Issraa El-Khatib
Overview
Issraa El-Khatib has spread hatred of Israel and promoted anti-Israel agitators. El-Khatib is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and promoted the UMN Divest campaign at the University of Minnesota (UMN) in 2016 and 2018.In 2019, El-Khatib traveled to Washington, D.C. as an activist with American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).
On September 16, 2019, El-Khatib wrote on Facebook that she was “excited” about the 2019 National SJP Conference at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (UMN).National SJP held their conference at UMN - Twin Cities, from November 1-3, 2019. The conference was themed: “Beyond Struggle: From Roots to Branches Towards Liberation.”
In March 2016, El-Khatib was listed on the UMN website as an Officer of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UMN, and was an activist with SJP UMN from 2015 until 2019. As of December 2019, and December 2020, El-Khatib was listed as an admin on the closed Facebook group, “SJP UMN General Body Members.”
In 2017, El-Khatib was an activist with the anti-Israel Anti-War Committee (AWC), a group that has campaigned to end U.S. aid to Israel.
As of July 2020, El-Khatib’s LinkedIn page said she studied at UMN, from “2016 - 2019” and was a Pharmacy Technician at Cub Pharmacy from “Jul 2020 - Present,” as well as a Rehab Services Volunteer at the UMN Medical Center, from “Sep 2019 - Present.” In July 2020, El-Khatib was issued a pharmacy technician license in Minnesota, with an effective date of November 9, 2020.
As of the same date, El-Khatib’s LinkedIn page also said she was a Resource Center and Library Volunteer at UMN, from “Jun 2015 - Present,” and an Arabic teacher at “ATAWASUL CENTER,” from “Jan 2014- Present”
Also as of July 2020, El-Khatib was listed as a freelance writer at mashvisor.com, a real estate investment data provider, as well as a writer for mostawda.com, a Middle Eastern “regional e-commerce platform.”
In February 2020, El-Khatib used the Arabic name إسراء حسين on Facebook and as of the same date, she went by isso_elkhatib on Instagram.
Spreading Hatred of Israel
On April 10, 2019, El-Khatib wrote on Facebook: “Salam friends! Baian, Haneen Salem, and I will be doing the first ever panel in ARABIC (!) at the Undergraduate Interdisciplinary conference tomorrow and it will be on Palestine.”
On October 16, 2017, El-Khatib posted on Facebook: “Tomorrow we will have two speakers who have recently traveled to Palestine sharing their experiences with us at our event…”
El- Khatib’s post linked to an SJP UMN-organized Palestine Awareness Week (PAW) Facebook event page for an event titled: “Know Thy Heritage - PAW 2017,” scheduled for October 17, 2017.
Palestine Awareness Week (PAW) is a re-branding for American audiences of Israel Apartheid Week (IAW), originally presented as “an international series of events that seek to raise awareness of Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people” and build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
On October 14, 2015, during the Knife Intifada, El-Khatib featured on Facebook participating in an SJP UMN die-in, described by the group as part of an “International Day of Solidarity.”
Nashawaty continued [00:00:41]: “We pay respects to the Palestinian martyrs executed by Israeli forces” and recited [00:01:57] the names of Palestinian terrorists, such as Fadi Aloonand [00:02:03] Muhannad Halabi.
On October 4, 2015, Fadi Aloon stabbed a 15-year-old Israeli boy after posting: “Either martyrdom or victory” on his Facebook page. One day earlier, Muhannad Halabimurdered two Israelis and injured two others, including a 2-year-old, during a stabbing spree. Halabi posted on his Facebook page: “[t]he third Intifada is here…Let the revolution erupt.”
Nashawaty continued [00:02:43] “our people are dying in streets now in Palestine, but they are not helpless - they are resisting.”
Promoting Anti-Israel Agitators
On August 19, 2019, El-Khatib shared to Facebook a video of her older sister and fellow anti-Israel agitator, Mariam El-Khatib, sharing a stage with United States Congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.Mariam El-Khatib said [00:00:35]: “I just wanna say and express my ultimate gratitude for what you guys have done to change the conversation about Palestine in this country.” El-Khatib concluded [00:00:58] “The more of us they ban, the sweeter the party will be once we're allowed to go in.”
