The Islamist Threat to Jewish Communities in Latin America

From Argentina to Brazil, recent foiled terror attacks highlight the ongoing threat to Jewish communities fueled by extremist organizations like Hezbollah and affiliated groups.

By Marina Rosenberg*

On August 16, Argentine Federal Police foiled an Islamist terrorist plot allegedly linked to ISIS and the Taliban to murder Jews in Mendoza. It was the second such plot uncovered in Argentina this year.

Last November, Brazilian security services prevented a similar attack on the country’s Jewish community, planned by the Lebanese terrorist organization HezbollahPlenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Although these plots were discovered in time and mass murders were prevented, they unfortunately show that Jewish communities in Latin America continue to be targeted by Islamic terrorist networks both Sunnis and Shiites, who until recently seemed to be able to operate with impunity.

In July, I met in Buenos Aires with representatives of Jewish organizations from around the world to pay tribute to the victims of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center, founded in 1894. The attack, planned by Iran and its terrorist allies, killed 85 people and wounded more than 300, making it the deadliest anti-Semitic attack since the Holocaust—until it was tragically surpassed by the October 7 attack in Israel.

the attack on AMIA It happened two years after a similar attack, in which a Hezbollah suicide bomber drove a van into the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 23 people and wounding 242. I have friends who survived this horrific attack and others who lost loved ones.

The events of the past week are a stark reminder that Islamist terrorist networks, whether backed by the Iranian regime or other state or non-state actors, remain one of the greatest threats to the security of Latin American countries, and in particular to their Jewish communities.

Argentina’s Jewish community, the largest in Latin America, has yet to see justice done against the perpetrators of these crimes.

The attacks on Argentina’s Jewish population – despite the country’s physical, political and military distance from the Middle East – demonstrate once again that Islamists attack Jews because they are Jewsregardless of where in the world they are or what is happening in the Middle East.

In July 1994, the same month as the AMIA bombing, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat organized a historic return to Gaza after the Palestinian Authority (PA) had been granted limited self-rule in Gaza and Jericho. This was a major step in the development of the Oslo Accords.

Then, as now, it seems that the prospect of peace inspires the most vicious outbursts of terrorist violence against Jews, no matter who or where we are. After all, as analysts have noted, Hamas may have planned and carried out the October 7 attacks in response to the success of the Abraham Accords and out of fear that Saudi Arabia would soon become a signatory and peace partner with Israel.

While the latest plot in Mendoza appears to originate from a terrorist cell that supports ISIS rhetoric and the Taliban, the main sources of threat against Latin American Jews remain the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah, its terrorist agent.

Moreover, current threats appear to originate from the activities of long-standing and increasingly sophisticated Hezbollah cells and networks.

Earlier this month, Colombian police, in collaboration with the FBI, arrested Mahdy Akil Helbawi. Helbawi is also identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a Hezbollah agent and financier. Most notably, he is the son of Amer Akil Rada, a Hezbollah agent involved in the attacks on the AMIA and the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires.

Decades after the AMIA atrocity, Hezbollah continues to receive funds from various activities in Colombia and Venezuela, including drug trafficking.

Hezbollah has a longstanding relationship with South American drug cartels, but has also expanded its operations to use cryptocurrency to more easily launder and transfer its money. This, in turn, has helped Hezbollah adapt and evolve the ways it attacks Latin American Jewish communities.

E.g. BrazilTwo Hezbollah operatives recruited from local diaspora communities in the Middle East managed to hire six Brazilian citizens to carry out attacks on Jewish targets in Brasilia. The plot was foiled by Brazilian authorities last November, but it demonstrated Hezbollah’s ability to use new methods and networks to terrorize both Jews and non-Jews.

Terrorism is not only a threat to Jews, but also to democratic societies around the world. For this reason, all world leaders who believe in peaceful coexistence must work together to eradicate extremism and combat terrorism.

These efforts should include stronger measures against countries that actively promote and support terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran. They should also include targeted designations and sanctions against the entire network of individuals and entities that finance and facilitate terrorism.

At the ceremony celebrating AMIA’s 30th anniversary, Argentine President Javier Millei said: “Silence supports evil.” Our societies cannot afford another tragedy like AMIA, nor another 11/7, nor another October 1, 2009, and therefore silence is not an option.

*Marina Rosenberg is Senior Vice President for International Affairs at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and a former ambassador and diplomat. This column was published in English in Algemeiner
Source: INFOBAE