Thinc. – Webinar Recording: Iran, IRGC and Iran attack on Israel – April 2024
The recording of the webinar is now available.
Iran, The IRGC, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinians through the lens of International Law.
IRAN, THE IRGC, HAMAS , HEZBOLLAH, THE PALESTINIANS AND GLOBAL TERRORISM
Understanding the intricate web of Iranian-sponsored terror and its threat to Israel
Main points discussed during the webinar:
1. The military attack by Iran on Israel last week introduced a new era in global relations. It was the first time the Iranian regime openly attacks a Western country, in this case Israel in the Middle East, by launching over 300 missiles and other drones and other aggressive military capabilities. The revolutionary theocratic regime in Tehran that came to power in 1979 is committed to the destruction of the West.
2. Iran’s vehicle for realisation of these global aims is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),a conglomerate of entities that have been exporting the violent Iranian revolutionary ideology through brutal oppression, terror and extremism since1979.
3. Understanding the regional balance of power that surrounds Israel. Influenced by Iran, and the way in which Iran manages its proxies and allies (Hezbollah, Houthis, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, etc) as an octopus with its tentacles in the region.
4. The IRGC is extremely active amongst the Palestinian factions. Not only did IRGC and Hezbollah support Hamas over many years (through training and provision of military capability), they are also active in the West Bank and Jordan.
5. It is important to look at this conflict through a global lens. In late 2023, Israel and Saudi Arabia were close to signing an “Abraham Accord”. The real reason for the attack on the 7 October was to sabotage the normalization process between Saudi Arabia and Israel under the sponsorship of the Biden administration. And this was prevented at the last moment, although Iran and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement under Chinese sponsorship.
6. The West is in a crisis. Western governments must understand the mentality of the Middle East and utilize power and leverage to manage radical Islamism, to unite against financing of terrorist organizations and radicalization. Sanctions should be put in place. The IRGC should be placed on the EU terror list. Europe and the United States hold the key in terms of financing and development (or prevention) of these organizations. Politically, the West faces a huge challenge to force the Palestinians to reform themselves into values of peace, democracy, acceptance of Israel as a neighbouring state, and to comply to the global ways to managing a population and a state.
7. The 7 October massacre was a result of an inappropriately constructed foreign policy of the West over more than 20-30 years. This attack did not occur only because of western policies, but the West didn’t prevent it and they could have done much more to avoid arriving at such a situation as we see today.
We highly recommend to watch the full webinar through our channel: Webinar on Int’l Law & Iran, IRGC and the Iran attack on Israel – April 2024 (youtube.com)
About the speakers:
Dr. Ely Karmon is a Senior Research Scholar at The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel. He has written extensively on international terrorism and strategic issues of the Middle East.
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Bock is a former Counsellor for Constitutional and International Law at the German Federal Academy for Security Policy, covering the Near and Middle East, and Islam. He writes and teaches on Constitutional Law und Security Law, on Islam, Islamic Cultures and Islamism, and on Policies and Legal Cultures in the MENA region.
