Rana Khalil
Overview
Rana Khalil has promoted intifada, defended terrorists, shared anti-Israel libels and spread hatred of Israel.Khalil is a member of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) at the University of Ottawa (UOttawa)’s Facebook group: “SPHR Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights uOttawa 2018-2019.” SPHR is an alternative name for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Khalil is also a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Khali was an activist with the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at UOttawa, and a member of the “Uomsa-Sisters Halaqa” Facebook group since February 2014.
As of May 2018, Khalil’s LinkedIn page said she was pursuing a master’s degree in Computer Science at UOttawa, and was slated to graduate in 2018. Her LinkedIn also said she completed her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics at UOttawa in 2016.
Khalil’s LinkedIn also listed her as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at UOttawa since September 2016.
As of May 6, 2018, Khalil’s Facebook profile photo featured a Handala graphic. Handala is a cartoon representing a demand known as the Palestinian “right of return” to Israel.
Promoting Intifada
On July 25, 2014, Khalil shared a post by Imam Omar Suleiman to Facebook that called for a “Third Intifada” to destroy “Zionism.” His post declared: “God willing on this blessed night as the 3rd Intifada begins, the beginning of the end of Zionism is here.”The post continued: “May Allah help us overcome this monster, protect the innocent of the world, and accept the murdered as martyrs. Ameen #48kMarch #3rdIntifada #FreePalestine.”
Since the early 2000’s, the term “intifada” has carried the connotation of violence.
Defending Terrorists
On May 14, 2012, Khalil updated her cover photo to an image of a Palestinian prisoner in jail, with the caption: “In Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners. Hunger Strike for Dignity.” On that same day, Khalil shared a poster in Arabic to Facebook in support of the hunger strikers.Khalil also shared to Facebook a list of prisoners participating in the 2012 Palestinian prisoners hunger strike, adding: “The Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike need your help, please share this with your friends to spread awareness about the biggest hunger strike in history.”
Also participating was Hamas military commander, Abdullah al-Barghouti— who was sentenced to serve 67 life sentences for his significant role in multiple terrorist attacks, including the Sbarro Cafe Bombing of 2001, which murdered 15 people and wounded more than 120.
Another hunger striker was Palestinian terrorist Samer Issawi — who received a 26 year prison sentence for shooting at Hebrew University students and Israeli police in 2002, as well as for manufacturing and distributing pipe bombs.
Also among the 2000 Palestinian hunger strikers was Khader Adnan, a senior member of PIJ. A 2007 YouTube video showed Adnan praising and encouraging suicide bombings: “Who among you will carry the next explosive belt? Who among you will fire the next bullets? Who among you will have his body parts blown all over?”
On May 15, 2012, Khalil shared an articleon Facebook celebrating the future release of Halahleh and Diab.
On December 18, 2012, Khalil posted to Facebook a letter authored by Issawi describing his hunger strike and complaining that he “was detained for no apparent reason.”
On January 10, 2013, Khalil posted to Facebook a letter to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from Issawi’s mother calling for Western media attention to highlight Issawi’s “plight.”
On November 19, 2012, during Operation Pillar of Defense (OPD), Khalil posted to Facebook a photo of a person holding a sign defending Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.
The sign said “You take my water, burn my olive trees, destroy my house, take my job, imprison my father, kill my mother, bomb my country, starve us all, humiliate us all, but I am to blame: I shot a rocket back.”
Israel launched OPD to stop Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli civilians from Gaza. Over the course of eight days in November 2012, Palestinian terrorist groups fired more than 1,500 rockets at Israel. The majority struck Israel, damaging homes, schools and other civilian areas. Human Rights Watch noted: “Palestinian armed groups made clear in their statements that harming civilians was their aim.”
Anti-Israel Libels
On July 31, 2014, Khalil shared to Facebook a 2001 blood-libelpropagated by journalist Christopher Hedges, who claimed Israeli soldiers “enticed [Palestinian] children into a trap like mice and murdered them for sport.”On August 3, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge (OPE), Khalil shared a quote on Facebook accusing Israel of manipulating the media in order to “kill as many people” as possible.
