Sief Aldine Salameh
Overview
Sief Aldine Salameh spread hatred of Israel as an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
Salameh was president of SJP UIC during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Salameh attended the 2019 National SJP Conference at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (UMN).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.”
As of December 2020, Salameh’s LinkedIn page said he was “An Arab-American Promoting Inclusivity, Participation, and Equity in Public Service” and a Program Analyst & Census/Get Out the Vote Advocate at Arab American Family Services (AAFS) in Worth, Illinois, since January 2020.
As of the same date, Salameh’s LinkedIn page said he was a Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator at UIC’s Arab American Cultural Center (ArabAmCC), from August 2016 to May 2020.
Also as of December 2020, Salameh’s LinkedIn said he received a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Urban Studies and Political Science from UIC in 2020. In 2019, Salameh was a fellow at the Junior Summer Institute Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program at the University of Michigan (Michigan) Ford School.
In 2020, UIC reported: “Currently, Sief is initiating a project that dissects the complexity of Arab masculinity, while aiming to achieve a PhD that examines American suburbs as a dynamic hub.”
Salameh was reportedly a semi-finalist for the 2020-2021 Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
In November 2019, Israel launched Operation Black Belt to stop rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. From November 12 to November 14, 2019, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group sent hundreds of rockets into Israel, targeting major civilian population centers.
Salameh was president of SJP UIC during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Salameh attended the 2019 National SJP Conference at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (UMN).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.”
As of December 2020, Salameh’s LinkedIn page said he was “An Arab-American Promoting Inclusivity, Participation, and Equity in Public Service” and a Program Analyst & Census/Get Out the Vote Advocate at Arab American Family Services (AAFS) in Worth, Illinois, since January 2020.
As of the same date, Salameh’s LinkedIn page said he was a Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator at UIC’s Arab American Cultural Center (ArabAmCC), from August 2016 to May 2020.
Also as of December 2020, Salameh’s LinkedIn said he received a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Urban Studies and Political Science from UIC in 2020. In 2019, Salameh was a fellow at the Junior Summer Institute Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program at the University of Michigan (Michigan) Ford School.
In 2020, UIC reported: “Currently, Sief is initiating a project that dissects the complexity of Arab masculinity, while aiming to achieve a PhD that examines American suburbs as a dynamic hub.”
Salameh was reportedly a semi-finalist for the 2020-2021 Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Spreading Hatred of Israel
On November 20, 2019, Salameh appeared in an SJP UIC Instagram photo participating in an SJP Chicago die-in event held at the Federal Plaza in Chicago. The event was co-hosted by SJP UIC.In November 2019, Israel launched Operation Black Belt to stop rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. From November 12 to November 14, 2019, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group sent hundreds of rockets into Israel, targeting major civilian population centers.
The event’s Facebook description read: “This weeks [sic] bombing in Gaza is part of the larger ethnic cleansing of Palestine and a reoccurring attack on Gaza. Join us in a die-in to let the world know Chicago condemns Israel's war crimes!”
During the event, Mona Zubi, a SJP UIC activist, held [second slide] a poster which read: “Zionism is Racism” and an Israeli flag with the word “GENO
CIDE'' written on it. A banner on the ground said: “GAZA Open Air Prison.”
During the event, Mona Zubi, a SJP UIC activist, held [second slide] a poster which read: “Zionism is Racism” and an Israeli flag with the word “GENO
CIDE'' written on it. A banner on the ground said: “GAZA Open Air Prison.”
SJP Activism
On September 16, 2020, Salameh appeared in an SJP UIC Instagram photo, posing with fellow SJP activists at an event held one day earlier.SJP UIC’s Instagram post said: “Proud of our team yesterday for showing up to condemn the phony ‘normalization’ of relations between Israel and the UAE, which once again disregards the voice and rights of Palestinians. Especially proud of one of our own for giving a speech!”
On September 15, 2020, the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain signed a joint statement referred to as the “Abraham Accords.” The accords formally normalized Israel’s relationships with the UAE and Bahrain.
On February 26, 2020, Salameh featured in an SJP Chicago photo posted to Instagram, posing with other SJP Chicago activists. The Instagram post was captioned: “This past weekend SJP Chicago held its second annual summit in which SJP leaders from across Chicago came together for a series of trainings, workshops, and networking to provide them with the tools to strengthen not only their own SJP chapters, but SJP Chicago as a whole!”
