Laila Fakhoury

Overview

Laila Fakhoury has expressed support for a terrorist and spread hatred of Israel.

Fakhoury was the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) president at the University of Florida (UF SJP) in 2019. She also attended the 2019 National SJP (NSJP) Conference with other UF SJP activists and was active in the group as early as 2017.

Fakhoury is a supporter [00:40:08] of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of August 2023, Fakhoury’s LinkedIn profile said she co-founded the Dion Dia record label, and had been working there since September 2018. Her LinkedIn also said she co-owned the clothing boutique How Bazar and has worked there since August 2020. Both businesses are in Gainesville, Florida.

Fakoury’s LinkedIn indicated she had been a “Crisis Intervention Specialist” with the Alachua County Crisis Center since 2016 and a “Program Coordinator” at the Marion Correctional Institution since 2015.

As of August 2023, Fakhoury’s LinkedIn said she graduated from UF with a bachelor’s degree in “Family Youth & Community Science and Philosophy” in 2020.

As of the same date, Fakhoury’s LinkedIn said she was located in Gainesville, Florida.

Also as of August 2023, Fakhoury used the handle “@LailaFalasteeni” on Twitter. As of the same date, she used the handle “@lailoosha” on Instagram.

Fakhoury also expressed support for a terrorist before she attended university.

Terror Support (PFLP)

On October 15, 2020, Fakhoury featured in an Instagram photo holding a poster of terrorist Leila Khaled with an assault rifle. The words above Khaled’s image read: “Long Live Free Palestine.” She appeared in the photo with fellow terror supporter Richard Chase Brindisi.

Leila Khaled is a leading member 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 [00:36:07] for the use of children in terror activities and compared Zionists to Nazis.

Hatred of Israel

On May 16, 2018, Fakhoury posted on Facebook: “Today is a day of mourning. Today we mourn the loss of life. As residents of Gaza bury over 60 members of their communities, their families, their friends, and all those who were massacred during nonviolent protests. The death toll continues to rise, while more than 2,700 Palestinians suffer from injuries.”

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 said the Gaza protests were only a pretext of “peaceful resistance.”

On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official, Salah al-Bardawil, stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.

Fakhoury wrote in the same May 16, 2018 Facebook post: “This is NOT propaganda, as many dishonest politicians would tell you. These ARE crimes against humanity, these ARE violations against international law, this IS an ethnic cleansing.”

On May 18, 2018, also during the “March of Return,” Fakhoury promoted on Facebook an “Emergency RALLY Reject US Embassy Move & Israeli Massacres” co-hosted by UF SJP.

On May 19, 2018, Fakhoury promoted on Facebook a May 21, 2018, UF SJP co-hosted event “honoring the victims who were lost in Palestine” during the “March of Return.”

On November 21, 2019, shortly after Israel’s Operation Black Belt against PIJ, Fakhoury posted on Facebook: “We held a vigil to honor those who were killed in Gaza after we organized a walkout protest from an event centering an IDF [Israel Defense Forces] sergeant. Its time to bring Gaza to the forefront and bring awareness to the Palestinian cause. Thank you to all those who played a role.”

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.

Fakhoury’s Facebook post included a video of demonstrators disrupting the pro-Israel event and walking out of the room. She also attached a November 20, 2019, UF SJP Facebook post about the event.

On November 21, 2019, Fakhoury tweeted a UF SJP video of the walkout. She wrote: “THAT’S MY SJP. #UFSJP #freepalestine #gazaunderattackِ.”

On July 5, 2020, Fakhoury was the lead organizer of a “Day of Rage” protest, co-hosted by UF SJP, along [00:48:27] with other SJP chapters and Dream Defenders (DD). She wrote a Facebook post referencing an Israeli annexation plan and the “Deadly Exchange” campaign initiated by the anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).

Fakhoury wrote: “We are protesting the continuation of an ONGOING, illegal confiscation of Palestinian land through the annexation. We are protesting a system of police brutality and racism sustained by the u.s. sending cops to israel to be trained through the Deadly Exchange program. We are protesting against the oppression of ALL people.”

In the spring of 2020, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli sovereignty would be applied to certain areas of the West Bank. The annexation plan was canceled a day before the July 1, 2020 deadline.

In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange (DX)” campaign, which accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] U.S.-based Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.

