Alexis Judeh

Overview

Alexis Judeh [Alexis Alize Judeh] has expressed support for terrorists, shown solidarity with violent protesters and spread hatred of Israel at DePaul University, in Chicago, Illinois (DePaul).

In 2020, Judeh was the President [00:04:07] of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at DePaul and in March 2019, Judeh was listed as the Treasurer of SJP DePaul from “Jun 26, 2018 - present.”

Judeh attended the 2019 National SJP Conference.

National SJP held their conference at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (UMN), from November 1-3, 2019. The conference was themed: “Beyond Struggle: From Roots to Branches Towards Liberation.”

Judeh is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of September 2019, Judeh’s Facebook page said she was studying Political Science at DePaul from “2016 - 2020.” As of October 2020, Judeh was listed as an undergraduate Biology student at DePaul. As of the same date, Judeh’s LinkedIn page said she was slated to graduate in 2020.

Support for Terrorists

On May 22, 2017, Judeh tweeted: “I stand in solidarity with the 1,600 Palestinian prisoners fighting for basic human rights #DignityStrike36

.”

“Dignity Strike” refers to a hunger strike initiated by Marwan Barghouti on April 16, 2017. More than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners participated in the strike – most them also convicted for acts of terrorism. Barghouti headed the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms by an Israeli civilian court for some of his crimes, including his role in the Sbarro Cafe bombing.

Solidarity with Violent Protesters

On May 8, 2018, Judeh tweeted: “I WILL be marching May 11th! #Nakba70 #ChicagoPalestinianResistance #GreatReturnMarch #JerusalemIstheCapitalofPalestine #Palestine.”

The tweet linked to a tweet by the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) promoting a rally and march titled: “Protest for #Nakba70 &Right of Return: Stop The Massacre in Gaza.”

The Facebook page description for the May 12, 2018 event claimed: “The Israelis have used unimaginable brutality in response to the #GreatReturnMarch in Gaza, using chemical weapons and murdering dozens of unarmed protesters, including members of the press.”

In May 2018, terror organization Hamas instigated the “March of Return.” Thousands of violent rioters attempted numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence with Gaza, seeking to harm Jews across the border. Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of the fence, some by armed Palestinians. On May 15, 2018, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said the Gaza protests were only a pretext of “peaceful resistance.”

Spreading Hatred of Israel

On May 16, 2020, Judeh helped organize [00:05:19] SJP Chicago’s “Digital Apartheid Week,” and performed [00:03:46] spoken word poetry with her younger sister Yolanda [00:04:24] on SJP Chicago’s “Quarantine with Falasteen” livestream, the final [00:30:24] event of “Digital Apartheid Week.”.

During the performance, Judeh and her sister Yolanda said [00:06:34]:“we the products of colonial uprooting.” [00:07:33] We are here to dance Debkas on the throats of our oppressors…. [00:07:40] because there is no peace on stolen land.”

Yolanda asked [00:08:53] “How many intifadas will it take?” and said: [00:09:34]: “We are the culture you desire. If not, you wouldn’t have stolen it.” Judeh then stated [00:09:38]: “We are the living proof what there are things that apartheid canot eradicate. We are that. Resisting continues as long as we’re here to see it through.”

Yolanda added [00:08:01]: “We look this country in the eyes, and America Medusas us to stone, this is what happens to amurderous nation when you tell that their fifty states are fifty snakes.”

On May 9, 2019, Judeh participated in SJP DePaul’s “Israel Apartheid Week [IAW]” event “Cafe Resistance.” Judeh appeared in several photos from the event, posted to Facebook the next day.

Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) is presented as “an international series of events that seek to raise awareness of Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people” and build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

On May 8, 2019, SJP DePaul shared a photo on Facebook featuring Judeh and other SJP activists manning a table during the IAW event “Apartheid Wall.” The event featured [00:00:01] a mock separation wall blazoned with the phrase “End Israeli Apartheid.”

On September 7, 2018, SJP DePaul shared a photo on Twitter featuring Judeh and SJP activists manning a table with a banner that read “END ISRAELI APARTHEID,” at an event called the “involvement fair.” The activists were promoting several books at the table, including “The Israel Lobby,” by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt.

The book decries the influence of “the Israeli lobby” and repeats an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about Jewish control over foreign governments.

On June 20, 2018, SJP DePaul shared photos on Facebook featuring Judeh and other activists participating in IAW 2018 at DePaul.

On June 20, 2018, SJP DePaul posted a photo on Facebook of a display board that juxtaposed a 1989 “Black South African Prisoners… Hunger strike Against Apartheid” with a 2012 Palestinian “Prisoners Hunger strike.”

The 2012 prisoners hunger strike included among its 2,000 participants convicted Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists Tha'er Halahleh and Bilal Diab; Hamas military commander Abdullah al-Barghouti, sentenced to 67 life sentences for his role in multiple terrorist attacks; Samer Issawi, who received a 26-year prison sentence for a shooting attack and for manufacturing pipe bombs; and Khader Adnan, a senior member of PIJ who among other acts has encouraged suicide bombings.

Also on June 20, 2018, SJP DePaul shared photos on Facebook that featured a mock apartheid wall, with text that said: “END ISRAELI APARTHEID.”

On January 26, 2018, SJP DePaul wrote on Facebook: “On Thursday, January 18, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at DePaul held a silent protest and rally in response to Trump's declaration of moving the capital of Israel to Jerusalem and to stand in solidarity with Palestinian children detainees like Ahed Tamimi.”

