Academic Paper: Israeli Monitoring of Jihadism Within the Syrian System

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By: Ibrahim ‘Abdul Karim.
(Exclusively for al-Zaytouna Centre).

Al-Zaytouna Centre has published an academic paper by Ibrahim ‘Abdul Karim, in Arabic, titled “Israeli Monitoring of Jihadism Within the Syrian System.”

This study examines the Israeli approach to jihadism in Syria in terms of its structures, manifestations, interpretations, considerations and future trajectories through an integrative methodology.

It combines a “descriptive approach,” focused on how Israel gathers and utilizes publicly available information on developments in Syria, with an “analytical approach” that examines Israeli scholarly and research-based engagement with the issue and the broader implications that may be drawn from it.

The study first examines Israeli conceptualizations of jihadism, then analyzes several cases viewed as Syrian manifestations of it, and finally explores Israeli objectives and future orientations regarding this issue.

It draws on information, assessments, explanations and propagandistic narratives (hasbara) circulated within Israeli circles, which collectively offer insight into Israel’s broader “system of thought, perception, and action” concerning jihadism in Syria.

The study argues that Israeli attention to this issue is neither incidental nor peripheral, but is used to inform policy-making. To avoid ambiguity in how Israeli writings use and interpret the term “jihadism,” it is necessary to examine both the meanings they explicitly state and those implicitly embedded in their conceptual framing.