Kareem Hlayhel

Overview

Kareem Hlayhel disrupted a campus event and demonized Israel with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Houston (UH). Hlayel has also trivialized a terror attack and spread hatred of Israel on social media.

In November 2017, National SJP shared a Facebook photo of Hlayhel at the 2017 National SJP Conference.

NSJP 2017 was held October 27-29, 2017 at UH. The conference was themed “A Reimagined World: Dismantling Walls from Palestine to the Rio Grande.” Per the 2017 National SJP Conference website, the conference aimed to strengthen “collaborative efforts within all regions to pass BDS” and envision “pathways to achieving sanctions in the future.”

In January 2019, the UH Student Directory listed Hlayhel as a student in UH’s Department of Biology. As of July 2019, Hlayel’s “Department” was listed as “Dean's Office Bauer College.”

In January 2018, Hlayhel’s Twitter bio indicated that he was scheduled to graduate from UH in 2021.

Campus Disruption

On May 22, 2018, Hlayhel tweeted: “Nikki Haley walked out on the Palestinian rep so we walked out on her #NikkiSidesWithGenocide #FreePalestine.” In January 2019, the tweet was set as Hlayhel’s pinned tweet.

Hlayhel’s tweet featured a video of a speech given by former United States Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, at UH, which was disrupted by SJP UH activists on May 22, 2018.

During Haley’s speech, Mohammed Fattouh, an SJP UH activist, stood up and shouted [00:00:11] that Haley was “continuing to sign off on the genocide of a native people” and that she was “an accomplice to terrorists and colonizers.”

Another SJP UH activist led protestors in chanting [00:00:25] “Nikki Nikki can’t you see? You allowed a killing spree” as well as [00:00:33] “Haley Haley you can’t hide, you signed off on genocide!” and [00:00:56] “Nikki Haley you will see, Palestine will be free!”

After law officials escorted them out of the auditorium, SJP UH protestors chanted [00:01:55] “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!”

Demonizing Israel on Campus

On April 12, 2018, SJP UH shared Facebook photos of Hlayhel participating in the group’s Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) 2018.

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is presented internationally as a “series of events that seeks to raise awareness of…Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people.” One of its goals is to build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. IAW has been renamed Palestine Awareness Week.

One photo featured Hlayhel standing next to a mock apartheid wall holding a sign that said: “ASK ME about PALESTINE.” In another photo, Hlayhel held a sign that featured two maps of the U.S., one labeled as “1946” and the other “present day.” The “present day” map portrayed the U.S. borders reduced to a dot on the map. The sign was captioned “How would you feel?”

In another April 12, 2018 SJP UH Facebook photo, activist Omar Hussein was featured holding a sign that read: “The IDF is a terrorist organization.” SJP UH activists also held signs that read “Zionism is Racism,” while another activist held a sign that read: “IT’S NOT WAR IT’S GENOCIDE.”

Among the activists participating in SJP UH’s IAW was Tarek Abdoh, who has threatened violence against Jews and demonized Jews on Twitter.

On April 28, 2015, Abdoh tweeted: “I am gonna throw rocks at yahood [Jews] this summer and no one is stopping me.”

On June 26, 2015, Abdoh tweeted: “I need to go throw some rocks at the yahood [Jews].”

Other SJP activists protesting at SJP UH’s IAW included Mamoon Hindi and Jasmine Shaath who have spread hatred of Jews and Israel on social media.

On May 26, 2015, Hindi tweeted: “F**king Yahood [Jews] man.”

On June 29, 2015, in reply to a tweet that read: “Shia LaBeouf looks like a dirty cave dweller now.” Hindi tweeted: “for a dirty yahoodi [Jew], yes he does.”

On July 28, 2012, Shaath tweeted: “FALASTEEN BLADNA WIL YAHOOD KLABNA <3 [Palestine is our country and the Jews are our dog].”

On March 6, 2013, Shaath tweeted: “Allah yil3an el yahood!” [May Allah curse the Jews!]— a phrase she tweeted on at least two other occasions.

Trivializing A Terror Attack

On December 11, 2017, Hlayhel retweeted a tweet trivializing a terror attack that took place a day earlier. The tweet read: “Lol more than 300 Palestinians have been injured and 4 killed by Israel. But I guess those attacks weren't violent.” The tweet linked to an announcement of the terror attack.

On December 10, 2017, a Palestinian terrorist stabbed an Israeli at the entrance to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. The attack was carried out in response to the U.S. government’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Spreading Hatred of Israel Online

Hlayhel retweeted a December 28, 2018 tweet that read: “Here is my video on how Israel uses Palestine as a weapons testing laboratory, which Facebook erased without explanation.”

The tweet linked to a video narrated by journalist Rania Khalek, where she claimed [00:00:23] that “Palestine is Israel’s personal laboratory for testing, refining and showcasing methods and weapons of domination and control.” Khalek also said [00:01:06] that Gaza is an “open air testing ground for weapons of mass destruction.”

