Geoffrey Gilbert
Overview
Geoffrey Gilbert has protested against recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, led an IfNotNow (INN) event repurposing Jewish rituals and participated in protests against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).Gilbert also participated in an INN disruption in partnership with Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), to protest Senator Ben Cardin’s anti-Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) legislation.
He has also demonized Israel, participated in anti-Israel activism with INN and expressed support for anti-Israel agitators.
As of June 2019 Gilbert was reportedly doing “some organizing” with INN. An INN DC Facebook photo featured Gilbert leading an event in October 2016.
As of June 2019, Gilbert’s LinkedIn page said he was a legal fellow at The Working World Ngo and received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) in 2018.
Opposing the Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
On May 23, 2017, Gilbert participated in a protest near the Old City of Jerusalem with anti-Israel groups IfNotNow, Free Jerusalem, and All That's Left, against “Jerusalem Day,” which celebrates Israel’s reunification of Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War.During the protest, activists blocked [00:01:31] the entrance to the Damascus gate of Jerusalem’s Old City. On May 24, 2017, Gilbert wrote on Facebook: “With IfNotNow...we were blocking the entrance to the Muslim quarter...I blocked the gate to highlight the violence of the police, the March of the Flags zealots, and the occupation of East Jerusalem.”
On December 8, 2017, Gilbert participated in an INN DC demonstration in front of the Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA) building in Washington, DC, protesting the U.S. government’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The Facebook event description called the U.S. government’s move “incitement.”
During the protest, Rachel Mandelbaum, an INN organizer, filmed [00:33:37] the demonstration and said [00:14:09] that although this action would not include getting arrested: “sometimes, it’s nice to get arrested to really get your point across.”
Repurposing Jewish Rituals
On October 13, 2016, Gilbert helped lead at an INN DC-hosted second day of fasting, following the Jewish fast day of Yom Kippur, “to atone for 50 years of occupation.”Gilbert indicated on Facebook that he “went” and promoted INN DC’s April 7, 2018 event titled: “Let My People Know: IfNotNow DC Passover Seder.”.
A Seder is a Jewish Passover ritual, that involves telling the story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt and their travels to the Promised Land.
The event’s Facebook description said: “Join us as we remember both the bitterness of slavery and the joy of liberation...As we reinterpret our tradition...The occupation is a daily nightmare for those who live under it and a moral disaster for those who support and administer it.”
Protesting AIPAC
On March 26, 2017, Gilbert indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an INN protest outside the Washington D.C. venue of the AIPAC Policy Conference. Protestors chained themselves to the entrance of the conference center. Several hundred protesters also marched and chanted for hours outside the venue.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.”
Four INN activists purchased tickets to the conference as AIPAC delegates, in order to gain access to the building. Once inside, the INN activists dropped [00:00:37] banners from the center’s third floor, stating that they “reject AIPAC and the occupation,” before being removed by security.
Gilbert indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a March 27, 2017 INN-organized training event in Washington D.C., titled: “ResistAIPAC Anti-Islamophobia Training,” that was “developed and facilitated in coordination” with Taher Herzallah, the Associate Director of Outreach & Grassroots Organizing for AMP.
The training event’s Facebook page promised to “continue the theme of the day with an action” that focused on the ways “AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
The INN organizers wrote they were “excited to be joined by” Ramah Kudaimi, the Director of Grassroots Organizing for U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), a coalition of American-based anti-Israel organizations, which lobbies the U.S. Congress to adopt anti-Israel policies and to end support for Israel.
INN reported that the event was attended by “55 IfNotNow members from Washington D.C, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City.”
They also reported that the training session looked at “messages of Islamophobia” and “focused on the ways the Jewish institutions in which many of us grew-up teach and propagate these messages.”
INN then listened to Herzallah go into “greater detail about various Jewish institutions that perpetuate Islamophobia support the occupation.”
The training event was followed by a protest outside of AIPAC's Conference at the Mt. Vernon Convention Center that evening to focus “on the ways AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
On April 5, 2018, Gilbert participated in an INN DC demonstration outside AIPAC’s headquarters in Washington D.C.: “to protest the killing of Palestinian protestors” during the Great March of Return on Israel’s border with Gaza.
