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A ship carrying 200 tonnes of food aid meant for civilians in Gaza is still waiting at a port in Cyprus, as Israeli authorities requested to inspect it.
The vessel, which belongs to the Spanish NGO Open Arms, is currently on the south east coast of the island, in the city of Larnaca. It carries 200 tonnes of rice and flour which could provide immediate relief to Gazans struggling with starvation.
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday that the Open Arms ship will make a pilot trip as international donors launched a sea corridor to supply the besieged territory.
After five months of war, civilians in Gaza are now facing a quickly exacerbating famine. Israel said it welcomes the deliveries of aid by sea, but it has asked to check the content of the ship before it departs.
US charity World Central Kitchen, a partner in the mission supplying the food, said the boat will sail off for Gaza as soon as possible.
The ship is expected to take between two and three days before arriving at an undisclosed location in Gaza. There, a crane will help offload the aid and place it on trucks before it is driven north.
Another US military ship carrying equipment to build a temporary pier and aid has already set off.
More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s war on Hamas, according to local authorities. Most of them were civilians, many women and children.
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Two years ago, Russia invaded Ukraine. It anticipated rapidly overthrowing the Ukrainian government, but the brave Ukrainians had other ideas.
Russia subsequently decided that it would rather destroy the country than allow it to exist independently.
Since then, it has launched thousands of missiles, drones, and ballistic rockets at civilian infrastructure. It has starved, beaten, castrated, and murdered Ukrainian prisoners of war.
In places like Bucha and elsewhere, it has tortured, raped, and murdered Ukrainian citizens.
Marking the second anniversary, Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrsky, said: “When thousands of columns of Russian invaders moved from all directions into Ukraine, when thousands of rockets and bombs fell in our land, no one in the world believed that we would stand. No one believed, but Ukraine did.”
For many in the West though, memories are short and others simply quickly tire of conflict, even if this means surrendering to tyrants like Russia's Vladimir Putin.
The world is now dilly-dallying
The recent murder of the dissident Alexei Navalny is a reminder of the evil we are facing, but unless there is a serious course correction, this is likely to be only a brief shot in the arm for those demanding greater Western support of the embattled country.
In the United States, the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson refuses to take the Senate-approved $95 billion (€86.8bn) bill, most of which is meant to assist Ukraine, to the House, where it would probably pass.
His excuse? “The mandate of national-security supplemental legislation was to secure America’s own border before sending additional foreign aid. Now, in the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will.”
Petty internal politics over an issue that has remained unresolved for years is preventing the delivery of urgently needed assistance to Ukraine. Putin is surely watching with delight.
Firefighters extinguish a fire after a Russian attack on a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv, March 2024AP Photo/Yevhen Titov
In other words, petty internal politics over an issue that has remained unresolved for years is preventing the delivery of urgently needed assistance to Ukraine. Putin is surely watching with delight.
In Europe, there is greater support for assisting Ukraine, but there are practical issues still to be resolved. Europe sends more total aid for near-term delivery than the US, but less military equipment.
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By March, the EU will only have delivered around half of the one million artillery shells it has promised the Ukrainians. Russia is currently producing more shells than Western countries, and it also receives ammunition from the North Koreans.
Despite it all, Ukrainians keep resisting
Given these circumstances, it is unsurprising that Ukrainians are despondent. They still believe they can win, but they acknowledge it might take years, or as journalist and former senior official Oleksandr Martynenko recently said: “We will be holding off the Russians all this year. The only question is whether we can.”
Russia, meanwhile, is massively increasing its defence production. As the Ukrainian proverb goes, “While the fat man shrinks, the thin man disappears.”
Yet, with the right support, the Ukrainians can win. By late January 2023, with Western weapons, Ukraine had liberated more than half the territory illegally captured by Russia since February 2022.
The Ukrainians have demonstrated qualities that many in the West have forgotten: steadfastness, will, commitment, and bravery ... All they ask is for the military support they need to win this war.
A Ukrainian officer from The 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Mariupol Brigade fires a multiple launch rocket system, near Bakhmut, March 2024AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
It has developed cheap and effective drones, including long-distance devices that can now take the fight into Russian territory. In the air, it has recently shot down two Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft, relieving pressure on frontline troops.
Ukraine has also sunk one-fifth of the Russian Black Sea fleet, forcing Russia’s remaining vessels to keep their distance from Ukraine’s coast, creating a strategic corridor for grain and other exports.
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To boot, Ukraine is taking the fight to Russia, as seen for example in a recent drone assault on one of Russia’s largest steel plants. Meanwhile, as of 31 December 2023, the Russian death toll from Putin’s pointless war was 66,000-88,000 and may be as high as 120,000.
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The only thing Ukraine needs is support
The Ukrainians have demonstrated qualities that many in the West have forgotten: steadfastness, will, commitment, and bravery.
They are not asking the US or Europe to fight for them or to endanger themselves in any way. All they ask is for the military support they need to win this war.
If they believe they can, we all should be backing them all the way. Whatever the isolationists may think, it is not just Ukraine that is in danger.
If Ukraine loses, then the Baltics and beyond will also be at risk, and tyrants everywhere will be emboldened, jeopardising the way of life we take for granted.
