Report on BDS at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (June 2018)

In June 2018, Canary Mission completed an investigation into a November 15, 2017 Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) resolution that passed the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (UM) Central Student Government (CSG), via secret ballot.

Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), the UM chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), orchestrated the resolution through its divestment campaign, #UMDivest.

The report includes the following 40 individuals:

4 SAFE activists behind the #UMDivest campaign
4 co-authors and 1 co-sponsor of the resolution (3 co-authors were SAFE activists)
4 professional BDS activists who spoke for the resolution
5 pro-BDS students, including the CSG vice-president
7 representatives who spoke in favor of the resolution
15 representatives who voted for the resolution to be held via secret ballot

BDS is Anti-Semitic

Fighting BDS starts with clarity. Clarity as to what it’s leaders say and what BDS wants to do with the Jewish population of Israel. Clarity that BDS is anti-Semitic.

The following videos illustrate this point.

The True Origins of BDS

The Many Lies of Omar Barghouti

Rabbi Lord Sacks on Anti-Semitism

Enabling Anti-Semitism Through Secret BDS Ballots

The November 2017 resolution passed via a secret ballot.

Whether a student senator votes for a secret ballot because they themselves are pro-BDS, or because they mistakenly believe that BDS is just a legitimate political perspective, the outcome remains the same.

Secret ballots assist BDS resolutions to pass. A vote for a secret BDS ballot is a vote that enables anti-Semitism.

The #UMDivest Campaign

In October 2017, SAFE officially launched its divestment campaign, #UMDivest. The group used underhanded tactics, discriminated against pro-Israel students and downplayed reports of anti-Semitism.

Omar Barghouti

1. SAFE Denied The Resolution Was BDS

From October 27-29, 2017, Reem Al-Khatib, a SAFE activist, attended the 2017 National SJP Conference (NSJP 2017) in Texas, which taught strategies on how to run and pass BDS resolutions on campus.

Al-Khatib co-authored the November 2017 BDS resolution, along with Yara Gayar and Hafsa Tout.

SAFE activists repeatedly denied that the resolution was part of the broader BDS movement. Arwa Gayar, told the CSG on November 7, 2017: “We are not BDS, we are just divestment.” During the resolution vote on November 14, Yara Gayar, told the CSG: “This is not part of the BDS movement.” Reema Kaakarli spent nearly two minutes tryingto distinguish the resolution from BDS and specified: “We really want to distinguish ourselves from the leaders of the broader BDS movement.”

Upon signing the resolution, CSG president Anushka Sarkar condemned SAFE’s attempts to obfuscate the resolution’s obvious connection to the BDS movement.

2. SAFE Brought In BDS Professionals

During the campaign, SAFE brought in four veteran professional BDS activists: Sabry Wazwaz >Kristian Davis Bailey and former SAFE leaders Devin Jones and Farah Erzouk.

At a November 7, 2017 CSG meeting to discuss #UMDivest, Sabry Wazwaz, a BDS activist from Minnesota spoke in support of #UMDivest. Wazwaz has a history of tweeting anti-Jewish imagery >conspiracy theories and imagery equating Israel with Nazi Germany. At the meeting, Wazwaz compared Palestinians in Israel to Jews killed by the Nazi regime. He had just three months earlier tweeted: “#ZionismIsNazism.”

At the same hearing, Devin Jones, a former SAFE leader, claimed that Israel has a “regime of apartheid” and has committed “occupation” and “ethnic cleansing.”

3. SAFE Blocked Middle East Expert From Speaking

Despite bringing in a host of outside professionals, SAFE objected to hearing from UM professor of history, Victor Lieberman.

Lieberman is a tenured UM history professor who teaches about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He testified to the CSG about the conflict’s history in previous years’ hearings.

Resolution co-author Hafsa Tout alleged that allowing Lieberman to address the student government “further silences” Palestinian students and would create a “power gradient” between him and students.

SAFE members further claimed that allowing Lieberman to speak would be unfair, since pro-BDS professors would not speak publicly in favor of the resolution due to fear of reprisal. Their objections led to Lieberman being blocked from speaking.