During the protest, Natalie Bernstien, an INN activist, read [00:32:19] out the name of the Palestinians killed during the protest and then INN DC recited the Mourner’s Kaddish for them.
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
During the disruption, Herzallah criticized [00:06:06] Cardin’s anti-BDS legislation, Senate Bill S.720. As INN activists were nodding in approval, Herzallah said [00:06:55] “we stand here today to oppose S.720.”
Herzallah also claimed that the Israeli response to the Great March of Return protests on their border with Gaza was that [00:05:42] “the Israeli soldiers pick off Palestinian protesters like it’s open season.”
During the disruption, Jill Raney, an INN organizer, called [00:09:55] on Senator Cardin to condemn: “Israeli violence against peaceful protesters.”
INN activist Sarah Beth Alcabes read out the names [00:07:17] of Palestinians [00:20:20] “killed by the IDF for protesting” and led [00:09:10] activists in saying the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for them.
The Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish is a prayer customarily reserved for close relatives or Jews murdered for being Jews.
Another INN activist declared [00:27:25] that with Friedman “the horrors of the occupation will only worsen.”
INN’s comment on the Facebook photo described the training as gathering to “learn more about the history of Gaza, Palestinian non-violent resistance and how our community can take action to oppose the Israeli Military's recent actions.”
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 September 1, 2016, Gilbert tweeted encouragement to Rania Khalek, the former editor of the anti-Israel website Electronic Intifada (EI). saying: “@RaniaKhalek Great meeting you tonight. I'm a big fan of your work. Keep fighting :)”
On March 23, 2016, Khalek was keynote speaker at York University’s Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), hosted by the school’s chapter of Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA), an affiliate of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) .
Khalek’s address titled: “The Weapons Lab: Israeli Apartheid and the Arms Trade” was advertised on Facebook as “a lecture on how Israel uses Palestine as a laboratory for weapons and methods of domination and control, which it then exports to other parts of the world.”
In her lecture, Khalek reportedly alleged that Israel and ISIS “have shared values” and that Israel is active in “the repression of minority populations around the world.”
INN claims to take no position on the BDS movement and that it is “open to any who seek to shift the American Jewish public away from the status quo that upholds the Occupation.” However, INN organizes with pro-BDS, anti-Israel organizations including American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
Twitter:https://twitter.com/geoff_gilbert1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-gilbert-22130065
Gilbert indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a March 27, 2017 INN-organized training event in Washington D.C., titled: “ResistAIPAC Anti-Islamophobia Training,” that was “developed and facilitated in coordination” with Taher Herzallah, the Associate Director of Outreach & Grassroots Organizing for AMP.
The training event’s Facebook page promised to “continue the theme of the day with an action” that focused on the ways “AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
The INN organizers wrote they were “excited to be joined by” Ramah Kudaimi, the Director of Grassroots Organizing for U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), a coalition of American-based anti-Israel organizations, which lobbies the U.S. Congress to adopt anti-Israel policies and to end support for Israel.
INN reported that the event was attended by “55 IfNotNow members from Washington D.C, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City.”
They also reported that the training session looked at “messages of Islamophobia” and “focused on the ways the Jewish institutions in which many of us grew-up teach and propagate these messages.”
INN then listened to Herzallah go into “greater detail about various Jewish institutions that perpetuate Islamophobia support the occupation.”
The training event was followed by a protest outside of AIPAC's Conference at the Mt. Vernon Convention Center that evening to focus “on the ways AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
On April 5, 2018, Gilbert participated in an INN DC demonstration outside AIPAC’s headquarters in Washington D.C.: “to protest the killing of Palestinian protestors” during the Great March of Return on Israel’s border with Gaza.
During the protest, Natalie Bernstien, an INN activist, read [00:32:19] out the name of the Palestinians killed during the protest and then INN DC recited the Mourner’s Kaddish for them.
Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] the March of Return protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of Israel’s border fence, some by armed Palestinians. One Hamas leader declared [00:00:30]: “We will take down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Promoting BDS
On April 16, 2018, Gilbert participated in an INN DC disruption in partnership with Taher Herzallah of AMP. The disruption was to protest U.S. Senator Ben Cardin’s proposed anti-BDS legislation. INN activists were arrested for occupying Cardin’s office.During the disruption, Herzallah criticized [00:06:06] Cardin’s anti-BDS legislation, Senate Bill S.720. As INN activists were nodding in approval, Herzallah said [00:06:55] “we stand here today to oppose S.720.”
Herzallah also claimed that the Israeli response to the Great March of Return protests on their border with Gaza was that [00:05:42] “the Israeli soldiers pick off Palestinian protesters like it’s open season.”
During the disruption, Jill Raney, an INN organizer, called [00:09:55] on Senator Cardin to condemn: “Israeli violence against peaceful protesters.”
INN activist Sarah Beth Alcabes read out the names [00:07:17] of Palestinians [00:20:20] “killed by the IDF for protesting” and led [00:09:10] activists in saying the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for them.
The Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish is a prayer customarily reserved for close relatives or Jews murdered for being Jews.
Following INN’s intrusion into Cardin’s offices, Herzallah was interviewed [00:44:49], for INN’s Facebook page, pledging: “we will continue to stand every Friday, ‘til we return, continue on the Great March.”
During the protest, one activist read [00:25:09] from an INN script stating that Jews settling in Judea and Samaria were “systematically discriminating” against Palestinians based on a “white supremacist” ideology and that [00:26:27] the United States administration and Israel primarily shared a bond of “public white supremacy.”
Demonizing Israel
On January 9, 2017, Gilbert participated in an INN DC protest and mock press conference inside the Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA) building against “50 years of occupation” and the appointment David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to Israel.During the protest, one activist read [00:25:09] from an INN script stating that Jews settling in Judea and Samaria were “systematically discriminating” against Palestinians based on a “white supremacist” ideology and that [00:26:27] the United States administration and Israel primarily shared a bond of “public white supremacy.”
Another INN activist declared [00:27:25] that with Friedman “the horrors of the occupation will only worsen.”
INN Activity
On May 19, 2018, Gilbert posed for a group photo posted on Facebook, from an INN DC training event co-led by Taher Herzallah from AMP.INN’s comment on the Facebook photo described the training as gathering to “learn more about the history of Gaza, Palestinian non-violent resistance and how our community can take action to oppose the Israeli Military's recent actions.”
In May 2018, terror group Hamas instigated violent riots on the Israeli-Gaza border. Thousands of rioters attempted to breach Israel’s border fence, declaring their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
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 April 20, 2017, Gilbert participated in an INN rally co-hosted with AMP in support of AMP staffers Herzallah and Kareem El-Hosseiny.
The pair were arrested and charged with unlawful conduct and disrupting the U.S. Congress, after interrupting the U.S. Ambassador to Israel’s confirmation hearing, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Facebook event description of the rally said: “please join us in the courtroom… We want the judge and prosecutor to see how much support Taher and Kareem have!” The event was supported by anti-Israel groups including CODEPINK, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Friends of Sabeel – North America (FOSNA) and U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR).
The pair were arrested and charged with unlawful conduct and disrupting the U.S. Congress, after interrupting the U.S. Ambassador to Israel’s confirmation hearing, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Facebook event description of the rally said: “please join us in the courtroom… We want the judge and prosecutor to see how much support Taher and Kareem have!” The event was supported by anti-Israel groups including CODEPINK, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Friends of Sabeel – North America (FOSNA) and U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR).
Supporting Anti-Israel Agitators
On March 6, 2019, Gilbert tweeted: “Powerful words from @NatBamdad #StandWithIlhan.” Gilbert’s tweet shared a video from a press conference of INN activist Natalie Bamdad, defending U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.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.”
Gilbert indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a January 31, 2018 INN DC protest in support of Ahed Tamimi.
Gilbert indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an October 2, 2017 event “Palestine to Diaspora: The Movement for Palestinian Liberation,” hosted by Code Pink and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR). The event featured anti-Israel agitators Issa Amro and Yousef Munayyer, who were invited to “outline the situation on the ground in Palestine, the impact of US foreign policy, resistance in Palestine and the US, and how to build a global intersectional movement.”
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.
