Reema Rustom
Overview
Reema Rustom has expressed support for terrorists and for violent protests. In 2020, Rustom served [00:08:25] as the co-President of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at DePaul University (DePaul) as well as secretary of SJP DePaul in 2018 - 2019.In May 2020, Rustom stated on SJP Chicago’s “Digital Apartheid Week” Instagram livestream that she was involved [00:08:34] with SJP for “3-4 years.”
Rustom attended the 2019 National SJP Conference as well as [00:01:04] the 2018 National SJP Conference. 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.”
In 2018, Rustom was affiliated with American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).
As of June 2020, Rustom’s LinkedIn page said she was a student at DePaul, slated to graduate in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in International/Global Studies.
As of June 2020, Rustom used the alias “Reema Rus” on Facebook.
Support for Terrorists
On April 9, 2020, Rustom posted to Facebook: “Happy birthday to the legendary Palestinian writer ~ Ghassan Kanafani ✍🏻
”Rustom attached an SJP DePaul post that said: “On what would have been Ghassan Kanafani’s 84th birthday, we remember his empowering words and dedication to the Palestinian Liberation Movement. Especially at a time like this, we reflect on the fact that we can’t negotiate with our oppressors.”
The post also embedded a video interview of Kanafani.
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.
Odeh was a key military operative [00:02:08]with the terrorist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In 1969, Odeh masterminded a PFLP bombing that killed two college students in a Jerusalem supermarket. Odeh also attempted to bomb the British consulate.
Odeh confessed, in a highly detailed account, the day following her arrest. In a 2004 documentary, one of Odeh’s co-conspirators directly implicated [00:10:53] Odeh as the mastermind.
In 1970, an Israeli court tried and convicted Odeh for her involvement in both bombings and sentenced her to life imprisonment. However, Odeh was released 10 years later, in a prisoner swap and emigrated to the United States.
On November 10, 2014, a Michigan federal jury convicted Odeh for immigration fraud because she failed to disclose her prior conviction and life sentence on her immigration application. On March 12, 2015, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In 2017, after an appeal and a lengthy court battle, Odeh admitted to immigration fraud, was stripped of her U.S. citizenship, deported to Jordan and banned from re-entering the U.S.
Supporting Violent Protests
Rustom added: “The Since March 30th, 2018, Israel has killed 316 protestors in the #GreatReturnMarch & injured more than 30,000. Israel threw tear gas & shot rubber & live sniper bullets, killing and injuring dozens of children, medics & journalists, & damaging ambulances. #PalestineLandDay.”
On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The violent demonstrations were instigated by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border. Participants declared their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Rioters also made numerous attempts to breach Israel’s border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire.
Demonizing Israel
” and attached a flyer for SJP DePaul’s “Educate to Liberate: A 3 Week Digital Series of Life under Apartheid”One event advertised in the flyer was the week-long “FreeThemAll from Chicago to Palestine” held May 18-22, 2020. The flyer described the event as “Infographics on the connection between Israeli IOF [Israel Occupation Forces] and Chicago Police Department’s prisons and surveillance during COVID-19 pandemic.”
On May 15, 2020, Rustom and other activists participated [00:00:36] in an SJP DePaul TikTok video marking “72 years since Al Nakba.”
On April 21, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, an SJP Chicago member interviewed [00:07:50] Rustom on Instagram in honor of “Digital Apartheid Week,” serving [00:07:01] as a substitute for “Israeli Apartheid Week” that was canceled due to the virus.
SJP DePaul Activism
so hardworking and passionate” and attached photos taken during a February 26, 2020 SJP DePaul event, titled: “Oppose Trump’s Steal of the Century.”The Facebook event description added: “The only just ‘solution’ to the oppressive Israeli occupation in Palestine is the complete return of ALL land back to the Palestinian people. The event featured a series of misleading maps and a map of President Trump’s proposed peace plan.
On October 25, 2019, Rustom appeared in two SJP DePaul photos taken during a “From Palestine to the Philippines, Stop the U.S. War Machine” October 23, 2019 event co-hosted by SJP DePaul.
On October 9, 2019, Rustom appeared in an SJP DePaul group photo posted to Instagram, taken during SJP DePaul’s Kick-Off event.
On May 9, 2019, Rustom spoke at SJP DePaul’s “Israel Apartheid Week [IAW]” event “Cafe Resistance.” Rustom appeared in several photos from the event, posted to Facebook the next day.
On May 7, 2019, Rustom tabled [00:00:08] for SJP DePaul during the IAW event “Apartheid Wall.” The event featured [00:00:01] a mock separation wall emblazoned with the phrase “End Israeli Apartheid.”
On November 8, 2018, SJP DePaul tweeted photos with Rustom and other SJP activists at an SJP DePaul-organized “Teach in.” One photo featured a banner that read: “Students for Justice in Palestine Teach -In. 1. History 2. Great Return March/Child Detainees. 3. Boycott Divestment Sanction. 4. Q&A and FOOD.”
On September 21, 2018, SJP DePaul tweeted: “🇵🇸🇵🇸SJP DePaul Team of 2018/2019 is ready to kick off the year ! 🇵🇸🇵🇸 Follow us on: IG: sjpdepaul FB: SJP DePaul.” The tweet featured a group photo of the SJP DePaul Team, including Rustom.
On September 7, 2018, Rustom featured in a photo posted on Facebook by SJP DePaul. Rustom and her fellow activists were tabling at an event called the “involvement fair.” The table displayed a banner that said: “END ISRAELI APARTHEID.”
On June 20, 2018, Rustom featured in an SJP DePaul Facebook photo, posing with other SJP DePaul activists at IAW DePaul 2018.
