Raphael Eissa

Overview

Raphael Eissa [Raphael Mina Eissa] has incited violence against Zionists. Eissa also celebrated and defended the Hamas terror group on the day it massacred 1,200 Israeli Jews.

Eissa has spread an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, expressed support for terrorists, showed support for violent riots, led a disruption of a campus event and promoted hatred of Israel.

Eissa was reportedly the president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Georgia (UGA) during the 2018 academic year. SJP UGA was previously known as Athens for Justice in Palestine (AJP).

Eissa attended the 2019 National SJP Conference at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (UMN) as well as the 2018 National SJP Conference at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

As of December 2020, Eissa reportedly served on the Steering Committee for National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), where he supported “Palestine solidarity organizing on college campuses across the country.”

National SJP held their conference at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (UMN), from November 1-3, 2019. The conference was themed: “Beyond Struggle: From Roots to Branches Towards Liberation.”

Eissa was reportedly an organizer for the 2017 National SJP Conference at the University of Houston (UH). He also attended and helped SJP UGA fundraise for the 2016 National SJP Conference, held at George Mason University (GMU).

Eissa is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of December 2023, Eissa’s LinkedIn profile said he had been a “Project Coordinator” at the Center for Justice at Columbia University (Columbia) in New York, New York, since May 2021.

As of June 2022, Eissa’s LinkedIn said he was a Youth Organizing and Research Coordinator at Deep Center, a non-profit organization located in Savannah, GA, from September 2020 to May 2021. His LinkedIn also said that he was a Global Institute of Human Rights (GIHR) Participant at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (Penn Law) from June to July 2020.

As of June 2022, Eissa’s LinkedIn said he was an Intern with Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) from August 2015 to January 2018 where he “Spearheaded [a] project contextualizing human rights violations in Israel.” FOSNA is an anti-Israel organization that promotes BDS, primarily in Protestant churches.

Also, according to his LinkedIn, Eissa received a bachelor’s degree from the School of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia (UGA) in “Political Science & International Affairs w/Certificate in Global Studies, Political Science and Government,” in 2018.

Also, as of June 2022, Eissa used the handle “@pharaoniye” on Facebook and the handle “@ithemighty” on Instagram.

As of the same date, Eissa went by the name “Ⲣⲁⲫⲁⲏⲗ (Raphael)” and used the handle “@cvltistkid” on Twitter. As of July 3, 2022, Eissa went by the alias "tehe" and used the handle "@ithemightyy" on Twitter.

Inciting Violence Against Zionists

As of June 6, 2022, Eissa’s Twitter bio said: "punch your local Zionist!"

On May 12, 2021, Eissa tweeted: “I believe in bullying Zionists

.”

On March 17, 2021, Eissa tweeted: “There are a number of things I want to escape, including the Arab diaspora’s inability to recognize its class(ist) dimensions (so many of y’all are...so rich), the itch to actively fight and threaten Zionists 24/7, and being paranoid about being monitored by my employer.”

On July 5, 2020, Eissa tweeted: “Zionists are just so punchable. So, so punchable.”

Celebrating Hamas Terrorism

On October 7, 2023, on the day Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 Israeli Jews, Eissa tweeted: “The era of the fedayeen returns and Zionism reaps what it has sown for over a century, inshallah this marks a new beginning for the resistance.”

Fedayeen is an Arabic term “used to refer to various military groups willing to sacrifice themselves for a larger campaign.”

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. Zionism is a core part of the identity of most Jews.

On Saturday, October 7, 2023, approximately 2,900 heavily armed Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s border with Gaza. They executed numerous war crimes on civilians, including mass murder, beheadings of children, rape of men and women, torture, kidnappings and mutilation.

Hamas broadcast videos of their butchery on social media, often to victims’ accounts for families to see. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.” As of November 10, 2023, approximately 1,200 Israelis, the vast majority of them civilians, were murdered during the attacks. Hamas kidnapped 242 Israelis, including at least 30 children. At least 3,500 people were wounded, many severely.

A terrorist detained by Israel admitted he raped an Israeli woman when he broke into a kibbutz house during the October 7, 2023 attack. In March 2024, a former hostage of Hamas publicly stated she was sexually abused and tortured while in captivity.

For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.

Defending Hamas

On October 7, 2023, Eissa tweeted: “There is literally no proof resistance fighters have engaged in sexual violence, stop regurgitating Zionist propaganda for them.”

On May 27, 2015, Eissa tweeted: “So Israel's senseless destruction of civilian lives and lands in Gaza is further justified when they can constantly claim ‘Hamas is there.’” Eissa’s tweet came a day after a Grad rocket was fired into Israel from Gaza.

