Maria Idalis Harris

Overview

Maria Idalis Harris [John Idalis] has called for the death of America, spread anti-Semitism and demonized Israel and Zionism. Harris has also engaged in anti-Israel activism and is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Harris was the president of Students for Justice (SJP) at Arizona State University (ASU) during the 2019-2020 academic year.

In Spring 2020, Harris graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in “THEATRE (ACTING).”

As of the same date, Harris announced the release of a music album, after deciding to pursue a music career.

As of November 2022, Harris used the handle“@johnidalis” and the screen name “J O H N I D A L I S” on Twitter. Harris also went by “Johnni Dalis” on Facebook and used the handle “@johnidalis” on Instagram.

Calling for the Death of America

On June 5, 2020, Harris posted a music video on YouTube with the description: “...As always, death to America…”

In the video, Harris danced to a song composed by Harris that said [00:00:35]: “Good morning! Rise and shine… Death to America…"

Spreading Anti-Semitism

In a video posted on Facebook on June 10, 2020, Harris said [00:00:22]: “Zionists… basically replicating Nazism, but for their own benefit.”

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 countries have adopted the definition as well.

Hatred of Israel

On September 16, 2020, Harris tweeted: “right?! like the f**k they supporting?? Colonialism???!!” in response to a tweet by Armando Leon that said: “Students supporting Israel is basically blue lives matter lol [laughing out loud].”

Students Supporting Israel (SSI) is a pro-Israel international campus movement founded in 2012, with chapters at more than 100 universities across North America. The group provides education and tools to students looking to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses.

Harris retweeted another January 19, 2022 tweet by Leon that said: “...Ethnic cleansing in Sheikh Jarrah … & across Palestine is escalating …#SaveSheikhJarrah.”

In May 2021, calls to “save” Sheikh Jarrah, a Jerusalem neighborhood at the center of a property dispute, led to violence against Israelis and were one of the leading factors in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists firing over 4,300 rockets from Gaza into Israel that month.

Harris retweeted a November 8, 2019 tweet that said: “Never forget that Palestinians have seen the grunt of the violence perpetrated against them in the form of murder, exile, home demolition, village destruction, arrests, strangle of economy & livelihood, & their right of return being held in purgatory…”

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Harris retweeted a September 9, 2019 tweet that said: “Because I’m Moroccan, people always ask me if I can explain to them the difference between Moroccan couscous and Israeli couscous. The difference is simple: Moroccan couscous has a grainy, semolina-like texture whereas Israeli couscous is a human rights violation.”

Demonizing Zionism

In a video posted to Facebook on June 10, 2020, Harris said [00:00:18]: “... Zionism follows white supremacists' beliefs.”

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.

On November 26, 2019, Harris tweeted a link to a letter that promoted a definition of Zionism according to the anti-Israel organization Jewish Voice for Peace. The letter said: “Zionism is a settler-colonial movement that denies the right of return to Palestinians and establishes an apartheid state.”

SJP Activism

Harris retweeted a November 18, 2019 tweet by SJP ASU that said: “Our last meeting of the semester is this Thursday! Come eat with us while we go over our eventful semester and discuss plans for the next!”

During Harris’s tenure as SJP ASU president, the group disrupted a November 13, 2019 event organized by pro-Israel student groups at ASU titled: “Courage and Sacrifice: Wounded IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Soldiers Speak on Campus.”

Members of SJP ASU participated [slides 9-11] in the “dying in” disruption outside of the venue, which involved students lying down on the ground while holding anti-Israel signs. One sign read [slide 7]: “NO WALLS OR BORDERS ON STOLEN LAND.”

SJP ASU and other student groups overtook the reserved venue prior to the event, while [slide 13] dozens of other protesters blocked the entrance to the room, forcing event organizers to relocate to another venue.

On the same date, SJP ASU posted to Instagram a photo of the activists and wrote: “Whether it’s ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] or IDF, agents of genocide and oppression are not welcome on campus. Thank you to all who helped us make that clear tonight.

Harris retweeted a January 26, 2020 tweet by SJP ASU that said: “MEETING TOMORROW!! It’s short notice, but we have a lot planned for the upcoming month and semester. Come by and join the conversation as we plan our next events!” The tweet had a photo of the Palestinian flag with the words “Students for Justice in Palestine” at its top and general information for the meeting, etc.

Harris retweeted a February 8, 2020 tweet by SJP ASU that said: “SJP will be headed to Tucson to attend this talk with Professor Noam Chomsky! If you are interested in going or would like to help carpool, please reach out to us!”

Supporting BDS

Harris retweeted a November 7, 2019 tweet by SJP ASU that said: “The Boycott, Divest, & Sanctions movement works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law…”

Harris retweeted a November 14, 2019 tweet that said: “Next Phoenix area APSA [Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance] meeting will be on Wed No 20th. Link up with your local BDS crew!...”

Harris retweeted a November 8, 2019 tweet that said: “...Both Israel and the U.S. provide each other with new ways to oppress and occupy indigenous lands. These issues are deeply connected. #BDS.”

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.