Islamic State vows to reach 'Palestine' and 'kill the barbaric Jews'

Islamic State's English-language publication inspires potential recruits with graphic images and messages of jihad while vowing to strike down every "obstacle on its path to Palestine."

By LEV SELMON
Islamic State militants parade in Mosul (photo credit: REUTERS)
Islamic State militants parade in Mosul
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The organization calling itself the Islamic State has risen from the fog of war in Syria and Iraq in recent months and drawn the attention of the world with major victories on both sides of the Euphrates River that have claimed swaths of territory for its declared caliphate, or Islamic State.
Now in the organization's new English language publication, Dabiq, aimed at young Muslims in western states, the extremist organization declared, "Islamic State will do everything within its means to continue striking down every apostate who stands as an obstacle on its path towards Palestine."
Denouncing the ineffectiveness of other Arab states and organizations in carrying out the "will of Allah," the magazine vows that, "Its [Islamic State's] actions speak louder than its words and it is only a matter of time and patience before it reaches Palestine to fight the barbaric Jews and kill those of them hiding behind the gharqad trees – the trees of the jews."
The Islamic State recently brought attention to the large and growing number of westerners in its ranks with the video of American journalist James Foley's execution, at the hands of a masked IS militant speaking English in a British accent.
The shocking video and revelation that the American hostage's killer might be a British citizen turned jihadist led a man hunt to identify the man. Assessments by Britain’s two intelligence and security agencies led to the positive identification of  23-year-old British-born Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, nicknamed “Jihadi John” by his colleagues.
Western countries are well aware of the issue. "I don't think this video changes anything. It just heightens awareness of a situation which is very grave and which we've been working on for several months." British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told the BBC.
Now the Islamic State is producing a slick new magazine in English which caters to potential recruits around the world to answer the "call to Hijrah," migration to the Islamic State.
The publication does away with the often poetic translation of Arab prose found in other jihadist propoganda and writes in plain English that young Muslims in Europe or the United States can relate to.
The publication's second issue opens by telling its readers, "The first priority is to perform hijrah from wherever you are to the Islamic State. From the state of the infidel to the state of Islam."
Al-Qaida has an English language publication of its own titled Inspire, but the Islamic State's new periodical demonstrates the movement's prowess in creating an image for itself with graphic illustrations and a slick format. Captioned high quality pictures show Islamic State jihadists, or mujahadeen, in the field and graphically gruesome executions of the movement's enemies.

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In everything it does, Islamic State's writers justify the movement's terrorist activities and militant strategy with the movement's overall aspiration to establish a caliphate, or state ruled by the movement's strict interpretation of Islamic Law.