On the same day, Eissa tweeted: “Israel's bombing of ‘terror infrastructures’ in Gaza should be noted in the context of Israeli rhetoric regarding ‘human shields.’” Eissa continued: “That is, Israel bombs these locations based on the claims that there exist Hamas militants within these homes, hospitals, etc.”

During Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, Hamas forced journalists to conceal its war crimes when reporting from Gaza. However, multiple news sources exposed Hamas's exploitation of civilian infrastructure to attack Israel, as well as Hamas's use of human shields to frustrate Israel’s efforts to avoid civilian casualties.

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

Spreading an Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theory

On September 19, 2017, Eissa shared on Facebook an SJP UGA post that suggested Israel was to blame for the death of Scout Schultz, a student at Georgia Tech who was reportedly shot by a Georgia Tech police officer, after Schultz heckled the officer while brandishing a knife and refused to drop his weapon. The officer’s training records reportedly did not indicate that he had any training in crisis intervention techniques.

SJP UGA’s post claimed: “Georgia Tech police are taught militarization tactics through the GILEE program hosted in Israel-- law enforcement is taught to kill, not deescalate, and to assault the bodies of those whose identities are an inherent risk, in the same way that Israeli law enforcement daily attacks indigenous Palestinians.”
Eissa also commented on the post: “#EndTheDeadlyExchange” promoting acampaign titled “Deadly Exchange.”

In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange” (DX) campaign, accusing American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses by coordinating exchange programs between American and Israeli security personnel to advance “worst practices" and racist policies. The campaign blamed [00:04:04] Jewish organizations for violence against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.

On March 18, 2020, Eissa tweeted: “Israel collaborates with right-wing regimes worldwide, sharing repressive strategies and tools. Our movements against racism and for freedom can only defeat this globalized repression by joining forces. #UnitedAgainstRacism.”

Supporting Terrorists

On February 18, 2025, Eissa posted on X: “I was angry at my body last week for getting sick again, which provoked high blood sugar for a number of days…but then I remembered that Ghassan Kanafani was also a Type 1 Diabetic as well and it really did lighten my spirit

.”

Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during the terrorist organization’s early years. Kanafani announced the PFLP’s responsibility for the Lod Airport Massacre of May 1972 and was linked to the airport attackers. The attack killed 26 people and wounded 80 others.

On November 23, 2016, Eissa glorified Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh, tweeting: “The case of Rasmea Odeh, a #Palestinian Hero: http://justice4rasmea.org/about/#Justice4Rasmea.”

Odeh was a key military operative with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization. In 1969, she masterminded a PFLP supermarket bombing that killed two college students. She also attempted to bomb the British consulate in Jerusalem. Odeh later moved to the United States but was deported to Jordan in 2017 for immigration fraud.

On January 27, 2016,Eissa posted “#JusticeforRasmea” on Facebook.

On May 22, 2017, Eissa tweeted and posted to Facebook: “1,600+ Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike for the 36th day. Stand with them as they demand an end to the abuse. #DignityStrike36."

Terrorist Marwan Barghouti was sentenced to five consecutive life terms for some of his crimes, including his role in the Sbarro Cafe bombing. In 2017, he initiated the hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners known as the “Dignity Strike.” He headed the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which carried out many terror attacks against Israeli civilians.

Supporting Violent Protests

On April 1, 2018, Eissa posted a photo of himself on Facebook with a frame that said: “THE GREAT MARCH OF RETURN PERSISTS UNTIL VICTORY #StandWithGaza.”

On March 30, 2018, about 30,000 Gazans approached Israel’s border fence to join in “Land Day Protests,” which were also called the “March of Return.” The march was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the “right of return,” a policy discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.

Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] the March of Return protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of Israel’s border fence, some by armed Palestinians. One Hamas leader declared [00:00:30]: “We will take down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”

On May 15, 2018, Eissa retweeted a tweet that said: “Nikki Haley is on tv talking about Hamas being responsible for the Palestinians protesting yesterday. These people had no weapons. They had tires to burn. There was a dead baby. ....”

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.

March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Participants also attempted to breach the border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire. Agitators also threw Molotov cocktails and firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks.

On May 24, 2018, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said it removed eight-month-old Layla al-Ghandour’s name from a list of people killed by Israeli troops. The child reportedly died from tear-gas inhalation during the 2018 “March of Return,” though it was later revealed that the child had a pre-existing medical condition.

In June 2018, al-Ghandour’s cousin reportedly admitted that Hamas paid the family to claim the baby was killed by Israeli tear gas, rather than a fatal blood condition that runs in the family.

