale of tens of millions of euros. Take, for example, an organization with a nice name, like the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), which declares on its website that it "works to end structural racism and discrimination across Europe and bring about real change in the lives of religious and ethnic minorities."

The beautiful words cover rather ugly facts: several of the member organizations in ENAR are part of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, and for 11 years it was headed by Michael Privot, who was a declared member of the movement. Between 2007 and 2020, ENAR received at least 23 million euros from European institutions. Its effective connection to the European establishment did not end with just money. Thanks to its whitewashed appearance, ENAR was a regular participant in European forums, helped draft policy documents, and promoted initiatives in the European Parliament.

The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations (FEMYSO), which was established in 1996 at the initiative of several bodies linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, is no less effective. You can find within it the "nobility" of the Muslim Brotherhood's global leadership. The organization's founder and first president was Ibrahim el-Zayat, a German citizen of Egyptian origin, whom German security services defined as "the spider weaving the web of Islamist organizations" and as "the Muslim Brotherhood's representative in Germany." It is hard to exaggerate the depth of his connection to Islamist ideology - he was involved in almost every major Muslim Brotherhood body in Europe and was known for his extreme antisemitic positions. In el-Zayat's case, there is no need to rely on rumors or hints: the official Ikhwanweb site explicitly defined him as a member of the Brotherhood movement, and he even lost a lawsuit against a German parliamentarian who called him "a senior in the Muslim Brotherhood."

"Bodies identified with the Muslim Brotherhood exploit the blind spots of government, and master the art of using language precisely tailored to meet requirements, to ensure funding. They run a sophisticated domino game: they leverage legitimacy received in one country to establish credibility in another country or in EU institutions. This creates a dangerous cycle of funding from multiple sources," says MEP Weimers.

Alongside him, Khawla Himmat, daughter of Ghaleb Himmat, served as deputy president of the organization, a Syrian native who became an Italian citizen. Her brother, Youssef, later served as the president of FEMYSO. Ghaleb Himmat, another central figure in the European arena of the Brotherhood and someone who admitted to serving as a financier of the movement's global network, was also identified by Ikhwanweb as part of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Another FEMYSO president was Intissar Kherigi, daughter of the head of Tunisia's Ennahda party, Rached Ghannouchi — a party clearly identified with the Muslim Brotherhood. Between 2021 and 2023, the organization was headed by Hend Taner, a member of Millî Görüş (National Vision movement), the Turkish arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.

FEMYSO is a real monster, aggregating under an Islamist umbrella 32 organizations from 22 European countries and connecting them to the Muslim Brotherhood's power centers in the Middle East. Who helped feed the monster? The European Union! Between 2007 and 2019, the organization received funding of 288,856 euros from EU institutions.

Never mind the money. As in ENAR's case, the Europeans granted legitimacy to FEMYSO, despite its clear Islamist identification. For example, in 202,2 the European Commission published a "recognition video for youth across the Union," in which FEMYSO also appeared. The video was filmed as part of "European Youth Events" in the Union's parliament. The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations participates in these events regularly and enjoys this European whitewashing also at the level of EU member states.

If this is not serious enough, wait for the report's revelations regarding Islamic Relief Worldwide and its many branches, which received an astronomical sum of over 40 million euros from the European Union. The organization's Palestinian branch is connected to Hamas, and its other branches are no better. The report's authors briefly note what has already been revealed regarding Islamic Relief Worldwide: calls "to place Jewish corpses on mountaintops, so that no dog in Palestine will be hungry," labeling Jews as "monkeys and dogs," praise for Hamas, and suspicious financial transfers.

The national flags of Germany, Israel and the European Union fly in the wind in front of the Federal Chancellor, and Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel in Berlin, 16 03 2023 Berlin Germany (Photo: Kira Hofmann) IMAGO/photothek via Reuters Conn

The organization's connections to the Muslim Brotherhood are an open secret, proven many times. Nevertheless, this record did not cause the European Commission to get its act together. Its publications still define Islamic Relief Worldwide's branches in Germany and Sweden as "approved humanitarian partners of the European Union for 2021-2027." Authorities in both countries are crying out and pointing to the Islamist connection of both to the Muslim Brotherhood, but in Brussels, they neither hear nor see.

Sunni-Shia cooperation

One of the report's interesting findings points to the connection between the European branches of the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran's tentacles. Although these two Islamist players belong to rival streams in Islam, when it comes to infiltrating Europe, they actually know how to cooperate.

