Jinan Chehade
Jinan Chehade was arrested for blocking access to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport during an anti-Israel protest she organized. The protest was in support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Jinan Chehade also promoted incitement, expressed support for terrorists, spread hatred of Israel and co-founded two chapters of the anti-Israel activist group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
In November 2022, Chehade was listed as the co-founder and co-president of Law Students for Justice in Palestine (lsjpgeorgetown) at Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law). Georgetown Law is located in Washington, D.C.DePaul
As of the same date, Chehade was also listed as the “co-founder and past chair of SJP Chicago,” which describes itself as a “unified front” of SJP chapters in Chicago, Illinois.
Chehade served as the president of the SJP chapter (sjpdepaul) at DePaul University (DePaul) during the 2018-2019 academic year. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois.
Chehade received a JD from Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) n 2023. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public policy from DePaul in 2020.Georgetown-Law-Center
In 2022, Chehade interned as a law clerk at the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Chicago, Illinois.
On May 29, 2024, Bloomberg Law News reported that Chicago law firm Foley & Lardner revoked its job offer to Jinan Chehade “over her comments about the Israel-Hamas war” on social media and in public statements, including remarks justifying the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas committed atrocities and war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings. The terror attacks left over 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.”
As of December 2024, Chehade was listed as a civil litigation junior staff attorney with the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), based out of Chicago, Illinois.
On April 15, 2024, Chehade was arrested after blocking traffic on the I-90 expressway entrance to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The pro-BDS event was part of an international, coordinated “economic blockade…in solidarity with Palestine,” known as A15 Action.
The action intended to “cause pain to the economy” by identifying and blocking “major choke points in the economy…with the aim of causing the most economic impact…[and] to disrupt and blockade…logistical hubs…”
During the blockade, anti-Israel activists chanted [00:00:03]: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and [00:00:14]: “Free, free Palestine!”
“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.
On September 9, 2024, the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) announced a class action lawsuit against seven anti-Israel activist groups and four individual activists, including Jinan Chehade, who organized the A15 Action.
Defendant groups named [p. 1] in the Complaint included American Muslims for Palestine, National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), all identified (p.19) as organizations that both “played a role…by ensuring they had members there to participate” and gave protesters “worldwide media attention” through their social media platforms.
The Complaint also alleged [p. 2] that A15 Action “drew support from Hamas and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).”
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, European Union, Israel and other countries. Founded in 1987, it has killed thousands of Israeli civilians through mass shootings and suicide bombings. Hamas has also kidnapped children, families and the elderly and held them hostage in Gaza. It has desecrated [slide 7] dead bodies and launched numerous rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.
The State Department of the United States has listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. The IRGC has reportedly provided funding, training and weapons to other terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Complaint stated [p. 9] that Chehade “was a primary organizer of the blockade” and “was also present at the blockade and used her own body to help stop the flow of traffic around O’Hare. For her participation in the blockade, she was arrested by the Chicago Police Department.”
On May 8, 2021, Chehade posted on Facebook a video of protesters in Chicago chanting in Arabic: “be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aqsa بروح ودم نفديك يا اقصى [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Aqsa]!”
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.
Chehade commented on her post: “Over 500 people took the streets of Chicago today to stand with the Palesntian [sic] people as they resist the Israeli ethnic cleansing and escalated violence in Palestine. We know that an attack on al-quds [Jerusalem] is an attack on all of us. There is an occupier and an occupied. Their walls will fall and justice will prevail. #saveshiekhjarrah #freepalestine SJP Chicago.”
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.
In May 2021, Palestinian violence erupted in anticipation of an Israel High Court ruling on eviction proceedings concerning over 70 Palestinian tenants illegally residing in Jewish-owned properties in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
In November 2022, Chehade was featured as a speaker on a panel titled: “Action and Analysis,” which took place at the Palestine Center Annual Conference.
During the panel, Chehade said [00:36:37]: “Ghassan Kanafani said that imperialism has laid its body over the rope. The head is in Eastern Asia, the heart is in the Middle East. Its arteries reach Africa and Latin America. Whenever you strike it, you damage it, and you serve the world revolution.”
Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during the terrorist organization’s early years. Kanafani announced the PFLP’s responsibility for the Lod Airport Massacre of May 1972 and was linked to the airport attackers. The attack killed 26 people and wounded 80 others.
During the same panel, Chehade also said [00:33:59]: “Just last year, the House of Representatives… passed a bill that approved one billion dollars to upgrade Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. And as we know, if we cut the military aid, liberation is almost right after that.”
The Iron Dome is an Israeli missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy rockets and artillery shells.
On August 25, 2022, Chehade posted [slide 86] on Instagram Stories Highlights a photo with text that said: “We also met with the 6 designated organizations but I will not be posting videos or our discussion for security reasons…”
In October 2021, Israel’s Ministry of Defense declared six Palestinian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to be “terror organizations” operating “as an arm” of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group. The six NGOs were accused of funneling donor aid to militants and employing senior PFLP members, “including activists involved in terror activity.”
On September 29, 2017, Chehade appeared [slide 2] in a group photo with terrorist Rasmea Odeh before her deportation. The photo was posted on Instagram by SJP DePaul and was captioned: “The other day we said goodbye (or see you soon) to Rasmea Odeh. Thank you for being an inspiration, a mother, and always smiling with your fist up high. Reminding us that wherever we land in life we should continue to resist & fight for justice in Palestine!”
Rasmea Odeh was a key military operative [00:02:08] with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization. In 1969, she masterminded a PFLP supermarket bombing that killed two college students. She also attempted to bomb the British consulate in Jerusalem. Odeh later moved to the United States but was deported to Jordan in 2017 for immigration fraud.
On May 9, 2017, SJP DePaul shared a Facebook video featuring Chehade and other SJP DePaul activists participating in the Saltwater Challenge.
The “Saltwater Challenge” was held in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prison inmates convicted of terrorism. The strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings that killed five Israelis during the second intifada. Aarab Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti, launched the “Saltwater Challenge.”
On May 9, 2018, Chehade was featured in an SJP DePaul Instagram photo [slide 1] with other activists holding Palestinian flags and a sign that read: “We will be marching on Friday, May 11 to commemorate the Nakba and stand with the Palestinian people #Nakba70Chi…”
The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by drawing a comparison to the Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, meaning “catastrophe.”
On May 11, 2018, Chehade was featured [00:14:58] in a video posted on Facebook, speaking at an event a day earlier titled: “Protest for #Nakba70 &Right of Return: Stop The Massacre in Gaza.”
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 video of the May 11, 2018 rally, Chehade spoke to the crowd and said [00:15:29] that there were “thousands of peaceful protesters that have been shot and severely injured by the Israeli military at the Great Return March...”
In May 2018, terror organization Hamas instigated the “March of Return.” Thousands of violent rioters attempted numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence with Gaza, seeking to harm Jews across the border. Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of the fence, some by armed Palestinians. On May 15, 2018, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar admitted the Gaza protests were only a pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
On May 30, 2019, Chehade attended [slides 9-11] an anti-Israel rally titled: “AIPAC is Not Welcome in Chicago,” which was co-organized by SJP Chicago. The Facebook event page description said the event was “to protest the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)-Chicago Annual Event” and described AIPAC as the “main advocate in the U.S. for Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestine,” and “a racist, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Muslim force influencing the U.S. Congress.”
The stated mission of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) activist Tarek Khalil posted on Facebook a video featuring [00:00:01] Chehade speaking at the protest and saying that participants should “organize until every elected official knows that taking money from AIPAC to commit genocide is not acceptable.”
On November 19, 2019, after Israel’s Operation Black Belt against terrorists in Gaza, Chehade posted a flyer on Facebook promoting a November 20, 2019 SJP Chicago event.
Chehade captioned the post: “... SJP Chicago is having a die-in rally… to spread awareness and honor not only the 34 people that were killed last week in Gaza but also the constant attack on Gaza by the Israeli government that has killed thousands over the years and went completely unchecked…”
On November 20, 2019, Chehade posted [slides 17-18] on Instagram Stories Highlights a video of herself speaking at the event.
