Joe Alfred

Overview

Joe Alfred defended Hamas terrorism against Israeli civilians, spread anti-Semitism and promoted hatred of Zionists and Israel at a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) event in November 2023. He spoke at the event, hosted by the SJP chapter at the University of Mary Washington (UMW SJP), and encouraged [video 2, 00:21:43] students to be involved in the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Alfred’s remarks occurred following a series of Hamas terror attacks and war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings, which were executed on October 7, 2023.

The Hamas terror attacks left over 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron,” which was going on during Alfred’s lecture.

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 2] dead bodies and launched numerous rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.

Defending Hamas Terrorism at an SJP Lecture

Alfred spoke alongside his wife, Siham Alfred, at a UMW SJP-organized “education teach-in experience” on November 15, 2023, titled: “The United States and Palestine-Israel.”

Alfred spoke about the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, saying [video 2, 00:28:04]: “Maybe you don't like the way Hamas went about it, but Palestinians certainly have a right to resist.”

Anti-Semitism and Hatred of Zionists and Israel

Alfred opened his lecture by saying [video 1, 00:05:44]: “One of the most fundamental issues to understand…is that the Palestinians did not go to Europe and kill the Jews, whereas the Zionists came to Palestine and killed the Palestinians and took their land.”

Alfred also claimed with regard to Israel’s founding [video 1, 00:26:26]: “The Jewish Agency was quite involved in the United States...and the people that were involved with them were…Not actually Jewish. The better term is gangsters. Zionist gangsters.”

Alfred also said [video 2, 00:19:32]: “The Israelis have been continuing to destroy Palestine every day in almost every way they can.”

Alfred further claimed [video 1, 00:36:03]: “Most of our politicians today are actually paid out of AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee], which is a lobby group.”

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.”

Alfred criticized [video 2, 00:21:22] U.S. President Joe Biden's lack of support for the BDS movement, which he said “seeks to put economic pressure on Israel.” He concluded his pro-BDS remarks by saying [video 2, 00:21:43]: “You can look up for yourself products that are made from Israel. They come with a bar code 729 if you're looking to say, ‘I’d like to join a boycott movement myself.’”

Biographical Information

As of November 30, 2023, Alfred’s LinkedIn profile said he was the “Founder & General Manager” of Alfred Consulting LLC. He founded the company in March 2014.

As of November 14, 2023, Alfred was a member [slide 48] of UMW’s ElderStudy program.

Also as of November 30, 2023, Alfred’s LinkedIn said he graduated from the University of Florida (UF) with a master’s degree in Mathematics in 1972.

As of November 30, 2023, Alfred’s LinkedIn said he was located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. UMW is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

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.

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.