The Islamic Association of Shia Communities (IGS), operating in Germany, is a tangible example of such cooperation. IGS was founded in 2009 under the leadership of Ayatollah Reza Ramezani Gilani, a member of the Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic, the body that elects Iran's Supreme Leader. If that is not enough, in 2018, after Ramezani was called to return to Tehran, he was replaced by Mohammad Hadi Mofatteh, a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Between 2017 and 2020 IGS received 283,000 euros from an EU internal security fund for an "anti-extremism project."

This could have been funny if it were not sad: in those very years, the association, and especially its branch in Hamburg (the Islamic Center of Hamburg), rose on the radar of German security services due to being one of the engines for spreading Islamist extremism. Despite being the center for spreading Shiism, the Islamic Center of Hamburg plays a significant role in the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, which is described in the report as "the Muslim Brotherhood's umbrella organization in Germany."

Abdul-Karim Grimm, one of the center's founders, also operated in the German Muslim League, which was among the founders of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany. His wife, Fatima Grimm, operated in both bodies, and additionally took on the important role of publishing the newspaper "Al-Islam," which became the mouthpiece of the Islamic Center of Munich, linked to Muslim Brotherhood emissaries from Egypt.

The European Union also distributed funds generously to the Islamic University of Gaziantep in Turkey. Its director is appointed by Erdoğan, a Muslim Brotherhood man Turkish-style, but the champions of academic freedom from Brussels somehow do not see this as an attack on university independence. They also do not see the admiration for Hamas being instilled in students, the calls "from the river to the sea" and words of praise for "shahid" Ismail Haniyeh published by the institution's rector. European officials included the Islamic University in the Erasmus program and granted it a quarter-million-euro grant, which was stopped only following parliamentary inquiries.

The Islamophobia racket

Another toxic body that received European funding is Forum al-Sharq, based in Istanbul, Geneva, London and Kuala Lumpur. Lecturers and speakers at events organized by the forum belong to the Muslim Brotherhood and do not hide their views. One of them, Asim Qureshi, praised an ISIS terrorist known as "Jihadi John," calling him "a beautiful young man." In case you forgot, Qureshi's object of admiration used to behead hostages in front of cameras - although Qureshi extensively explained that all the troubles of the "beautiful young man" were caused by Western Islamophobia.

This argument is not reserved for the rear guard. Every time someone in Europe becomes alarmed at the Islamist takeover, the Islamists rush to preempt the blow and label him as an Islamophobe. Such labeling is tantamount to neutralization: the unfortunate labeled person loses the right to speak, is removed from television studios and newspaper columns and is publicly ostracized. Only a few dare to warn about the quiet infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood into all spheres of influence in Europe.

"The Muslim Brotherhood's exploitation of the concept of 'Islamophobia' is not intended to protect vulnerable communities," Weimers clarifies. "It is a calculated tool to silence criticism and advance their 'Wasatiyya' strategy, based on gradual Islamization. The European Union's adoption of this rhetoric has encouraged self-censorship across our entire public discourse, turning what should be open debate into a minefield of fear."

However, it turns out that the Islamists' profit from misusing accusations of Islamophobia was double. They not only silenced criticism and opposition, but succeeded in milking additional funds from the European Union, which were earmarked – you guessed it – to fight that imaginary Islamophobia. Two birds with one stone.

Many millions were allocated by EU institutions to research on Islamophobia and to combat Islamophobia. To whom did they go? The report by Dr. Florence Bergeaud-Blackler and Dr. Tommaso Virgili reveals that in many cases, the grant recipients were bodies and individuals connected to the Muslim Brotherhood.

In 2018, the European Union funded the annual Islamophobia review, written by Farid Hafez and Enes Bayrakli and published by the Turkish Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research. A quick check reveals the foundation is managed by Serhat Albayrak, the older brother of Berat Albayrak, Erdoğan's son-in-law and chairman of Turkey's giant government media corporation. The review's authors frequently participate in activities of bodies promoting the Muslim Brotherhood agenda across Europe and in the US.

The Islamic Cultural Center of Valencia also won European Union funding for the stated purpose of "stopping hate ideologies, primarily Islamophobia." The cultural center in question was established by the Muslim Brotherhood, and implemented the grants jointly with four other organizations that are members of the Islamist FEMYSO – the youth organization of the Islamic Cultural Center of Valencia, the League of Muslims of Belgium, the Young Muslims of Italy organization and the Muslim Students organization in France. European money channeled to Muslim Brotherhood projects across the continent - this is exactly how the Muslim Brotherhood network operates.

The solution: the Austria model

Bergeaud-Blackler and Virgili shine a spotlight on hundreds of such projects and lament how EU institutions refuse to act forcefully, even when the true nature of the funding recipients comes to light. Giving money to the Muslim Brotherhood is like letting the fox into your coop, says Weimers: "Grants intended to increase integration feed groups which, according to their ideology, encourage Muslims in Europe to cling to a separate and insular Islamic identity."

