Ayah Arafat

Overview

Ayah Arafat promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement at the University of Maryland (UMD) in 2017 and 2019.

As of August 2019, Arafat was listed on the UMD website as the president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UMD.
 
Arafat has demonized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), supported anti-Israel agitators and spread hatred of Israel on campus.

In an April 2019 video, Arafat said she was a “junior Bio-engineering major” at UMD.

Promoting BDS

On April 24, 2019, Arafat was featured [00:44:42] in a video posted on Facebook by the UMD Student Government Association (SGA), urging the SGA to pass a BDS bill. The bill was launched by Divest UMD.

Divest UMD is a campaign that calls on UMD to divest from companies that do business with Israel. 

In the video, Arafat said [00:44:47]: “I’m a Palestinian student on this campus and I’m here today in support of the divestment bill.” 

On April 25, 2019, Divest UMD announced on Facebook that following a UMD student government vote, the BDS bill failed to pass with “a vote of 9 for, 25 against, and 2 abstentions.”

On November 17, 2017, Arafat was featured [01:03:56] in a video shared on Facebook by the UMD SGA, speaking in support of a divestment bill at an SGA meeting.

On November 20, 2017, UMD’s online student magazine Unwind reported that the UMD SGA Student Affairs Committee voted against a BDS bill in a 1-21 vote.

In 2017, Arafat commented on a change.org petition calling to “Support Boycott Divestment and Sanctions at UMD,” writing: “We as a University should not feel morally just while supporting the apartheid system that millions of Palestinians have to deal with everyday.”

Demonizing AIPAC

On March 26, 2019, SJP UMD shared a photo on Instagram of Arafatwith SJP UMD activists outside the AIPAC policy conference, holding signs that read: “END AIPAC”and “END THE OCCUPATION.” 

SJP UMD wrote: “A few of our members went to protest the AIPAC Policy Conference! AIPAC lobbies to continue US support for Israeli violence, occupation, and apartheid conditions. 🇵🇸✌🏽.” 

The stated mission of AIPAC is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”

On March 16, 2018, Nicholas Galloway, an SJP UMD activist, shared a photo on Facebook that featured Arafat at an anti-Israel protest with activists a sign that read: “Stop U.S. funding of Israeli apartheid.” 

On March 6, 2018, Galloway shared the same photo on Instagram and wrote: “Had a great time protesting #AIPAC yesterday with some great people.” 

Galloway also shared on Instagram a photo from the protest of Arafat posing with a Neturei Karta activist, who held a sign that read: “State of ‘Israel’ does not represent world Jewry,” as well as another sign that read: “Judaism Rejects Zionism And the State of ‘Israel.’” 

Neturei Karta is an anti-Israel Jewish fringe group whose leader, Yisroel Dovid Weiss, was excommunicated from many Ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups for participating in a 2006 Holocaust denial conference in Iran. The group opposes Zionism on religious grounds and has called to dismantle Israel.

Supporting Anti-Israel Agitators

On March 7, 2019, SJP UMD shared a group photo on Instagram of Arafat with SJP activists and Eran Efrati, holding a Palestinian flag.

SJP UMD commented: “It was eye-opening and intriguing to hear from Eran Efrati about the deadly exchange between US Police forces and the Israeli Defense Forces! #freepalestine.”

Eran Efrati is an executive board member of Researching the Israeli American Alliance (RIAA) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). 
 
RAIA, in partnership with JVP, produced the Deadly Exchange report, which claimed to reveal “the extent of massive training programs between U.S. law enforcement and Israeli police, military, and the Shin Bet.”

In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange (DX)” campaign, which accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] U.S.-based Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.
On February 14, 2019, SJP UMD shared a group photo on Instagram featuring Arafat with SJP UMD activists standing in front of a blackboard with #IStandWithIlhan written on it. 

SJP UMD commented: “UMD SJP supports Rep. Ilhan Omar in calling out AIPAC’s role in influencing US policy towards apartheid Israel! #istandwithilhan.”  

Spreading Hatred of Israel 

On May 14, 2019, SJP UMD shared a group photo on Instagram that featured Arafat alongside SJP UMD activists calling to boycott Israel Fest. The caption on the photo read: “Last week, we boycotted Israel Fest and held a teach-in about Palestinian human rights! #boycottisraelfest #freepalestine.”

“Israel Fest” at UMD is an annual campus event designed “to celebrate and educate students on Israeli culture,” hosted by the Jewish Student Union.

On May 11, 2019, SJP UMD reportedly held a teach-in to “boycott the annual celebration of Israel Fest.” SJP UMD’s teach-in involved activists gathering by a mock “Israeli Apartheid Wall” and chanting: “Displacing lives since ‘48, nothing here to celebrate!” 

SJP Activism

On September 14, 2018, Nicholas Galloway, an SJP UMD activist, tweeted a group photo of Arafat with Benjamin Ladraa and SJP UMD activists. The photo was taken at an SJP UMD organized event, titled: “An Evening with Benjamin Ladraa,” held the previous day.

Benjamin Ladraa, in 2017-2018, undertook a solo “walk for Palestine” to spread the demonization of Israel. On January 18, 2019, Ladraa indicated on Facebook that he would be leading a mass walk to Palestine later that summer.

Ladraa also conducted an international anti-Israel speaking tour, defended terrorists, promoted the violent March of Return, demonized Israel and advocated for anti-Israel agitators. 

On April 11, 2018, Arafat was featured in a group photo shared on Facebook by SJP UMD with SJP activists and anti-Israel Poet, Remi Kanazi. 

Poet Remi Kanazi is known for his aggressively anti-Israel spoken-word performances. He has supported terrorism and has compared Israel to both ISIS and the Ku Klux Klan.

The photo was taken at an SJP co-organized event, titled: “Think Beyond Pink: No Pride in Apartheid.”

The Facebook event page description said the event was “a night of spoken word performance and education on pinkwashing.”

“Pinkwashing” is a claim that Israel advocates manipulate the LGBTQ community in order to garner support for Israel.  

SJP UMD - Supporting Terrorists

On April 8, 2018, SJP UMD shared a photo on Instagram of Ghassan Kanafani and wrote: “Today is the birthday of legendary Palestinian author and PFLP member Ghassan Kanafani (1936-72).” 

Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during the terrorist organization’s early years. Kanafani announced the PFLP’s responsibility for the Lod Airport Massacre of May 1972 and was linked to the airport attackers. The attack killed 26 people and wounded 80 others.  

On March 9, 2018, SJP UMD shared a poster on Instagram produced by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and wrote: “Poster of the First Martyr of the Intifada #sjp #intifada.” 

The caption on the poster read: “Hatem Al Sesi First Martyr of the Intifada for Freedom and Independence.” 

Hatem al-Sisi was killed after he reportedly attemptedto drop a homemade bomb on an Israeli military vehicle during the first intifada.

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.

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/100035922750360 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayah.arawhat/ [Private]