Eissa also retweeted a May 15, 2018 tweet that linked to an article by The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies titled: “Palestine | The massacre must stop: Israel slaughters civilians calling for basic rights on the 70th anniversary of Al Nakba.”

On May 14, 2018, Eissa wrote on Facebook: “AT LEAST 50 INNOCENT PEOPLE EXECUTED AND THOUSANDS INJURED BY ISRAEL IN GAZA TODAY. THIS IS A MASSACRE AND WE ARE COMPLICIT. MAY THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE FIND JUSTICE AND MAY THE SETTLER-COLONIAL STATE BE DISMANTLED ONCE AND FOR ALL.”

Eissa retweeted a May 14, 2018 tweet that read: “What ‘Hamas violence,’ you f**king coward?”

Eissa’s retweet was in response to a tweet by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders that read: “Over 50 killed in Gaza today and 2,000 wounded, on top of the 41 killed and more than 9,000 wounded over the past weeks. This is a staggering toll. Hamas violence does not justify Israel firing on unarmed protesters.”

On May 5, 2019, Eissa shared a video on Facebook from the Great Return March Facebook group and commented: “The Zionist entity has no right to exist.”

The violent riots during the “March of Return” continued into 2019 and included armed protesters using gunfire, penetrating Israeli territory, launching incendiary kites into Israel and throwing IEDs, hand grenades and Molotov cocktails. Some of the attacks were carried out by Hamas operatives.

On March 30, 2020, Eissa tweeted: “... On this #PalestineLandDay, I am taking the time to honor the hundreds of Palestinians martyred during the #GreatReturnMarch in their struggle to return to their lands. I stand with the oppressed— and I always will.”

Leading Disruptions

On February 26, 2018, Eissa led [00:00:07] a disruption of an event hosted by UGA’s chapter of Students Supporting Israel (SSI) titled: “SSI at UGA Presents: The Story of Israeli Minorities.”

The event’s Facebook description said: “Muslims, Christians, Israeli- Bedouins and Druze are flying out together on a delegation of the NGO Reservists on Duty...Their main goal is to share their personal stories as minorities in Israel, some will share their choice to serve in the IDF or to volunteer for a National Service.”

During the event, Eissa interrupted the panelists and shouted [00:00:08] “Today, the members of the Israeli Occupation Forces standing here continue this campaign of ethnic cleansing through apartheid and military occupation.” Eissa chanted [00:00:16] “Free free Palestine” as he walked out of the room.

On July 15, 2019, Eissa indicated on Facebook that he helped organize a July 8, 2019 disruption of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s speech at the Christians United For Israel's (CUFI) annual summit in Washington, D.C.

The stated mission of CUFI is “to speak and act with one voice in defense of Israel and the Jewish people,” as well as to engage in “confronting indifference and combatting anti-Semitism in all its forms wherever it may be found.”

On July 9, 2019, Eissa shared a FOSNA post on Facebook that included a video of the CUFI disruption and commented: “...It was an intense ride, but a fulfilling one which showed the Christian Zionist establishment that people of conscience are here to resist, disrupt, and take the space we need to say: Zionism is racism!”

In the video, FOSNA executive director Tarek Abuata disrupted VP Mike Pence’s remarks and shouted [00:00:02]: “Zionism is racism” and continued to shout as he was escorted from the premises. Other activists also attempted [00:00:09] to shout down the scheduled speakers on [00:00:24] several occasions.

According to a July 9, 2019 FOSNA press release, FOSNA claimed that the disruption was organized “in protest of CUFI's unabashed support for military occupation and apartheid policies at the cost of Palestinian rights and self-determination” and “in protest of growing alliances between Zionism and white supremacy and the abuse of Christian theology.”

Promoting Hatred of Israel

On November 9, 2023, Eissa tweeted: “Death to Zionism and if you can’t say that you’re a f**king coward.”

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 October 17, 2023, ten days after Hamas attacked Israel, Eissa tweeted: “...May Israel be wiped away, blotted out, and forgotten…”

On May 11, 2022, Eissa tweeted: “‘Death to Isr*el’ and ‘Isr*el has no right to exist’ are principled declarations that we should all be saying with our chests, loudly and publicly.”

On May 15, 2018, Eissa posted to Facebook accusing Israel of “nearly a century of dispossession, ethnic cleansing, slaughter, r*pe, and apartheid under the auspices of the global community.”

Eissa continued: “How are some people choosing not to demand an end to our subsidization of a grotesque settler-colonial project? How much more suffering is necessary? Israel must fall. Enough is enough.”

Eissa retweeted a May 14, 2018 tweet that read: “The fruit of Zionism is death. That’s obvious, right?”

