Buthaina Hattab

Overview

Buthaina Hattab led a pro-terror rally and an anti-Semitic protest that turned violent as the president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (SJP UIUC) in the 2021-2022 academic year. 

Hattab has also spread incitement and hatred of the police, promoted hatred of Israel and co-authored two Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement resolutions as an SJP UIUC activist. She held an official leadership position with SJP UIUC as early as 2018. She also attended the 2019 National SJP (NSJP) Conference.

In November 2019, Hattab was featured on a panel at the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) 12th annual “Palestine Convention,” discussing her role in promoting BDS on campus.

As of January 2023, Hattab’s LinkedIn said she was a Legal Assistant at Global Immigration Associates (GIA) since June 2022.

Also as of January 2023, Hattab’s LinkedIn said she worked as an “Activism Program Intern” at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) from June to August 2021. She interned at UIUC’s Humanities Research Institute during the 2020-2021 academic year and she also interned as a Law Clerk at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office from June to August 2019.

As of January 2023, Hattab’s LinkedIn said she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from UIUC in 2022. 

Hattab served as the secretary for Underrepresented Muslims & Minorities Advocates (UMMA) at UIUC in 2020. In July 2020, the Campus Faculty Association (CFA) in Illinois awarded Hattab a 2019-2020 “Social Justice Scholarship.”

On May 4, 2020, Hattab was listed on a UIUC website as having been “a voting member in the Illinois Student Government’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.”

As of January 2023, Hattab’s LinkedIn said she was located in Chicago, Illinois.
As of the same date, Hattab used the handle “@urbnonxanax” on Twitter and “@aanyahtub” on Instagram.  

Leading a Pro-Terror Rally

On September 17, 2021, Hattab led [00:00:34] an SJP UIUC protest supporting terrorists who had escaped that month from an Israeli prison.

Hattab, who was then SJP UIUC president, said [00:02:29]: “On September 6, we celebrated the news that six Palestinian political prisoners being held at the so-called maximum-security, Zionist Gilboa prison facility, they escaped overnight through a tunnel that they dug with only a metal spoon. Their escape was one of the most successful jailbreaks in history.” The crowd cheered [00:02:50] in response. 

On September 6, 2021, six Palestinian prisoners escaped from Israel’s Gilboa Prison and were eventually tracked down and imprisoned by Israeli authorities. The prisoners were members of the terror groups Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. They had been convicted for their involvement in terror attacks carried out during the second intifada.

The SJP UIUC protest was titled: “GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA PROTEST IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN PRISONERS.” 

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.  

In her speech, Hattab said [00:01:05]: “As Palestinians face ongoing genocide and settler colonialization we have to hope, and we have to work towards not having Palestine become an America part two, where our villages are just a land acknowledgment.”

Hattab also said [00:02:56]: “From now on, September 6 will go down in Palestinian history as the day to celebrate the resistance of our people against Zionist colonialism and the ingenuity of our freedom fighters who continue to embarrass the Zionist entity every day.”

At the end of her speech, Hattab called on the audience to [00:04:59] “end all aid to the Zionist entity,” and [00:05:02] “to globalize the intifada.” She then joined [00:05:29] in the chant: “From Champaign to Gaza, globalize the intifada!”

Protesters later chanted [00:12:13] “You can run, you can hide, we’ll still charge you with genocide!”  

Leading an Anti-Semitic Protest that Turned Violent

On April 18, 2022, Hattab led [00:00:45] an SJP UIUC protest where a recent graduate threw a rock at Jewish students. She also spoke [00:00:48] at the rally multiple times [00:01:13].

The protest included [00:01:22] a planned stop at UIUC’s Hillel chapter, a Jewish campus organization. Sayed Quraishi, a 2022 UIUC graduate, threw a rock at Jewish students gathered on the Hillel patio. In June 2022, Quraishi was charged with committing a felony hate crime. 

After the incident, SJP UIUC treasurer Lina Issa defended the decision to target Hillel, telling [00:01:57] a local television station: “They obviously have a very direct connection to Israel and that's why we’re targeting that area in specific.”

The protest was titled: “EMERGENCY PROTEST HANDS OFF AL-AQSA.” Two days before, SJP UIUC promoted the protest on Instagram, claiming that “Zionist militia forces have once again raided Al-Aqsa mosque” and that “there is an attack by the forces of a racist, apartheid state against peaceful worshippers…”

In April 2022, after 14 Israelis were killed during terror attacks, violent clashes broke out between rioters and Israeli security forces at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. 

The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda has led to multiple periods of violence against Israeli civilians.

Spreading Incitement and Hatred of the Police

On May 10, 2021, Hattab participated [00:00:32] in an SJP UIUC rally titled: “EMERGENCY rally for Sheikh Jarrah.”