It seems the Muslim Brotherhood has learned how to exploit European rules of the game to their advantage and turn them against Europe.

"Correct. The current structure allows groups identified with the Muslim Brotherhood to exploit the system. Officials rely on guidelines, proper documents and an organization's ability to 'recite' the project's goals. But these bodies exploit the blind spots of government authorities and bureaucratic loopholes, and master the art of using language precisely tailored to grant requirements, to ensure funding. They also run a sophisticated domino game: they leverage legitimacy gained in one country to establish credibility in another country or with EU institutions, and from there channel it back to additional grant-distributing bodies. This creates a dangerous cycle of growing legitimacy — and funding from multiple sources."

Where do European oversight mechanisms fail?

"Our oversight mechanisms are toothless when it comes to checking deviations from the grant's purpose. If an organization declares it operates in accordance with European values – the authorities accept it as gospel truth. Denial of funding due to incompatibility with these values requires conclusive evidence, but the oversight apparatus is not designed for content examination at all. And if deviations are discovered anyway, they take care to present them as one-time errors, and any official who dares to insist encounters threats of accusations of racism or Islamophobia – a chilling effect that deters most officials from acting, unless they have exceptional courage or determination.

"Even when an organization or its managers are marked as unworthy of receiving funding, there is almost nothing preventing their associates or family members from establishing a new entity, which is not formally linked but in practice is almost completely identical. Our systems do not track such connections, and administrative rules do not allow denial of funding based on indirect connections of this type."

What do you demand be done to stop the slide into the abyss, as the Muslim Brotherhood plans?

"The time has come for the European Union to adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward this threat, starting with immediate cessation of funding to any organization connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas or figures like al-Qaradawi. Through increased transparency, stringent audits and intelligence sharing — according to Austria's successful model — we can return our institutions from those seeking to undermine them from within."

Should you also learn from Trump in this context, who simply outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood?

"President Donald Trump's courageous decision to begin the process of defining major branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as foreign terrorist organizations and as 'global terrorists' sets a powerful precedent for confrontation with Islamist threats.

Muslims take part in the Eid al-Fitr prayer on the occasion of the end of Ramadan at Piazza del Plebiscito (Plebiscite Square) on March 30, 2025 in Naples, Italy (Photo: Ivan Romano/Getty Images) Getty Images

"The European Union must urgently adopt this determination. The Muslim Brotherhood must be outlawed across the continent, taxpayer funding must be severed from these networks, crippling sanctions must be imposed and our democracies must be protected from their calculated infiltration and their support for organizations like Hamas. EU institutions, member states and regional authorities must sever all contact, funding and legitimacy from these bodies. Anything less than this is a betrayal of Europe's future and our shared values."

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Netanyahu draws red line: No Turkish troops in Gaza

ErezL — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:00:08 +0000

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposes the entry of Turkish military forces into the Gaza Strip. According to President Donald Trump's 20-point plan, Turkey is one of the countries expected to participate in the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in the Strip. However, from Netanyahu's perspective, its inclusion represents, in his words, a "red line."

Netanyahu has also communicated reservations about Turkish companies participating in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip – something Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan strongly desires. Nevertheless, on this aspect, advanced discussions are occurring with the Americans, though Israel's position remains extremely cautious.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recognized the Armenian Genocide in August 2025 (background: An event in memory of the victims in Turkey in 2018) / Maayan Toaf/GPO; AFP

An article published in Israel Hayom revealed that the new threats the prime minister mentioned in his Knesset speech refer to Turkey and Qatar's attempts to expand their regional influence. This refers to the desire of both countries, which support the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, to be heavily involved in the future management of the Gaza Strip and in Syria.

Turkish cruise ship Mavi Marmara, carrying pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid to Gaza, leaves from Sarayburnu port in Istanbul May 22, 2010 (Reuters / Emrah Dalkaya)

Between Netanyahu and his advisors on one side, and President Trump and his team on the other, disagreements exist regarding the desired level of involvement of both countries. Trump himself favors Erdoğan and greatly values Qatar, while Israel identifies both countries as dangerous and destabilizing.

Meanwhile, according to senior officials in the Trump administration who spoke with The New York Times, concern exists that might renew a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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Will US designate Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization?

adin — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 06:00:42 +0000

Republican Senator Ted Cruz from Texas is poised to introduce comprehensive legislation designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, marking a significant escalation in economic pressure against the global Islamist movement and triggering sanctions across its worldwide network. The bill, whose text was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, represents a "modern new strategy" specifically crafted to combat an organization that advocates terror against Israel, the United States, and Western governments. This legislation would authorize the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) through systematic identification of active terror affiliates operating globally. The current proposal distinguishes itself from previous failed attempts by implementing a "bottom-up" methodology, strategically mapping and delegitimizing branches that satisfy terrorist criteria while establishing the foundation for designating the entire organization.