Israel commenced Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
Khalil’s post also said that “Israel started this entire war [OPE] because they claimed that Hamas kidnapped and killed 3 soldiers. After war started on Gaza, Israel confessed that the 3 soldiers were not kidnapped by Hamas.“
Hamas was responsible for the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers from a bus stop on June 12, 2014. The abducted boys were murdered by their captors, and their bodies were found buried in Palestinian-controlled territory on June 30, 2014.
On May 16, 2015, Khalil shared a misleading series of maps on Facebook suggesting that Israel stole Palestinian land, and added: “Palestine before and now. #whereisthejustice.”
In October 2015, the United States cable news network MSNBC apologized for airing a similar series of maps and retracted them. In February 2016, publisher McGraw-Hill Education recalled copies of a college level textbook that contained the fraudulent maps.
Spreading Hatred of Israel
Also on May 16, 2015, Khalil shared on Facebook, a picture and quote from Imam Omar Suleiman, writing: “#Nakba The Palestinian exodus. 67 years. Over 4 million acres of land stolen. Hundreds of thousands massacred. 7 million refugees.” The quote also included the hashtags “#ResistOccupation #BDS #FreePalestine #ICC4Israel.”On August 5, 2014, Khalil shared to Facebook a graphic of two children, labeled Gaza and Syria, kneeling in blood and huddling together, while two rockets aimed directly at them approached. The caption read: “To Israel and Assad - stop killing innocent children. -Admin.”
On August 1, 2014, Khalil shared to Facebook a post that said: “Don't know what's going to happen, but some kind of Karma is going to hit Israel. You can't slaughter innocent children and get away with it.”
On July 31, 2014, Khalil shared a post to Facebook that said: “أيضاً: #بوليفيا تعلن #إسرائيل دولة إرهابية وتلغي اتفاقاً مع تل أبيب.. أما آن للدول الإسلامية أن تتخذ موقفاً يرضي ربنا، ويحفظ ماء وجوهنا #غزة [“Also: #Bolivia announces #Israel a terrorist state and cancels an agreement with Tel Aviv.. Isn’t it time for Islamic countries to take a position that satisfies our God, and saves us face #Gaza".]”
On the same day Khalil posted to Facebook:”Bolivia declares #israel a TERRORIST state” and added: “#freepalestine #gazaunderattack.”
On July 18, 2014, Khalil posted to Facebook: “Israel's use of Palestinian Human sheilds [sic.]. #freepalestine #israel.”
Throughout the summer of 2014 — during OPE — Hamas's deployment of human shields was extensively documented and publicized. Hamas encouraged Gazans to act as human shields to frustrate Israeli efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza.
On July 10, 2014, Khalil posted to Facebook: “ أنا ابن فلسطين واليها أنتمي ولو علقوني على المشانق لن أنحني خلقت ثائر لا أعرف هويتي ,فأقسمت أن أدافع عن قضيتي [I’m the son of Palestine and to it I belong even if they hang me by the rope I will not bend I was created a revolutionary not knowing my identity, so I swore to defend by cause Palestine] PALESTINE
”On November 19, 2012, during Operation Pillar of Defense (OPD), Khalil posted a YouTube video to Facebook titled: “Gaza is a massacre.” The video accused [00:03:03] Israel of “committing a massacre, the murder of F**king children” and [00:00:24] a “genocide of the F**king Palestinian people.”
The video referred [00:05:15] to Gaza as an “open prison” and claimed that Israel carpet bombed it.
The video also accused [00:03:29] Israel of apartheid, beatings and murder, and [00:01:13] “terrorizing” Palestinians “for decades.”
Khalil commented: “I completely agree with this guy!! I don't agree with all the swearing but I can understand his anger and frustration!”