El-Khatib wrote: “Wise words from the one and only Mariam El-Khatib. So incredibly proud! There's definitely a long way to go and many complexities involved, but the conversation on Palestine is shifting in historic ways!! Stay tuned🇵🇸 #IlhanOmar #RashidaTlaib #EndUSAidtoIsrael #BDS.”
Rashida Tlaib was elected to the U.S. Congress in November 2018. She has advocated for a one-state solution, endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and called for reduced foreign aid to Israel. In July 2019, Tlaib co-sponsored a pro-BDS bill in the U.S. Congress introduced by Rep. 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.”
Promoting BDS on Campus
On March 3, 2018, El-Khatib shared a flier on Facebook promoting a UMN Divest campaign, writing: “UMN Divest is officially on the ballot! Make sure to vote 'yes' on Monday and spread the word! #humanrights #UMNDivest.”The 2018 UMN Divest campaign launched a petition calling to “demand that the University of Minnesota Investment Committee and any other responsible bodies authorized to make investment decisions divest fully from the companies mentioned in the UMN Divest campaign.”
On February 25, 2018, SJP UMN shared to Instagram a post launching the UMN Divest 2018 campaign that said: “UMN Divest is back and this time we’re doing a campus wide referendum. March 5-7 all undergraduate and graduate students can vote ‘yes’ to divest.”
SJP UMN’s “explanation statement” in support of its proposed “campus-wide” referendum claimed that UMN had investments in companies “that violate human rights” and called on UMN to divest from G4S, Boeing and Raytheon and Elbit Systems for being “complicit in Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights, 2) maintaining and establishing private prisons and immigrant detention centers, or 3) violating Indigenous sovereignty.”
On March 6, 2018, El-Khatib wrote on Facebook: “Common questions and answers about divestment. Learn why we say YES to divestment and No to our University's complicity in human rights violations #FAQ #UMNDivest.” The post featured a graphic of “FAQS: Why Divest?”
In March 2018, the divestment referendum reportedly was passed by the UMN “All Campus Elections Commission” and sent to the UMN Board of Regents for review.
It was reported that 6,567 people out of UMN’s 51,367 students who were eligible to vote on the referendum actually voted upon the divestment referendum, representing less than 13% of eligible voters.
On March 11, 2018, El-Khatib wrote on Facebook: “UMN Divest passes at the University of Minnesota!!!”
On March 23, 2018, El-Khatib wrote on Facebook: “Make sure you have your voice heard and join us in this Day of Action by calling or writing to the Board of Regents to demand that they listen to the student's voices and divest.If you are a current student, UMN Alum, staff/faculty, and/or community member...YOUR VOICE MATTERS!”
El-Khatib’s post linked to a UMN Divest Facebook event page titled: “Day of Action.”
On February 15, 2016, El-Khatib changed her Facebook profile photo and cover photo to a graphic that said: “UMN DIVEST 2016.”
AMP Activism
On December 3, 2019, El-Khatib featured in an AMP Minnesota group Facebook photo at the “12th Annual AMP Convention in Chicago."On the same day, El-Khatib featured in an AMP Minnesota Facebook photo promoting a fundraiser for Palestine Advocacy Day 2020, which sought to “send 20 students from Minnesota to DC in 2020 to advocate for Palestine."
On April 11, 2019, El-Khatib featured in group Facebook photos that were taken during AMP’s “5th annual Palestine Advocacy Day” in Washington, D.C.
The Facebook event page said the event was titled: “Palestine Advocacy Day and Training 2019” and was scheduled for April 5, 2019 and “open to all who…” support “the Call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions.”
On April 11, 2019, AMP Minnesota also wrote on Facebook that the event comprised “2 full days of advocacy training followed by a day on Capitol Hill in which we met with the offices of our elected officials. We met with the offices of - Senator Tina Smith - Senator Amy Klobuchar - Rep. Dean Phillips (CD 3) - Rep. Betty McCollum (CD 4) - Rep. Ilhan Omar (CD 5) - Rep. Tom Emmer (CD 6).”
The post went on to say that the delegation, of which El-Khatib was one of 35 delegates, presented to lawmakers as one of its “main issues,” opposing “bills that violate the constitutional right to boycott for Palestinian rights.”
AMP Minnesota’s post also said the event concluded with a talk by Rashida Tlaib, who emphasized the importance of connecting Palestinian advocacy “with other social justice movements” in the U.S.