The post continued: Topics were discussed such as sustainability in organizing, steps to creating a campaign, dealing with opposition, building solidarity, and much more. Seeing the passion and dedication throughout the summit makes us excited for the future of SJP Chicago!”
On April 12, 2019, Salameh appeared in an SJP UIC Instagram photo captioned: “The Apartheid wall display was an absolute success! So proud of our campus. Thank you to everyone who came out, contributed, and showed solidarity. We stand for justice together as a team and a family ✊🏽
#uicsjpapartheidweek”SJP UIC hosted Israel Apartheid Week on campus from April 8 - 11, 2019.
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.
During IAW 2019, SJP UIC erected a mock apartheid wall on campus meant to represent Israel’s security barrier. The wall stated in large letters at the top, "END ISRAELI APARTHEID."
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.
On September 15, 2019, Salameh appeared in an SJP UIC Instagram photo participating in an SJP event titled: “Palestine At The Park: SJP Chicago Kickoff.”
The event’s Facebook description read: “Join us as we bring Palestine to the Park! We’re kicking off the year with traditional Palestinian food, debka, games, and a sahra! Be a part of relaunching SJP Chicago and join the movement! Ahlan wa sahlan [Welcome]!”
On May 1, 2019, Salameh appeared in a SJP UIC Facebook photo with reporter Amira Hass who featured that day at an SJP UIC event titled: “Dilemmas of an Israeli Journalist covering Palestine.”
In September 2014, pro-Palestinian Haaretz reporter Amira Hass was expelled from Birzeit’s campus because she is Jewish.
SJP UIC’s Facebook post was captioned: “Thank you to Amira Hass forsharing what it is like being an Israeli journalist covering Palestine.Her wisdom and insightful words on the Palestinian crisis were things we should reflect on. 
”
Attending the 2019 National SJP Conference
On November 4, 2019, Salameh appeared in an SJP UIC Instagram photo at the 2019 NSJP Conference.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.
The Conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.
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.
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.
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.
The photo also featured text that read: “NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE: Israel’s plan is to make everyone believe that the Dome of the Rock is Masjid Al-Aqsa, this advertising has been running for fifty years, and it worked. Aim of the Plan: When they destroy Masjid Al-Aqsa, no one will recognize anything, except for the one’s that know the difference. Now they are destroying Masjid Al-Aqsa, PLEASE spread the word, let’s live the truth.”
SJP UIC added: “
Please take note of this and read the message above. The Dome of the rock and Al-Aqsa mosque are 2 different structures within the Al-Aqsa barriers . It's important to know this because it's a key aspect of Palestine's history.🇵🇸.”
The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque served as the excuse for an upsurge in Palestinian violence that flared in the fall of 2015 and incited Palestinians to attempt mass casualty attacks on Israeli civilians in July 2016.
Such propaganda has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.
Basel Al Araj, who had been suspected of belonging to a terror cell planning to carry out attacks on Israeli targets, was killed in a shoot-out with Israeli troops during an arrest raid. Two M-16 assault rifles and an improvised Carlo-style submachine gun were found inside his home.
On March 22, 2019, SJP UIC promoted [slide 5] its “Apartheid Wall Display” to Instagram. The Instagram post featured murals of Leila Khaled and Yasser Arafat painted onto Israel’s security barrier.
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).
Yasser Arafat, known as the “father of modern terrorism,” was the former leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). During the second intifada, Arafat encouraged children to carry out “martyrdom” operations against Israel.
Arafat reportedly told Arab diplomats in a secret meeting in 1996: "We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. Jews will not want to live among Arabs. I have no use for Jews. They are and remain Jews."
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.
The SJP Depaul description [photo 2] quoted Khaled saying:“I am a victim of oppression and occupation... [and] have the right to resist by all means.”
On that same day, SJP UIC posted [slide 5] a video to their Instagram stories highlights titled “Protests,” where SJP UIC activists chanted “Intifada, Intifada! Long Live the Intifada!” and “Israel is a terrorist state!”
From 2000-2005, the second intifada was marked by more than 120 suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians in cafes and on buses.