In November 2019, Israel launched Operation Black Belt to stop Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. The attacks were carried out in response to Israel’s elimination of Baha Abu al-Ata [Bahaa Abu Al-Atta], a senior commander of terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) who was reportedly planning new terror attacks.
In November 2022, Chehade was featured [00:21:10] as a speaker on a panel titled: “Action and Analysis,” which took place at the Palestine Center Annual Conference. In her speech, she referred [00:24:14] to Israel as the “Israeli settler colonial project” and accused [00:33:48] Israel of “ethnic cleansing.”
On May 12, 2021, Chehade posted [slide 42] on Instagram Stories Highlights a video of herself from the May 12, 2021 rally titled: “#SaveSheikhJarrah #HandsOffJerusalem.” In the video, Chehade lead protestors in chanting: “End the [Israeli] occupation now!”
On July 1, 2020, Chehade posted [slide 5] on Instagram a video of herself at the July 1, 2020 rally titled: “Day of Rage #NotoAnnexation.” In the video, Chehade leads protestors in chanting: “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!”
Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.
On February 25, 2019, SJP DePaul shared on Facebook a video titled: “DePaul Students Protest Anti-BDS Legislation.” The video featured [00:00:08] Chehade leading SJP DePaul activists on campus opposing [00:00:06] a bill in the U.S. Senate that would provide Israel with defense and security assistance.
SJP DePaul activists were lined up and held [00:00:20] signs with duct tape over their mouths. One activist held [00:00:37] a sign that said: “SABRA IS MADE WITH PALESTINIAN BLOOD.” Another activist held [00:00:434] a sign that read: “SJP DePaul stands with BDS…” and another [00:00:43] a sign that said: “BOYCOTT APARTHEID.”
Sabra Hummus is partially owned by an Israeli company, the Strauss Group.
In 2018, Chehade attended [00:01:04] National SJP Conference.
On January 26, 2018, SJP DePaul wrote on Facebook: “On Thursday, January 18, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at DePaul held a silent protest and rally in response to Trump’s declaration of moving the capital of Israel to Jerusalem and to stand in solidarity with Palestinian children detainees like Ahed Tamimi.” The post featured a video of Chehade where she led the protest with [00:00:10] chants of “Free Free Palestine!”
In December 2017, former U.S. president Donald Trump announced that he would formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Ahed Tamimi, who has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers, was detained after she was filmed punching and kicking Israeli soldiers. She is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is notorious for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers.
On February 2, 2017, Chehade was featured [00:00:01] in a video posted on Twitter while leading an SJP demonstration at DePaul. Chehade said [00:00:18]: “... we must say ‘no’ to the moving of the embassy to Jerusalem and last, we call on DePaul University faculty to stop normalizing the… Israeli occupation of Palestine…”
Proponents of the “anti-normalization” policy seek to police all interactions between Israelis and Palestinians and shut down all conversations and interactions perceived as being ideologically unaligned with their own agenda.
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 Student 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.
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by pro-terror activist Omar Barghouti in 2005 to turn “Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.” Barghouti has also called for Israel's destruction and the BDS movement demands would result in that same goal.
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 infiltrating university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments propose resolutions to boycott or divestment from Israel or Israeli-affiliated entities. 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 and pro-terror activism on campus.
CAIR describes itself as a “grassroots civil rights and advocacy group” and “America's largest Muslim civil liberties organization, with regional offices nationwide.” Its official mission is “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.”
CAIR reportedly has “significant ties” to the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as Hamas. A number of former CAIR employees have been convicted on fraud and terrorism-related charges that resulted monetary fines, jail terms and, sometimes, deportation.
CAIR was founded in 1994 and opened its first office in Washington, DC, with the help of a $5,000 donation from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), a charity founded by Mousa Abu Marzook.
Marzook, who was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist" by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1995, is reportedly a senior member of Hamas.
In May 2007, CAIR was listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a U.S.-filed action against the HLF for providing funds to Hamas.
CAIR was also listed as a terrorist entity by the United Arab Emirates in 2014.

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