The post went on to say: “Let the world know that Jerusalem will ALWAYS be the capital of Palestine! #SJP4Jerusalem #Jerusalem #FreeAhedTamimi #WeCouldBeFree.”

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.

SJP DePaul’s post featured [00:01:35] Judeh at the silent protest and rally. In the video, SJP activist Danya Zituni spoke to the crowd and said [00:02:25]: “The U.S. government is the primary political and financial sponsor of Israeli settler terror, land theft, and military occupation of Arab land and all of historic Palestine.”

Another activist claimed [00:02:55] that Israel has a “Jewish, Christian, and Muslim ban, a ban of all people who are righteous…”

Attending the 2019 National SJP Conference

On November 1, 2019, Judeh appeared in a group photo posted in an SJP DePaul’s Instagram story, with the caption: “NSJP GANG.”

The 2019 National SJP Conference was held at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities (UMN), from November 1-3. The Conference themes centered on support for BDS as well as the rejection of Israel and Zionism.

The Conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.

2019 National SJP - Supporting BDS

The Conference website called to capitalize on shifts in the political climate, represented by the elections to the U.S. Congress of Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who both support BDS. National SJP speakers also reportedly drew attention to Rep. Omar’s support for the BDS movement as the Representative for UMN’s Congressional district.

During the Conference, National SJP speakers reportedly “noted the success of past divestment campaigns at the University [UMN], which ultimately resulted in the passing of a campus-wide [BDS] referendum in 2018.”

The UMN resolution passed in 2018 by a margin of 3.4 percent of those students who voted, translating to approval by 6.18% of all eligible voters. Less than 13% of the eligible voters actually voted on UMN’s BDS referendum.

2019 National SJP - Rejecting Israel and Zionism

The 2019 National SJP Conference website indicated that the goal of their “solidarity movement” was to push for policies that “demanded the end of” the state of Israel, referred to as “the Israeli occupation.”

The website clarified that “the Palestinian struggle against Zionism, extends beyond the confines of 1967, and well before the Nakba,” and was based on the rejection of Jewish national self-determination in Israel.

Nakba is an Arabic term for “catastrophe” and refers to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel.

2019 National SJP - Heightened Secrecy

The 2019 National SJP Conference required attendees to be “verified and vouched for” by an SJP chapter to which they belonged and required each chapter to register as a group. The conference also required each group to be verified by a “reference––someone who is NOT going to this conference but who is or has recently been a part of your SJP.”

Members of allied student groups could register only as part of an SJP chapter delegation which, in turn, needed to be “vouched for by their campus’s SJP” for “security culture and accountability reasons.”

The Conference also restricted media access to journalists “registered and confirmed by our Media Committee in advance to attend the conference. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.”

During the Conference, National SJP reportedly covered the windows of the conference hall.

2019 National SJP - Partnering Organizations

National SJP partnered with other anti-Israel organizations to table, sell merchandise and lead workshops, including CODEPINK, Palestine Youth Movement (PYM), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Palestine Legal, Watan Palestine and the Adalah Justice Project.

Keynote speakers included Loubna Qutami, Chair of PYM, as well as Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). Other speakers included Miko Peled, Sandra Tamari, Suhad Katib, Chris Gazaleh, Clarissa Bitar, Tariq Luthun, Maytha Alhassen and Sima Shakhsari.

SJP DePaul - Supporting Terrorists

On September 29, 2017, SJP DePaul shared a group photo on Instagram of SJP activists with Rasmea Odeh.

SJP DePaul wrote on the post: “The other day we said goodbye (or see you soon) to Rasmea Odeh. Thank you for being an inspiration, a mother, and always smiling with your fist up high. Reminding us that wherever we land in life we should continue to resist & fight for justice in Palestine!”

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.

On May 9, 2017, SJP DePaul shared a video on Facebook of SJP DePaul activists participating in the Saltwater Challenge.

The “Saltwater Challenge” was held in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prison inmates convicted of terrorism. The strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings that killed five Israelis during the second intifada. Aarab Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti, launched the "Saltwater Challenge."

SJP DePaul - Support for BDS

On February 25, 2019, SJP DePaul shared a video on Facebook titled: “DePaul Students Protest Anti-BDS Legislation.”

The post featured a video of SJP DePaul activists on campus opposing [00:00:06] the Congressional bill titled S.1 - Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019. SJP DePaul activists lined up, with duct tape covering their mouths, holding [00:00:20] various signs.

One activist held [00:00:37] a sign, referring to the Israeli Hummus brand, Sabra, that read: “SABRA IS MADE WITH PALESTINIAN BLOOD.”

Another activist held [00:00:44] a sign that read: “SJP DePaul stands with BDS…”

SJP DePaul - Spreading Anti-Israel Propaganda

On February 19, 2019, SJP DePaul shared a statement on Instagram by SJP at the University of Chicago (UofC) in support of Ilhan Omar, and commented: “Students for Justice in Palestine Chicago is proud to support Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar in her brave and frank callout of the Israel lobby and its attempts to purchase American support for the occupation.”

Ilhan Omar was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2018. In February 2019, top Congressional leaders denounced Omar for tweeting anti-Semitic remarks.Omar has demonized Israel and endorsed BDS. In July 2019, Omar introduced a pro-BDS resolution in the U.S. Congress, which she described as “an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support…the BDS movement.”

On September 7, 2018, SJP DePaul shared a photo on Facebook of SJP activists manning a table with a banner that read “END ISRAELI APARTHEID” at an event called the “involvement fair.” The activists were promoting several books at the table, including “The Israel Lobby,” by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt.

The book decries the influence of “the Israeli lobby” and repeats an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about Jewish control over foreign governments.