Planning the Next Wave

While the debate over mosque development in New York continues to dominate the news cycle, opposing sides in the Israeli blockade on Gaza are gearing up for a new round of confrontations that could take place as soon as next month.

Although the list of items restricted from entering Gaza has been dramatically reduced, George Galloway, the ex-British MP who runs the group Viva Palestina, promises a new land convoy leaving from London, Casablanca and Doha September 18. Galloway has made it clear his mission has more to do with supporting Hamas than with supplying Palestinians in Gaza with aid. Medical supplies, baby formula and other goods promised for the flotilla currently flow into Gaza from both Israeli and Egyptian borders.

A coalition of European groups is promising a separate flotilla by year's end.

Israeli navy commandos, meanwhile, are training on how to deal with violent and armed flotilla passengers without getting hurt and possibly without hurting their attackers. The BBC's Jane Corbin spent time with the Special Forces unit as it trained at sea on a ship similarly proportioned to the Mavi Marmara ship in the last flotilla.

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State, Treasury Departments Hit Iran's Support for Terrorism

New reports from the State Department and Treasury Department highlight Tehran's continuing major role in backing terrorism. State's new report on global terror in 2009 points to Iran's continuing support for organizations like Hamas and Hizballah and its backing for jihadists targeting Iraq and Afghanistan, where hundreds of thousands of American  troops have been based.

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Asra Nomani on Ground Zero Mosque Opponents: "their fears are legitimate"

As the debate rages on over the planned Islamic cultural center near ground zero, most American Muslim groups have come out to vocally support the project. But there are those, even in the Muslim community, who are concerned with having a mosque so close to the site of the worst terrorist attack on American soil. One such woman is Asra Q. Nomani, who took to the pages of The Daily Beast to explain why she was uncomfortable with the planned Cordoba Project.

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Minnesota Imam: Muslims Should Not Join FBI, U.S. Security Services

When it comes to Muslim participation in the U.S. war against terror, some prominent Islamic scholars sound ambivalent or downright hostile. In recent years, rulings on the issue have been posted on the website of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA), which offers online responses to public questions about Islamic law.

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Military Group Supported by Hamas Celebrates in the Gaza Strip

Al-Ahrar, a network of "former Fatah operatives in the Gaza Strip," has recently established a military wing supported by Hamas, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Israeli-based Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC).

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Actions Would Speak Louder than Words in CAIR's Anti-Terrorism Campaign

CAIR has stepped in as counsel for a woman questioned by FBI agents about interactions she had with the American-born radical cleric and leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, (AQAP) Anwar Awlaki. A CAIR-California list-serv email specifies that FBI agents questioned a woman about interactions she had with Shaikh Anwar Awlaki almost three years ago. Interestingly, CAIR makes no statement regarding the importance of cooperating with the FBI in collecting information on Awlaki, a U.S. designated terrorist considered so dangerous he has been added to the CIA's target list.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to detonate a bomb on board a Detroit airliner last December, says he was instructed to do so by Awlaki. When Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hassan killed 13 and wounded many others, Awlaki called Hassan a "hero." Awlaki has been linked to failed Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad.

In 2009, CAIR pledged a renewed effort to combat extremism. CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad explained that "[t]he idea is really to refute and counter the misuse of certain ayahs [verse of the Qur'an] and hadiths [sayings of the Prophet Muhammad] that are commonly misused by recruiters or young people who do not understand the depths and circumstances of revelations and just juxtapose superficial and disconnected meaning to justify their actions."

Awlaki perfectly fits the description of the types of "recruiters" that CAIR wishes to counter. The radical cleric invokes religious themes and cites verses from the Qur'an, even hadiths, to promote and justify violence, especially against Americans. Yet CAIR does not take the next step to encourage the community to be very cooperative with the FBI when agents come knocking for information on this individual.

Nihad Awad made sure to denounce Awlaki's praise of Fort Hood shooter Hassan, calling his views "twisted and misguided." CAIR also repudiated Awlaki's call for Muslims to attack America.

Condemnation is a nicety, but taking every opportunity to encourage community members to cooperate with the FBI to provide information about Awlaki would show a true commitment to preventing terrorism.

Israeli Military Chief: Flotilla Passengers Fired First

New information surrounding the May 31^st flotilla raid was revealed on Wednesday during the testimony of the Israeli army's Chief of Staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, in front of the Turkel Commission. Ashkenazi's testimony followed statements made on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and on Tuesday by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

An Israeli commando was shot in the stomach while rappelling down to board the Mavi Marmara ship, forcing him to respond with pistol fire, Ashkenazi told the panel. An examination of bullet remnants did not match those of Israeli weapons, indicating that the IHH activists on board the ship had guns.

"The soldiers justifiably opened fire" in response, Ashkenazi said. "They opened fire at those they needed to, and didn't at those they didn't need to.

Israel did not have sufficient information about IHH – the Turkish Islamic charity that sponsored the Mavi Marmara ship, he said. According to Israeli intelligence sources, IHH planted 40 operatives on the ship to stage a violent confrontation with Israelis. The U.S. State Department has acknowledged that IHH has ties to Hamas. The organization is also a member of the Union of the Good, an organization designated by the U.S. Treasury in 2008 due to its fund-raising activities on behalf of Hamas.

"The soldiers aboard the Marmari (sic) displayed courage and purity of arms," Ashkenazi said, "and responded correctly to the dangers they faced."