When signing the November 2017 resolution, CSG president Anushka Sarkar strongly criticized SAFE for blocking Lieberman. She said it was “not true” that SAFE could not find faculty to speak for their side, since 20 faculty members openly supported #UMDivest, including “several of whom” who were “tenured faculty.” She added that silencing Lieberman “fostered uncontextualized dialogue.”

4. SAFE Downplayed Anti-Semitism

At the November 14-15, 2017 CSG hearing, Yara Gayar argued that SAFE and the BDS resolution were not “divisive or anti-Semitic” because SAFE condemned white nationalist hate speech, including protesting against white nationalist leader Richard Spencer.

However, at the hearing, many Jewish students repeatedly cited examples of anti-Semitismrelated to the BDS campaign.

One Jewish student, whose grandfather survived the Holocaust, called out a SAFE-affiliated activist for comparing Palestinians in Israel to Jews killed by the Nazis. Another Jewish student said that at a previous CSG meeting, she “heard SAFE supporters laughing behind me as my peer talked about his fear of wearing a kippa around campus.”

Students and Professionals

Hafsa Tout

	Hafsa Tout has expressed support for terrorists and demonized Israel as a SAFE activist. Tout co-authored the divestment resolution with SAFE for its 2017 #UMDivest campaign. At the time, she was a student representative in the UM CSG. As of May 2018, Tout’s LinkedIn page said she will graduate from UM in 2018, with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Music. For more info click here.

Reem Al Khatib

	Reem Al-Khatib has demonized Israel as an activist with SAFE. Al-Khatib was a leader of SAFE’s 2017 #UMDivest campaign. As of April 2018, Al-Khatib’s Facebook page said she was a student at UM since 2016. Her Facebook also said that she was an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center (MADC). For more info click here

Reema Kaakarli

	Reema Kaakarli was an activist with SAFE. Kaakarli was a leader of SAFE’s 2017 #UMDivest campaign and claimed[00:54:28] that the campaign was unaffiliated with BDS. As of April 2018, Kaakarli’s LinkedIn page said she would graduate from UM in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics. On April 29, 2018, she indicated on Facebook that she had graduated. For more info click here

Andrea May Sahouri

	Andrea May Sahouri has promoted an anti-Semite and demonized Israel as a Safe activist. As of November 2017, Sahouri was the co-chair [01:38:31] of SAFE and was a leader of their 2017 #UMDivest campaign. Sahouri also promoted [00:00:02] SAFE’s 2016 #UMDivest campaign. As of May 2018, Sahouri’s LinkedIn page said she graduated from UM Ann Arbor in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in American Culture and Arab and Muslim American Studies. As of April 2018, Sahouri’s Facebook page said she was slated to attend Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism School (Columbia) in August 2018. For more info click here

Yara Gayar

	Yara Gayar co-authored the divestment resolution with SAFE for its 2017 #UMDivest campaign. At the time she was a student representative in the UM CSG. Gayar denied [00:51:35] that the resolution ;was part of BDS and minimized[3:04:37] Jewish students’ concerns of anti-Semitism related to the divestment campaign. As of March 2017, Gayar was listed on Facebook as a junior at UM Ann Arbor, majoring in History. For more info click here

Arwa Gayar

	Arwa Gayar has demonized Israel as a SAFE activist. As of November 2017, Gayar was the SAFE secretary. Gayar promoted [01:35:03] SAFE’s #UMDivest campaign and claimed it was unaffiliated with BDS. As of April 2018, Gayar’s Facebook overview listed her as a student attending UM, slated to graduate in 2020. For more info click here

Sabry Wazwaz

	Sabry Wazwaz has called for intifada, spread anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, demonized Israel, promoted incitement and expressed support for a terrorist. Wazwaz has also compared Zionists to Nazis and tokenized anti-Israel Jews. He has spread anti-American and anti-Israel conspiracy theories and called for the destruction of Israel and the United States. Wazwaz has in anti-Israel events on university campuses hosted by SJP and spoke at a high school event held by American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), ;supporting the “right of return.” On November 8, 2017 he spoke [02:02:42] before the UM CSG in support of the #UMDivest resolution and implied [02:05:42] that Israel is perpetrating a Holocaust against the Palestinians. For more info click here.