On that same day, SJP UIC posted to Facebook: “In the Great March of Return, 112 Palestinians murdered and 13 of which are children! The time to act is now! #freepalestine 🇵🇸” and attached the same video of protestors participating in the rally, captioned “THE MARTYRS OF GAZA. SAY THEIR NAMES.”
On that same day, SJP UIC posted a photo of the protestors lying on the ground and added: “Today many came out to protest the massacre on the Palestinians of Gaza. We have to keep fighting and speak up to let the world know what is happening to Palestinians on a daily basis. #Palestine #Gaza #greatreturnmarch.”
In May 2018, thousands of rioters attempted numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence during violent riots, instigated by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border. Participants declared their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
On May 26, 2020, SJP UIC posted [slide 2] an Instagram photo of the SpongeBob cartoon character spraying cleaning fluid on an overflowing garbage can, superimposed with the Israeli flag, and the caption: “Can’t have dirty garbage.”
On November 22, 2019, and November 23, 2019, SJP UIC posted a series of videos of the Moment of Silence Gaza rally to their Instagram story highlights.
During the rally, protestors chanted [slides 3-4] “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!” One protestor held [slide 5] a sign that said “Zionism is Racism.”
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.
SJP UIC featured [slide 11] a video of SJP UIC board member Malak Kanan speaking into a megaphone during the rally, stating that “Israel launched dozens of air raids on Gaza… killing innocent civilians and residents.”
Kanan also said [slide 10] that “it is with our tax dollars that Israel is able to commit these crimes against humanity,” and added [slide 14] “we condemn the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”
SJP UIC wrote: “This isn’t the first time we’ve protested UIC School of Public Health’s strong relations with colonial institutions,” adding: “Is social justice working with ethnic cleansers?”
SJP UIC then invited students to copy their email template protesting [slide 3] Professor Bin Nun’s talk and send it to UIC’s SPH.
On February 10, 2021, SJP UIC condemned UIC’s SPH for inviting Israeli speakers to campus, adding: “These speakers perpetuate the colonial ideology that Israel was founded on.”
On February 19, 2021, SJP UIC encouraged students on Instagram to sign an “Open Letter” condemning UIC’s SPH event featuring Professor Bin Nun.
The letter suggested the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) was “racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian” and condemned SPH for allowing the JUF to fund the SPH Israeli Visiting Scholars program. The letter went on to suggest Israel blocked Palestinian access to COVID-19 prevention and treatment.
The SJP UIC letter also made a series of demands of UIC, including “the termination of ties between SPH and Israeli academic institutions” and the “termination of speakers that are visiting UIC as representatives of Israeli Institutions.”
On March 3, 2021, SJP UIC posted to Instagram that its representatives attended Professor Bin Nun’s talk and “persistently asked questions regarding Palestine.”
On March 11, 2021, SJP UIC posted to Instagram: “SJP is calling all organizers and activists to join us starting 12 pm on March 16th in our social media storm demanding the UIC School of Public Health answer for why they work with Islamophobic, anti-Arab, transphobic and homophobic organizations.”
On March 16, 2021, SJP UIC launched their #CutTheTiesUICSPH social media campaign on Instagram and Twitter. SJP UIC’s “Twitter storm for SPH campaign” contained over 60 tweets to copy and tweet out, as well as downloadable graphics and testimonies of anti-Israel student activists who had attended Bin-Nun’s lecture.
The campaign called to cut ties with the JUF and to object to future JUF-sponsored meetings “like any other anti-religious group,” and suggested such meetings were affront to all of UIC’s Muslim students.
The JUF, also known as the Jewish Metropolitan Fund of Chicago and the Jewish Federation of Chicago, serves as the central philanthropic address of Chicago's Jewish community.
In one Instagram post, SJP UIC stated: “Our Demand is that the UIC School of Public Health stop working with Islamophobic organizations.”
That same day, another one of SJP UIC’s Instagram posts said: “Islamophobia is a product of Zionism, and UIC’s School of Public Health is complicit.”