The initiative mirrors the Trump administration's successful 2017 campaign that resulted in designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Several Arab nations – including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria – have already classified the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. With President Donald Trump's return to the White House, congressional momentum for this designation has significantly intensified.

US President Donald Trump signs a memorandum after he delivered a statement from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 6, 2017 (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP)

The legislation has secured backing from prominent Republican senators, including Tom Cotton, Dave McCormick, Ashley Moody, and Rick Scott, alongside influential organizations such as AIPAC, CUFI, and FDD. AIPAC issued a statement emphasizing that "the Muslim Brotherhood supports Hamas and additional groups operating violently against United States allies in the Middle East." Alexandra Paolocci from FDD emphasized that "as part of efforts toward a new era of Middle East cooperation, the US must impose accountability on those spreading terrorist ideologies." CUFI Action Fund Chairman Sandra Hagee Parker declared that "the Muslim Brotherhood's distinctive network demands a modern law enforcement approach, which this bill delivers precisely."

The bill's text, scheduled for Tuesday presentation, grants Secretary of State Marco Rubio 90 days following enactment to deliver a congressional report listing all organizational branches and execute required declarations. The initiative encompasses three strategic tracks – congressional action under the 1987 Anti-Terrorism Act, State Department recognition of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and specific designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). Cruz's office confirmed the law "executes all three components." Previously designated terrorist organizations include Hamas, which explicitly identifies as a "Muslim Brotherhood branch," plus the Hasm and Liwa al-Thawra movements linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

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Egypt battles online campaign aimed at stirring unrest

adin — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 04:00:43 +0000

Egypt's State Information Service has launched an aggressive counter-campaign to combat online rumors, particularly those propagated by the Muslim Brotherhood. According to Egyptian authorities, these coordinated digital efforts aim to destabilize the nation and incite civil unrest. The Muslim Brotherhood, which has been designated as a terrorist organization in Egypt for more than a decade, remains a primary concern for security officials.

Recent weeks have witnessed the widespread circulation of historical protest footage across social media platforms. The content distributors, some identifying themselves as members of the Syrian opposition or Houthi supporters from Yemen, have been sharing archival videos showing Egyptian citizens removing pro-President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signage and crowds chanting the revolutionary slogan "The people want to topple the regime." This governmental response comes at a particularly sensitive time, as Cairo monitors potential regional ripple effects in the wake of the collapse of Assad's regime in Syria.

Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the closing session of the Arab League summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 29 March 2015. Photo credit: Khaled Elfiqi/EPA EPA

Diaa Rashwan, chief of the State Information Service, emphasized that the campaign's primary objective is to enhance public awareness and resilience against "purveyors of rumors and falsehoods who seek to undermine national stability, social cohesion, and public trust in state institutions." He stressed that the initiative aims to reach every Egyptian citizen through strategic social media engagement.

The state campaign, already operational under the banner "Verify it before you believe it," focuses on elevating public consciousness about social media misinformation. Rashwan outlined a comprehensive approach targeting all demographic segments of Egyptian society, promoting critical information verification practices before sharing content, and emphasizing the paramount importance of consulting official, authorized sources for accurate information.

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Hamas is busy in Istanbul, and Jerusalem is worried

Noga Martin — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 10:00:58 +0000

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is fickle and unpredictable, a high-ranking security official recently warned Israel's political leadership. The official recommended that Israel be cautious in the face of Turkey's gestures, which he said are designed to use Israel to put Erdogan back in a position to influence the Biden administration. Israel should respect him, but be wary, the official concluded.

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The warning didn't come out of the clear blue sky. The Israeli security establishment is warning the political echelon not to get overexcited and rush into normalization with Turkey.

While the possibility of a meeting in Istanbul between Erdogan and President Isaac Herzog – which Erdogan mentioned only a few days ago – is sparking hope in the Foreign Ministry, security experts are trying to calm everyone down. The defense and security apparatus is keeping tabs on the latest romance with Turkey – which used to be Israel's strategic, military, and intelligence partner but which in the past decade has opened its arms to Hamas and other branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East. Officials are also worried that a number of understandings and agreements between Israel and allies such as Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus could be affected if Jerusalem moves toward Ankara.

Information making its way to the defense and security establishment these past few months is worrying. While Erdogan is laying the groundwork and preparing Turkish public opinion for a change to relations with Israel, and senior Israeli officials are in contact with head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization Hakan Fidan, a Hamas command continues to operate in Turkey and execute terrorist attacks and attempted attacks in Israel, Judea, and Samaria.