Devin Jones

	Devin Jones has demonized Zionists and spreadhatred of Israel as a SAFE activist. In 2015, Jones served as SAFE's education chair. On November 7, 2017, Jones spoke [01:50:01] before the UM CSG where he promoted the #UMDivest resolution. As of May 2018, his LinkedIn page said he was a 2017 graduate of UM, with a bachelor’s degree in “International & Comparative Studies” and Political Science. For more info click here

Farah Erzouki


	Farah Erzouki has promoted anti-Semitism, expressed support for terrorists and spread hatred of Israel on social media. Erzouki is the former SAFE co-chair. In 2014 she authored [00:20:46] a SAFE divestment resolution at UM and on November 7, 2017, she spoke before the UM CSG in support of the #UMDivest resolution. As of March 2018, Erzouki’s LinkedIn page said she worked as a public health coordinator at ACCESS in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For more info click here.

Kristian Davis Bailey

	Kristian Davis Bailey has expressed support for terrorists, defendedthe terror organization Hamas and promoted ;“armed resistance.” Bailey has been arrested for endangering others and has demonized America and Israel. Bailey is a former co-president of SJP at Stanford University, where he was also a member of Stanford Out of Occupied Palestine (SOOP). He was an organizer for National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP and an activist with Black For Palestine. On November 14, 2017, Bailey addressed [01:46:50] the UM CSG in support of the #UMDivest resolution. As of April 2018, Bailey’s LinkedIn page said he is a news desk editor for the Stanford Daily Newspaper and an administrative assistant at Stanford’s Graduate Program in Journalism. For more info click here.

Nadine Jawad

	Nadine Jawad has demonizedsupportedthe 2017 #UMDivest campaign while she was vice president of the UM CSG. On November 15, 2017, Jawad spoke [02:02:32] in front of the UM CSG and said[02:08:20] that, as a student, she “wholeheartedly” supported the #UMDivest resolution. As of May 2018, Jawad’s Facebook page said she had studied Health Policy at UM Ann Arbor’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. For more info click here.

Gloriela Iguina Colon showed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution. For more info click here.

Leah Schneck showed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution. For more info click here.

Dana Greene Jr. showed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution. For more info click here.

James Schneider showed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution. For more info click here.

Brittney Williams showed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Ibtihal Makkishowed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution> as a student representative in the UM CSG. She also voted [02:55:38] for the resolution to be held via secret ballot, which enabled passage of the BDS motion. For more info click here.

Haya Akbik showed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Jacob Cutler showed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Zoha Qureshi showed supportfor the 2017 #UMDivest resolution as a student representative in the UM CSG. She also advocated [02:39:23] for the resolution to be held via secret ballot, which enabled passage of the BDS motion. For more info click here.

Narmeen Rehman showed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Matthew Thomasshowed support for the 2017 #UMDivest resolution as a student representative in UM CSG. For more info click here.

Lloyd Lyons voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Meghan Fischer voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Frank Guzman voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more click here.

Lydia Barry voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representativein the UM CSG. Barry’s LinkedIn page said that she was an intern in the United States Senate from June to August of 2017. For more info click here.

Mackenzie Abele voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Soto Dedes voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info clickhere.

Okpalefe Edevbie voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. Edevbie’s LinkedIn page said he was the chair of the CSG Executive Nominations Committee at the time of BDS vote. For more info click here.

Eldar Hoessel voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.
Kevin Jiang voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Collin Kelly voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Justin Rogers voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Tyler Guinn voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representativein the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Erin Pamukcu voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representativein the UM CSG. For more click here.

Marzia Oceno voted for a secret ballot on the 2017 #UMDivest resolution, which enabled passage of the BDS motion, as a student representative in the UM CSG. For more info click here.

Rami Ebrahim has expressed support for terrorists as a SAFE activist. For more info click here.

Spenser Robnett is a SAFE affiliate and a supporter of the BDS movement. For more info click here.

Jamie Thompson is a SAFE affiliate. For more info click here.