Reem Zaitoon

Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza. 

On May 6, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “ISRAEL MUST BE BROUGHT TO ITS KNEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Violent Hatred of Zionists

On November 5, 2016, Zaitoon tweeted from the 2016 National SJP Conference: “Announcer at NSJP: There's police here for our safety bc [because] there are people who are upset & angry that we are here Me: I'll f**k up a Zionist.”

On January 3, 2018, Zaitoon responded to a Canary Mission call of attention to her November 5, 2016 tweet and reaffirmed: “Yes I did. I’d f**k up a Zionist in ‘16 & we’re still doing it in 2018…” 

That same day, Zaitoon retweeted a tweet that said: “‘I’d f**k up a Zionist’ - @reemzaitoon_ LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED HELP SIS IM READY TO THROW THESE HANDS.”

Zaitoon testified in January 2018 during a debate about a resolution then before the Florida House of Representatives. The resolution, numbered HR 2017, resolved: “That the State of Florida recognizes the historical, religious, and cultural importance of Jerusalem and supports both the recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and the relocation of the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.” 

In her testimony, Zaitoon said [00:02:22] to Jewish Florida State Representative Randy Fine, a co-sponsor of the resolution: “there will be no true peace and safety for any of your constituents so long as resolutions like this that refused to be aware of the situation in Palestine are passed.”

Fine reportedly responded: “‘I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anything as offensive as what we just heard. If I heard right, the previous speaker [Zaitoon] basically threatened our constituents with terrorism if we voted for this bill.’”

Spreading Anti-Semitism

On May 15, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “F**k all American Jews still struggling to come out of their comforts & upset their families for going vehemently for Palestine. F**k your silence now then and in the hereafter. Don’t need y’all actually. Just Zionists in disguise.”

On May 12, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “Palestinians are being holocausted before the world.”

On September 18, 2016, Zaitoon tweeted: “Palestinian lawyer prosecuting in Jewish court: yil3an al yahoud [May God curse the Jews]hahaha.”

Zaitoon also retweeted a September 18, 2016 tweet that read: “Judge: Does the defense have an opening statement? Palestinian lawyer: Yes your honor, yil3an al yahood [May Allah Curse the Jews].”

Glorifying Terrorists

On November 8, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “I am tweeting in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers, Kayed, Miqdad, Alaa, Hisham, Ayyad and Loay. Join me! Copy and paste this tweet, and quote retweet with the hashtags #FreeThemAll 

# معركة_الامعاء_الخاوية [#The_battle_of_empty_stomachs].”

On September 10, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “Power and progress to the Palestinian resistance and movement inside and outside the prisons, may we see successful rioting and striking across the land!!!! #GilboaPrisonBreak #FreeThemAll #Palestine.”

On September 6, 2021, six Palestinian prisoners escaped from the maximum-security Gilboa Prison in northern Israel. Following a 10-day manhunt, all the escaped prisoners were recaptured and imprisoned by Israeli authorities.
 
The escaped prisoners were convicted members of the terror organizations Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of Fatah, the main group in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
 
They were convicted and sentenced for their involvement in terror attacks carried out during the second intifada, which was characterized by more than 120 suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians on buses and in cafes.

On December 6, 2019, Zaitoon tweeted: “Ty [Thank you] for not laughing at my Ghassan Kanafani scholarship entry & for giving me real feedback ty [Thank you] .”

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 July 22, 2019, Zaitoon tweeted: “I’m literally hyperventilating rn [right now] at that copy of PFLP[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine] mashallah [with God’s help] so amazing I love the Written Word.”

The PFLP — designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, Israel, the European Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Australia — pioneered aircraft hijackings to draw attention to their movement’s demands, most notably with the capture of an Air France plane in 1976.

The hijackers flew the plane to Entebbe, Uganda, where they separated nearly 100 Jewish passengers from the others and threatened to execute one Jew per hour. Israel, however, launched a successful commando raid to rescue the hostages.

The PFLP also claimed “credit” for the November 18, 2014 Har Nof Synagogue massacre — where PFLP operatives murdered six people with a gun, axes and a butcher knife during morning prayers. PFLP Gaza leader Hani Thawbta stated: “We declare full responsibility of the PFLP for the execution of this heroic operation..."  