Israel is looking into a recent report that Turkey has deported a number of Hamas operatives, but in general, Hamas in Turkey continues to operate its Istanbul headquarters, recruiting Arab Israelis and Palestinian Arabs for intelligence work and to carry out terrorist attacks. Senior Hamas member Salah al-Arouri, whom Turkey supposedly deported at Israel's request, continues to handle his people there and even organize training and target practice in Turkey.

The possibility that Turkey and Israel could resume cooperation on intelligence is also causing some misgivings. Israel used to be worried that Turkey handed Israeli information over to Iran. Foreign media reports claimed that Turkey has exposed the identities of local Iranian agents who met with their Mossad handlers, and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak used to say that Fidan was "pro-Iran."

The fact that a few leaders of Turkey's defense establishment today are identified as Muslim Brotherhood members, along with Turkey's ties with Iran, does nothing to boost the low level of trust between Israel and Turkey.

From Iran to Turkey to the West Bank

The distant history is well-known. The more recent history – less so. Only a month and a half ago the Shin Bet security agency arrested four members of a Hamas cell in the village of Zurif near Hebron. The cell had been directed from Turkey by Abd Rahman Raminat, an associate of Arouri who was released in the prisoner exchange deal for captive soldier Gilad Schalit.

The Hamas network in Judea and Samaria that the Shin Bet exposed a month prior to those arrests, which was plotting major terrorist attacks, including shootings, abductions, and suicide bombings, was also being handled from Turkey by Arouri and Zakria Najib, an east Jerusalem native who was one of the men who kidnapped IDF soldier Nachshon Wachsman and who was also released in the Schalit deal.

According to indictments filed against three east Jerusalem residents, Najib had formerly tried to enlist Adham Musselmani, a resident of the Shuefat refugee camp, to kill one of three possible targets: former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, former Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, or former MK Yehuda Glick. He even reportedly offered Musselmani money and training in Turkey.

Now Najib is once again in the heart of things, and once again running a terrorist infrastructure, which was exposed at the end of 2021 and included 50 Hamas members from different parts of the West Bank. Israel, in a gesture of thanks to Turkey for releasing Natali and Mordi Oknin, postponed the announcement about the network.

The Shin Bet statement about the West Bank network reported that agents had recovered weapons, explosives belts, and guns, as well as considerable sums of money sent to the operatives. The message left out the name of the country from which the money originated – Turkey.

Turkey has long since become a base from which Hamas handles it monetary operations and funds terrorist plots in Judea and Samaria. On Sept. 10, 2019, the US Commerce Department announced it would be applying sanctions to 15 terrorist operatives and money changers that help terrorist organizations, and published a list that included operatives and companies in Turkey that helped transfer money to Hamas.

The Americans also reported that the main source of the money sent to Hamas from Turkey (and sometimes through Lebanon) is Iran, and that Iran's Quds Force is responsible for directing the funds.

The killer visited Turkey

The American report mentioned the name Zaher Jabarin, a high-ranking Hamas official in Turkey, as having sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to Judea and Samaria to fund Hamas terrorist activity.

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Israel suspects that Jabarin, who has been appointed deputy leader of Hamas in the West Bank, is still involved in similar activity from Turkey and that he was involved in a recently-exposed system of money transfers in the West Bank. Jabarin is responsible for building up Hamas' military capabilities from the organization's headquarters in Istanbul.

The headquarters also oversees the development of Hamas' maritime and rocket capabilities, as well as its cyberwarfare, development of new weapons, and the transfer of Iranian money. It also has a branch in Lebanon, and Israel has demanded that Turkey put a stop to all these activities.

An interesting question that has yet to be answered, at least publicly, is whether the killer of Eliyahu David Kay in the Old City of Jerusalem some two months ago was trained and handled from Turkey. Fai Abu Shkhaydam, a prominent opponent of Jews being allowed to visit the Temple Mount, who has connections to senior members of the Jordanian Waqf on the Temple Mount, paid a number of visits to Turkey in recent years, meeting with Hamas operatives there. After he killed Kay, Shkhaydam and his family were "congratulated" by Hamas leader abroad Ismail Haniyeh and Arouri, who oversees the direction of terrorist attacks in the West Bank from Turkey, Lebanon, Qatar, or wherever else he happens to be.

As if that weren't enough, a couple of weeks ago a senior Waqf official, Fadi Alian, was arrested. The indictment filed against him in the Jerusalem District Court says that Alian had purchased a homemade Carlo machine gun near Nablus and given them to a family member, who used it to carry out three shooting attacks on police operating in east Jerusalem. Alian, like Shkhaydam, was part of attempts to attack Jews visiting the Temple Mount.