Gilbert indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an October 2, 2017 event “Palestine to Diaspora: The Movement for Palestinian Liberation,” hosted by Code Pink and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR). The event featured anti-Israel agitators Issa Amro and Yousef Munayyer, who were invited to “outline the situation on the ground in Palestine, the impact of US foreign policy, resistance in Palestine and the US, and how to build a global intersectional movement.”
Anti-Israel agitator Issa Amro is known for vandalism and attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. Amro heads the Youth Against Settlements (YAS) movement, an anti-Israel organization based in Hebron that promotes anti-Semitism, rock-throwing and violence against Israelis.
On September 1, 2016, Gilbert tweeted encouragement to Rania Khalek, the former editor of the anti-Israel website Electronic Intifada (EI). saying: “@RaniaKhalek Great meeting you tonight. I'm a big fan of your work. Keep fighting :)”
On March 23, 2016, Khalek was keynote speaker at York University’s Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), hosted by the school’s chapter of Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA), an affiliate of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) .
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is presented internationally as a “series of events that seeks to raise awareness of…Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people.” One of its goals is to build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. IAW has been renamed Palestine Awareness Week.
Khalek’s address titled: “The Weapons Lab: Israeli Apartheid and the Arms Trade” was advertised on Facebook as “a lecture on how Israel uses Palestine as a laboratory for weapons and methods of domination and control, which it then exports to other parts of the world.”
In her lecture, Khalek reportedly alleged that Israel and ISIS “have shared values” and that Israel is active in “the repression of minority populations around the world.”
IfNotNow (INN)
IfNotNow (INN) is an anti-Israel organization founded in 2014, in response to Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) against Hamas.
INN claims to be “young Jews angered by the overwhelmingly hawkish response of American Jewish institutions” to OPE. INN presents three demands on its website: “Stop the War on Gaza, End the Occupation, and Freedom and Dignity for All.”
INN defines “the Occupation as the military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza,” which is land Israel has controlled for nearly 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. However, INN leaders have made [00:34:32] the claim [00:13:49] at protests that the occupation is 70 years long, referring to Israel’s founding in 1948.
INN actions have aimed to demonize [00:38:13] Israel, harass [00:05:44] mainstream American Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and decrease support for Israel among American Jews.
INN has used “public action and imaginative ritual” to achieve its goals, including disruptions where activists were arrested.
One of the high-profile arrests occurred at a May 2018 disruption at a U.S. Senator’s office in Washington, D.C. to protest legislation against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
At the same incident, INN used [00:07:17] the Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer to mourn [00:09:10] protesters who were killed during the Hamas-organized and funded Great March of Return riots on the Israel-Gaza border.
INN activists have also staged and promoted walk-offs from Birthright Israel trips, a heritage trip to Israel for young Jewish adults from across the world.
INN claims to be “young Jews angered by the overwhelmingly hawkish response of American Jewish institutions” to OPE. INN presents three demands on its website: “Stop the War on Gaza, End the Occupation, and Freedom and Dignity for All.”
INN defines “the Occupation as the military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza,” which is land Israel has controlled for nearly 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. However, INN leaders have made [00:34:32] the claim [00:13:49] at protests that the occupation is 70 years long, referring to Israel’s founding in 1948.
INN actions have aimed to demonize [00:38:13] Israel, harass [00:05:44] mainstream American Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and decrease support for Israel among American Jews.
INN has used “public action and imaginative ritual” to achieve its goals, including disruptions where activists were arrested.
One of the high-profile arrests occurred at a May 2018 disruption at a U.S. Senator’s office in Washington, D.C. to protest legislation against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
At the same incident, INN used [00:07:17] the Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer to mourn [00:09:10] protesters who were killed during the Hamas-organized and funded Great March of Return riots on the Israel-Gaza border.
INN activists have also staged and promoted walk-offs from Birthright Israel trips, a heritage trip to Israel for young Jewish adults from across the world.
INN claims to take no position on the BDS movement and that it is “open to any who seek to shift the American Jewish public away from the status quo that upholds the Occupation.” However, INN organizes with pro-BDS, anti-Israel organizations including American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
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/526984065Twitter:https://twitter.com/geoff_gilbert1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-gilbert-22130065