Khalek then suggested [00:05:25]: “In many ways, what Israel does to Palestinians is a glimpse into the future of what’s to come for the most vulnerable and marginalized among us, from the killing fields of Gaza to the tear-gassed streets of Ferguson and beyond, which makes the struggle for justice in Palestine a global one.”

Hlayhel retweeted a November 14, 2017 tweet that demonized Israeli actress Gal Gadot for serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and for supporting Israel during Operation Protective Edge (OPE).

Israel commenced Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.

Hlayhel retweeted a June 1, 2017 tweet that referred to Gadot as “a f**ing zionist who f**king supports and served in the organisation that terrorised lebanon.”

SJP UH - Spreading Anti-Israel Propaganda

UH’s IAW featured a mock apartheid wall, erected on campus. Text on the wall read: “If you want to find a safe place in Gaza, do not stand beside a child.” Another piece of text read: “Israel uses sophisticated attack jets to bomb densely crowded refugee camps, schools, apartment blocks, mosques and slums to attack a population that has no airforce, no navy, army and calls it a war. It is not war, it is murder.”

SJP UH - Spreading Propaganda

On October 1, 2017, SJP UH shared a Facebook post that read: “17 years ago today, 12yr old Muhammad Al-Durra was shot dead on LIVE TV in his father's arms.
#Coogs4Palestine #FreePalestine.”

The Al-Durah hoax is an iconic piece of anti-Israel propaganda, fabricated on September 30, 2000 at the start of the Second Intifada by a France 2 reporter.

On May 8, 2017, SJP UH organized Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) on UH’s campus. One IAW event featured a mock “apartheid wall” erected on campus. Text on the wall read: “If you want to find a safe place in Gaza, do not stand beside a child.” Other text read: “Israel uses sophisticated attack jets to bomb densely crowded refugee camps, schools, apartment blocks, mosques and slums to attack a population that has no airforce, no navy, army and calls it a war. It is not war, it is murder.”

Throughout the summer of 2014 — during Operation Protective Edge (OPE) — Hamas’ continued deployment of human shields was extensively documented and publicized. Hamas encouraged gazans to act as human shields, to specifically frustrate Israeli efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. Israel commenced OPEin July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.

SJP UH - Supporting Terrorists

On September 5, 2017, SJP UH shared a graphic on Facebook of an image and quote by Leila Khaled.

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.

On May 25, 2017, SJP UH rallied behind convicted Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike, by organizing a “symbolic hunger strike” and participating in a Saltwater Challenge. The event organizers wrote on the Facebook event page: “we demand that Israel end its policies of apartheid, colonization, military occupation, displacement, dispossession, and mass incarceration.”

The hunger strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings — and shooting attacks that killed five Israelis during the second Intifada. Barghouti led the the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Barghouti also financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe massacre where 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured.

More than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners participated in the hunger strike — most of whom were also convicted for acts of terrorism.

According to CNN , the “Saltwater Challenge” appears to have been started by Aarab Marwan Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti.

On May 26, 2017, SJP UH joined protesters outside the Israeli consulate chanting (1:46): “1234, open up the prison doors… We will fight day and night… to support the hunger strike…”

On March 28, 2016, SJP UH shared a post on Facebook supporting terrorist Rasmea Odeh.

Odeh was a key military operative [00:02:08]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. Odeh also attempted to bomb the British consulate.

Odeh confessed, in a highly detailed account, the day following her arrest. In a 2004 documentary, one of Odeh’s co-conspirators directly implicated [00:10:53] Odeh as the mastermind.

In 1970, an Israeli court tried and convicted Odeh for her involvement in both bombings and sentenced her to life imprisonment. However, Odeh was released 10 years later, in a prisoner swap and emigrated to the United States.

On November 10, 2014, a Michigan federal jury convicted Odeh for immigration fraud because she failed to disclose her prior conviction and life sentence on her immigration application. On March 12, 2015, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

In 2017, after an appeal and a lengthy court battle, Odeh admitted to immigration fraud, was stripped of her U.S. citizenship, deported to Jordan and banned from re-entering the U.S.

SJP UH - Disrupting Campus Events

On November 3, 2017, SJP activists disrupted a lecture by David Horowitz at UH. SJP activists stood up holding a Palestinian flag and a Pan African/Black Liberation flag and yelled [00:07:04] at Horowitz. The protesters began shouting, “Zionists! Off our campus! Racists! Off our campus! Islamophobes! Off our campus!” and walked out of the lecture hall as they continued to chant.

The protesters included members of other campus organizations that comprised the Cougar Voice Coalition (CVC), such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), United Muslim Relief (UMR) Houston and Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Houston.

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.