SJP Activism
On September 16, 2019, El-Khatib shared a SJP UMN Facebook post announcing that the 2019 National SJP conference would be held at UMN on November 1-3, 2019. The conference was titled: “Beyond Struggle: From Roots to Branches Towards Liberation.” El=Khatib commented: “Excitedddd!!!”On August 23, 2018, El-Khatib wrote on Facebook: “Re-registering Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) as a student group and they ask me to ‘Please share a fun fact about your group uhhh....a) President Kaler loves to write statements to shut us down (3 statements to be exact) b) It's women-dominated c) Scare tactics are used to intimidate us d) We don't care, because divestment passed through the hard work of the UMN divest coalition👏 e) all of the above 🇵🇸️❤️.”
On May 8, 2015, El-Khatib featured in photos posted on Facebook by SJP UMN at the SJP 2015 Banquet.
AWC Activism
On December 8, 2017, El-Khatib wrote on Facebook: “Join us today as we protest Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and his declaration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Summit and Snelling in St.Paul @4:30. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/events/2070178673201952/?ti=cl #freepalestine #handsoffalaqsa🇵🇸.”El-Khatib linked to a Facebook event page, titled: “Say No to Trump’s plan to move US Embassy to Jerusalem!” The event, organized by the AWC,was slated to take place that day.
The event page description said: “Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East are rising up against this violation of international law and Palestinian self-determination.Palestinians are calling for 3 days of rage…”
Attending the 2019 National SJP Conference
On September 16, 2019, El-Khatib shared a SJP UMN post on Facebook promoting the 2019 NSJP Conference and commented: “Excitedddd!!!”
The 2019 National SJP Conference was held at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities (UMN), from November 1-3. The Conference themes centered on support for BDS as well as the rejection of Israel and Zionism.
The Conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.
During the Conference, National SJP speakers reportedly “noted the success of past divestment campaigns at the University [UMN], which ultimately resulted in the passing of a campus-wide [BDS] referendum in 2018.”
The UMN resolution passed in 2018 by a margin of 3.4 percent of those students who voted, translating to approval by 6.18% of all eligible voters. Less than 13% of the eligible voters actually voted on UMN’s BDS referendum.
The website clarified that “the Palestinian struggle against Zionism, extends beyond the confines of 1967, and well before the Nakba,” and was based on the rejection of Jewish national self-determination in Israel.
Nakba is an Arabic term for “catastrophe” and refers to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel.
Keynote speakers included Loubna Qutami, Chair of PYM, as well as Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). Other speakers included Miko Peled, Sandra Tamari, Suhad Katib, Chris Gazaleh, Clarissa Bitar, Tariq Luthun, Maytha Alhassen and Sima Shakhsari.
The Conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.
2019 National SJP - Supporting BDS
The Conference website called to capitalize on shifts in the political climate, represented by the elections to the U.S. Congress of Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who both support BDS. National SJP speakers also reportedly drew attention to Rep. Omar’s support for the BDS movement as the Representative for UMN’s Congressional district.During the Conference, National SJP speakers reportedly “noted the success of past divestment campaigns at the University [UMN], which ultimately resulted in the passing of a campus-wide [BDS] referendum in 2018.”
The UMN resolution passed in 2018 by a margin of 3.4 percent of those students who voted, translating to approval by 6.18% of all eligible voters. Less than 13% of the eligible voters actually voted on UMN’s BDS referendum.
2019 National SJP - Rejecting Israel and Zionism
The 2019 National SJP Conference website indicated that the goal of their “solidarity movement” was to push for policies that “demanded the end of” the state of Israel, referred to as “the Israeli occupation.”The website clarified that “the Palestinian struggle against Zionism, extends beyond the confines of 1967, and well before the Nakba,” and was based on the rejection of Jewish national self-determination in Israel.
Nakba is an Arabic term for “catastrophe” and refers to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel.
2019 National SJP - Heightened Secrecy
The 2019 National SJP Conference required attendees to be “verified and vouched for” by an SJP chapter to which they belonged and required each chapter to register as a group. The conference also required each group to be verified by a “reference––someone who is NOT going to this conference but who is or has recently been a part of your SJP.”Members of allied student groups could register only as part of an SJP chapter delegation which, in turn, needed to be “vouched for by their campus’s SJP” for “security culture and accountability reasons.”
The Conference also restricted media access to journalists “registered and confirmed by our Media Committee in advance to attend the conference. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.”