On July 18, 2019, Zaitoon tweeted: “... Leila Khaled, an armed resistance fighter with the PFLP, was regarded as a ‘terrorist’ in western & oppressor eyes for hijacking planes,but her actions were brought on & necessitated bc [because] of occupation.”

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.  

On May 13, 2018, Zaitoon tweeted an image of Leila Khaled holding an assault rifle, adding: “‘So long as the imperialists globalize their systems, we will globalize as well.’- Leila Khaled.”

Promoting Incitement

On May 10, 2021, during OGW, Zaitoon tweeted: “GO HARDER FOR PALESTINE !!!!!
Zionists killing & injuring Palestinians in Al Aqsa now, in front of the world 
ISRAEL MUST BE BROUGHT TO ITS KNEES !!!!”

Also, on May 10, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “The violent frustration of being a mere online spectator of the genocide & horrific atrocities happening before us in #SheikhJarrah & Al Aqsa is truly unbearable.”

In May 2021, Palestinian violence erupted in anticipation of an Israel High Court ruling on eviction proceedings concerning over 70 Palestinian tenants illegally residing in Jewish-owned properties in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. 

Incitement surrounding Al-Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah were leading factors in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists firing over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at Israeli population centers from May 10 to 21, 2021. In response to rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel launched “Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW),” striking military targets in the terrorist-controlled enclave.

On June 29, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “Israel is currently demolishing Palestinian homes and stealing land. Don’t look away & don’t remain still!!! Twitter fingers hit retweet on all #SaveSilwan!!!! Reply with the hashtag here!!!!”

Calling for Intifada Violence

On June 10, 2018, Zaitoon featured on a podcast titled: “411 Teen: Students For Justice In Palestine,” produced by WFSU, FSU’s public media broadcast network.  

During the episode, Zaitoon said: [00:26:30] “The intifada was our right and it is our right and a means to survival, armed resistance… So when the Intifada happened, the Palestinians of course uplifted it and supported it… so yes, third Intifada let’s go. 

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.  

The second intifada (2000-2005) was characterized by more than 120 suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians on buses and in cafes.

Defending Violent Protesters

On May 14, 2018, Zaitoon led a rally organized by FSU SJP called: “EMERGENCY RALLY- JERUSALEM IS THE CAPITAL OF PALESTINE, END GAZA MASSACRES.” 

According to an article published on May 17, 2018 by LiberationNews.org, the newspaper for The Party for Socialism and Liberation and written by fellow SJP activist Shelby Shoup, the “May 14 gathering was organized as an emergency response to the massacre in Gaza.”


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.

At the FSU SJP event, Zaitoon reportedly addressed more than 20 people on behalf of SJP saying: “I come out here today… for two main reasons...First, for the ongoing massacres on Gaza and the Great Return March...”

On May 15, 2021, at another FSU SJP event, she reportedly announced that a Facebook Live video of the previous day’s event, posted on FSU SJP’s event page, had reached Gaza: “I have a connection in Gaza… He thanked me like, a thousand times saying that our videos—our organizing—has kept the people in Gaza coming out to the border every single day.”

On January 21, 2019, Zaitoon tweeted: “#GreatReturnMarch about to entire its one-year anniversary... Palestine teaches us that the very essence of our existence is to work to see the fall of the imperialists”.

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.

Demonizing Israel

On May 16, 2021, during OGW, Zaitoon tweeted: “How much longer #GenocideinGaza.”

On May 15, 2017, Zaitoon tweeted: “69 years of genocide, ethnic cleansing and war crimes perpetuated by an illegitimate state. Supported by the West. #NakbaRemembranceDay.”

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.

On May 13, 2017, Zaitoon tweeted: “En mis ojos, y en los ojos del mundo, Israel no es un país legítimo. Palestina es el país auténtico. [In my eyes and in the eyes of the world, Israel is not a legitimate country. Palestine is the authentic country.]”

Hatred of America

On January 24, 2018, when Zaitoon testifiedat the State of Florida House of Representatives Government Accountability Committee, she claimed [00:02:55] that the U.S and Israel are murderous states that “prey on the lives of black and brown people.”