There is another piece of information that points to the key role Turkey plays in Hamas' terrorist operations. About six weeks ago, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked signed an order preventing 11 residents of east Jerusalem known to be high-ranking members of Hamas and Al-Shabab al-Aqsa from leaving the country. Shaked was presented with hard intelligence about each one, showing that they were poised to receive instructions from Turkey about when and where to commit terrorist actions.

Did Shkhaydam receive similar guidance? There is no clear answer, but Shaked signed the orders three weeks after Kay's murder.

According to the information presented to Shaked, the 11 east Jerusalem residents not allowed to leave the country include Sufian Fahri Abdu from Jabal Mukabar. Some 20 years ago, he plotted to poison diners at a restaurant in central Jerusalem. In total, he has spent 16 years in prison.

The group also reportedly includes Nasser Issa Jalal Hadmi, who wasn't allowed to leave the country even when Arye Deri was serving as interior minister. Hadmi and four others were barred from traveling for allegedly transferring money from foreign countries to Hamas in Israel; supporting the Murabitat project on the Temple Mount to keep Jewish visitors away through steady harassment; and promoting dawa activity to set up community and educational institutions that operate according to the ideology of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Another detainee on Shaked's list is Rami Zakaria Ibrahim Barakeh from Sur Baher, who has served time in prison for Hamas activity. The Shin Bet says Barakeh was a high-ranking member of Hamas in east Jerusalem and active in project Hamas co-operated on the Temple Mount with the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, which like the Murabitat was designed to prevent visits by Jews.

Approximately a year and a half ago, Israel handed Turkey intelligence and proof, including a list of names, that appeared to show that Hamas operatives were handling terrorism against Israel from the organization's offices in Istanbul. For years, Israel has been demanding that Turkey deport dozens of Hamas operatives, some of whom have even adopted Turkish citizenship, noting that the ongoing Hamas activity in Turkey goes against understandings between Turkey, Israel, and the US, particularly understandings reached in the reconciliation agreement that supposedly ended the Turkish-Israel crisis that followed the Marmara incident of 2010. Turkey has consistently denied that Hamas is organizing any terrorist activity from inside its borders and claims that the organization's work in Turkey is strictly "political," and thereby does not violate the understandings.

As Turkey continues to woo Israel, an unusual message the Shin Bet put out a few years ago, just after Israel deported Turkish lawyer Cemil Tekeli, who was recruited by Zaher Jabarin, is still relevant. At the time, the Shin Bet said that "Turkey is contributing to Hamas' military growth" and that "Hamas' extensive military and financial activity in Turkey continues without any hindrance, with the Turkish regime ignoring it and sometimes even encouraging it, and help from Turkish civilians, some of whom have ties to the regime."

Israel security and defense establishment wants to remind the government of these warnings after moths in which Turkey tries to cozy up to Israel while attempted terrorist attacks and terrorist plots Hamas directs from Turkey are continually thwarted.

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Kuwait bans entry of ships holding goods to and from Israel

Oren Klass — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 10:28:56 +0000

A Kuwaiti minister issued a decision on Saturday banning the entry of commercial ships loaded with goods to and from Israel into Kuwaiti territorial waters, according to local media reports.

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"The ban includes all ships coming from other ports to unload part of their cargo in Kuwaiti ports whenever they are carrying any of the goods stipulated in the ban, with the intention of shipping them to and from... Israel," said Kuwaiti paper Al-Anba on Sunday.

The directive came from Minister of Works and of State for Communications and Information Technology Dr. Rana al-Fares.

The Hamas terrorist organization, which controls the Gaza Strip, issued a statement welcoming the decision, urging other countries to "follow the same approach."

Emir of Kuwait Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah (EPA/Noufal Ibrahim)

Kuwait passed a law in May prohibiting any form of contact with Israel, and banned Kuwaiti nationals and expats from visiting the Jewish state. The bill also outlawed "expressions of sympathy" with Israel.

Kuwait boycotted a renewable energy conference in Abu Dhabi January 2014 because it was attended by Israel.

After former US President Donald Trump said he believed Kuwait would be the next to normalize ties with Israel following the signing of the Abraham Accords, Kuwait said it would be the "last to normalize" ties.

"Our stance on Israel has not changed, following the UAE normalization agreement, and we will be the last to normalize relations," the Al Qabas newspaper reported in August 2020, citing an unnamed senior official.

Dr. Michael Barak, a Middle East researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, told Israel Hayom that "the Muslim Brotherhood movement is very strong in Kuwait, and the state has very strong ties with the Palestinians."

