Rifqa Falaneh

Overview

Rifqa Falaneh has expressed support for terrorists and mocked victims of terrorism. She has also equated Israel with Nazi Germany and spread hatred of Israel and Israelis.

On April 15, 2024, Falaneh organized a BDS event blocking access to Chicago O’Hare Airport, and is a named defendant in a class action lawsuit related to her participation.

In March 2019, Falaneh was listed as the president of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at DePaul University (DePaul). Falaneh attended the 2018 National SJP Conference.

In November 2018, Falaneh was featured in a group photo posted on Instagram by SJP DePaul at the 2018 American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) conference and was affiliated with AMP in November 2024.

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.”
In 2018, Falaneh was affiliated with anti-Israel organization US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

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

On April 15, 2024, Falaneh organized a BDS event blocking access to Chicago O’Hare Airport, and is a named defendant in a class action lawsuit related to her participation.

As of November 2024, Falaneh was listed as the Michael Ratner Justice Fellow at Palestine Legal.

As of the same date, Falaneh’s LinkedIn page said she had a JD from the University of Illinois College of Law (Illinois Law) in 2023 and from DePaul University (DePaul) with a bachelor’s degree in international/global studies in 2020. Both Illinois Law and DePaul are located in Chicago, Illinois.

As of November 2024, Falaneh’s LinkedIn profile said she was located in the greater Chicago area.

As of December 2024, Falaneh went by the username ‘“riff

” [including the emoji of a paraglider] and used the handle: “@Riffs33” on X. As of the same date, Falaneh went by the username “Rifqa” and used the handle: “@riffyyy33” on Instagram.

In the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel, numerous terrorists infiltrated into Israel in motorized paragliders. Hamas terrorists descended in gliders on the Nova Music Festival, where they slaughtered over 360 unarmed young men and women. In the wake of the atrocities, images of Hamas militants on paragliders served to symbolize and glorify the deadly attacks.

Support for Terrorists

On October 7, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “To many more October 7ths until full Liberation.”

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.

On October 9, 2023, Falaneh posted on X:“Myth: There’s violence on both sides. / Fact: There's resistance on the idigenousPalestinians' side in their fight for freedom and dignity for their land. Israel's continued military occupation since 1948 is the only side of violence as they have a monopoly of arms and weaponry.”

Among anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” is a euphemism for terrorism and is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.

On November 20, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “Gaza is getting worse - escalation is our duty.”

Falaneh retweeted a November 26, 2018 tweet that read: “It has been #10yearsTooLong. We demand freedom for the HLF5 #freeTheHLF5 #freeAllPoliticalPrisoners Link to @PYM_USA statement below. https://bit.ly/2Bxvw2u.”

The post featured a graphic with a caption that read: “FREE THE HOLY LAND 5 #10YEARSTOOLONG.”

The Holy Land Five (HLF5) 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.

On April 24, 2018, Falaneh tweeted: “I see you

#UNFAIRANDUGLY #LeilaKhaled.” The tweet featured a photo with a painting of Leila Khaled holding a rifle.

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 September 29, 2017, Falaneh was featured in a group photo posted on Instagram by SJP DePaul with Rasmea Odeh.

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.

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!”

On May 22, 2017, Falaneh wrote on Facebook: “Amid muted response from international community, Palestinian political prisoners entered their 36th day & 6th wk of hunger strike #DignityStrike36.”

The “Dignity Strike” was a hunger strike initiated on April 16, 2017, by Marwan Barghouti, the terrorist who financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe bombing. More than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners participated in the hunger strike, most of whom were also incarcerated for acts of terrorism.

On May 9, 2017, SJP DePaul shared a video on Facebook that featured Falaneh with SJP DePaul activists participating in the Saltwater Challenge.

The “Saltwater Challenge” was held in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prison inmates convicted of terrorism. The strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings that killed five Israelis during the second intifada. Aarab Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti, launched the "Saltwater Challenge."

Mocking Victims of Terror

On September 1, 2024, Falaneh posted on X about Israeli civilians being held hostage by Hamas: “The moment you say "release the hostages" you've exposed how dumb you in fact are.”

On July 24, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “Anyone keeping track of the "hostage" and "killing babies" count?”

Hamas terrorists murdered Israeli Jewish babies during its October 7, 2023, terror attacks. Some of the babies were beheaded and some were murdered in front of their parents.

Equating Israel with Nazi Germany

On October 14, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “As soon as you catch yourself saying "liberal zionist", pause and correct yourself. There is no such thing. Never would we ever say "liberal white supremacist" or "liberal nazi".”

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

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.

Falaneh’s post was a comment on an attached post dated October 13, 2024 from another user that said:

“All the cruelty livestreamed onto our electronic devices has undone the old political order. There are no more liberal Zionists, lowkey Zionists, cultural Zionists, soft Zionists, progressive Zionists, apathetic Zionists, ambivalent Zionists, non-Zionists, or post-Zionists. Now only two categories matter: Zionist and anti-Zionist. / I might go so far as to argue that not identifying as anti-Zionist is itself a form of Zionism, which I suppose is another way of saying that ignorance of or indifference to Gaza is unacceptable.”

