Basel Anani

Overview

Basel Anani promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement while serving as the 2017-2018 president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Ohio State University (OSU).

In 2017-2018, Anani was an organizer of a BDS campaign at OSU called “OSU Divest.”

On January 25, 2018, OSU’s University Student Government (USG) approved a BDS resolution via a secret ballot.

On June 22, 2018, after his profile was published on Canary Mission, Anani tweeted that USG adopted a secret ballot “to allow the senators to vote without fear of harassment from abominations like canary mission.”

Anani has also demonized Israel on social media.

As of November 2018, Anani’s LinkedIn said he was slated to graduate OSU in 2019 with bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. He was listed as a Patient Care Assistant at the OSU Wexner Medical Center, since June 2017 and a Pharmacy Technician at Kroger in Dublin, OH.

On August 15, 2018, Anani’s Facebook said he started a “new job at Red Eye Express” in Newark, Ohio.

Promoting BDS

In February 2017, OSU Divest added a divestment resolution on to OSU’s University Student Government (USG) election ballot. The divestment bill targeted companies providing technology used in Israeli security as "complicit in human rights abuses.” OSU’s Facebook announcement of the ballot issue said it was targeting companies that “manufacture weapons and provide surveillance technology to sustain the illegal military occupation of Palestinian territories.”

OSU Divest received enough signatures for their Divestment initiative to be placed on the USG ballot as a referendum.

On March 6, 2017, Anani was featured in a OSU Divest Facebook photo campaign promoting the BDS referendum.

The divestment measure was defeated in March 2017 with 3,843 votes in favor and 4,084 opposed.

On October 16 and October 28, 2017, Anani retweeted a series of tweets publicizing and pushing a protest against Ohio bill H.C.R [House Concurrent Resolution] 10.

The legislation, titled “Condemn manifestations of anti-semitism” called, among other things, to “condemn the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and its activities in Ohio for legitimizing anti-Semitism and for seeking to undermine the Jewish people's right to self determination, which they are fulfilling in the State of Israel.”

On October 28, 2017, Anani retweeted a tweet encouraging his followers to email the Ohio House of Representatives Oversight Committee, “Telling them you’re against this bill!”

H.C.R 10 was adopted by the Ohio House of Representatives on December 5, 2017.

Demonizing Israel

Anani retweeted an October 19, 2017 tweet that read: “'Israel' treats Palestinians like 1940's America treated blacks. "Israeli only" schools, buses, hospitals, etc etc.”

Attached to the tweet was a video by anti-Semitic activist Robert Martin titled “I acknowledge apartheid exists." In the video, Martin described [00:00:22]Israeli security policies as “complete racism” and portrayed [00:01:35] Israeli soldiers as “racist right to the heart.”

OSU Divest 2018

On January 25, 2018, USG approved a watered-down anti-Israel resolution via a “secret vote.” The resolution allowed the “student government to create a committee of senators to investigate Ohio State’s investment in companies that might be linked to domestic human rights violations.”

The resolution was “on track to fail” until it was amended to be “less explicitly linked to the Israeli-Palestine conflict.” Another proposed amendment to add a statement denouncing the BDS movement was rejected.

However, the resolution retained its references to anti-Israel boycott resolutions passed by student governments at over a dozen other universities. Links to multiple websites accusing Israel of “apartheid” and promoting BDS were also retained.

The university newspaper reported that the first round of secret ballot voting resulted in a revote, because more votes were recorded than senators present. USG offered no explanation for the discrepancy.

Sophie Chang, USG speaker and vice president, was reportedly responsiblefor approving the voting mechanism of a secret ballot and “refused to state how many senators voted in favor of the motion.”

During the discussion on the resolution, 38 OSU students reportedly spoke against the resolution, and 8 spoke in favor. One student described the resolution as “intentionally dishonest,” while other students cited “its anti-Semitic undertones.”

OSU Divest 2017

OSU’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) worked together with OSU Divest to launch a divestment campaign in late January of 2015. In March of 2015, OSU Divest unsuccessfully attempted to put a last-minute divestment referendum on the University Student Government (USG) election ballot.

On March 23, 2016, SJP OSU again supported and worked closely with OSU Divest to present a divestment resolution to the USG. The resolution, which targeted companies the group claimed were “complicit in human rights violations,” failed in a secret ballot by 21-9 votes, with 15 abstentions.

During the pre-vote discussion of the bill, OSU divest members accused Israel of “apartheid.” One claimed that United States presidential election candidates “all paraded to AIPAC to pledge allegiance to a foreign government.”

In February of 2017, less than one year after USG voted down OSU Divest’s attempt to divest from Israel, OSU SJP pushed a divestment resolution onto USG’s election ballot — promoted by the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at OSU — inviting the entire student body to vote on passing a divestment resolution. OSU.

The divestment bill claimed that the call for (active) divestment is a "neutral position" but targeted companies involved in Israel's security as "complicit in human rights abuses.”

OSU Divest petitioned students to place the Divestment resolution open to popular vote, and received enough signatures for their Divestment initiative to be placed on the USG ballot as a referendum.

Daniella Israelstam, a sophomore at OSU who worked against the divestment resolution, reported that OSU Divest used “misleading” tactics, “disguising what was petition [sic.] by saying, ‘please sign this if you support human rights’.”