At the rally, protesters chanted [00:27:31]: “Stop the killing, stop the hate! Israel is a terror state!” One speaker said [00:02:16]: “Zionism is genocidal.” Another speaker said [00:12:55]: “When we talk about violence it’s always from the oppressor so anything else that the oppressed do is self-defense and justified.” 

Protesters also chanted [00:03:25]: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free,” is a chant used [00:02:52] to call for the elimination of the State of Israel.

As of December 2022, Hattab’s Twitter username was: “#savesheikhjarrah.”

As of the same date, Hattab’s Twitter background photo showed a woman wearing a keffiyeh and holding a Palestinian flag with the text: “F**K 12.” 

“F**k 12,” or “F 12,” is modern slang that generally means “F**k the police.”

Hatred of Israel

On May 15, 2018, Hattab appeared [00:01:31] in an SJP UIUC live Facebook video from an anti-Israel march in Chicago. In the video, she held a poster that read: “PALESTINE RIGHT OF RETURN #gazareturnmarch.”

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.

In the SJP UIUC video from the May 2018 march, one protester held [00:00:59] a sign that read: “ONE HOLOCAUST DOES NOT JUSTIFY ANOTHER FREE PALESTINE.” Protesters also chanted: [00:01:22] “One, two, three, four, occupation no more! Five, six, seven, eight, Israel is a terror state!” The Facebook event page for the march claimed: “protestors have been met with unimaginable brutality with over 50 killed...” 

On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official, Salah al-Bardawil, stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.

On November 6, 2018, Hattab was featured in a photo on a Facebook post advertising an SJP UIUC event. The post said: “Be prepared to hear some of our amazing exec board members talk about how Balfour directly affects them as Palestinians and allies. #2MOREDAYS.”

The 1917 Balfour Declaration favored the establishment of a Jewish National home in British Mandate Palestine.   

On November 8, 2018, Hattab spoke [00:31:06] at the SJP UIUC rally titled: “Balfour 101 Vigil.” She referred [00:31:40] to the Israeli security barrier as an “apartheid wall.” 

Israel’s security barrier, 97 percent of which is a low chain-link barrier, was built as a deterrent to Palestinian terror attacks. The concrete portions of the fence were built in response to Palestinian sniper attacks.

In November 2019, Hattab spoke [00:08:00] at an SJP UIUC anti-Israel rally titled: “Balfour 102 Vigil.” 

On November 18, 2020, SJP UIUC wrote on Facebook that Zionists “advocate for white supremacy and racism,” and that Zionism was a “racist ideology.” The post also said: “The Zionist state in Palestine has carried out and continues a massive ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.”

On May 23, 2021, Hattab featured [slide 3] in a photo taken at a May 21, 2021 protest co-hosted by SJP Chicago and AMP Chicago. Hattab held a sign that said: “THE NAKBA IS ONGOING” and featured a red handprint signifying blood. 

The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.

Authoring BDS Resolutions at UIUC

In February 2020, Hattab helped present a BDS resolution that she co-authored along with former SJP UIUC executive board members Ahlam Khatib and Dunia Ghanimah. 

On February 5, 2020, Hattab and the other activists authored an Illinois Student Government (ISG) anti-Israel divestment Resolution 03.61, titled: “Violations of Human Rights in University Investments.”

On February 12, 2020, a female Jewish student spoke [01:56:58] at an ISG meeting held to discuss the divestment resolution, to discuss an incident where someone held a sign that said [p. 7]: “F**K NAZIS SUPPORT PALESTINIANS.” 

The female Jewish student said she attended an ISG meeting during the fall semester that addressed a separate anti-Israel resolution. She said [01:56:58]: “When I walked into the room I was confronted by a huge sign held up by SJP that said ‘F**k Nazis’. They called us Nazis!” 

Someone in the crowd then shouted [01:57:07] at the same female Jewish student: “They’re right!”

On February 15, 2020, UIUC Divest tweeted: “...UIUC Divest passes 20-9-7! ISG resolution 03.61 ‘Violation of Human Rights in University Investments’ calls on UIUC to divest from corporations that engage in human rights abuses including Israeli war crimes in Palestine.#UIUCDivest.”

On February 17, 2020, UIUC Divest tweeted a letter signed by SJP UIUC criticizing ISG President Connor Josellis for vetoing the resolution one day earlier.

On February 19, 2020, Josellis said [00:37:31] that he vetoed the resolution because of “a level of hate that I have not previously seen firsthand and on behalf of the student government, I condemn any hateful rhetoric that led to students feeling unsafe in this environment.”

In September 2020, Hattab co-authored a BDS resolution with SJP UIUC executive board member, and student senator, Sofia Sinnokrot. 

On September 23, 2020, UIUC’s ISG voted [03:31:41] during a live-streamed meeting in favor of a BDS resolution titled: “RES.04.22 Human Rights Violations in University Investments and Police Forces.” At the meeting, Hattab spoke [01:50:06] in favor of the resolution and alleged that speakers against the resolution were promoting “racism.”