Hatred of Israelis

On November 8, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “U.S. politicians would condemn an attack on Zionists if it happened on Mars - they are slaves to the Zionist dollar.”

The assertion that Jews use money as a means of control is a classic anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.

On October 14, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “I literally do not give a flying F about people living in the zionist entity protesting. Their "greatest" form of protest can be to leave and give up their constructed identity passport.”

One way that anti-Israel activists spread anti-Semitism is by claiming that Jews have no connection to the Land of Israel.

On September 15, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “A "settler" is not a passive being - they are actively building up the colonial zionist entity as they violently steal our land and homes.”

On October 8, 2024 Falaneh posted on X: “Who are israeli [sic] "civilians"?
They are people who willingly choose to live in an occupied land as settlers…”

Hatred of Israel

Falaneh reposted a January 15, 2025, post on X that said: “Nothing short of a total anti-normalization and dismantlement of Zionism can be accepted.”

On November 20, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “I won't be happy until every last bit of the zionist entity burns to the ground.”

On October 16, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “Billboards up in chicago [sic]

/
The post included two pictures of billboards. One said: “DEATH TO ISRAEL” with a Palestinian flag in the background, and the other said: “F**K ISRAEL.”

On September 28, 2024, Falaneh posted on X: “Lebanon risked its own great leader to show how far it is willing to go for Gaza.May we live to see israel's destruction in vengeance for our all martyrs.” The post was about Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on September 27, 2024.

Hassan Nasrallah became the leader of terror group Hezbollah in 1992 and maintained his leadership until an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon killed him on September 27, 2024. Nasrallah once said: “In a future war, all of occupied Palestine will be struck by our rockets” and [00:00:19]: “Israel is a cancerous tumor!…The only solution is to eradicate the cancer.” He called Jews the most “cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble” people in the world.

On January 15, 2019, Falaneh tweeted: “Gonna discuss the Balfour declaration today in class and I really wish I had this shirt to capture its essence.”

The tweet featured a photo of a T-Shirt with text that read: “ISRAEL IS A GARBAGE COUNTRY THAT’S ONLY LOVED BY GARBAGE PEOPLE. IT WAS FOUNDED ON ETHNIC CLEANSING, APARTHEID AND SETTLER COLONIALISM. ITS FLAG IS A SYMBOL OF WHITE SUPREMACY.”

On June 20, 2018, SJP DePaul shared photos on Facebook featuring Falaneh and other activists participating in Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) 2018 at DePaul.

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.

Anti-Israel Activism

On April 15, 2024, US News, in an article titled: “Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Shut Down Airport Highways and Key Bridges in Major US Cities” reported that Falaneh was “one of the organizers” of the demonstration that blocked access to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The pro-BDS event was part of an international, coordinated “economic blockade…in solidarity with Palestine,” known as A15 Action.

The action intended to “cause pain to the economy” by identifying and blocking “major choke points in the economy…with the aim of causing the most economic impact…[and] to disrupt and blockade…logistical hubs…”

During the blockade, anti-Israel activists chanted [00:00:03]: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and [00:00:14]: “Free, free Palestine!”

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is a chant used [00:02:47] to call for the elimination of the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state. In April 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the chant as antisemitic.

On September 9, 2024, the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) announced a class action lawsuit against seven anti-Israel activist groups and four individual activists, including Rifqa Falaneh, an organizer of the A15 Action.

Defendant groups named [p. 1] in the Complaint included American Muslims for Palestine, National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), all identified (p.19) as organizations that both “played a role…by ensuring they had members there to participate” and gave protesters “worldwide media attention” through their social media platforms.

The Complaint also alleged [p. 2] that A15 Action “drew support from Hamas and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).”

The State Department of the United States has listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. The IRGC has reportedly provided funding, training and weapons to other terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

The Complaint stated [p. 9, no. 24] that Falaneh “was an organizer of the blockade…and was present at the blockade…”

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

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.

CAIR

CAIR describes itself as a “grassroots civil rights and advocacy group” and “America's largest Muslim civil liberties organization, with regional offices nationwide.” Its official mission is “enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.”

CAIR reportedly has “significant ties” to the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as Hamas. A number of former CAIR employees have been convicted on fraud and terrorism-related charges that resulted monetary fines, jail terms and, sometimes, deportation.

CAIR was founded in 1994 and opened its first office in Washington, DC, with the help of a $5,000 donation from the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), a charity founded by Mousa Abu Marzook.

Marzook, who was listed as a "Specially Designated Terrorist" by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1995, is reportedly a senior member of Hamas.

In May 2007, CAIR was listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a U.S.-filed action against the HLF for providing funds to Hamas.

CAIR was also listed as a terrorist entity by the United Arab Emirates, in 2014.

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.