One of SJP UIC’s suggested tweets stated: “Palestinians were called 'illegal aliens' and pushed the responsibility towards the Arab world as if Israel isn’t mandated under Geneva convention to vaccinate the occupied people of Palestine." #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
Palestinian liaison officials later reportedly contacted Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) department to request the vaccine, which Israel agreed to provide.
Another suggested tweet stated: “‘It was so clear that SPH only cares to promote a very specific narrative about Israel, one that washes over the colonization, ethnic cleansing, and occupation of the Palestinian people.’ #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
Also on March 16, 2021 , SJP UIC tweeted: “Instead of bringing Israelis to talk about how great their apartheid system is, why not bring Palestinians to talk about the injustices they face in health access and health equity? #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
SJP UIC also tweeted: “There are over 5000 Muslim students on the UIC campus making up 15% of the student body populationHowever, UIC school of Public health still found it appropriate to allow an Islamophobic group such as JUF host an event here. #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
Another SJP UIC tweet stated: “Despite 200+ signatures requesting the cancellation of this event, SPH administrators refused to cancel this event. WHY? Does SPH not care about their Muslim and Arab/MENA students? It’s evident they do not.
#CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth”
Another tweet read: “UIC doesn’t allow any hate groups or anti-religious groups to speak at their campus so, why is it different now when it comes to an Israeli speaker?
#CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
Another tweet read: “Calling out apartheid and racism is not antisemitism. #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
On April 7, 2021, SJP UIC posted to their Facebook page: “We have great news! This past Monday at the USG meeting a resolution was passed declaring USG stands in solidarity with SJP and their allies in our campaign demanding SPH cut ties with the Islamophobic and racist JUF and other Zionist entities! Solidarity
!”
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/siefsalameh/
The Conference partnered with numerous anti-Israel organizations and conducted their event in a clandestine manner.
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.”Members of allied student groups could register only as part of an SJP chapter delegation which, in turn, needed to be “vouched for by their campus’s SJP” for “security culture and accountability reasons.”
The Conference also restricted media access to journalists “registered and confirmed by our Media Committee in advance to attend the conference. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.”
During the Conference, National SJPreportedly covered the windows of the conference hall.
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 UIC 2019 - Spreading Incitement
On March 3, 2019, SJP UIC posted a photo of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
SJP UIC added: “
Please take note of this and read the message above. The Dome of the rock and Al-Aqsa mosque are 2 different structures within the Al-Aqsa barriers . It's important to know this because it's a key aspect of Palestine's history.🇵🇸.”The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque served as the excuse for an upsurge in Palestinian violence that flared in the fall of 2015 and incited Palestinians to attempt mass casualty attacks on Israeli civilians in July 2016.
Such propaganda has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.
SJP UIC Promoting Terrorist
On March 7, 2019, SJP UIC posted a photo of Basil Al Araj to their Instagram page, adding: “Basil Al-Araj-the educated martyr (1984-2017).”
On March 22, 2019, SJP UIC promoted [slide 5] its “Apartheid Wall Display” to Instagram. The Instagram post featured murals of Leila Khaled and Yasser Arafat painted onto Israel’s security barrier.
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).
Yasser Arafat, known as the “father of modern terrorism,” was the former leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). During the second intifada, Arafat encouraged children to carry out “martyrdom” operations against Israel.
Arafat reportedly told Arab diplomats in a secret meeting in 1996: "We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. Jews will not want to live among Arabs. I have no use for Jews. They are and remain Jews."
On April 11, 2019, SJP UIC posted on its Instagram stories a series of photos and short videos, under the title “Tatreez [Embroidery],” that included [slide 8] a set of stickers for sale, including one of Ghassan Kanafani.
On November 5, 2019,SJP UIC promoted on Instagram an event using photos of Leila Khaled and Yasser Arafat.
SJP UIC also retweeted a March 18, 2020 SJP DePaul tweet that said: “Today’s figure is Leila Khaled, a widely known and controversial figure in the Palestinian cause. Swipe to read about Khaled and visit our instagram for more !”
SJP UIC Calling for Intifada
On November 14, 2018, SJP UIC hosted a “Gaza Rally” on UIC’s campus quad.On that same day, SJP UIC posted [slide 5] a video to their Instagram stories highlights titled “Protests,” where SJP UIC activists chanted “Intifada, Intifada! Long Live the Intifada!” and “Israel is a terrorist state!”