“I know a lot of people who have been on Birthright or are very pro-Israel, but when someone went up to them asking if they support human rights, obviously they do,” she said. “They signed the petition by accident since they did not know the petition was meant to divest from Israel.”

The vote, which took place from March 6-8, 2017, defeated the divestment bill with 3,843 votes in favor and 4,084 opposed.

As of November 27, 2017, Alyssa Ruebensaal-Novak was listed as SJP OSU’s 2017-2018 Divest Committee Head, with her role being to “recruit and head SJPs efforts to get divest passed.”

SJP OSU

SJP at OSU (SJP OSU) was formerly known as the Committee for Justice in Palestine (CJP).

SJP OSU - Threatening Student Senators

On December 1, 2016, SJP OSU hosted an event objecting to a David Project-sponsored trip to Israel geared towards student government leaders. Yousef Yacoub, SJP OSU’s then-treasurer, threatened on Facebook to track student “senators, directors, and members of senior staff” who indicated interest in the trip.

Yacoub wrote: “I see you, and I promise you that if you go on this trip without hearing our voices, I will take action. At the first General Assembly of next semester, I will bring forth a resolution for all of your impeachments.”

SJP OSU - Spreading Incitement

On September 23, 2015, SJP OSU promoted an event on Facebook titled “#AlAqsaUnderAttack: The Treatment of Sacred Palestinian Places of Worship Under the Occupation.” The event description claimed that there have been “attacks of Masjid Al-Aqsa, the third-holiest site in the Islamic faith, by the Israeli Defense Forces.”

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

The attacks were fueled by Palestinian leaders propagating the libel that Israel intended to desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks against Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.

On November 3, 2014, SJP OSU promoted on Facebook and co-sponsored a “Hands Off Al Aqsa!” event. The event description said: “When will we stop rallying? When Palestine is FREE! Religious freedom is under attack! As humans, we cannot stand around and watch as Palestinians are robbed of their religious freedom.”

On October 30, 2013, SJP OSU posted an Al-Jazeera article on Facebook titled “Shutdown of Al-Aqsa mosque a ‘declaration of war’ say Palestinian leaders.”

SJP OSU - Supporting an Anti-Israel Agitator

On December 25, 2017, SJP OSU posted to Facebook: “#FreeAhedTamimi” and attached an article titled: “Israel has transferred Ahed Tamimi to three different detention facilities in the last five days even though she has not yet been charged with a crime.”
On December 24, 2017, SJP OSU tweeted: “#FreeAhedTamimi.”

Ahed Tamimi was detained after she was filmed punching and kicking Israeli soldiers. She has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers.

Tamimi is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is notorious for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers. In 2011, he was jailed for organizing violent rallies and inciting minors to commit violent crimes such as rock-throwing.

SJP OSU - Spreading Hatred of Israel

On November 6, 2015, SJP OSU posted an article on Facebook that accused Israel of harvesting Palestinians’ organs.

On October 2, 2014, SJP OSU posted a graphic on Facebook that read” “#JSIL.” The post linked to an Al Jazeera social media stream post that spread an effort by Twitter users “to rebrand Israel as [Islamic State and the Levant] ISIL, renaming it “The Jewish State of Israel in the Levant.”

On September 26, 2014, SJP OSU posted on Facebook a graphic featuring a series of maps that presented lands once controlled by Britain, Egypt and Jordan as autonomous “Palestinian land,” purportedly stolen by Israel. SJP OSU also featured these maps as part of their mock “apartheid wall” during Israeli Apartheid Week.

In February of 2016, publisher McGraw-Hill Education recalled and destroyed copies of a college level textbook that contained copies of the fraudulent maps. In October 2015, the United States cable news network MSNBC apologized for airing a similar series of maps and retracted them.

On April 6, 2014, SJP OSU promoted on Facebook their hosting of Birzeit University’s Right to Education tour.

The Right to Education Tour brings Birzeit University students to U.S. campuses, where they claim that Israel is obstructing the rights of Palestinians to higher education. This claim mischaracterizes the sweeps Israeli security forces have made to shut down terror cells operating on the Birzeit campus, including cells linked to Hamas.

SJP OSU - Attacking Anti-BDS Bill

On October 13, 2017, SJP OSU tweeted: “ATTENTION: There is an anti- BDS resolution that is in the process of being passed here in Ohio.” The tweet referred to Ohio bill H.C.R 10, which condemned the BDS movement and “manifestations” of anti-Semitism.

On October 16, 2017, SJP OSU tweeted: “Hearing for anti-BDS house bill has been delayed until further notice please RT and spread the word.”

SJP OSU also tweeted: “Further details about submitting written testimonials also coming in the next couple days as well! Stay tuned!”

On October 28, 2017, SJP OSU tweeted: “Breaking: just released the hearing for the anti bds bill in the state legislature is THIS Wednesday at 9:30 am, RT and tell your friends.”

SJP OSU also tweeted that students should send in a written testimony against the bill, to tell “them you’re against this bill,” and to “share with friends.”

H.C.R 10 was adopted by the Ohio House of Representatives on December 5, 2017.

SJP OSU - Supporting Terrorist Rasmea Odeh

In November 2014, SJP OSU promoted on Facebook a solidarity rally for Rasmea Odeh.
Odeh was a key military operative 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 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

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.