During the Conference, National SJPreportedly covered the windows of the conference hall.
2019 National SJP - Partnering Organizations
National SJP partnered with other anti-Israel organizations to table, sell merchandise and lead workshops, including CODEPINK, Palestine Youth Movement (PYM), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Palestine Legal, Watan Palestine and the Adalah Justice Project.Keynote speakers included Loubna Qutami, Chair of PYM, as well as Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). Other speakers included Miko Peled, Sandra Tamari, Suhad Katib, Chris Gazaleh, Clarissa Bitar, Tariq Luthun, Maytha Alhassen and Sima Shakhsari.
SJP UMN Honoring Terrorists: 2015 - 2016
On January 27, 2016, SJP UMN posted on Facebook support for Muhammad Al-Qiq. Al-Qiq was detained by Israel for his involvement in Hamas terror activity.On October 14, 2015, SJP UMN held a “die-in” in support of Palestinians who were conducting a wave of stabbing attacks on Israelis, known as the “Knife Intifada.”
During the die-in, SJP UMN activists lay on the ground, while SJP UMN activist Motaz Nashawaty, spoke accusing [00:00:05] Israel of an escalation in “state violence” and [00:00:32] of “extrajudicial murders.”
Nashawaty continued: [00:00:41] “We will pay respects to the Palestinian martyrs executed by Israeli forces” and recited [00:01:57] the names of Palestinian terrorists, such as Fadi Aloonand [00:02:03] Muhannad Halabi, who he described [00:02:07] as “young Palestinians whose lives were unjustly taken away from them by Israeli security forces.”
Aloon stabbed a 15-year-old Israeli boy after posting “Either martyrdom or victory” on his Facebook page, and Halabimurdered two Israelis and injured two others, including a 2-year-old, during a stabbing spree. Halabi posted on his Facebook page “[t]he third Intifada is here…Let the revolution erupt.”
Nashawaty continued [00:02:43] “our people are dying in streets now in Palestine, but they are not helpless - they are resisting.”
On October 14, 2015, SJP UMN posted to Facebook photos from a rally in support of Rasmea Odeh and wrote: “Thank you to our friends for keeping us updated with some pictures from Rasmea's appeal today.” Participants in the rally held signs that read:“I support RASMEA” and “Minnesota stands with 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.
One of the photos of Odeh that SJP UMN shared on Facebook was captioned: “This is what you call a #Warrior.”
On October 12, 2015, SJP UMN shared on their Facebook page a video that claimed Ahmed Manasra (sometimes spelled Mansara), purportedly “bled to death” and suffered abuse by Israeli soldiers.
Mansara was wounded while he engaged in a stabbing spree in Jerusalem, critically wounding a 13-year-old Israeli boy and moderately wounding a 25-year-old man.
Manasra was successfully treated at the same Israeli hospital as his victims and later convicted of attempted murder.
SJP UMN wrote in their Facebook post: “We cannot ignore these constant, heinous crimes, acts of racism, hatred, and inhumanity Palestinians are subjected to by Israeli settlers.”
SJP UMN Spreading Incitement: 2015
On November 1, 2015, SJP UMN tweeted: “Israel is a colonial bully, trying to take Al Aqsa under the guise of ‘sharing.’”The allegation that Jews will destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, has been applied to Jews as a pretext for attacks by Arabs, even before the existence of Israel.
Such propaganda was the excuse for an upsurge in Palestinian violence in the fall of 2015, with Palestinian leaders fueling violence by promoting the libel that Israel intends to desecrate the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Hamas called on Palestinians to “take up arms” to defend Al Aqsa and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas praised those willing to martyr themselves. He also declared Jews would not be allowed to “desecrate” Al Aqsa with their “filthy feet.”
In October 2015, SJP UMN posted a photo on Instagram of their section on the Washington Avenue Bridge. One of their panels featured a map that erased Israel, portraying the whole country with no internal borders and entirely covered by a keffiyeh.
SJP UMN Campaigning Against a Jewish Heritage Trip: 2015
In February 2015, SJP UMN launched a campaign against the Jewish heritage trip to Israel, Birthright. Campaign flyers said: “FREE TRIP TO ISRAEL BUT WHO PAYS THE PRICE?”The campaign condemned Birthright for presenting “a depoliticized image of Israel” and programming a trip that is “overall tailored to be pleasant experience devoid of conflict.” The campaign claimed that the program “would not discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” and that “topics such as illegal settlements in the West Bank and restrictions on Gaza will not be covered.”.