"The Kuwaitis don't want to go back on their traditional support of the Palestinians, especially from the royal family, and the Arab national view that is still prominent in Kuwait. Those ties saw a major crisis because of the Palestinians' support for Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War, but by 2015 relations were gradually restored."

As for the Kuwaiti parliament, Barak noted that "the Muslim Brotherhood is a strong force there, and they are very close to the royal family, which tries to present itself as the defender of the Palestinians.

"In Kuwait, there are Salafi associations that transfer donations to Hamas, which shows us that their ties [to the Palestinians] aren't only with the PA leadership in Ramallah.

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"These issues influence the royal family, which does not want a direct conflict with the many members of parliament from the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafi parties, or the parties that hold a pan-Arab worldview," Barak explained.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Former Egyptian military ruler, veteran of wars against Israel, dead at 85

Taliah Oz — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 06:34:38 +0000

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the former head of the military council that ruled Egypt temporarily after its 2011 popular uprising, has died at the age of 85, Egypt's presidency said on Tuesday, declaring three days of national mourning.

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President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi led mourners at a military funeral ceremony for Tantawi at a mosque bearing his name in Cairo Tuesday afternoon.

Tantawi, a decorated war veteran who fought against Israel in the 1956 Suez Crisis, 1967 Six-Day War, and 1973 Yom Kippur War, served as defense minister for 21 years, for most of the presidency of Hosni Mubarak.

He led the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that ruled Egypt for a year-and-a-half after Mubarak was ousted from power in February 2011 during the Arab Spring.

Tantawi was too close to Mubarak to be personally popular with protesters who led the uprising in Tahrir Square, though the army's move to appease the demonstrators by deposing Mubarak won some support for the military as an institution.

But while Tantawi sought to project a more down-to-earth image after assuming power, being pictured chatting with passersby near Tahrir Square, many saw him as someone who sought to preserve the privileges of the military.

Tantawi was sacked as defense minister in August 2012, a few weeks after the Islamist Mohammed Morsi became president in what was described as the first free and fair presidential election in Egypt's modern history.

Tantawi only reappeared when then-military chief el-Sissi took power after leading the military overthrow of Morsi in 2013 amid mass protests.

On Tuesday el-Sissi said a major military base in east Cairo would be named after Tantawi.

In a statement, el-Sissi hailed Tantawi as "a statesman who took on the responsibility of running the country during a very difficult period."

El-Sissi also defended Tantawi's time in power, which witnessed a series of bloody incidents amid the political turmoil that followed the uprising.

"This man is innocent of any bloodshed... any of the things that took place during this period of conspiracy to bring down the state," el-Sissi said in televised remarks.

El-Sissi said Tantawi had fretted over how history would judge his record as the man who had handed power to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group in 2012.

"This issue hurt him very, very much because he... understood the damage this group's rule would cause Egypt," el-Sissi said.

After Morsi's overthrow, el-Sissi outlawed the Brotherhood and jailed much of its leadership.

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Qatar's top diplomat visits Egypt in mark of improved ties

Noga Martin — Wed, 26 May 2021 05:09:10 +0000

Egypt's president met Tuesday with Qatar's chief diplomat amid improved relations since Egypt and three Gulf nations ended their dispute with the energy-rich country in January.

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, meeting in Cairo, agreed on "intensifying joint consultation and coordination" to boost bilateral ties between the two nations, el-Sissi's office said in a statement.

El-Sissi also received an invitation from Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to visit Doha. It would be the first for the Egyptian leader to the Gulf state since he led the military's overthrow of an elected Islamist president in 2013 amid mass protests against his divisive one-year rule. El-Sissi was defense minister at the time.

The Qatari chief diplomat also held talks with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry that discussed "the positive development" in ties between the two countries, according to a statement by Egypt's Foreign Ministry.

A January declaration put an end to a diplomatic crisis that began in 2017 with a rift between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on one side and Qatar on the other.

The four countries had jointly boycotted Qatar and hoped an embargo and media blitz would pressure it to end its close relations with Turkey and Iran. Egypt and the UAE view the support by Qatar and Turkey of Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood as a security threat. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were primarily concerned about Qatar's ties with Iran.

The countries accused Qatar of cozying up to Iran and financing extremist groups in the region, though Doha denied the charges. Qatar-based Al-Jazeera was at the center of the dispute. The four nations demanded its closure among other measures, which Qatar rejected.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the ministers discussed taking further measures to promote "the positive atmosphere" in their bilateral ties. It did not elaborate on details.

Shukry said in televised comments Friday that the implementation of the January agreement between the five nations would further accelerate restoring ties between Cairo and Doha.

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Tuesday's statement by the Foreign Ministry said joint committees concluded a new round of talks and would continue discussing lingering issues to fully implement that agreement. It did not elaborate.

