Ahmad Abouchlieh

Overview

Ahmad Abouchlieh promoted violent agitators and spread hatred of Israel online. He was affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Houston (UH) in 2018.

In December 2018, Abouchlieh indicated on Twitter that he had a “new album coming out in 2019.” The tweet featured a photo of a music album cover called “Moon Watcher” by “STAR GAZING PRODUCTIONS.”

As of July 2019, Abouchlieh’s Facebook page said he “Lives in Houston, Texas.”

Promoting Violent Agitators

On October 21, 2015, during the Knife Intifada, Abouchlieh tweeted: “Given the fact that the Israeli prime minister had to blame us to the holocaust really shows that we are doing damage with the intifada.”

In October 2015, there was an upsurge in violence across Israel incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” was characterized by young Palestinians throughout the country stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians.

On December 19, 2017, Abouchlieh tweeted: “The ones who are resisting the occupation and keeping Palestine alive even at the age of 16 have the strength and heart of a lion #NoFear #FreeAhedTamimi.”

Ahed Tamimi has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers. Tamimi is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is known for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers.

Abouchlieh retweeted a September 18, 2017 tweet that read: “George Habash in 1984 on the distinction between armed struggle and terrorism and the right of the Palestinians to pursue that struggle.”

George Habash, who has been called“the godfather of Middle East terrorism,” founded the terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In 1970, Habash was the mastermind behind the hijacking of four Western airliners known as the Dawson Field hijackings. In 1972, the PFLP collaborated with Japanese Red Army terrorists to massacre 24 people at Israel's Lod International Airport (renamed Ben Gurion International Airport).

On December 25, 2017, following the United States announcement that it would relocate its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Abouchlieh wrote on Instagram: “Jerusalem will always be the capital of Palestine 🇵🇸✊🏼#LongLiveTheResistance.”

Abouchlieh retweeted an October 19, 2018 tweet referring to the “March of Return” that read: “Pathetic IDF boasts about opening fire at unarmed protesters over balloons. Israeli snipers have already murdered over 200 people in Gaza since March, incl. dozens of children, medics & journalists.”

On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The violent demonstrations were instigated by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border. Participants declared their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”

March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Rioters also made numerous attempts to breach Israel’s border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire.

Agitators also threw Molotov cocktails, firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks under the cover of smoke from burning tires.

On October 19, 2018, Abouchlieh tweeted a photo of a March of Return protester and wrote: “In the midst of the fire, ash and smoke you will always see the red, black, white and green glimmering through, giving hope to the millions that one day Palestine will be free.”

Abouchlieh retweeted a July 13, 2019 tweet that read: “instead of storming area 51 can we all storm israel and free palestine.”

Spreading Hatred of Israel

Abouchlieh retweeted a January 11, 2019 tweet that read: “We’re really in 2019 and y’all are still calling the occupation a ‘conflict’? #ItsCalledApartheid #FreePalestine.”

Abouchlieh retweeted a December 15, 2018 tweet that read: “Your country occupied a whole a** country through a genocide. Palestinians are imprisoned, murdered, and tortured for simply existing. An apartheid state with an evil gov. Y’all had nowhere to claim your people so you invaded a country and slapped Israel on it. Suck my d**k.”

On May 22, 2018, Abouchlieh tweeted: “From the river to the sea, palestine will be free.”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.

SJP Affiliation

On October 16, 2018, Abouchlieh tweeted: “#coogs4palestine #pit4palestine.” His tweet featured a flier promoting an SJP UH event, scheduled for the following day, titled: “PIE FOR PALESTINE.”

The next day, SJP UH tweeted: “Trump? Cruz? Netanyahu? Take your pick! Swing by PGH to #Pie4Palestine for only $3! All proceeds go to @ThePCRF ‘s Gaza Pediatric Health Care Fund! #Coogs4Palestine.” The tweet featured a photo of SJP activists posing with boards labeled Trump, Netanyahu and Cruz, throwing pies onto the face of an SJP activist posing as Netanyahu.

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) has been financially linked with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development and the Global Relief Foundation, both of which were shut down by the United States government for funneling donations to terrorist organizations.

Abouchlieh indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a September 12, 2018 SJP at UH event titled: “Palestine 101.”

The Facebook event description said that attendees of the event can “can learn about Palestinian history, the on going settler colonial project of Israel, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”

Abouchlieh retweeted a January 21, 2019 tweet by SJP at UH that read: “SJP’s first general body meeting of the spring semester will be taking place this Thursday! GET EXCITED!!!! Stop by for fun activities centered around political repression AND for some free shawarma!

#Coogs4Palestine.”

Abouchlieh retweeted a tweet by SJP at UH posted on November 13, 2018, that read: “TOMORROW!!!

” The tweet linked to another tweet by SJP at UH that read: “Join SJP and SDS this Wednesday as we hear Bassem Kawar discuss his own experience in Palestine and how it shaped his thoughts on the global Palestinian liberation movement

#Coogs4Palestine #CoogsAgainstApartheid.”

SJP UH - Spreading Anti-Israel Propaganda

UH’s IAW featured a mock apartheid wall, erected on campus. Text on the wall read: “If you want to find a safe place in Gaza, do not stand beside a child.” Another piece of text read: “Israel uses sophisticated attack jets to bomb densely crowded refugee camps, schools, apartment blocks, mosques and slums to attack a population that has no airforce, no navy, army and calls it a war. It is not war, it is murder.”

SJP UH - Spreading Propaganda

On October 1, 2017, SJP UH shared a Facebook post that read: “17 years ago today, 12yr old Muhammad Al-Durra was shot dead on LIVE TV in his father's arms.
#Coogs4Palestine #FreePalestine.”

The Al-Durah hoax is an iconic piece of anti-Israel propaganda, fabricated on September 30, 2000 at the start of the Second Intifada by a France 2 reporter.

On May 8, 2017, SJP UH organized Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) on UH’s campus. One IAW event featured a mock “apartheid wall” erected on campus. Text on the wall read: “If you want to find a safe place in Gaza, do not stand beside a child.” Other text read: “Israel uses sophisticated attack jets to bomb densely crowded refugee camps, schools, apartment blocks, mosques and slums to attack a population that has no airforce, no navy, army and calls it a war. It is not war, it is murder.”

Throughout the summer of 2014 — during Operation Protective Edge (OPE) — Hamas’ continued deployment of human shields was extensively documented and publicized. Hamas encouraged gazans to act as human shields, to specifically frustrate Israeli efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. Israel commenced OPEin July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.

SJP UH - Supporting Terrorists

On September 5, 2017, SJP UH shared a graphic on Facebook of an image and quote by Leila Khaled.

Khaled is a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. As of 2017, Khaled was a member of PFLP's Political Bureau.

Khaled has said that the second intifada failed because it was not violent enough, advocated for the use of children in terror activities and compared Zionists to Nazis.

The PFLP claimed credit for the 2014 Har Nof Massacre where six people were murdered during morning prayers in a Jerusalem synagogue. The PFLP also claimed credit for the 2001 assassination of the Israeli tourism minister.

On May 25, 2017, SJP UH rallied behind convicted Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike, by organizing a “symbolic hunger strike” and participating in a Saltwater Challenge. The event organizers wrote on the Facebook event page: “we demand that Israel end its policies of apartheid, colonization, military occupation, displacement, dispossession, and mass incarceration.”

The hunger strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings — and shooting attacks that killed five Israelis during the second Intifada. Barghouti led the the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Barghouti also financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe massacre where 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured.

More than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners participated in the hunger strike — most of whom were also convicted for acts of terrorism.

According to CNN , the “Saltwater Challenge” appears to have been started by Aarab Marwan Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti.

On May 26, 2017, SJP UH joined protesters outside the Israeli consulate chanting (1:46): “1234, open up the prison doors… We will fight day and night… to support the hunger strike…”

On March 28, 2016, SJP UH shared a post on Facebook supporting terrorist Rasmea Odeh.

Odeh was a key military operative [00:02:08]with the terrorist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In 1969, Odeh masterminded a PFLP bombing that killed two college students in a Jerusalem supermarket. Odeh also attempted to bomb the British consulate.

Odeh confessed, in a highly detailed account, the day following her arrest. In a 2004 documentary, one of Odeh’s co-conspirators directly implicated [00:10:53] Odeh as the mastermind.

In 1970, an Israeli court tried and convicted Odeh for her involvement in both bombings and sentenced her to life imprisonment. However, Odeh was released 10 years later, in a prisoner swap and emigrated to the United States.

On November 10, 2014, a Michigan federal jury convicted Odeh for immigration fraud because she failed to disclose her prior conviction and life sentence on her immigration application. On March 12, 2015, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

In 2017, after an appeal and a lengthy court battle, Odeh admitted to immigration fraud, was stripped of her U.S. citizenship, deported to Jordan and banned from re-entering the U.S.

SJP UH - Disrupting Campus Events

On November 3, 2017, SJP activists disrupted a lecture by David Horowitz at UH. SJP activists stood up holding a Palestinian flag and a Pan African/Black Liberation flag and yelled [00:07:04] at Horowitz. The protesters began shouting, “Zionists! Off our campus! Racists! Off our campus! Islamophobes! Off our campus!” and walked out of the lecture hall as they continued to chant.

The protesters included members of other campus organizations that comprised the Cougar Voice Coalition (CVC), such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), United Muslim Relief (UMR) Houston and Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Houston.

SJP

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.