On March 30, 2018, Zaitoon tweeted: “... that if there’s any country that’s going to get obliterated in the coming future it’s the United States, the imperialist murderer of the world.”

Zaitoon retweeted a September 11, 2021 tweet that read: “On 9/11, I’m thinking about the Holy Land Foundation which were under amerikkkan surveillance since the 90’s and were designated a ‘terrorist organization’ in december 2001.”

The term “Amerikkka” uses the initials of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a way to demonize America as “fascist or racist.”  

The Holy Land Five (HL5) were five individuals associated with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) indicted for funneling funds to Hamas in the guise of humanitarian aid. The men were all convicted and sentenced in 2009 to federal prison terms ranging from 15 to 65 years.

Endorsing Anti-Israel Agitators

On June 6, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “FLOOD ALL THE TIMELINES WITH MUNA AND MOHAMMED EL-KURD HIT RETWEET AGAIN AND AGAIN #FreeMuna #freemunaalkurd #SheikhJarrah.”

In May 2021, following a February 16, 2021 Israeli District Court ruling to evict over 70 Palestinian tenants illegally residing in Jewish-owned properties, Mohammed El-Kurd, an anti-Israel activist, returned from the United States to Israel,

On June 6, 2021, El Kurd’s twin sister, Muna El-Kurd, was detained by Israeli Police for participating in the Sheikh Jarrah riots. Also on June 6, 2021, Mohammed El-Kurd turned himself in for questioning by the Israeli police. Both were later released the same day.

Also on June 6, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “BLOW UP THE JERUSALEM POLICE STATION… I called and spoke (screamed) with an officer - DEMAND THAT THEY RELEASE MUNA NOW!!!! TELL THEM THE WORLD IS WATCHING AND THAT ISRAEL WILL SUFFER SHOULD ANYTHING HAPPEN TO MUNA OR MOHAMMED!!!!!!! #freemunaalkurd #Freemuna.”

On February 11, 2019, Zaitoon responded to one of several apologies by U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for making anti-Semitic remarks and wrote: “Nothing to apologize for, this was nothing they claim it was. This has nothing to do with anti-Semitism...This was exposure of the genocide Israel is presently committing.We are behind you- don’t ever stop.”

On July 29, 2017, Zaitoon tweeted birthday wishes to fellow SJP activist Samer Alhato, wishing him a “SMASHING DAY DESTROYING ZIONISTS.”

Alhato has promoted anti-Israel hatred to high school students, trivialized sexual assault, spread anti-Semitism, advocated for violence, mocked disabled children and spread anti-Black bigotry.

On November 5, 2016, Zaitoon shared to Twitter a photo of herself with Alhato and wrote: “I MET MY F**KING ROLE MODEL TODAY...THANK YOU FOR BEING WONDERFUL TO ME…”

FSU SJP - Opposing the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism 

Zaitoon signed a July 2020 open letter written by FSU students and alumni that called for fellow students and alumni to oppose FSU’s 72nd Student Senate Resolution #: 59.In December of 2019, FSU SJP launched a campaign to combat the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.

On December 16, 2019, FSU SJP posted on Facebook “Proud to co-sign ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻” and linked to a National SJP statement condemning then-U.S. President Trump’s executive order on combating anti-Semitism.

National SJP’s statement said they “explicitly condemn” the Trump administration’s “adoption of the IHRA [anti-Semitism] definition, which conflates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.” 

Several examples of anti-Semitism given in the IHRA’s definition relate to Israel, however the definition states: “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”

The IHRA’s definition was adopted by the U.S. State Department in 2016. Canada, Australia, Israel, Argentina and twenty-eight European countries have also adopted the definition.

Trump’s “Executive Order On Combating Anti-Semitism,” issued on December 11, 2019, stated that the IHRA anti-Semitism definition would be considered when enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as protection for Jews discriminated against based on ethnic, racial or national characteristics.

On July 7, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook urging students to oppose FSU’s 72nd Student Senate Resolution #: 59 that would recognize the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. The Facebook post called for students to join a Student Life & Academic Affairs (SLAA) committee Zoom meeting to express their opposition to the resolution.