On the same day, Khalil shared to Facebook a Youtube video titled: “UK Jewish MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza.” Khalil commented: “This guy speaks the truth!”
Anti-Israel Activism
In July 2014, Khalil promoted on Facebookan anti-Israel protest condemning OPE. The event was titled “Rally Against Israeli brutality“ and characterized OPE as “ongoing collective punishment of Palestinians” for the June 12 disappearance and killing of 3 Israeli settlers.” Khalil also promoted two days earlier.The protest was hosted by Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) at Carleton University. SAIA is an alternative name for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
On March 18, 2012, Khalil promoted the “Benefit Dinner - Global March to Jerusalem” event to her Facebook page. The event description of the march claimed: “The march will confirm that the policies and practices of the racist Zionist state of Israel against Jerusalem and its people, are a crime not only against Palestinians but against all humanity.”
On that same day, Khalil changed her Facebook profile photo to a poster advertising the “Benefit Dinner - Global March to Jerusalem.”
Khalil also promoted the event to two Facebook groups, adding “I'm selling tickets for the Benefit Dinner” and “Lets show our support for Palestine!”
GMJ
The Global March to Jerusalem (GMJ) is an initiative calling for the international community to march annually on Jerusalem in order “to end the Zionist policies of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and Judaisation, which all harm the people, land and sanctity of Jerusalem.”
GMJ insists that archeology showing Judaism’s ancient and consistent connection to Jerusalem is a “dangerous plot” and that Jewish residence in East Jerusalem is nefarious.
Supporting BDS
On March 7, 2018, Khalil asked on SPHR UOttawa’s “Say Yes to BDS” Facebook event page: “Are graduate students at the University of Ottawa allowed to attend?”The event promoted a BDS resolution at UOttawa.
When she was informed that only undergraduate students could attend and vote.
Khalil added: “Let me know if I can help in any other way. I really hope the vote passes!”
On July 16, 2014, Khalil shared an article titled: “Israeli finance minister expresses boycott fears” to Facebook and added “YES!” and “#freepalestine #israel.”
On July 17, 2014, Khalil shared a post on Facebook that read: “Chile has done what no other country has dared to & suspended trade with Israel for its atrocities in Gaza #VivaChile #GazaUnderAttack #Gaza.” Khalil added: “First of many God willing!
:D #freepalestine #israel.”SPHR UOttawa
As of June 2007, Students for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) at UOttawa (SPHR UOttowa)’s Mission Statement said the group was committed to the “struggle against the colonialist and imperialist policies of the Israeli government and the ideology upon which the state was formed.”In 2018, SPHR UOttowa worked closely with Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) and the Revolutionary Students Movement (RSM) at UOttawa to host anti-Israel campus events. These events included Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) and a divestment initiative.
On March 29, 2018, as part of IAW, SPHR UOttawa promoted on Facebook a film screening hosted by RSM that celebrated terrorist Leila Khaled.
SPHR UOttawa's Facebook post referred to Khaled as a “Palestinian revolutionary who became a household name after she became the first woman to hijack a plane.”
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.
Khalida Jarrar is a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization. She has reportedly been the head of the PFLP in the West Bank since 2016. In 2015, an Israeli military court sentenced Jarrar to 15 months in prison for calling to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Israel arrested Jarrar again in 2017 “on suspicion of involvement with terrorist activities and violent public disturbances.” In 2019, she was arrested by Israel with 50 other PFLP operatives following a deadly 2018 bombing attack.
SPHR UOttawa - Co-opting the SFUO
In January 2017, the Students Federation at the University of Ottawa (SFUO) co-hosted IAW with SPHR UOttawa. Dhilal Alhaboob — an administrator for SPHR UOttawa’s Facebook group — served as SFUO’s “Campaigns Organizer” from August 2016 through March 2017.At the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year, Leila Moumouni-Tchouassi — a member of SPHR UOttawa’s Facebook group and Vice-President of Equity (VP Equity) for the SFUO — attempted [00:18:37] to strip Hillel Ottawa (UOttawa Hillel) and the Israeli Awareness Committee (IAC) of their club status.