SJP UIUC activist Sophia Giakas Ayesh also commented [02:36:58] on the live stream: “Honestly bruh, Zionism is a political agenda that’s racist and supports genocide so bye.”

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.

SJP UIUC’s statement on the September 2020 vote claimed that “both the BDS and the BLM [Black Lives Matter] movement resist the fundamental racism that Israeli and American entities need to survive.” 

In February 2022, while Hattab served as SJP UIUC president, the organization authored a BDS resolution and launched a BDS campaign. 

On February 7, 2022, SJP UIUC launched a divestment campaign to get the UIUC student body to vote on an anti-Israel divestment measure via a referendum in March 2022. 

On February 14, 2022, SJP UIUC authored a “revised resolution” titled: “Human Rights Violations in University Investments.” SJP UIUC called on the ISG to approve a “referendum question” for that spring’s student government ballot.

The question that SJP UIUC wanted students to vote on said: “Should the University of Illinois divest its stocks, funds, and endowment from companies that profit from or engage in human rights violations in US Prisons, at the US-Mexico Border, and in Occupied Palestine?”

On February 23, 2022, ISG held a meeting to address the possibility of the question being posed to the student body.  

During the meeting, Hattab spoke [01:01:58] during the “author’s remarks.” She said [01:02:24]: “So first I would like to address a recurring topic that has been discussed tonight about the safety of students. I think it's very strategic to call a group of mostly Arab, Muslim and Palestinian students threatening to the safety of mostly white students…it’s a form of racism actually.”

SJP UIUC executive board member Malaak Yehya also said [00:05:23]: “The question of Palestine and what is going on in Palestine is so simple and is nothing new. It is an ongoing struggle against colonialism, it is ethnic cleansing on display.”

On February 23, 2022, the ISG Senate reportedly passed the bill with a vote of 17 to 14 and two abstentions. 

On March 9, 2022 the ISG Judiciary reportedly nullified the resolution due to three violations of the ISG Constitution, including that it passed using a secret ballot. The question was excluded from the ballot of the 2022 student senate election.

Anti-Israel Activism (SJP, AMP, PYM)

On November 8, 2018, Hattab was introduced as the “BDS Chair” for SJP UIUC at one of the group’s rallies.

On April 30, 2019, Hattab was featured in an SJP UIUC Facebook photo that said: “Welcome our 2019-20 Executive Board for SJP! Women are the leaders of the revolution!!.”

On November 29, 2019, Hattab was featured on a panel of SJP students from different universities at AMP’s 12th Annual Palestine Convention. The panel session was titled: “Divestment on Campus” where students discussed their “journeys in passing, or attempting to pass, divestment.”

In January 2020, Hattab attended the “Youth for Palestine conference,” co-hosted by Midwest SJP and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM). The conference was held on January 25-26, 2020.

On March 8, 2020, Hattab was featured in an SJP Chicago Facebook photo along with other SJP activists. The Facebook post read: “As international women’s day comes to an end, SJP Chicago would love to recognize the hard work our women put into freeing Palestine. The future really is female.” 

On April 23, 2020, Hattab was listed by SJP UIUC as a member of its executive board.

On July 1, 2020, Hattab was listed in an online article as the vice president of SJP UIUC.

On September 1, 2020, Hattab was listed as the “primary contact” for SJP UIUC on its official UIUC website.

On November 13, 2021, Hattab emceed an event featuring anti-Israel activist Mohammed El-Kurd. The event was held at the University of Chicago (UChicago) and co-hosted by SJP UIUC and SJP Chicago.

El-Kurd has spread anti-Semitism, celebrated the second intifada and idolized leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group. He has also denied Jewish history, trivialized anti-Semitism and spread hatred of America and Israel.

On December 13, 2021, Hattab was again listed as the “primary contact” for SJP UIUC on its official UIUC website.

On March 9, 2022, Hattab led [00:08:51] an SJP UIUC protest across on campus. In her opening remarks, Hattab defended [00:01:00] former professor Steven Salaita.


At the same March 2022 SJP UIUC protest, activists chanted [00:10:04]: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” One speaker said [00:17:02] “Israel is a settler colony, not a country. Zionism is genocidal… We stand unequivocally with the Palestinian people and support how they choose to resist their oppression.” Another speaker alleged [00:18:12]: “Zionism is the root cause of the social issues we see today.” 

Four days before the rally, SJP UIUC said on Instagram that it would cut ties with the ISG since its divestment resolution was nullified because it did not follow proper procedure. Another speaker at the protest claimed [00:42:43] that SJP UIUC was “vilified by racist Zionists on campus, in administration, in ISG, in Hillel and Chabad.” Hillel and Chabad are Jewish campus groups.