On July 9, 2020, Fakhoury posted a series of photos to Instagram featuring herself andother protestors taking part in the “Day of Rage” demonstration. Fakhoury added: “Until Palestine is free. #floridadayofrage #notoannexation #freepalestine.”

On July 14, 2020, Fakhoury was interviewed on the “Woke and Broke” podcast, where she discussed [00:48:27] the “Day of Rage” protest.

During the interview, Fakhoury claimed [00:27:35] that “there’s an entire population of people who are completely being ethnically cleansed, um, who are living under apartheid, who are getting their basic human rights taken from them every single day.”

Fakhoury also referred [00:29:14] to the establishment of Israel in 1948 as “an illegal occupation.” She later said [00:52:53]: “This isn’t a debatable topic; like, there’s not sides here. Like, it’s not a conflict; it’s an illegal occupation.”

Fakhoury also blamed [00:50:46] Israel for the killing of George Floyd, stating: “So, for example, the knee on the neck was learned in Israel, like that's a tactic that the Israeli government uses.”

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black man, was arrested and killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Following Floyd’s death, demonstrations and protests were held in over 400 American cities, as well as internationally. Many of the demonstrations devolved into riots, resulting in injury and deaths of civilians and police officers, as well as widespread destruction and looting of property.

Anti-Israel Activism (SJP, BDS)

On May 19, 2021, Fakhoury wrote on Facebook: “Wow. As we get ready to protest for Palestine today, I see… that Palestinians have been living under illegal occupation every day for the past 73 years. These atrocities are not new, they’re ongoing and they’re systematic. / Stand in solidarity with Palestine today at the protest in Gainesville…”

Fakhoury wrote her post during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) against Hamas. Her post included a link promoting a May 19, 2021 protest organized by UF SJP. The protest was titled: “Solidarity with Palestine Demonstration.”

In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.

On December 17, 2019, Fakhoury wrote on Facebook: “We will not be silent,” and shared a poster stating: “SJP United condemns Donald Trump’s executive order on ‘Combatting Anti-Semitism’.” She linked to SJP United’s full statement, which said that they “explicitly condemn” the Trump administration’s “adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition.”

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights multiple forms of contemporary anti-Semitism related to Israel, including “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.

On November 3, 2019, UF SJP tweeted a photo featuring Fakhoury and SJP activists. The tweet said: “...UF SJP is learning lots @NationalSJP, and we’re giving back by teaching other SJPs the gator chomp!”

The conference themes centered on support for BDS and the rejection of Israel and Zionism. The conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.

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.

The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.

NSJP 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.”

NSJP limited 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, NSJP reportedly covered the windows of the conference hall.

On October 17, 2019, Fakhoury helped organize a UF SJP “Palestine 101: A Teach in” panel event where she [01:14:00] and other speakers promoted [00:31:06] the BDS movement.

During the teach-in, Fakhoury encouraged [01:13:55] participants to join UF SJP “to put pressure on the Israeli government to end apartheid [and]…the illegal occupation within Palestine.” Panelists also called [00:34:24] Israel a “settler-colonial state” and [00:57:07] an “apartheid state,” likening [00:31:59] Israel to apartheid South Africa.

On March 27, 2019, Fakhoury posted to Facebook about a UF SJP event: “Remi Kanazi has been one of my favorite poets since I was little. We are so excited to be hosting him in Gainesville for a poetry night at the Civic Media Center, tomorrow (March 28) at 6 pm!”

Poet Remi Kanazi is known for his aggressively anti-Israel spoken-word performances. He has supported terrorism and has compared Israel to both ISIS and the Ku Klux Klan.

Pre-University Terror Support (DFLP)

On February 13, 2013, Fakhoury posted to Facebook: “Save Samer! Over 200 days on his hunger strike!”

Samer Issawi is a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) who received a 26-year prison sentence in 2002. During the second intifada, Issawi manufactured and distributed pipe bombs and, in several incidents, fired indiscriminately on Israeli civilian vehicles.

On February 17, 2013, Fakhoury posted to Facebook: “Free Samer.” She attached a poster of Issawi that said: “My Empty Stomach Opens Two Doors; One for Love and the Other for Freedom. Free Samer Issawi on Hunger Strike for Freedom Since 1-8-2012.”

On that same day, Fakhoury posted to Facebook: “Speak out for Samer Al-Issawi. Over 200 days into his hunger strike.”

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.