The two countries formally began rapprochement earlier this year, "but it was not clear how far or how quickly, that would go, in real terms," said H.A. Hellyer, scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Cambridge University.

"This latest visit confirms that there is indeed more than a simply signing of letters, as it was. The Egyptians and the Qataris want to move to another stage, which certainly impacts the existing geopolitical arrangements of the region," he said.

The two diplomats also discussed other regional topics, including a decade-long dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over a massive dam Ethiopia is building on the main tributary of the Nile River, the statement added. Egypt and Sudan deem the Ethiopian dam a major threat to their water security.

The Qatari foreign minister then left to Doha. He had arrived in Cairo late Monday from a trip to Khartoum where he met with Sudanese officials, his first visit to Sudan after an uprising led to the military's ouster of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Al-Bashir, an Islamist, was an ally to Qatar.

The Qatari foreign minister also traveled to Libya earlier this week. He met with the newly appointed transitional government in Tripoli that has been struggling to unite the divided North African country before an election scheduled in December. Egypt and Qatar have been backing opposing sides in war-torn Libya.

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Report: Egypt freezes talks to normalize ties with Turkey

Taliah Oz — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 08:54:14 +0000

Egypt has temporarily suspended talks on the normalization of ties with Turkey, according to a report in the Saudi-owned and Dubai-based Al Arabiya news channel over the weekend.

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The move also includes an immediate freeze of security cooperation.

One of the reasons for the move is Turkey's failure to quickly answer Cairo's demand it immediately act to remove Turkish mercenaries from Egypt's conflict-ridden neighbor to the west, Libya, among other things.

In an attempt to ease tensions, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to wish him a happy Ramadan ahead of the monthlong holiday.

The situation is a complex one for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Around one month ago, his government began to restrict Muslim Brotherhood activity in Turkey, ordering Istanbul-based TV channels affiliated with the Islamist group to immediately stop their criticism of Egypt.

While Turkey has committed to implementing additional steps by the end of Ramadan to placate Egypt, Cairo has demanded immediate action on this front.

While Turkey is looking to sign a maritime border agreement with Egypt, according to a report in Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, Cairo sees Ankara's recent steps as far from sufficient. The recent halt in talks is due to the Turks moving to implement the Egyptian demand two senior Muslim Brotherhood members, Yahya Musa and Alaa al-Samahi, be immediately extradited, in two separate stages.

The Egyptians have refused to hold officials talks with the Turks in Cairo ahead of April.

In the meantime, Turkish authorities have temporarily revoked the Turkish citizenship of several senior Muslim Brotherhood figures.

According to Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, an expert on Turkish politics and foreign policy at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Turkey's support for the Muslim Brotherhood is rooted both in ideology and "what it sees as vital coordination with Qatar."

Yanarock said, "Qatar and Turkey are known as two states that support the Muslim Brotherhood movement. At the same time, Turkey needs Qatar financially, and as a result, it cannot make an independent decision without Qatar.

"From an ideological standpoint, Erdogan was shocked by a recent letter sent by 103 former Turkish admirals [in which they warned Turkey's military was undergoing a process of Islamization] and he emphasized military coup culture. If he now takes steps against the Muslim Brotherhood, within Turkey, they will say he's taking steps against the culture of military coups although outside of the country he is normalizing ties with Egypt under [President Abdel Fattah] el-Sissi. He could be portrayed as two-faced on a policy level," he said.

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Egypt sentences senior Muslim Brotherhood leader to life in prison

Taliah Oz — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 05:47:44 +0000

A senior leader of Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group was convicted on terror charges and sentenced Thursday to life in prison, the country's state-owned news agency reported.

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According to the Middle East News Agency, a Cairo court found Mahmoud Ezzat, the acting supreme guide of the country's oldest Islamist organization, guilty of terrorist acts that followed the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi.

Last summer, the 76-year-old Ezzat was arrested after police found him hiding in an apartment on the outskirts of Cairo. According to authorities at the time, a search of the apartment uncovered computers and mobile phones with encrypted software that allowed Ezzat to communicate with group members in Egypt and abroad. Documents with "destructive plans" were also found, police said.

Ezzat had been at large since the summer of 2013 after the military removed Morsi, who hailed from Brotherhood ranks. Morsi's short-lived rule proved divisive and provoked mass protests nationwide. Morsi died after collapsing in court during one of his trials in June 2019.

Ezzat was believed to have fled the country along with many of the group's leaders following the crackdown on their organization.

He was named the group's acting leader in August 2013. He was convicted of several terror-related crimes and sentenced twice to death in absentia. Following his arrest, he was retried, as Egyptian law dictates.

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