In the media
December 30, 2023
On Saturday, 30th of December 2023, Bibi van Ginkel was interviewed by NPO, the Dutch public broadcasting organisation, on the increased terrorist threat in Europe as a result of the Israel-Hamas crisis.
She commented, "(...) and they (ISKP) mainly have an agenda there (in Central Asia), but increasingly an agenda towards the West. That is why a number of them travelled from Central Asia to Ukraine. And with the war there, they travelled further to Europe, with clear plans to commit attacks also here, in Europe."
On the implications of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the rise of the threat, she added, "There are two developments, but they are actually both related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. On the one hand, the threat emanating from IS and Al Qaeda, inspired by that conflict and out of solidarity with the Palestinians. They incite violence in Western Europe against Western attackers and against Jewish attackers. They do not do this because they are linked with Hamas, but more out of solidarity. The second development has to do with the fact that Hamas itself now also has a network here, that had planned attacks against Jewish institutions. And that really is a new development."
"You have seen in the Western world that in general the governments very emphatically support Israel. But from the (Western) population you also see a lot of sympathy for the Palestinian cause; certainly because of the amount of bombings that are falling on Gaza and the level of human suffering that becomes visible there. There are clear protests that must stop, and the idea that Hamas now may also plan or carry out attacks here undermines that same sympathy that they (the Palestinians) currently receive from the populations (of the West )," she concluded.
Watch the full interview (in Dutch):
