Hafsa Habehh

Overview

Hafsa Habehh has spread incitement, defended a terrorist, demonized Israel and engaged in anti-Israel activism. Habehh served as the president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Rutgers University - Newark (Rutgers-Newark) from 2017 to 2019.

As of April 2022, Habehh was reportedly an organizer with the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) New Jersey chapter (AMP NJ), and had been since 2020. She was also an activist with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) New Jersey chapter (CAIR-NJ) in 2021.

Habehh is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

In 2021, Habehh was affiliated [00:25:53] with Within Our Lifetime (WOL), which was formerly known as 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 August 2022, Habehh’s LinkedIn said she was a Research Assistant at Rutgers-Newark. As of the April 2022, her Palestine Chronicle writer’s bio said she was a “research assistant and an educator with a focus on early childhood development.”

As of August 2022, Habehh’s WayUp profile said she graduated from Rutgers-Newark with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Psychology in 2019.

Spreading Incitement

On May 11, 2021, Habehh spoke [00:27:42] on behalf of AMP NJ at a WOL protest held outside the Israeli Consulate in New York.

Habehh claimed [00:27:54]: “The Israeli military does not let the year end without a brutal attack on the Palestinians.” She also alleged [00:28:08]: “Israel will use anything, even worship, against the Palestinian people,” and then accused [00:28:15] Israel of “the soulless killing of innocent people.”

On May 7-10, 2021, violent clashes broke out between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa compound, following claims that Al-Aqsa Mosque was in danger. The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy Al-Aqsa has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.

Also on May 11, 2021, Habehh shared an AMP NJ Facebook post that said: “From Jerusalem to Gaza, Palestine is under attack! Will you stand with the Palestinian people? Take action now

.” The post included a video that said [00:00:07]: “On Friday Israeli forces began their attack on Masjid Al-Aqsa.”

On May 12, 2021, Habehh was listed on Twitter as a speaker for an Instagram livestream by Reclamation Magazine “in coordination with” AMP. The event was promoted as “a discussion on the expulsions in Jerusalem (#SaveSheikhJarrah), the attacks on the holy mosque of al-Aqsa, and the bombings in Gaza.”

In May 2021, calls to “save” Sheikh Jarrah, a Jerusalem neighborhood at the center of a property dispute, led to violence against Israelis and were one of the leading factors in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists firing over 4,300 rockets from Gaza into Israel that month.

On May 15, 2021, Habehh shared an AMP NJ Facebook post promoting its May 16, 2021 protest titled: “NAKBA 73: RALLY TO DEFEND PALESTINE FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA.” The post also said: “#SAVESHEIKHJARRAH.”

The protest’s Facebook event page said it was co-hosted by AMP NJ, WOL and Al-Awda NY. The page also said: “After 73 years of ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide, we must stand with our brothers and sisters with the spirit of resistance!”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.

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.

On May 18, 2021, Habehh shared a WOL Facebook post about the group’s Brooklyn protest that was held three days earlier. The post said: “We are empowered by Palestinian resistance back home, and Palestinian resistance here in New York City. Protesting is a form of resistance, and we showed that we are United as a community in support of ALL FORMS OF PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE.”

Defending a Terrorist

On October 15, 2021, Habehh shared a statement on Facebook that condemned Zoom for canceling an online event featuring Leila Khaled, a leader of a designated terrorist organization. Anti-Israel professor Rabab Abdulhadi organized the event.

Khaled is a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. As of 2017, Khaled was a member of PFLP's Political Bureau.

Khaled has said that the second intifada failed because it was not violent enough, advocated for the use of children in terror activities and compared Zionists to Nazis.

The PFLP claimed credit for the 2014 Har Nof Massacre where six people were murdered during morning prayers in a Jerusalem synagogue. The PFLP also claimed credit for the 2001 assassination of the Israeli tourism minister.

Demonizing Israel

On February 4, 2022, Habehh shared to Facebook an AMP NJ post that said: “Let’s make sure every Ramadan we are not funding genocide but justice! Let’s take our first action by visiting the link in bio (@ampalestine) to sign the pledge to boycott Israeli dates #boycottisraelidates #checkthelabel.”

On May 13, 2021, during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) against Hamas and PIJ, Habehh shared a Facebook post alleging that “Zionists have a right to terrorize them [Muslims] in Palestine & everywhere else.”