After UOttawa Hillel and the IAC informed [01:32:41] the SFUO that [00:20:10] they would take legal action against it, their club status was reinstated.
On March 13, 2018, during the SFUO General Assembly (GA)’s winter session, Moumouni-Tchouassi explained that she tried to shut [01:34:20] the clubs down for “being pro-Israeli.”
Moumouni-Tchouassi defended [01:34:36] her decision to remove their club status "because of the stance that the SFUO has taken over time [...] for BDS" adding [01:43:11] that the SFUO “has taken pro-BDS stances in the past.”
When asked for clarification, Moumouni-Tchouassi said [01:43:19] “the SFUO has had actions, has made statements, has done pro-BDS work.” When pressed, Moumouni-Tchouassi added [01:43:26] “actions meaning protests, meaning statements - through the SFUO statements have been made, things like that.”
SPHR/IJV/RSM UOttawa - Pushing BDS
On November 5, 2017, Moumouni-Tchouassi — a member of SPHR UOttawa’s Facebook group and SFUO Vice-President of Equity — proposed [00:02:45] a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) resolution during a SFUO Board of Administration (SFUO BOA) meeting.Students were notified of the upcoming resolution vote only two days prior, on a Friday, hours before the onset of the Jewish Sabbath.
The resolution sought to amend the SFUO policy handbook to explicitly adopt and promote BDS. The initial BDS motion read, “The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa will support [the BDS] movement as well as take a Pro-Palestine stance.”
However, before the vote took place, Moumouni-Tchouassi proposed an amendment, changing the wording of the resolution to read “the SFUO will divest from industries and companies who actively support war and occupation including the apartheid regime of the State of Israel against the Palestinian population.”
The BOA rejected the amendment. Following pushback, Moumouni-Tchouassi amended [01:14:00] the resolution to remove all references to BDS. The amended resolution committed the SFUO to do “all in its power to peacefully resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
On March 13, 2018, SPHR, IJV and RSM at UOttawa jointly proposed a divestment initiative, during the SFUO General Assembly (SFOU GA)’s winter session.
The proposal called for the SFUO to divest from companies “complicit in violation of Palestinian human rights,” to boycott Israeli artists and to “work for the cancellation of all forms of cooperation with Israeli academic institutions.”
The divestment proposal failed to garner the required two-thirds majority to pass, with 241 votes for and 231 votes against.
After the vote, SPHR posted on Facebook ”... this moment remains a victory for all students who stand in solidarity with Palestinian human rights.”
On March 25, 2018, SPHR UOttawa attempted to push the failed BDS motion at another SFUO BOA meeting. Once more, it failed to reach the two-thirds majority necessary to pass the resolution.
The following day, UOttawa President and Vice-Chancellor, Jacques Frémont, released a statement strongly denouncing the SFUO BDS campaign:
“This issue is divisive and a detriment to an open and welcoming campus environment,” said Frémont. “The University of Ottawa will have no part of the BDS movement nor any movement that boycotts academic institutions.”
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.
MSA
The MSA was established by members of the Muslim Brotherhood in January 1963 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with the goal of "spreading Islam as students in North America." A 2004 FBI investigation uncovered an internal Muslim Brotherhood document in which a brotherhood leader identified the MSA as "one of our organizations."
The MSA reportedly has “nearly 600 chapters” located in the United States and Canada, and is “the most visible and influential Islamic student organization in North America,” boasting conferences, special events, publications, websites and other activities.
The organization includes a number of previous chapter presidents with explicit links to terrorist groups. Included are al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki (Colorado State University), Somali al-Shabaab militant leader Omar Shafik Hammami (University of South Alabama) and Pakistani Taliban recruiter Ramy Zamzam of the MSA's Washington, D.C. council.
