Ala Jaarah
Ala Jaarah’s Participation in the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia University (Columbia), Arrest at anti-Israel Protests and Support for Hamas Terrorism
Ala Jaarah was arrested multiple times during anti-Israel encampment protests at the City University of New York (CUNY) in May 2024.Jaarah has also expressed support for Hamas terrorism, spread anti-Semitism, called for intifada and promoted hatred of Zionists and Israel. In May 2024, Jaarah participated in the pro-Hamas Columbia encampment.
Jaarah is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Jaarah has participated multiple times in protests organized by the pro-terror activist group Within Our Lifetime (WOL).
In 2024, Jaarah participated in unauthorized anti-Israel encampments at Columbia University (Columbia), as well as [slide 1] at CUNY and at New York University (NYU). In May 2024, Jaarah disrupted a graduation ceremony at the College of Staten Island (CSI), which is part of CUNY.
Jaarah’s activism 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 approximately 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded.
In May 2024, Jaarah’s Instagram bio said she was affiliated with the pro-terror student group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at CSI (CSI SJP).
In May 2024, Jaarah’s Instagram bio said she was a “Palestinian American Filmmaker.” However, as of November 2024, there was no employment information on her social media.
As of June 2024, Jaarah’s LinkedIn said she had graduated from Queens College (QC), which is part of CUNY, with a master’s degree in behavioral neuroscience in 2016. She also graduated from CSI (CUNY) with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2013.
Also as of June 2024, Jaarah’s LinkedIn said she was located in Staten Island, New York.
May 2024 - Arrested during the CUNY Anti-Israel Encampment Protests
In May 2024, Jaarah was arrested multiple times during CUNY’s anti-Israel encampment protests.On May 1, 2024, Jaarah posted on Instagram a video from the encampment protest and wrote: “Over a hundred of us got arrested…Free Palestine.”
The encampment was one of about 140 anti-Israel college encampments set up in North America, and over 20 globally, in the spring of 2024. The first began on April 17, 2024 at Columbia University. Protesters harassed Jewish students, blocked Jews from campus facilities and used anti-Semitic language in their activism. They also promoted BDS and protested Israel’s war against Hamas, launched after Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023.
Support for Hamas Terrorism
On May 18, 2024, Jaarah again posted on Instagram: “My fellow CUNYGSE [CUNY Gaza Solidarity Encampment] arrestees and I planned an arrest party…
12/170 of us that got arrested that night…all brave warriors fighting for justice for my people in Gaza and for a free Palestine…”Jaarah’s post included [slide 1] a photo of her next to her fellow anti-Israel activists, who made the inverted red triangle sign with their hands.
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 May 19, 2024, Jaarah shared [slide 1] on Instagram a photo of an anti-Israel activist at a WOL protest holding an al-Qassam Brigades banner and wearing their headband. In the post, Jaarah wrote: “Some Nakba Day photos #freepalestine#withinourlifetime.”
Palestinians and anti-Israel activists commemorate the so-called “Nakba Day” on May 15, corresponding to the day following Israel’s declaration of statehood in 1948. Palestinians coined the term "nakba," Arabic for "catastrophe,” to draw a comparison with the Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, meaning “catastrophe.”
The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by drawing a comparison to the Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, meaning “catastrophe.”
Nakba Day 5/18/2024…”The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Jaarah’s post included a photo of herself from a WOL protest where anti-Israel activists held signs that showed the map of Israel with Arabic names for Israeli cities and text that read: “WE WILL RETURN…”
On Saturday, October 7, 2023, approximately 2,900 heavily armed Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s border with Gaza. They executed numerous war crimes on civilians, including mass murder, beheadings of children, rape of men and women, torture, kidnappings and mutilation.
Anti-Semitism during a Hamas War
On April 29, 2024, Jaarah posted on TikTok a video that showed WOL leader Nerdeen Kiswani giving a speech at a protest at Columbia’s anti-Israel encampment. During her speech, Kiswani claimed [00:00:19] that the people in Gaza were “facing a modern-day Holocaust.”In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.
Calling for Intifada
On June 22, 2024, Jaarah shared [slide 5] on her Instagram Stories a video, in which anti-Israel activists chanted [00:00:01]: “There is only one solution! Intifada revolution!” Jaarah captioned the post: “Rain or shine, we will fight for Palestine
.”The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
Hatred of Zionists and Israel
On May 28, 2024, Jaarah shared on Instagram a video that showed anti-Israel agitator Edrees Mohamed leading [00:00:02] the chant: “Say it loud, say it clear! We don’t want no Zionist here! We don’t want no Zionist here!” Jaarah wrote: “#freepalestine#withinourlifetime.”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.
On May 20, 2024, Jaarah posted on TikTok a video from a WOL protest in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, showing anti-Israel activists chanting [00:00:11]: “ 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!”
“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 April 25, 2024, Jaarah posted on Instagram: “We don’t want no zionists here,” and shared a video of activists at CUNY’s anti-Israel encampment harassing a journalist and chanting: “Every time the media lies, a neighborhood in Gaza dies!”
On October 11, 2023, three days after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, Jaarah shared on Instagram an image that said: “I STAND WITH PALESTINE.” The image contained the Palestinian flag on the background.
In the post, Jaarah wrote: “...
CALL TO ACTION POST THIS GRAPHIC. EVERYWHERE…Time to drown out all the celebrity & propaganda b.s. If you’re down with the cause—show it. We are with Palestine, with Gaza. 
#istandwithpalestine.”Participating in the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia
On May 26, 2024, Jaarah was featured in a video uploaded to YouTube that showed her participating [00:08:36] in a rally outside the Columbia encampment. At the rally, participants chanted [00:08:50]: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” Later, the protest leader chanted [00:09:40]: “There is only one solution, Intifada revolution!” while forming his fingers into an inverted triangle.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…”
WOL
Within Our Lifetime (WOL) is a pro-terror activist group in New York City dedicated to Israel’s destruction within the lifetime of its members.Acts of violence and physical confrontations with police have frequently occurred at WOL protests and marches. WOL uses harassment campaigns to target pro-Israel organizations or companies that do business with Israel, making it a part of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Multiple activists who have either burned Israeli flags or led chants at WOL rallies were later jailed for violent anti-Semitic hate crimes, including Saadah Masoud and Waseem Awawdeh. In Masoud’s case, he received 18 months in jail for an anti-Semitic assault at an April 2022 WOL rally and two other anti-Semitic assaults in 2021.
WOL promotes “resistance” against Israel “by any means necessary,” calls to “Globalize the Intifada,” spreads incitement and idolizes [00:34:06] Palestinian terrorists like Leila Khaled and others at rallies and online events.
WOL was founded by Nerdeen Kiswani and Dan Cione in 2015. Kiswani is a frequent speaker at WOL rallies where she has promoted terrorism against Israelis and called for the death of Zionists. She has also provided support for Masoud and other activists following their arrests.
WOL began as the New York City chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), going by NYC SJP, but changed its name in 2018. The group is not found to be registered in any U.S. state as a nonprofit organization under its official name. Nor is there any listing for WOL under its name on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website for tax-exempt organizations.
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 Student 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.
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.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085060577068Twitter:https://twitter.com/alajaara
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/alajaarah/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alajaarah/
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@alajaarah