SJP UMN encouraged Birthright participants to extend their trip and join tours with political groups such as Breaking the Silence (BTS) and The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), whose director Jeff Halper has called for the end of Israel.
Breaking the Silence was discredited by Israeli investigative TV show, HaMakor, in July 2016, in a report revealing that a substantial number of BTS testimonies are untrue or distorted.
SJP UMN Disrupting an Israeli Speaker: 2015
On November 3, 2015, SJP UMN endorsed the disruption of an event where three activists were reportedly arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.The event was a talk on ethics and the law of war by Israeli law professor, Moshe Halbertal. The disruption was organized by the Anti-War Committee (AWC), whose campaigns mainly to end US aid to Israel.
Protesters reportedly sat in the audience and then stood and shouted chants, preventing Halbertal from speaking and accusing him of being a “war crimes apologist.” FightBack News said: “The lecture was scheduled for one hour, but most of that time was taken up by interruptions.”
The article also said that after protesters were removed from the hall by university police, they continued disrupting the event by shouting [00:00:01] chants including “free, free Palestine” and [00:01:55] “Israel is an apartheid state” in the hallway, which were audible from inside the lecture hall. Anti-Israel propagandist Sabry Wazwaz, who has called for the destruction of Israel and the U.S., spread anti-Semitism, compared Zionists to Nazis and expressed support for a terrorist, led the chants.
SJP UMN Demonizing Israel: 2015-2016
In April 2016, SJP UMN built a “mock apartheid wall” for its “Divest Week 2016,” which the group called a “divestment special edition of our annual Israeli Apartheid Week,” promoting the 2016 UMN Divest BDS campaign.IAW is a series of events on university campuses that promote Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel and claim to “raise awareness of Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system.”
On April 22 2015, SJP UMN wrote on Facebook that “Israel’s ‘birthday’ is established on the occupation and exile of an entire people,” in a post which also denied SJP involvement in the vandalism of a pro-Israel group’s display celebrating Israeli independence.
The next day, Rula Rashid, SJP UMN treasurer, reportedly approached a table set up by a pro-Israel campus group to educate students about Israel’s independence and said “you stole our land.”
On April 9, 2015, SJP UMN tweeted: “‘If it's centered around Judaism, why are only white Jews allowed to live in Israel? It's not a case about religion and Judaism.’ @MnarMuh.”
On March 4, 2015, SJP UMN hosted an event with Dan Cohen, a journalist with the anti-Israel Mondoweiss, speaking about his experiences reporting from Gaza during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE). OPE was launched by Israel to stop Hamas rocket attacks and destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
During his talk, Cohen reportedly said the war was “not an attack on Hamas....it was an attack on Palestinian society.” He also claimed that “Israeli soldiers were allowed to take revenge” and that they intentionally shot civilians.
SJP UMN Opposing Normalization: 2015
On April 23, 2015, SJP UMN posted on Facebook a “definition of normalization.” The definition said that normalization was “gathering (either directly or indirectly) Palestinians (and/or Arabs) and Israelis, whether individuals or institutions; that does not explicitly aim to expose and resist the occupation and all forms of discrimination and oppression against the Palestinian people.”The policy of “anti-normalization” aims to ensure that all interactions between Israelis and Palestinians align only their agenda, including ending the occupation and a full right of return for Palestinians, which is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. The policies are shared with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
SJP UMN Hosting Anti-Israel Propagandists: 2015
On October 15, 2015, during the “Knife Intifada,” SJP UMN hosted anti-Israel propagandist Sabry Wazwaz at a vigil for “the Palestinian lives lost in the recent attacks.” The “Knife Intifada,” was an upsurge in violence across Israel incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders.Wazwaz has spread religious incitement, promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and called for intifada.
On April 20, 2015, SJP UMN co-sponsored an event featuring disgraced anti-Israel professor Steven Salaita on “how critique of American and Israeli colonization might be productively undertaken.” In 2014, Salaita had an offer employment retracted by the University of Illinois, after a series of anti-Semitic tweets he had posted were uncovered.
