Keil Eggers

Overview

Keil Eggers [Keil Logan Eggers] has promoted intifada, participated in disrupting campus events and demonized Israel as an activist with Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) at George Mason University (GMU). SAIA is an affiliate of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Eggers is also an activist within the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of June 2019, Eggers’s LinkedIn page said he was an Assistant Researcher at the Center for Public Partnerships and Research in Lawrence, Kansas, since July 2015.

He is also listed as the U.S. Representative at the Galtung-Institut for Peace Theory and Peace Practice since November 2014, and the Kansas Consortium for Youth Voice Project Manager at the University of Kansas (KU) since June 2013.

Eggers’s LinkedIn also said that he received a master’s degree in International Peace Studies from Universidad para la Paz(UPeace) in Costa Rica in 2017. He graduated from GMU in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

Promoting Intifada

On August 2, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge (OPE), Eggers posted on Instagram a photo of a wall graffitied with "Intifada international contra el estado fascista de Israel [International Intifada against the fascist state of Israel].”

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

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

On September 18, 2013, Eggers tweeted a graphic featuring rifles raised in the air with superimposed text saying: “REVOLUTION UNTIL VICTORY.” Eggers commented: "Our cause in Palestine is squarely based on justice, legality and principle."

Disruptions

On November 5, 2013, Eggers participated in a GMU SAIA staged walk-out to disrupt a talk given at GMU by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Sgt. Benjamin Anthony about his personal experiences of the Israeli-Arab Conflict. Anthony’s talk was entitled “My Israeli Arab Conflict.”

SAIA also projected [00:00:48] the SAIA logo on the building used to host the event and produced a video of the walkout with a description claiming: “The walkout was part of SAIA's anti-normalization strategy that seeks to expose normalizing events…”

Proponents of the “anti-normalization” policy seek to police all interactions between Israelis and Palestinians and shut down all conversations, interactions and speech that they perceive as being ideologically unaligned with their own agenda.

On December 17, 2013, Eggers promoted on Facebook a GMU SAIA walkout of the 2013 graduation ceremony at George Mason University (GMU), because American-Israeli businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison gave the commencement address.

During the walk-out, several graduates reportedly wore “no honor in apartheid” stickers on the tops of their graduate caps while their guests waved [00:02:04]keffiyehs.

Before the event, GMU SAIA co-founder Tareq Radi, along with GMU professor, mentor and SAIA advisor Craig Willse co-authored an "open letter" hosted on the GMU SAIA website.

Radi and Willse stated “Honoring Arison makes Mason appear to be a PR machine for robber baron billionaires,” and went on to say ” This not only diminishes the academic autonomy and reputation of George Mason, but actually undermines possibilities for teaching, learning, and practicing social justice on our campus.”

On December 6, 2013, Eggers posted a graphic to Facebook claiming that Arison Investments was “colonizing curriculum” and wrote: “SHARE THIS: Don't let George Mason be a pawn for apartheid profiteers.”

Demonizing Israel

On August 1, 2013, Eggers promoted a GMU SAIA "Day of Anger: Stop Prawer DC" rally outside The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) headquarters in Washington D.C.

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.”

The event’s Facebook description said the rally was to “spread awareness of the biggest impending ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians by Israel since 1948” and called on participants to “Demand that the US Government stops its unquestioning support of Israel!”

The “Prawer Plan” is a proposed Israeli government plan (the Begin-Prawer Plan) to officially recognize and register the vast majority of Bedouin settlements throughout southern Israel and relocate and compensate the residents of 35 unrecognized villages.

At the protest, students chanted [00:00:07] “5-6-7-8 Israel is a racist state” and [00:00:32] “1-2-3-4 occupation no more.”

On April 12, 2013, Eggers tweeted that Israelis committed “ethnic cleansing from the start.” He also tweeted that “even the so-called liberal Zionists still support a Jewish state, which means apartheid. It's the only logistical wat [sic.].”

BDS Activism

On November 25, 2013, Eggers represented SAIA at the ASAConference, at which a resolution calling for an academic boycott of Israel was adopted.