From 2000-2005, the second intifada was marked by more than 120 suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians in cafes and on buses.
SJP UIC Supporting Violent Protestors
On June 1, 2018, SJP UIC posted a series of videos to their Instagram stories highlights, titled “Protests.” The first slide was of a video titled “THE MARTYRS OF GAZA. SAY THEIR NAMES,” while the second showed SJP UIC activists lying on their backs.On that same day, SJP UIC posted to Facebook: “In the Great March of Return, 112 Palestinians murdered and 13 of which are children! The time to act is now! #freepalestine 🇵🇸” and attached the same video of protestors participating in the rally, captioned “THE MARTYRS OF GAZA. SAY THEIR NAMES.”
On that same day, SJP UIC posted a photo of the protestors lying on the ground and added: “Today many came out to protest the massacre on the Palestinians of Gaza. We have to keep fighting and speak up to let the world know what is happening to Palestinians on a daily basis. #Palestine #Gaza #greatreturnmarch
.”In May 2018, thousands of rioters attempted numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence during violent riots, instigated by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border. Participants declared their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
SJP UIC 2020 - Promoting Hatred of Israel
On March 13, 2020, SJP UIC posted [slide 7] an Instagram photo of SJP UIC Board Member Laila Zayed holding a garbage bag captioned “Israel.”On May 26, 2020, SJP UIC posted [slide 2] an Instagram photo of the SpongeBob cartoon character spraying cleaning fluid on an overflowing garbage can, superimposed with the Israeli flag, and the caption: “Can’t have dirty garbage.”
SJP UIC 2019 - Demonizing Israel
On November 22, 2019, SJP UIC held a “Moment of Silence for Gaza” rally.In November 2019, Israel launched “Operation Black Belt” to stop rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. The rockets were sent by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group on November 12-14, 2019, targeting Israel’s biggest civilian population centers.
On November 22, 2019, and November 23, 2019, SJP UIC posted a series of videos of the Moment of Silence Gaza rally to their Instagram story highlights.
During the rally, protestors chanted [slides 3-4] “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!” One protestor held [slide 5] a sign that said “Zionism is Racism.”
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.
SJP UIC featured [slide 11] a video of SJP UIC board member Malak Kanan speaking into a megaphone during the rally, stating that “Israel launched dozens of air raids on Gaza… killing innocent civilians and residents.”
Kanan also said [slide 10] that “it is with our tax dollars that Israel is able to commit these crimes against humanity,” and added [slide 14] “we condemn the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”
SJP UIC 2021 - Boycotting Jewish and Israeli Institutions
On February 2, 2021, SJP UIC condemned on Instagram UIC’s School of Public Health (SPH) for hosting a talk by Professor Gabi Bin Nun of Israel’s Ben Gurion University, titled “A Description of the Health Care System in Israel.”SJP UIC wrote: “This isn’t the first time we’ve protested UIC School of Public Health’s strong relations with colonial institutions,” adding: “Is social justice working with ethnic cleansers?”
SJP UIC then invited students to copy their email template protesting [slide 3] Professor Bin Nun’s talk and send it to UIC’s SPH.
On February 10, 2021, SJP UIC condemned UIC’s SPH for inviting Israeli speakers to campus, adding: “These speakers perpetuate the colonial ideology that Israel was founded on.”
On February 19, 2021, SJP UIC encouraged students on Instagram to sign an “Open Letter” condemning UIC’s SPH event featuring Professor Bin Nun.
The letter suggested the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) was “racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian” and condemned SPH for allowing the JUF to fund the SPH Israeli Visiting Scholars program. The letter went on to suggest Israel blocked Palestinian access to COVID-19 prevention and treatment.
The SJP UIC letter also made a series of demands of UIC, including “the termination of ties between SPH and Israeli academic institutions” and the “termination of speakers that are visiting UIC as representatives of Israeli Institutions.”
On March 3, 2021, SJP UIC posted to Instagram that its representatives attended Professor Bin Nun’s talk and “persistently asked questions regarding Palestine.”
On March 11, 2021, SJP UIC posted to Instagram: “SJP is calling all organizers and activists to join us starting 12 pm on March 16th in our social media storm demanding the UIC School of Public Health answer for why they work with Islamophobic, anti-Arab, transphobic and homophobic organizations.”