The Facebook post also linked to a Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) letter that urged “governments, municipalities, universities and other institutions to reject the IHRA definition” of anti-Semitism. 

Later on July 7, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook that the resolution passed through the SLAA. The post said: “Settler-colonialism is racism. Apartheid is racism. Zionism is racism.” 

On July 8, 2020, FSU SJP posted to Facebook a “call-to-action email toolkit” to urge FSU student senators to vote no to the resolution. 

FSU SJP’s call-to-action toolkit claimed that implementing the IHRA definition “legitimizes the silencing and blacklisting of Palestinian students, allies and solidarity organizations” and that the definition’s examples of anti-Semitism related to Israel is “a way to shut down any criticism of Israel’s racist policies.”

On July 14, 2020, FSU SJP promoted on Facebook an open letter by FSU students & alumni that called for the resolution to “Replace the IHRA definition with a serious analysis of antisemitism that affirms the centrality of ending white supremacy in the struggle to end all related systems of oppression.”

On July 15, 2020, the FSU student senate held another Zoom meeting to vote on the 72nd Student Senate Resolution #: 59 which passed, with 26 votes in favor and 14 against resolution.
In the summer of 2020, Zaitoon expressed support for FSU SJP member, Ahmad Daraldik, who reportedly spread anti-Semitism online and created a website in 2016 that compared Israel to Nazi Germany.

Zaitoon signed a June 2020 FSU SJP statement in support of Daraldik.

On June 12, 2020, Zaitoon tweeted in defense of Daraldik and wrote: “A Palestinian member of FSU SJP is undergoing online smear campaigns by Zionists at his campus, who are also working to take away his position as Senate President - these signatures matter and help a lot!! Sign .”

That same day, Zaitoon commented on the Twitter post: “#ImWithAhmad.”

FSU SJP - Defending FSU SJP Activist Embroiled in Anti-Semitism Controversy  

On June 12, 2020, FSU SJP shared a statement on Facebook defending SJP activist Ahmad Daraldik following calls for his removal as FSU Student Senate President, after it was discovered that Daraldik shared anti-Semitic content on social media.

Daraldik, who was appointed Student Senate President at FSU in June 2020, faced calls for his removal when his social media posts and website were publicized. Daraldik retained his position after a vote by student senators at FSU.

Daraldik had assumed the presidency of the student senate on June 6, 2020 after presiding over an inappropriate student senate vote of no-confidence against fellow student Jack Denton, who was then Senate Student President. 

The FSU SJP statement claimed that the calls for Daraldik to be removed as Senate President were “racially and politically motivated to smear and silence Palestinian students and critics of the state of Israel” and “rooted in anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.”

The statement continued: “If SRR [FSU Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities] and/or Student Government staff take disciplinary action against Ahmad, Florida State University will be legitimizing anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia as well as weaponizing antisemitism to stifle free speech.” 

On July 24, 2020 BDS Report tweeted that Daraldik had “just shared a new video on his Instagram story claiming that the problem with Jews is they make everything about themselves.”

SJP Activism

On April 13, 2019, while Zaitoon was reportedly president at FSU SJP, she tweeted: “Ok this is late but we staged a mock apartheid wall on our campus earlier this month & it was amazing.”

Mock “apartheid” walls, meant to represent Israel’s security barrier, have been constructed by SJP groups on campuses to draw attention to alleged Israeli human rights violations against Palestinians. 

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.

Zaitoon continued: “Palestine vs. everybody... Our wall was chilling on the green with damning stats about Israeli crimes & they were just... having a Zio festival.”

The term "Zio" is a common derogatory reference to Zionists, as well as an often-used anti-Semitic slur among white supremacists.

In the same thread, Zaitoon added: “Anyway.... Israeli Apartheid Wall was successfully erected on our Zio PWI [predominantly white institution] campus.... we shook s**t up & got people agitated & that’s that. Painting this campus Palestine.”

Also, on April 13, 2019, Zaitoon tweeted: “Help FSU SJP keep organizing for PalestineDonate anything you can thank you!!.”

On April 11, 2019, Zaitoon set-up a gofundme page to “Support FSU SJP Organizing” and raised a total of $473. 