The post that Habehh shared also showed New York Police Department (NYPD) officers guarding a synagogue and referenced an announcement from NYPD about an increased counterterrorism presence at “sensitive locations” across the city.

Anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. “more than doubled” during OGW and its aftermath, compared to the same time period in 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

On June 26, 2020, Habehh posted to Facebook: “This event is about to begin! Join amp for a readingof P is for Palestine with Dr Bashi!” Her post linked to an AMP NJ Facebook event page featuring author Golbarg Bashi.

Dr. Golbarg Bashi’s children’s book, “P is for Palestine,” was surrounded by controversy for its reported glorification of “intifada.” The book states: “I is for Intifada. Intifada is Arabic for rising up for what is right, whether you are a kid or a grownup.” Bashi has a history of demonizing Israel on social media as well as on her blogs.

Anti-Israel Activism

On July 15, 2021, Habehh shared an event on Facebook titled: “Protest to defund Zionist settler groups.” The event was scheduled for July 27, 2021 and was co-hosted by AMP NJ, Al-Awda NY and WOL.

The Facebook event description said: “Demand New York Attorney General Tish James revoke the charitable status of Zionist settler organizations abusing nonprofit law to fund Israel’s war crimes of ethnic cleansing and illegal settlement.”

On July 2, 2021, Habehh spoke [00:19:08] at an anti-Israel protest in New York City co-hosted by WOL, AMP NJ, Samidoun, Al-Awda NY, and Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM).

Habehh led [00:25:53] protesters in the chant: “Hey hey, ho ho! Zionism has got to go!”

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.

At the same protest, Habehh also led [00:21:45] protesters in the chant: “Not another nickel, not another dime! No more money for Zionist crimes!” She led protesters in demanding [00:19:29] that U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer condemn Israel, which she claimed [00:19:57] had “ethnically cleansed” Palestinians and had committed [00:20:28] “war crimes.”

On May 21, 2021, Habehh reportedly participated in a CAIR-NJ rally where she represented AMP NJ. Protesters at the rally called Israel a “terrorist state,” and another AMP NJ activist chanted: “Long live the Intifada!”

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

On April 21, 2021, Habehh posted to Facebook a “donation bingo board” to fundraise for AMP. Habehh wrote in her post: “If you have questions about AMP and what work they do, I can answer them for you! So help me by donating if you can, if you can’t, please share!”

On November 13, 2020, Habehh interviewed AMP leader Taher Herzallah for an AMP NJ online session, to promote AMP’s upcoming national convention.

On May 7, 2020, Habehh posted to Facebook a donations board to fundraise for AMP NJ.

On April 14, 2019, Habehh posted to Facebook a photo of herself participating in AMP’s “Palestine Advocacy Day.”

AMP’s annual Palestine Advocacy Day (PAD) has been held in Washington, D.C., since 2015. Activists, including multiple former SJP leaders, are trained by AMP officials and also promote the BDS movement in meetings with Members of Congress, their staff and other government officials.

Supporting BDS

On March 27, 2022, Habehh wrote an article for the Palestine Chronicle in which she promoted an AMP campaign initiated in 2012 that called for “consumers and store owners to halt their sales and purchases of Israeli dates.” She claimed that the Israeli date industry “operates by stealing Palestinian land.”

On June 15, 2021, Habehh spoke [00:35:14] at a WOL rally in New York City where she represented AMP NJ. Standing next to WOL founder Nerdeen Kiswani, Habehh said [00:38:53]: “I want us all to chant, we need to boycott, we need to divest and we need to sanction Israel so that we can stop these crimes from happening…so let’s chant: BDS! BDS! BDS!”

On May 11, 2021, Habehh wrote an article promoting AMP’s BDS campaign against Israeli dates. She wrote: “Keep your Ramadan halal and boycott Israeli dates today.”

On April 8, 2021, Habehh was listed on Facebook as a scheduled speaker for an event co-hosted by CAIR-NJ and AMP NJ. The event flier said: “Join us for a conversation about Israeli dates, and which brands to boycott this Ramadan.”

On November 29, 2019, Habehh featured on a panel at AMP’s 12th annual “Palestine Convention,” during a session titled: “Divestment on Campus.” The session’s program description said: “We will explore the common steps SJP’s take to pass divestment.A panel of SJP students from different universities will discuss their journeys in passing, or attempting to pass, divestment.”