On May 15, 2018, SJP DePaul tweeted: “Don't miss us, we're in the Student Center Atrium till 5!!
” The tweet featured photos of Rustom tabling for SJP DePaul.On May 10, 2018, Rustom featured in a photo posted on Instagram with other SJP DePaul activists, holding Palestinian flags and a sign that read: “We will be marching on Friday, May 11 to commemorate the Nakba and stand with the Palestinian people #Nakba70Chi.”
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.
Attending the National SJP 2019 Conference
On November 1, 2019, Rustom appeared in a group photo posted in an SJP DePaul Instagram story, with the caption: “NSJP GANG.”
The Conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.
Attending the National SJP 2018 Conference
On November 19, 2018, Rustom appeared [00:01:04] in a video taken during the 2018 National SJP Conference.Attending the AMP 2018 Annual Conference
On November 28, 2018, Rustom was featured in a group photo posted on Facebook by SJP DePaul at the AMP 2018 annual Conference. The comment on the post read: “Much love to the @palestineconvention for hosting such an amazing Campus Activism Track! Until next year 🇵🇸✌ #Palestine #PalestineConvention #AMP18”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.During the Conference, National SJP speakers reportedly “noted the success of past divestment campaigns at the University [UMN], which ultimately resulted in the passing of a campus-wide [BDS] referendum in 2018.”
The UMN resolution passed in 2018 by a margin of 3.4 percent of those students who voted, translating to approval by 6.18% of all eligible voters. Less than 13% of the eligible voters actually voted on UMN’s BDS referendum.
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.”The website clarified that “the Palestinian struggle against Zionism, extends beyond the confines of 1967, and well before the Nakba,” and was based on the rejection of Jewish national self-determination in Israel.
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.
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 this 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.
SJP DePaul - Supporting Terrorists
On September 29, 2017, SJP DePaul shared a group photo on Instagram of SJP activists with Rasmea Odeh.SJP DePaul wrote on the post: “The other day we said goodbye (or see you soon) to Rasmea Odeh. Thank you for being an inspiration, a mother, and always smiling with your fist up high. Reminding us that wherever we land in life we should continue to resist & fight for justice in Palestine!”
Odeh was a key military operative [00:02:08]with the terrorist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In 1969, Odeh masterminded a PFLP bombing that killed two college students in a Jerusalem supermarket. Odeh also attempted to bomb the British consulate.
Odeh confessed, in a highly detailed account, the day following her arrest. In a 2004 documentary, one of Odeh’s co-conspirators directly implicated [00:10:53] Odeh as the mastermind.
In 1970, an Israeli court tried and convicted Odeh for her involvement in both bombings and sentenced her to life imprisonment. However, Odeh was released 10 years later, in a prisoner swap and emigrated to the United States.
On November 10, 2014, a Michigan federal jury convicted Odeh for immigration fraud because she failed to disclose her prior conviction and life sentence on her immigration application. On March 12, 2015, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In 2017, after an appeal and a lengthy court battle, Odeh admitted to immigration fraud, was stripped of her U.S. citizenship, deported to Jordan and banned from re-entering the U.S.
On May 9, 2017, SJP DePaul shared a video on Facebook of SJP DePaul activists participating in the Saltwater Challenge.
SJP DePaul - Support for BDS
On February 25, 2019, SJP DePaul shared a video on Facebook titled: “DePaul Students Protest Anti-BDS Legislation.”The post featured a video of SJP DePaul activists on campus opposing [00:00:06] the Congressional bill titled S.1 - Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019. SJP DePaul activists lined up, with duct tape covering their mouths, holding [00:00:20] various signs.
One activist held [00:00:37] a sign, referring to the Israeli Hummus brand, Sabra, that read: “SABRA IS MADE WITH PALESTINIAN BLOOD.”
Another activist held [00:00:44] a sign that read: “SJP DePaul stands with BDS…”
SJP DePaul - Spreading Anti-Israel Propaganda
On February 19, 2019, SJP DePaul shared a statement on Instagram by SJP at the University of Chicago (UofC) in support of Ilhan Omar, and commented: “Students for Justice in Palestine Chicago is proud to support Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar in her brave and frank callout of the Israel lobby and its attempts to purchase American support for the occupation.”On September 7, 2018, SJP DePaul shared a photo on Facebook of SJP activists manning a table with a banner that read “END ISRAELI APARTHEID” at an event called the “involvement fair.” The activists were promoting several books at the table, including “The Israel Lobby,” by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt.
The book decries the influence of “the Israeli lobby” and repeats an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about Jewish control over foreign governments.
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.
AMP
American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) was founded by UC Berkeley Professor Hatem Bazian as a vehicle to generate mainstream support in the United States for the Palestinian national cause.
On its website, the organization lists Bazian as the chairman of its national board and describes itself as “a national education and grassroots-based organization, dedicated to educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused AMP of promoting “extreme anti-Israel views and has at times provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans” about Palestinians. The ADL further stated that AMP is directly involved in campus-based anti-Israel activity through Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Prior to founding the AMP in 2006, Dr. Bazian created SJP together with fellow UC Berkeley Professor Snehal Shingavi in 2001. The close working relationship between AMP and SJP has been documented several times over the years by several organizations, including NGO Monitor and StandWithUs.
In addition to providing financial, public relations and legal assistance to SJP, AMP has also been accused of having connections to Hamas. The AMP national board includes former members of both the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) and Holy Land Foundation (HLF), both of which were found liable for aiding and abetting Hamas. The IAP was founded by Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, a senior member of Hamas.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook: www.facebook.com/100006435182968
Videos
Photos & Screenshots
Infamous Quotes
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