Supporting BDS

On July 21, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “Stop f**king buying Ben & Jerry’s :) 
The boycott is still on.”

On July 19, 2021, ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop all product sales in “Occupied Palestinian Territory.” The BDS movement celebrated the decision, calling on the ice cream company to boycott the State of Israel in its entirety. However, company owner Unilever overrode the subsidiary’s decision after multiple US states decided to divest public funds from Unilever.  

On June 20, 2021, Zaitoon tweeted: “Don’t buy Teva sandals they’re Israeli.”

On May 12, 2021, Zaitoon responded to a tweet from BDS and wrote: “We will be organizing BDS heavily in the coming weeks in response to this - we will make the Korean people know that their gov't is complicit in the genocide on Palestinians.”

On January 24, 2018, Zaitoon spoke at the State of Florida House of Representatives Government Accountability Committee againstthe anti-BDS law, House Bill (HB) 545.
HB 545 prohibits contracting with a company that is engaged in a boycott of Israel. On March 21, 2018, HB 545 was approved by Governor Rick Scott.

Zaitoon also testified: [00:06:13] “It’s such a compliment to BDS organizers when the movement is deemed a threat - a terrorist- …when we are merely a non-violent economic grassroot campaign...”

On October 11, 2018, Zaitoon was interviewed in her capacity as the president of FSU SJPby Brian Becker on the radio show “Loud and Clear”, a podcast created by Radio Sputnik, a Russian state-owned platform, where she defended the BDS movement.

Zaitoon said [00:04:09]: “We work within BDS to weaken Zionist companies, to boycott from them, to not pay physical, actual money for their products. We work to divest, so that we take money out of investments, out of different companies that work with Zionist entities.”

Zaitoon concluded the interview, saying [00:09:27]: “We are, in real time, watching the Zionist state crumbling in front of us. All the pushback that they’re creating against BDS students, who organize for BDS, is weakening their case… they’re weakening in real time and we’re watching it happen.”

National SJP Conferences

On November 2, 2019, Zaitoon featured in an Adalah Justice Project (AJP)’s Instagram photo addressing 2019 National SJP Conference attendees. The Instagram post read: “Student organizers kicked off the conference with a beautiful shot of Haifa in the background. Being in these spaces always gives us renewed hope that we will return. #NSJP2019.”

On November 3, 2019, Zaitoon posted to her own Instagram story a photo of herself posing next to a fellow conference organizer, Sarah Zeidat. The text on the photo read: “Two of the many hardworking organizers that made NSJP happen this year.” 

On November 19, 2018, Zaitoon featured [00:00:46] in video footage taken at the 2018 National SJP Conference at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The 2018 National SJP conference was held on November 16-18, 2018 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The conference was themed “Radical Hope: Resistance in the Face of Adversity.” The conference website stated: “[t]he reason we can have hope is that Zionism...can be destroyed.”
On November 18, 2018, during the 2018 National SJP Conference, Zaitoon tweeted: “@NationalSJP attendees shouldn’t be thanking the pile of cops who’ve been brought on to ‘protect’ us...you’re gonna be Palestinian/organize for Palestine & thank the cops?” 

Zaitoon continued: “The more we collaborate w them like this the more they will come for us/harm us in the future- we see this w policed mosques, synagogues...Working w them doesn’t serve us or help us in anyway, they’re cops & we don’t associate & I’m just really confused as to why +” 

That same day, Zaitoon wrote on Twitter: “Attendees were thanking cops for protecting us & ‘allowing’ us to be here???? We’re here, we’d be here with or without them. Organizers all eyes on me plz stop thanking & aligning w cops in anyway ty they’re not here for us.”

On October 19, 2018, Zaitoon tweeted out the Gofundme page link and said: “get FSU SJP to NSJP Conference.”

Zaitoon added: “We're working on other independent ways to help fund this trip, but PLEASE help in any way you can. You'd be fueling a movement.”

On October 27, 2017, Zaitoon tweeted a photo from the 2017 National SJP Conference and captioned it: “it’s happening !!!!! @NationalSJP.”

