Islamic State Editorial on the Sydney Attack Against Jews

Despite some very early speculation that the attack targeting Jews in Sydney was the work of Iranian-backed operatives, it quickly became apparent that the attack had an Islamic State-link, at least in the sense that the attackers were supporters of the Islamic State and following its repeated and clear directives to its members and supporters worldwide to target Jews.

Some were also quick to blame the attacks on the broader pro-Palestine protest and activist movement in the West, but in general this focus strikes me as misplaced. It is certainly true that the attack has exposed the hypocrisy of some who might have initially rationalised the attack as a response to rage about, say, events in Gaza, only to walk back on that once the Islamic State-link became clear. But broadly speaking the Islamic State denounces the protests in the West as ineffective and criticises them and most other supporters of the Palestinian cause as one of ‘national liberation’ for failing to recognise that the real war is a religious one of Muslims vs. Jews. For the Islamic State, there is no solution to the Palestine question except through endless jihad against Jews and other ‘infidels’ and ‘apostates’, with the goal in relation to Israel being to break the ‘wall’ of ‘apostate’ regimes that surround as a stepping stone to the future ‘great war’ with the Jews.

Predictably, the Islamic State’s editorial in this week’s edition of its al-Naba’ newsletter focuses on the Sydney attack with a final sidenote on the Palmyra attack in which a suspected Islamic State supporter killed three Americans. The main points are as follows: