Ahmed Zeineldine

Ahmed Zeineldine’s Support for Hamas, Calls for Israel’s Destruction and Spreading Incitement during the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia University (Columbia)

Ahmed Zeineldine has expressed support for Hamas, called for Israel’s destruction, and spread hatred of Israel and America. He spread incitement during the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia in April and May 2024. Zeineldine is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of March 2024, Zeineldine was reportedly an activist with The People's Forum in New York City, a non-profit organization that has reportedly advocated for terrorists as well as the overthrow of the U.S. Government.

Zeineldine has expressed support for Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a pro-terror activist group, also in New York City. He celebrated the release from prison of the group’s leader, Nerdeen Kiswani, in April 2024.

Zeineldine’s activities and social media posts occurred during Israel’s war against Hamas, called “Swords of Iron.” Israel launched the war after a series of Hamas terror attacks and war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings, which were executed on October 7, 2023. The terror attacks left over 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded. For more information on the attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.

As of June 2024, Zeineldine’s LinkedIn profile said he had worked as a senior finance manager at the International Rescue Committee from May 2022 to February 2024.

Also as of June 2024, Zeineldine’s LinkedIn said he graduated from Rutgers University-Newark (Rutgers-Newark) with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2013.

As of the same date, Zeineldine’s LinkedIn said he was located in the New York City metropolitan area.

As of June 2024, Zeineldine went by the username “Zeyad Zeineldine” on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. A news article also referred to him as “Ziyaad Zeineldine.”

Support for Terrorism and Hatred of Israel & America

On April 20, 2024, Zeineldine posted on Instagram a video of him leading an anti-Israel chant, and in his post, he used a symbol associated with Hamas terrorism. He wrote: “

One solution

Revolution

/ 4.19.24 / Columbia University students divest encampment.”

The inverted red triangle is a symbol showing support for Hamas and Palestinian terrorism. It first appeared in propaganda videos produced by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, during its terror attacks of October 7, 2023. The symbol was used by Hamas to signify one of their Israeli targets.

On February 10, 2024, Zeineldine posted on Instagram: “Long live Palestinian resistance

.” His post showed a man wearing a keffiyeh and a shirt with an inverted red triangle portrayed as a watermelon, placed above a tank.

The watermelon has been appropriated by anti-Israel activists as a symbol of Palestinian "resistance" to "Israeli occupation," as it shares the Pan-Arab colors. It has been depicted in art, used on flags at protests and posted online.

Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.

On December 25, 2023, Zeineldine posted [slide 5] on Instagram a photo of a sign with stickers attached to it. One sticker read: “From the U.S. to Palestine abolish the settler state,” and another read: “Resist colonial power by any means necessary.” He wrote: “

/ #FreePalestine #Gaza #ceasefirenow

.”

On November 1, 2023, Zeineldine posted [slide 2] on Instagram a photo of a sticker that read: “Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.” Zeineldine wrote: “#nyc #ceasefirenow #freepalestine.”

Calling for Israel’s Destruction

On March 13, 2024, the anti-Israel Middle East Eye (MEE) news website published an article in which Zeineldine reportedly said, regarding his activism with The People’s Forum: “We are not calling for a ceasefire. We are calling for full liberation. And an end to the occupation. From the River to the Sea.”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is a chant used [00:02:47] to call for the elimination of 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. In April 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the chant as antisemitic.

On January 29, 2024, Zeineldine posted on Instagram a video that showed him leading [00:00:26] a chant calling for Israel’s destruction at a protest in New York, shouting, “Palestine free, Zionist out!” The protest aimed to show support for anti-Israel activists who had been arrested. It was organized by the New York/New Jersey chapter of the PAL-AWDA - The Palestine Right to Return Coalition.

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture. Zionism is a core part of the identity of most Jews.

During the protest, Zeineldine led [00:00:26] the chant: “ من المية للمية فلسطين عربية [From water to water! Palestine is Arab!],” the Arabic version of “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!”

Promoting Incitement while Participating in the Pro-Hamas Columbia Encampment

On April 19, 2024, during Israel’s war against Hamas, Zeineldine promoted [00:00:01] incitement at the pro-Hamas encampment. He led [00:00:01] the chant: “One solution, revolution!” He appeared next to anti-Israel activist Edrees Mohamed.

On April 21, 2024, Zeineldine was featured [slide 3] in an April 21, 2024Instagram photo applauding next to a protester holding a microphone at Columbia’s encampment. The photo was captioned: “Shabbat Shalom from the Liberated Zone.”

The phrase, “Shabbat shalom,” is a term Jews use to greet each other on the eve of and on the Sabbath.

Zeineldine was featured in an April 22, 2024 photo posted on Instagram [slide 4]. In the photo, he can be seen wearing a keffiyeh and standing next to Edrees Mohamed and Zaid Jaloudi.

The post said: “The energy on Day 3 at the student divest action encampment at Columbia University was palpable

Traditional Palestinian dance followed by Chants led by the WoL members

.”

The watermelon has been appropriated by anti-Israel activists as a symbol of Palestinian "resistance" to "Israeli occupation," as it shares the Pan-Arab colors.

On May 1, 2024, Zeineldine was featured [slide 4] posted on Instagram and taken that day while he was standing outside the gates of Columbia and shouting.

In the same Instagram post, Zeineldine was also featured [slide 7] in a photo standing behind anti-Israel activist Fatima Mohammed. The post said: “More from @cunygse @ccnysjp and @cuapartheiddivest @sjp.columbia encampment rallies…One thing has been made very clear, these students aren’t going anywhere. The more you try to silence them and us, the louder we will be.”

On May 6, 2024, Zeineldine was featured [slide 7] in a photo posted on Instagram. The post said: “

Columbia University…As encampments for Gaza continue to spread like wildfire across the city, country and world, we call on all those who stand with Palestine to continue to mobilize in defense of them wherever you are, with whatever you have…”

On April 17, 2024, Columbia students and anti-Israel activists set up a pro-Hamas “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the university's main lawn. Many participants were arrested and the encampment featured multiple violent incidents, including taking over a campus building and taking a university worker hostage.

Activists protested Israel’s war against Hamas and demanded that Columbia “divest from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation…”

The action had reportedly been planned for months and was organized by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition. The encampment was also organized by Columbia’s banned pro-Hamas activist group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the university chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Activists reportedly received training from National SJP and other anti-Israel organizations.

BDS

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.

One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”

Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”

In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”

The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.

Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.

BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.