On May 8, 2018, Eissa tweeted: “'67 all over again, f**k Israel dude.”

On September 4, 2017, Eissa tweeted that “... Israel's process of ethnic cleansing functions through genocide” in Gaza.

Eissa retweeted a March 26, 2017 tweet referring to Israeli actress Gal Gadot that read: “Gal spent 2 yrs in IDF enforcing Israel's genocidal policies. Attacked children & the elderly, too.”

On February 19, 2017, Eissa tweeted a link to a FOSNA report called: “Israeli Apartheid.” The previous day Eissa had posted the same report to his Facebook page.

Eissa indicated on his LinkedIn page that he “spearheaded” the project.

On January 5, 2017, Eissa wrote on Facebook: “God always be puttin Zionists next to me in all my classes with group work smh [shaking my head] don't deserve this.”

On September 17, 2014, Eissa, along with 35 other AJP activists, attended an anti-Israel protest condemning Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE).

Demonstrators held signs and placards that read: “Zionism is Racism” and “Stand up against Israeli Apartheid.”

On September 9, 2014, Eissa tweeted: “F**k Israel to the ends of the Earth.”

On that same day, Eissa tweeted: “Anyone wanna make signs that say ‘We s**t on Israel’ and ‘Israel wants more dead children’ with me????”

Supporting BDS

On November 19, 2019, Eissa tweeted: “#DeactivateAirBnB for supporting Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism!”

In April 2019, the Airbnb Inc. apartment rental company decided to reinstate its listings of Jewish homes in the West Bank after banning Jewish property owners from advertising on its site in November 2018.

On March 22, 2019, Eissa shared a post by Brown University Divest (Brown Divest) announcing the passage of a divestment referendum at Brown University and wrote: “Power and strength to Brown comrades who have successfully divested from Israeli war crimes! Anotherone for the books

”

In their Facebook post, Brown Divest wrote: “The referendum passed with 69% of the vote.” Less than 28% of those students eligible to vote, voted in favor of the divestment.

On October 22, 2015, Eissa tweeted that BDS was “a viable method of holding Israel accountable for its continued crimes.”

SJP (AJP) Activism

In April 2018, while the President of SJP at UGA, Eissa reportedly led SJP activists in protesting IsraelFest, an Israeli Independence Day celebration at UGA.

SJP at UGA activists reportedly held up a banner that said: “Israel expelled 750,000 Palestinians in 1948.”

Eissa was quoted saying: “much of the culture being celebrated as Israeli was actually Palestinian” and “They’re taking the food, playing the music, all the while dehumanizing the people that created it and gave it to the region.”

SJP at UGA’s protest included “three large wooden panels” that were “meant to represent the Israeli West Bank barrier.”

Israel’s security barrier, 97 percent of which is a low chain-link barrier, was built as a deterrent to Palestinian terror attacks. The concrete portions of the fence were built in response to Palestinian sniper attacks.

The panels were also featured as part of SJP at UGA’s Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) 2018, held April 9 -11, 2018.

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is presented internationally as a “series of events that seeks to raise awareness of…Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people.” One of its goals is to build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. IAW has been renamed Palestine Awareness Week.

Eissa reportedly said: “For SJP, the week is meant to highlight parallels between current conditions in Israel and the period of apartheid in South Africa.”

On November 16, 2015, Eissa was tagged in a photo of an AJP-hosted event featuring New York-based poet and writer Remi Kanazi.

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.

The event’s Facebook description said that “100% of the proceeds will go towards the charity organization, ‘Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF).”

The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) is a nonprofit organization reportedly set up to “provide urgent humanitarian care for Gaza’s children.” It has been financially linked with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), which was shut down by the U.S. government for funneling donations to the Hamas terrorist organization.

Attending the 2019 National SJP Conference

On November 1, 2019, Eissa tweeted: “Can’t even express how full I feel this year, full of love and joy and solidarity and warmth, with my comrades at the @NationalSJP conference this year”

Attending the National SJP 2018 Conference

On November 22, 2018, Eissa was tagged in a group photo of National SJP 2018 Conference steering committee members. The photo was posted on Facebook by National SJP 2018 steering committee member, Sarah Soliman. Soliman commented: “NSJP 2018 steering; I love you all, such an inspiring and resilient family.

”

On November 19, 2018, Eissa also appeared in a general group photo taken during the National SJP conference.

On the same day, Eissa wrote on Facebook: “So tired, but so proud. A better world is possible, and 500+ student organizers gathered for the sake of it. 2018 National SJP Conference is over.

” and shared a group photo taken during the National SJP conference.

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 Student 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.