Marcelle Obeid

Overview

Marcelle Obeid [Marcelle Alexandra Obeid] authored two Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) resolutions while she served as president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in 2015. She was also an activist with SJP at UC Davis in 2014 and has spread hatred of Israel.

As of July 2023, Obeid’s LinkedIn profile said she received a JD from the UC Davis School of Law (UC Davis Law) in 2019, and that she graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2015.

In July 2023, Obeid was listed as an attorney with Shanley APC, and her LinkedIn said she had worked there since April 2022.

However, as of July 2024, Obeid was no longer listed as an attorney with Shanley APC.

As of July 2023, Obeid’s LinkedIn said she had worked as a law clerk at Palestine Legal from January to May 2019.

As of July 2023, Obeid was listed as a practicing attorney in California and admitted to the California Bar on December 4, 2019.

In 2016, Obeid ran for public office for the LA County Democratic Central Committee.

As of July 2023, Obeid’s LinkedIn said she was located in Los Angeles, California.

As of the same date, Obeid went by the username “Marcelle Alexandra” on Facebook and on Instagram.

BDS Resolution Author

While Obeid served [00:20:05] as the president of SJP at UC Davis, she authored a May 2015 BDS resolution and co-authored a January 2015 BDS resolution. The UC Davis Divest campaign was promoted by SJP at UC Davis.

On December 12, 2014, Obeid posted on Instagram: “...I present to you our petition for the University of California, Davis to divest from corporations that directly violate Palestinian human rights… please take a quick moment and sign and share this with all of your friends and family! Ask me anything, I’d love to tell you more. #yestodivest…”

Obeid’s post included a link to SJP at UC Davis’ petition.

On January 23, 2015, Obeid posted on Instagram: “Back by popular demand! Excited for divestment on the 29th? Show solidarity with #palestine by wearing a kuffiyeh [keffiyeh] to school and to the senate meeting! $15 ea. Buy one before they sell out again

...”

The keffiyeh is a Palestinian headdress traditionally worn by men, which has become a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.

On January 29, 2015, Obeid spoke [00:20:14] at an Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD) hearing that was held to present an expanded version of a failed 2014 BDS resolution. The 2015 version was titled: “ASUCD Senate Resolution #9 (SR #9).” The expanded version was authored by SJP at UC Davis activist, Saliem Shehadeh.

During the hearing, Obeid said [00:20:16] “I am ashamed of my university for supporting apartheid and genocide of my people in Palestine.” Following other speeches for and against the resolution, the anti-divestment students, who reportedly constituted “about a third of attendees,” walked out [00:06:51] of the room.

As they left, a large group of pro-divestment students chanted [00:00:05] “Allahu akbar [God is the greatest]!” The January 2015 SR#9 resolution passed, with a vote of 8-2-2.

A week after the resolution passed, unidentified vandals spray-painted two large swastikas on a house belonging to the Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi).

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi issued a statement that the January 2015 resolution to divest did not reflect the position of UC Davis or the University of California system. The Board and Office of the President had earlier issued a statement affirming the Board’s position that student calls to action would not be entertained. UC Davis’ investment policy is set by the UC Board of Regents.

The January 2015 resolution was overturned as unconstitutional by the university’s Court of Associated Students, on the grounds that it was “primarily a political document” with insufficient relevance to student welfare on campus.

In May 2015, SJP at UC Davis responded by proposing a new resolution, written by Obeid and titled: “ASUCD Senate Resolution #17 (SR #17).”

SR#17 alleged that “enabling Israel’s occupation of Palestine compromises the integrity of students’ education.” The May 2015 resolution passed 10-0-2 but was later ruled unconstitutional by the ASUCD Judicial Council in May 2019.

The Council further noted that the resolution also violated the ASUCD Bill of Student Rights, because its passage “led to the discrimination and harassment of students whose ethnicity, national origin or political beliefs are in opposition to the content of the Resolution.”

In 2018, Obeid featured [00:21:26] in an episode of Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera)’s documentary series called: “The Lobby - USA,” where she discussed [00:20:10] the events surrounding the January 2015 BDS resolution.

Hatred of Israel

On May 12, 2021, during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW), Obeid posted a series of graphics on Facebook and wrote [slide 1]: “to my non-Arab and Muslim friends-. ” One graphic read: “Palestinians want to live in peace. Gazans want to LIVE. This however is impossible in the context of [Israeli] settler colonialism, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing.”

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.

In the same Facebook post, Obeid posted [slide 2] another graphic showing misleading maps of Israel with text that read: “What we are witnessing in Palestine is settler colonialism, and it has been going on for 70 years.”

The maps claim that lands once controlled by Britain, Egypt and Jordan as autonomous “Palestinian land” were purportedly stolen by Israel. In February 2016, publisher McGraw-Hill Education recalled copies of a college textbook containing the fraudulent maps. In October 2015, American cable news network MSNBC apologized for airing a similar series of maps and retracted them.

On May 15, 2021, during OGW, Obeid posted on Instagram a series of photos from a anti-Israel protest. Obeid featured [slide 3] in a photo holding up a sign that read: “STOP ETHNIC !CLEANSING!”

On May 13, 2015, Obeid posted on Instagram: “I dedicate my #wcw [woman crush wednesday] to #laurynhill for canceling her show in apartheid Israel scheduled for last week… #BDS…”

American musician Lauryn Hill canceled a scheduled performance in Israel due to pressure from BDS activists.

On January 26, 2015, Obeid posted an image on Instagram and wrote: “#AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] AIPAC you can’t hide, We charge you with genocide. #yestodivest #freepalestine.”

The stated mission of 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.”

In 2015, Obeid posted on Instagram: “Israel is a Zionist state that uses the facade of Judaism to justify state policy.”

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.

One way anti-Israel activists spread anti-Semitism is by denying [00:17:45] Jewish history, with the aim of delegitimizing restored Jewish sovereignty, attacking Israel’s legitimacy and portraying Jews as foreign to the Land of Israel.

In 2015, Obeid attended a protest at the California State Capitol and posted on Instagram: “From Ferguson to Palestine, resistance is justified.”

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 encourageanti-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 September 23, 2014, Obeid posted on Instagram: “‘This is not a war- this is a genocide.’ #freepalestine.”

On July 26, 2014, during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE), Obeid posted on Instagram an image of a protester and wrote: “...#endtheoccupation#endthemassacre…”

Israel commenced OPE in July 2014 to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.

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.