By
Harleen Gambhir, Analyst, Institute for the Study of War
ISIS
escalated efforts to inspire terror attacks in Israel over the past week,
through digital and possibly in-person recruitment. The organization released a
wave of 10 propaganda videos between October 17 and 20 inciting
Muslims in Israel and Palestine to attack Israelis, Fatah, Hamas. ISIS is
exploiting a growing sectarian conflict in Jerusalem focused on access to the
Al Aqsa mosque, a significant religious site for Jews and Muslims. Protests
in late September regarding Israel’s limitations on Palestinian access to the
mosque fueled a recent surge
in violent attacks. At least 8 Israelis and 50 Palestinians have been
killed in 39 incidents over October, several involving stabbing
attacks by Palestinians on Israelis. ISIS referenced the stabbings in its
outreach, urging supporters to also consider “explosive
devices” and running over enemies.
ISIS’s
outreach attempts have resonated with some Israeli Arab individuals. Israel’s
state-run television station claimed on October 21 that ISIS-linked operatives
are recruiting
Israeli Arab students attending foreign universities in Jordan and Saudi
Arabia. ISIS has already recruited
several individuals in Israel since 2014 to fight
and live with ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and has inspired a group of
supporters to attack Israeli soldiers. Israel also convicted a group of Arab
citizens, including four teachers, in July 2015 for allegedly promoting
ISIS’s ideology to students. ISIS released its first video by a Hebrew-speaker
on October 22, in which a fighter threatened the destruction of Israel’s
borders, echoing ISIS’s frequent refrain about overturning state borders. Inflamed
conflict between Israeli and Palestinian citizens likely will facilitate
radicalization and recruitment, potentially enabling ISIS to resource the
attacks it is already encouraging.
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