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Haddabeh Awawdeh

Overview

Haddabeh Awawdeh [Haddabeh Bassam El Haddad] was arrested during a May 20, 2021 violent counterprotest after he attempted to breach a police barrier and persisted in anti-Israel chanting after police declared the counterprotest unlawful. 

Awawdeh has also spread anti-Semitism, glorified terrorists and promoted hatred of Israel on social media.

Awawdeh has engaged [00:02:07] in activism with Within Our Lifetime (WOL), an anti-Israel activist group in New York City founded by Nerdeen Kiswani. Until February 2018, WOL was known as the New York branch of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), going by the name NYC SJP. 

WOL’s “Points of Unity” states: “We defend the right of Palestinians as colonized people to resist the zionist occupation by any means necessary.”

As of March 2023, Awawdeh’s LinkedIn said he worked as a “Patient Advocate” at the Madison Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center in Madison, New Jersey. His LinkedIn also said he received a bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration from Berkeley College in 2020.

As of March 2023, Awawdeh’s Facebook said he was located in North Bergen, New Jersey.

As of the same date, Awawdeh used the handle “@haddabeh.24” on Twitter, as well as on Instagram and YouTube.

For more information, see the Canary Mission page Within Our Lifetime: The NYC Org Inciting Its Activists To Violence.  


May 20, 2021 - Violent Times Square Counterprotest

During a violent anti-Israel counterprotest, Awawdeh was arrested [00:08:35] after he attempted [00:01:16] to breach a police barrier and the New York Police Department (NYPD) declared [00:08:33] the assembly unlawful. 

Awawdeh could be seen [00:09:55] in a YouTube video of the event published the following day, on the right side of the screen, wearing glasses, a gray short-sleeved t-shirt and a black and white-patterned keffiyeh tied as a halter, with both his hands held high, pumping his right fist.

Earlier on May 20, 2021, Awawdeh could be seen [00:08:06] in the same video, on the left side of the screen, waving a Palestinian flag, while other anti-Israel activists prepared to burn an Israeli flag.

 Getting Arrested

During the violent counterprotest, Awawdeh was arrested [00:04:42] and then escorted [00:06:16] by a police officer. Awawdeh could be seen in Freedom News TV - National video footage [00:04:42] being retrained against a store window by two police officers and then being escorted [00:06:16] in restraints by an officer, in a 718news.com video published the following day.

During the rally, after demonstrators threw projectiles, police removed a barricade it had installed to separate the Israeli group from the anti-Israel group and proceeded to arrest several activists. Police declared the assembly to be “unlawful” and demanded that the crowd disperse or be arrested. Despite police warnings, some rioters reportedly continued to throw projectiles at police while others fled the scene.

 Attempting to Breach a Police Barrier 

Awawdeh could be seen [00:01:16] in Freedom News TV - National video footage pushing a police barrier. He wore [00:01:16] a gray short-sleeved t-shirt and olive green knee-length cargo pants, a black and white-patterned keffiyeh tied as a halter and held a Palestinian flag mounted on a pole.

During the rally, anti-Israel activists pushed against a police barricade erected to separate the anti-Israel and pro-Israel sides. The anti-Israel side breached the barricade and marched toward the pro-Israel side where they verbally assaulted the pro-Israel activists. Separate videos showed some anti-Israel activists stealing Israeli flags from pro-Israel activists.  

The anti-Israel activists then moved back to their side of the barricade where some of them chanted at the Israel supporters: “Nazis! Nazis!”

 Joining a Mob in an Anti-Israel Chant

Awawdeh raised [00:09:48] a Palestinian flag above his head and joined [00:09:55] a mob in the chant: “بروح ودم نفديك يااقصى [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Aqsa]!” implying the need to “redeem” the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem from Israel.

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.
The chant “be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya, Aqsa!” can be heard at anti-Israel rallies in America. It was popularized by terrorist leader Yasser Arafat. 

Awawdeh could be seen [00:09:55] in an LLN NYC video of the event, published on May 23, 2021, on the right side of the screen, wearing a gray sleeveless shirt with both his hands held high.

On May 21, 2021, WOL posted two Instagram posts that offered legal support and advice to anyone arrested. The posts also portrayed the assailants as victims.

July 31, 2021 -WOL Rally in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

Awawdeh participated [00:02:07] in a WOL rally that called on people to “GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA.” Awawdeh could be seen [00:02:07] in YouTube video footage wearing a red Adidas t-shirt and waving a Palestinian flag, directly behind WOL leader Nerdeen Kiswani as she spoke to the camera.  