The time for action is now: in the US, the bill to support Ukraine must pass the House, while Europe must ramp up its support to help Kyiv deal with a tough year.
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“Any evil can be defeated, and Russian aggression is no exception,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said to mark the second anniversary. The free world must now follow suit.
Ross Burley is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Centre for Information Resilience in the UK.
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Two decades ago, on March 11, 2004, Europe was shaken by what is still one of the deadliest terror attacks on its soil.
The Madrid train bombings, which claimed the lives of 191 people and injured over 2,000 others, left an indelible mark on Spain and the global community.
As we mark the anniversary of this tragic event, it is evident that despite significant advances in counter-terrorism capabilities, the challenges posed by Islamist extremism and terrorism remain as complex and formidable as ever.
The intervening years have seen a string of horrific attacks hit Europe, from the 7/7 Underground attacks in London, to the Manchester Arena bombing and the attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and the Bataclan theatre in Paris, as well as the attack on a Christmas Market in Berlin, along with countless smaller incidents that have claimed the lives of innocent civilians and sowed fear and division in communities across Europe and beyond.
While many more attacks have been prevented in time, the inability of security services to stop them entirely underscores the complexity and persistence of the threat.
A rapidly moving target
One of the central challenges faced by counter-terrorism practitioners is the dynamic and adaptive nature of Islamist terrorist groups.
Despite concerted efforts to degrade their capabilities and disrupt their networks, groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS as well as their various branches continue to demonstrate resilience and an appetite to carry out or inspire attacks.
Their ability to adapt to changing geopolitical dynamics, exploit technological advancements, and capitalise on local grievances makes them formidable adversaries.
In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ attack on 7 October last year, both the so-called ISIS and al-Qaeda called on their followers to carry out strikes against the West and Jews in particular.
A man waits for the train in Atocha train station in Madrid, March 2014 Andres Kudacki/AP
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has provided an apparent impetus for these groups to stay relevant. In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ attack on 7 October last year, both the so-called ISIS and al-Qaeda called on their followers to carry out strikes against the West and Jews in particular.
Hamas itself has been revealed to rely on worrying levels of support in the West, and it is a question of when, and not if its sympathisers will be inspired to more violence on our streets.
The phenomenon of returning foreign fighters further compounds the challenge of countering Islamist terrorism.
In recent years, Europe has struggled to address the influx of battle-hardened individuals with the potential to carry out attacks here.
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Repeated arrests of cells loyal to ISKP, the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, in several countries in Europe since 2020 demonstrate that organised attacks of trained fighters also remain a clear threat.
The scale and scope of this challenge are daunting, requiring robust border security measures, effective intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and comprehensive strategies for rehabilitation and reintegration.
Putting a stop to it online
Over the past decade, the proliferation of online radicalisation represented a real paradigm shift in the threat landscape.
While online radicalisation is itself not new, the COVID-19 pandemic turbo-charged the dissemination of terrorist and extremist propaganda and increased online recruitment and incitement on a global scale.
The anonymity and accessibility afforded by online platforms have facilitated the radicalisation of individuals who may never have come into contact with extremists or terrorists and their ideologies in the physical world.
In the last few years, we have increasingly seen young people in particular prosecuted for planning such attacks inspired by online content. These solitary online radicalisations pose a significant challenge for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
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The fact that a group as brutal as the Houthis, previously unknown to most of those who now champion them, has been able to stylise itself successfully as a liberation movement online, shows just how serious the information vacuum is.
Houthi supporters attend a rally against the U.S. airstrikes on Yemen and the Israeli offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza SAtrip, in Sanaa, March 2024 AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman
Despite recent legislation at EU and national level, addressing this challenge in practice is remarkably difficult.
Most social media platforms and online fora have struggled to prevent extremist and terrorist content from being shared and promoted, while others simply still do not invest sufficient resources.
Beyond removing such content, the focus of the authorities and counter-extremism organisations must also be on countering these messages through education and de-radicalisation.
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The fact that a group as brutal as the Houthis, previously unknown to most of those who now champion them, has been able to stylise itself successfully as a liberation movement online, shows just how serious the information vacuum is and how weak the defensive mechanisms of online platforms are, some of which are among the most profitable business entities in human history.
No easy solutions, no quick fixes
Recent events underscore the need not only for proper targeting of extremism prevention, but also for greater vigilance and cooperation among international partners.
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The transnational nature of the Islamist terrorism threat necessitates a coordinated and collaborative response that transcends borders and bureaucratic silos.
Intelligence-sharing, capacity-building, and diplomatic engagement are essential components of a holistic approach to countering violent extremism.
Similar to the financial industry, online service providers must finally become fully part of the first line of defence.
Treating them primarily as outside partners, with only general regulatory guidelines and fines not commensurate with their immense profit margins, is a gap in the system protecting our societies that should be eliminated.
As we reflect on the lessons learned in the past two decades, it is clear that there are no easy solutions or quick fixes to the threat posed by Islamist terrorism.
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We must remain vigilant and proactive in our efforts to confront the poison of violent extremism if we want to minimise the recurrence of further tragedies like the Madrid train bombings.
The 20th anniversary serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring nature of the threat and the imperative of collective action to address it.
Dr Hans-Jakob Schindler is Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project.
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