SJP UMN Promoting BDS: 2016
On February 15, 2016, SJP UMN launched a divestment campaign, calling for the Minnesota Student Association (MSA) and UMN to support divestment from companies that SJP UMN claimed “profit from human rights violations in Palestine/Israel.”SJP UMN’s statement announcing the campaign said UMN’s investment in the companies targeted by the campaign showed “implicit support for…the killing of civilians, and violations of their basic human rights.”
UMN’s Chief Investment Officer reportedly told The Minnesota Republic, a student-run newspaper at UMN, that the university had “no direct exposure” to the four companies targeted by the campaign.
On March 8, 2016, the MSA voted [00:26:24] to strike down the divestment resolution from the MSA agenda.
SJP UMN - Praising Violence
On October 20, 2017, SJP UMN shared on Instagram a graphic that featured a Palestinian woman carrying an assault rifle. The graphic was based on a poster originally published by the terror group, the Palestinian Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).The graphic shared by SJP UMN had the caption: “Glory to the Women of the Intifada.”
“Intifada” has carried the connotation of violence since the early 2000’s.
SJP UMN wrote on their Instagram post: “..come learn about Palestinian women’s resilience, contribution to the movement, and what a Palestinian feminist vision for liberation looks like…”
SJP UMN - Supporting a Terrorist 2018
On July 8, 2018, SJP UMN shared to Facebook a post that read: “This week marks the anniversary of the assassination of Ghassan Kanafani. A writer, intellectual, and spokesperson for the Palestinian resistance, he is remembered as one of the most significant literary and political figures of the 1960s-70s Palestinian revolution.”Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during their formative years. Kanafani was also involved in the Lod Airport Massacre near Tel Aviv, for which PFLP took responsibility.
SJP UMN - Hosting National SJP 2019
On September 16, 2019, SJP UMN shared a flier on Instagram announcing that the chapter would be hosting the 2019 National SJP Conference on November 1-3, 2019.SJP UMN wrote on their Instagram post: “We are excited to officially announce that the 9th annual national SJP conference, Beyond Struggle: From Roots to Branches Towards Liberation, will be hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (SJP UMN) on Fri.-Sun., November 1-3, 2019 in the Twin Cities, MN…”
SJP UMN - Hosting Anti-Israel Propagandists 2019
On March 30, 2019, SJP UMN and American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Minnesota co-hosted an event titled: “Palestine Day Conference.”The Facebook event page description said the events speakers included Miko Peled and Taher Hezallah.
Miko Peled is an anti-Israel activist. In January 2017 Peled said [00:00:06] that the Israeli army was one of the “best trained, best equipped, best fed, terrorist organizations in the world,” and claimed [00:00:16] that “their entire purpose is terrorism.”
Taher Herzallah is the Associate Director of Outreach & Grassroots Organizing of AMP, working to expand AMP activism.
On November 27-29, 2014, during the seventh annual AMP conference, Herzallah idolized [00:47:27] violent revolutionaries as models for change — and rhetorically asked [00:49:06]: “What if, as Muslims we wanted to establish an Islamic state? Is that wrong? What if, as Muslims, we wanted to use violent means to resist occupation? Is that wrong?”
On March 24, 2019, AMP shared on Facebook the program for the conference which included a session run by SJP UMN of a “detailed presentation on how to run a divestment campaign on campus and the important on Palestine in media.”
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.
AMP
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) was founded by UC Berkeley Professor Hatem Bazian as a vehicle to generate mainstream support in the United States for the Palestinian national cause.
On its website, the organization lists Bazian as the chairman of its national board and describes itself as “a national education and grassroots-based organization, dedicated to educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused AMP of promoting “extreme anti-Israel views and has at times provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans” about Palestinians. The ADL further stated that AMP is directly involved in campus-based anti-Israel activity through Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Prior to founding the AMP in 2006, Dr. Bazian created SJP together with fellow UC Berkeley Professor Snehal Shingavi in 2001. The close working relationship between AMP and SJP has been documented several times over the years by several organizations, including NGO Monitor and StandWithUs.
In addition to providing financial, public relations and legal assistance to SJP, AMP has also been accused of having connections to Hamas. The AMP national board includes former members of both the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) and Holy Land Foundation (HLF), both of which were found liable for aiding and abetting Hamas. The IAP was founded by Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas.
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/100008569875223LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/issraa-el-khatib-897562161/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/isso_elkhatib/ [Private]