On March 16, 2021, SJP UIC launched their #CutTheTiesUICSPH social media campaign on Instagram and Twitter. SJP UIC’s “Twitter storm for SPH campaign” contained over 60 tweets to copy and tweet out, as well as downloadable graphics and testimonies of anti-Israel student activists who had attended Bin-Nun’s lecture.
The campaign called to cut ties with the JUF and to object to future JUF-sponsored meetings “like any other anti-religious group,” and suggested such meetings were affront to all of UIC’s Muslim students.
The JUF, also known as the Jewish Metropolitan Fund of Chicago and the Jewish Federation of Chicago, serves as the central philanthropic address of Chicago's Jewish community.
In one Instagram post, SJP UIC stated: “Our Demand is that the UIC School of Public Health stop working with Islamophobic organizations.”
That same day, another one of SJP UIC’s Instagram posts said: “Islamophobia is a product of Zionism, and UIC’s School of Public Health is complicit.”
One of SJP UIC’s suggested tweets stated: “Palestinians were called 'illegal aliens' and pushed the responsibility towards the Arab world as if Israel isn’t mandated under Geneva convention to vaccinate the occupied people of Palestine." #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is responsible for providing health services to Palestinians under its jurisdiction, as per the Oslo Accords.
In December 2020, PA officials reportedly insisted that they were going to procure the vaccines without Israel’s assistance. Israel had already provided vaccines to non-Israeli Arab residents of East Jerusalem.
Another suggested tweet stated: “‘It was so clear that SPH only cares to promote a very specific narrative about Israel, one that washes over the colonization, ethnic cleansing, and occupation of the Palestinian people.’ #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
Also on March 16, 2021 , SJP UIC tweeted: “Instead of bringing Israelis to talk about how great their apartheid system is, why not bring Palestinians to talk about the injustices they face in health access and health equity? #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
SJP UIC also tweeted: “There are over 5000 Muslim students on the UIC campus making up 15% of the student body populationHowever, UIC school of Public health still found it appropriate to allow an Islamophobic group such as JUF host an event here. #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
Another SJP UIC tweet stated: “Despite 200+ signatures requesting the cancellation of this event, SPH administrators refused to cancel this event. WHY? Does SPH not care about their Muslim and Arab/MENA students? It’s evident they do not.
#CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth”
Another tweet read: “UIC doesn’t allow any hate groups or anti-religious groups to speak at their campus so, why is it different now when it comes to an Israeli speaker?
#CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
Another tweet read: “Calling out apartheid and racism is not antisemitism. #CutTheTiesUICSPH @uicpublichealth.”
On April 7, 2021, SJP UIC posted to their Facebook page: “We have great news! This past Monday at the USG meeting a resolution was passed declaring USG stands in solidarity with SJP and their allies in our campaign demanding SPH cut ties with the Islamophobic and racist JUF and other Zionist entities! Solidarity
!” SJP UIC Digital Apartheid Week 2020
From May 11-15 2020, SJP UIC promoted and participated in SJP Chicago’s “Digital Apartheid Week” designed to replace SJP’s “Israel Apartheid Week” across Chicago due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.On May 16, 2020, SJP DePaul activist Mahmoud Awadallahhosted two videos live-streamed on SJP Chicago’s Instagram page, titled: “Quarantine with Falasteen,” as part [00:30:24] of SJP Chicago’s “Digital Apartheid Week.”
Awadallah started the event by stating [00:02:26] that, in honor of Nakba day, “We are celebrating the Palestinian resistance that has been going on for 72 years.”
During the event, Awadallah hosted singer Mary Hazboun, who sang [00:23:07] a song “very dear” to her heart, from when she was in Bethlehem during the violent second intifada. The violent second intifada targeted Israeli civilians and caused more than 9,000 Israeli casualties.
Hazboun added [00:23:28]: her son was “dedicated to the martyrs’ Shahada.” The Shahada is the Muslim confession of faith.
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.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/100000695403382LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/siefsalameh/
- Status:
- Professional
- University:
- Illinois-Chicago
- Organizations:
- SJP
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- Last Modified:
- 03/26/2026
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