On November 21, 2013, Eggers promoted a GMU SAIA campaign on Facebook to boycott Sabra Hummus at GMU. As part of the campaign, Eggers authored a petition addressed to GMU Dining Services demanding they “cease to stock, offer, and buy the Sabra family of products.”

Sabra is partially owned by an Israeli company, the Strauss Group.

On October 28, 2013, Eggers promoted and participated in a GMU SAIA “Diversity Boycotts Apartheid” video campaign, which promoted BDS and claimed [00:00:19] that Israel is committing “apartheid.”

On October 10, 2013, Eggers announced on Twitter: “Working on an article about the Palestinian guerrillas and tactics in relationship to #bds can't wait to share it!”

On September 21, 2013, Eggers attended the 12th Annual National Organizers’ Conference of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), which promoted (p.7) the BDS movement.

In July 2013, Eggers fundraised for SAIA by promoting the sale of T-shirts with the SAIA logo. On July 23, 2013, Eggers tweeted that buying the merchandise was “a great way to support BDS.”

On April 26, 2013, Eggers appeared in a group photo posted by GMU SAIA on Facebook from a panel event on BDS, titled: “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement and South African Apartheid: Panel Discussion.” The event included speakers who would “present their perspectives on...the system of Israeli apartheid...in the context of the South African example.”

SAIA - Supporting BDS

In March 2013, SAIA launched campaign to boycott Sabra Hummus at GMU. Sabra is partially owned by an Israeli company, the Strauss Group. SAIA member Keil Eggers organized a petition "[i]]n accordance with the call issued by Palestinian civil society" alleging that The Strauss Group was complicit in human right violations.

In August 2016, BDS leader Ilan Pappé admitted that BDS was not initiated by a “call” from Palestinian civil society; rather, it was initiated by a small number of radical anti-Israel extremists.

On April 25, 2013, GMU SAIA held a panel event featuring SAIA Advisor and GMU professor Craig Willse delivering a lecture on BDS.

On November 25, 2013, SAIA members participated in the American Studies Association (ASA) Conference, during which a resolution calling for an academic boycott of Israel was adopted.

GMU SAIA - Shutting Down Dialogue with Israelis

On November 5, 2013, SAIA staged a walkout to disrupt a talk given by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Sgt. Benjamin Anthony at GMU about his personal experiences of the Israeli-Arab Conflict. The group also projected [00:00:48] the SAIA logo on the building used to host the event.

SAIA produced a video of the walkout with a description claiming: “The walkout was part of SAIA's anti-normalization strategy that seeks to expose normalizing events…”

Propanents of the “anti-normalization” policy seek to police all interactions between Israelis and Palestinians and shut down all conversations, interactions and speech that they perceive as being ideologically unaligned with their own agenda. Adherents to this position reject “liberal Zionist” groups who seek to dialogue with Palestinians, on the grounds that such interaction “normalizes” entrenched power dynamics.

GMU SAIA - Promoting A Graduation Day Walkout

On December 19, 2013, SAIA staged a graduation day walkout during a speech delivered by American-Israeli businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison, who SAIA described as an “apartheid profiteer.”

During the walk-out,several graduates reportedly wore “no honor in apartheid” stickers on the tops of their graduate caps while their guests waved [00:02:04]keffiyehs.

Before the event, SAIA leader Tareq Radi co-authored with GMU professor and SAIA advisor Craig Willse an "open letter outlining our concerns," hosted on the GMU SAIA website. The open letter quoted University President Ángel Cabrera’s praise of “Arison’s example of practicing moral responsibility in business” as the basis to allege that the “university’s name is being used to whitewash the activities of the Arison Group.”

Radi and Willse claimed “Honoring Arison makes Mason appear to be a PR machine for robber baron billionaires” and claimed that the Arison Group was displacing Bedouins, constructing a “cross-Israel Jewish-only highway”, building a portion of “the Apartheid Wall,” operating “an illegal factory for construction materials” and illegally extracting minerals from the occupied portion of the Dead Sea.

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.