Israel recently returned the Mavi Marmara ship to Turkey, as well as two other Turkish ships that were part of the flotilla. The deputy chair of IHH and chief organizer of the flotilla, Hüseyin Oruç, said "If the problem is not solved, many flotillas ... will sail to Gaza. If necessary, these boats can also be used for this."

IHH may join another flotilla to Gaza before the end of the year, along with dozens of other organizations and groups from countries across the globe, including the U.S., Chile, Venezuela, Sweden, Greece, France and more.

Flotilla Investigative Panel Hears from Israeli Leaders

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the May 31^st Israeli commando raid on the Turkish IHH-sponsored Mavi Marmara ship during testimony Monday before the Turkel Committee. That's the inquiry established to examine Israel's conduct in response to an international flotilla aimed to break the blockade on Gaza.

"I am convinced that at the end of your investigation, it will be clear that the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces conducted themselves in accordance with international law," Netanyahu told the committee.

He spoke about the serious threat the Hamas government poses to Israel, Hamas' kidnapping of Gilad Shalit in 2006 and the necessity of preventing weapons from entering Hamas-controlled Gaza.

The Israeli PM later explained that IHH activists announced their intention to provoke a confrontation and that Israel worked to prevent a conflict with Turkey prior to the incident:

"Beginning on May 14, my office was in contact with the highest echelons of the Turkish government…to prevent any conflict with the Mavi Marmara flotilla. Despite our ongoing diplomatic efforts, ultimately the Turkish government did not prevent the Marmara's attempt to break the naval blockade."

On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak revealed that Israel's inner cabinet, 'The Forum of Seven,' had received an intelligence assessment and a draft of the operation five days before the flotilla incident. Barak told the committee: "The politicians determined the 'what' and the IDF worked out the 'how' - and the IDF carried out the operation."

Barak said that he takes "overall responsibility for everything that took place in the systems under my command."

The committee will hear from the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Gabi Ashkenazi, on Wednesday.

Netanyahu's decision to cooperate with a United Nations' probe into the flotilla confrontation surprised many when it was announced last week. He has since threatened to pull out if the panel insists on compelling Israeli soldiers to testify. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at a news conference on Monday that there "was no such agreement" regarding soldiers' testimony. In response, the Israeli Prime Minister's office issued a statement saying that Netanyahu "makes it absolutely clear that Israel will not cooperate with and will not take part in any panel that seeks to interrogate Israeli soldiers."

First Military Commission of Obama Administration Set to Start

Omar Khadr was only 15 years old when he threw a grenade in an Afghanistan firefight that killed an American soldier. Today, more than eight years later, jury selection begins in his military trial at Guantanamo Bay.

Khadr, a Canadian citizen, moved with his family to Afghanistan in the 1990s after which time his father pushed him and his brothers to join al Qaida. Following the firefight which killed Sergeant Christopher Speer, Khadr was captured by American forces in Afghanistan. He has remained at Guantanamo Bay prison facility awaiting trial since his capture.

Since his arrest, the case against Khadr has been dropped and reinstated numerous times amid legal challenges and political calculations surrounding military commissions at Guantanamo (see here, here, and here). Last week, the United States Supreme Court refused to delay the trial after his attorneys sought to have it put on hold while they challenged the constitutionality of the military tribunals at the US army base in Cuba.

Now, it appears that after years of traversing the American judicial system, Khadr is set to stand trial for his crimes. He is charged with, among other offenses, murder in violation of the laws of war. The case has been widely criticized by domestic and international human rights groups who say that Khadr was a "child soldier," and should not be prosecuted. But Khadr appears willing to accept responsibility for his actions. He has previously refused plea deals, telling prosecutors:

"I have been used too many times when I was a child, and that is why I am here, taking blame and paying for things I did not have a choice in doing but was told to do by elders."

On Monday, the court met for a final pre-trial hearing to receive Khadr's not guilty plea and to rule on a number of outstanding evidentiary issues. The military judge accepted his plea and ruled that confessions Khadr made to police after his capture be used against him during the trial. Defense attorneys argued that the confessions were coerced and unreliable.

Opening arguments are set for Wednesday in what will be the first military commission since President Obama took office.

House Freezes Lebanon Military Aid Over Shooting Incident

A move to freeze military aid to Lebanon is fostering a rare bipartisan atmosphere in Washington.

U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) announced a "hold" on $100 million earmarked for Lebanon's army Monday in response to last week's violence on the Israel-Lebanon border that started with the shooting of an Israeli officer.

U.S. aid is meant to "enhance our safety and that of our allies," she said, calling last week's violence an "outrageous incident."

Even before the violence, U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), placed his own hold on the military aid, the Jerusalem Post reports. He wants more information about Hizballah's relationship with the Lebanese Armed Forces:

"Until we know more about this incident and the nature of [Hizballah] influence on the LAF – and can assure that the LAF is a responsible actor – I cannot in good conscience allow the United States to continue sending weapons to Lebanon."

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) issued a statement echoing the concerns. U.S. aid, he said, is meant to help Lebanese military "serve as a check" on Hizballah's power:

"For the past few years, the US and the international community looked the other way as the lines between [Hizballah] and the Lebanese military and government became blurred."

In a separate editorial, the Post faults the U.S. and Europe for failing to support Lebanon's March 14 Alliance in its power struggle against Hizballah and Syria.

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