The 2019 National SJP Conference was held at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities (UMN), from November 1-3. The Conference themes centered on support for BDS as well as the rejection of Israel and Zionism.

2019 National SJP - Supporting BDS

The Conference website called to capitalize on shifts in the political climate, represented by the elections to the U.S. Congress of Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who both support BDS. National SJP speakers also reportedly drew attention to Rep. Omar’s support for the BDS movement as the Representative for UMN’s Congressional district.

2019 National SJP - Rejecting Israel and Zionism  

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.”

2019 National SJP - Heightened Secrecy  

The 2019 National SJP Conference 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 th​is​ conference but ​who ​is or has ​recently ​been a part of your ​SJP.”

2019 National SJP - Partnering Organizations  

National SJP partnered with other anti-Israel organizations to table, sell merchandise and lead workshops, including CODEPINK, Palestine Youth Movement (PYM), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Palestine Legal, Watan Palestine and the Adalah Justice Project.

Keynote speakers included Loubna Qutami, Chair of PYM, as well as Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). Other speakers included Miko Peled, Sandra Tamari, Suhad Katib, Chris Gazaleh, Clarissa Bitar, Tariq Luthun, Maytha Alhassen and Sima Shakhsari.  

FSU SJP - Glorifying Terrorists  

On November 17, 2019, FSU SJP organized a protest titled: “Emergency Demo: #GazaUnderAttack.” The Facebook event page said: “Israeli airstrikes are not ‘self-defense.’ By the Israel Defense Forces' own admission, Israel initiated the latest wave of aggression with the illegal, extra-judicial execution of resistance fighter Bahaa Abu al-Atta and his wife.”


FSU SJP’s Facebook event description said: “Rather than self-defense, Israeli airstrikes are a form of collective punishment against Gaza's 2 million inhabitants” and that “The mainstream media and prominent politicians repeat the Israeli ‘self-defense’ trope over and over...”

At the protest, FSU SJP President Shelby Shoup said [00:02:05]: “I cannot imagine how dehumanizing it is to hear American journalists and politicians discussing Israel’s ‘right to self defense,’ insinuating that Palestinians are terrorists.” Activists also chanted [00:00:46] “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The chant “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state. It is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel.

On October 8, 2018, FSU SJP hosted an event titled:“Palestinian Revolutionaries.” The Facebook event description said: “Come screen some videos of Palestinian revolutionaries like Ghassan Kanafani and Leila Khaled! The revolutionaries that come out of liberation-resistance movements are who we look up to and who exemplify what it means to organize.”

Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during their formative years. Kanafani was also involved in the Lod Airport Massacre near Tel Aviv, for which PFLP took responsibility.

Leila Khaled participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. She was a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

On October 6, 2018, FSU SJP promoted the event on Facebook and wrote: “We'll also be discussing the PLO & PFLP!!!”

FSU SJP - Promoting Violence  

On July 12, 2019, FSU SJP posted a graphic on Instagram depicting Palestinians holding rocks and slingshots. FSU SJP wrote: “Anyone know the artist?  #FreePalestine.”

Rock throwing is a deadly form of violence, despite being romanticized as a form of “popular resistance.”  

On November 26, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled: “Divestment Working Group Meeting.” The event cover photo on its Facebook page was a poster featuring an individual holding a slingshot with text that said “Free the land 'by any means necessary.’”  

FSU - SJP Supporting Violent Protesters 

On March 30, 2020, FSU SJP posted on Facebook commemorating the “Great March of Return,” describing it as “a protest movement to demand the Right of Return to their stolen lands” and claiming Palestinians were “shot at by Israeli snipers for exercising their right to assembly.” The post said: “... we commemorate… the hundreds of martyrs of the Great Return March.”

FSU SJP - Spreading Incitement  

On August 11, 2019, FSU SJP alleged in a Facebook post that “Israeli soldiers and settlers have raided and desecrated #AlAqsa Mosque” and “The Israeli police then cleared the compound of Palestinian Muslims and allowed Jewish Israelis to storm Al Aqsa for Tisha B’Av prayers.”

FSU SJP - Promoting Conspiracy Theories 

On July 5, 2020, FSU SJP co-hosted an anti-Israel protest titled “Day of Rage.” 