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

WOL’s flyer for the July 31 rally said: “As Palestinians continue to bravely confront ethnic cleansing and genocide, it’s time to globalize the Intifada. This call is…driven by the belief that all colonized and oppressed people have the right to take back their land…Globalize the Intifada comes from the urgent need to…break free from the genocidal grip of U.S. imperialism…”

At the rally, after Kiswani signaled [01:02:15] for the ignition of fireworks, she yelled [01:02:43]: “I hope that a pop-pop is the last noise that some Zionists hear in their lifetime!”

The WOL activists responded with loud cheers and applause.

At the same rally, Kiswani led [00:00:26] Arabic chants which translated to: “The Gate of Al-Aqsa is made of iron, it can be opened only by martyrs” and [00:00:54] “Either we liberate [the Al-Aqsa Mosque] or we die!” 

Later at the rally, Kiswani translated [00:55:55] the chants into English, saying that “the Palestinian community and the people who stand with and support Palestine are 100% behind our martyrs. We are 100% behind our resistance. … We know that our liberation will only come through resistance by any means necessary.”

Among Palestinians and anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” can be a euphemism for nationalistic terror. It is often used to excuse or even glorify anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.  

Anti-Semitism

Awawdeh retweeted a May 13, 2022, tweet that said: “They 👏🏼are 👏🏾the 👏🏿same👏🏼" referring to side-by-side photos of an Israeli flag and a Nazi flag.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 countries have adopted the definition as well.

Glorifying Terrorists

On September 11, 2021, Awawdeh shared a photo on Facebook that referred to terrorist Zakaria Zubeidi as a “hero” of the “Jenin camp” in 2004 and showed a picture of Zubeidi with an assault rifle slung across his chest, offering sweets to a child. The picture on Awadeh’s Facebook was part of a series of photos he posted of Zubeidi.

Zakaria Zubeidi was the former Jenin commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is listed as a foreign terror organization (FTO) by the U.S. government. Zubeidi was involved in several terror attacks on Israeli civilians. On September 6, 2021, Zubeidi was one of six prisoners who escaped from Israel’s Gilboa prison. They were all recaptured by September 19, 2021.

On March 15, 2022, Awawdeh shared a video on Facebook that showed convicted terrorist Ali Abu Khosa being hailed and praised by a large Palestinian crowd, after his release from prison.

On March 14, 2002, Israeli forces arrested Ali Abu Khosa on suspicion of participating in the execution of a terrorist attack in the Dugit settlement in the northern tip of the Gaza Strip.

On September 18, 2021, Awawdeh shared a post on Facebook that said: “May Allah protect you💔,” referring to six Palestinian prisoners who had escaped from Israel’s Gilboa prison.

On September 6, 2021, six Palestinian prisoners escaped from the maximum-security Gilboa Prison in Israel. The escaped prisoners were convicted members of the terror organizations Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, who were jailed for their involvement in attacks carried out during the second intifada. All were recaptured by September 19, 2021, by Israeli authorities.

Hatred of Israel

On May 17, 2021, during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW), after Palestinian terror groups in Gaza fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities, Awawdeh tweeted: “You a h*e a** mothafu*a,” in response to a tweet from Israel's official Twitter account that had 141 “🚀” emojis.

In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.

On May 27, 2021, Awawdeh tweeted: “🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸” in response to a tweet by Israel's official Twitter account that said: “3,100 rockets have been fired at Israeli civilians. Say it with us: HAMAS IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION #israelUnderAttack.”

WOL

Within Our Lifetime (WOL) is a pro-terror activist group in New York City dedicated to Israel’s destruction within the lifetime of its members. 

Acts of violence and physical confrontations with police have frequently occurred at WOL protests and marches. WOL uses harassment campaigns to target pro-Israel organizations or companies that do business with Israel, making it a part of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. 

Multiple activists who have either burned Israeli flags or led chants at WOL rallies were later jailed for violent anti-Semitic hate crimes, including Saadah Masoud and Waseem Awawdeh. In Masoud’s case, he received 18 months in jail for an anti-Semitic assault at an April 2022 WOL rally and two other anti-Semitic assaults in 2021.

WOL promotes “resistance” against Israel “by any means necessary,” calls to “Globalize the Intifada,” spreads incitement and idolizes [00:34:06] Palestinian terrorists like Leila Khaled and others at rallies and online events.

WOL was founded by Nerdeen Kiswani and Dan Cione in 2015. Kiswani is a frequent speaker at WOL rallies where she has promoted terrorism against Israelis and called for the death of Zionists. She has also provided support for Masoud and other activists following their arrests. 

WOL began as the New York City chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), going by NYC SJP, but changed its name in 2018. The group is not found to be registered in any U.S. state as a nonprofit organization under its official name. Nor is there any listing for WOL under its name on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website for tax-exempt organizations.

Haddabeh Awawdeh
Status:
Professional
University:
Organizations:
WOL

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Last Modified:
05/04/2026

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