The Facebook event page description said: “our police departments continue participating in the Deadly Exchange: learning ‘counter-terrorism’ strategies from the IDF to militarize Black and brown communities here, and teaching stop-and-frisk strategies to the Israeli police to harass Black and brown communities in occupied Palestine.”

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) launched the “Deadly Exchange” campaign in 2017. The campaign claimed that American Jewish organizations promoted human rights abuses. A video for the campaign by JVP accused American Jewish organizations of planning programs between American and Israeli security personnel, to advance“racist policies.”  

On September 23, 2019, FSU SJP hosted a meeting titled “ICE vs. IDF: Detention, Deportation & Family Separation.” An event flyer said: “ICE & THE IDF HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.” The meeting also included a presentation about the “deadly exchange.” 

On June 17, 2019, FSU SJP tabled on campus to educate about “pinkwashing” and promote anti-Israel materials. One of the items FSU SJP promoted was a booklet titled “Israel’s Worldwide Role in Repression.” 

The booklet was published by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), which claims to “struggle against Zionism” and accuses Israel of the “ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.” 

The booklet claimed that Israel’s military campaigns “serve as an [sic] laboratory
to develop weapons, surveillance technology, and tactics of population control that are then marketed across the globe.” It also alleged Israel was “at the forefront of a global industry of repression” and that “In the Middle East, Israel is the primary aggressor.”

FSU SJP - Spreading Hatred of Israel-Supporters  

On March 11, 2020, FSU SJP posted a photo on its Facebook page of pro-Israel students tabling on campus and wrote that “The Zionist Organization of America… is a right-wing, Islamophobic org… The normalization of Zionism on campus = normalization of the alt-right. Why are they tabling at Market Wednesday?”

FSU SJP - Demonizing Israel  

On November 18, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “Hasbara: Debunking Zionist myths.” The Facebook event description claimed: “Hasbara refers to public relations efforts to disseminate positive information about the State of Israel that whitewashes its apartheid regime and military occupation.”

The description also said: “There are countless arguments that whitewash Israeli apartheid… Let's discuss what narratives we usually hear in defense of Israel and learn how to respond to some of the most common hasbara talking points!”

On October 7, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “GBM:Apartheid 101: Palestine, South Africa & the Jim Crow South.” The Facebook event description claimed about the description of Israel as apartheid: “nothing could more aptly describe Palestinian life..”

On September 23, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “ICE vs. IDF: Detention, Deportation & Family Separation.” The Facebook event page description claimed that “Detentions, deportations and family separations are routine aspects of Palestinian life. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) uses borders, walls and widespread abusive detention of Palestinians…”

On May 15, 2019, FSU SJP held a “Nakba Day” event. The Facebook event description said: “Nakba Day is the anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of May 15, 1948 in which Zionist militias forcefully expelled 800,000 Palestinians from their homeland” and that Nakba “also refers to the ongoing, 71-year long legacy of Israeli military occupation and apartheid.”

Nakba is an Arabic term for “catastrophe” and refers to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel.  

On the same date, FSU SJP posted photos from the event on Facebook, including of their “mock apartheid wall,” with a panel claiming to show maps of Israel’s “LAND THEFT.”

FSU SJP - Promoting BDS  

On February 1, 2021 the FSU Student Life Academic Affairs Committee (SLAA) voted against a BDS bill written and sponsored by FSU SJP member Ahmad Daraldik. that called on FSU to divest from a number of companies doing business with Israel.

On December 3, 2019, FSU SJP held a meeting about launching a divestment campaign against Israel. The event description said: “We are preparing to launch a campaign to pressure Florida State University to divest from companies that knowingly profit off of Palestinian oppression. Please come out to our new weekly Divestment working group meetings to strategize and build together!”

On November 26, 2019, FSU SJP held an event titled “Divestment Working Group Meeting.” The Facebook description for the event said participants would “research Divestment campaigns on other North American campuses, including the language of their Divestment resolutions and what tactics they employed to win student support.” 

The event description also said “It's going to be a long and difficult road to introducing and passing a Divestment resolution to the Student Senate this year, but we think it's possible if we all do our part!”

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.

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