Wassim Abedrabbo
Overview
As of June 2023, Abedrabbo was advocacy coordinator for AMP. In November 2022, Abedrabbo had been vice-chair of the New Jersey chapter of AMP (AMP-NJ), since at least March 2021. He had been an AMP-NJ activist as early as October 2017.
Abedrabbo was also reportedly the founder and president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Pace University (Pace SJP). He is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
In April 2015, Abedrabbo was vice president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Pace.
Abedrabbo was affiliated with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) New Jersey chapter (CAIR-NJ) in 2021.
As of January 2023, Abedrabbo was listed as “Investigations Manager” on the staff page of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), which investigates complaints against NYC police officers. In August 2020, Abedrabbo’s LinkedIn profile said he was a Senior Investigator at CCRB since October 2015.
In August 2020, Abedrabbo’s LinkedIn said he graduated from Northeastern University School of Law (Northeastern) with a Master of Legal Studies in 2019. His LinkedIn also said he graduated from Pace with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Information Technology, Computer Forensics in 2015.
Abedrabbo has also used the name Wassim Qana’a.
As of January 2023, Abedrabbo went by the username “وسيم [Wassim]” and used the handle “@_WKA21_” on Twitter.
Terror Support
On May 8, 2021, Abedrabbo spoke at an anti-Israel rally in Brooklyn were he led [00:28:23] multiple chants, including: “There is only one solution! Intifada revolution!”The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
The rally where Abedrabbo spoke [00:31:32] was organized by Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and it was called: “Defend Palestine! Support Palestinians Resisting in Sheikh Jarrah.” At the same rally, WOL leader Nerdeen Kiswani played [00:12:08] and sangalong to a pro-Hamas song titled: “Odrob Odrob [Strike a Blow at] Tel Aviv.”
Among Palestinians and anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” can be a euphemism for nationalistic terror. It is often used to excuse or even glorify anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
WOL’s “Points of Unity” states [point 3]: “We defend the right of Palestinians as colonized people to resist the zionist occupation by any means necessary.”
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 April 26, 2017, Abedrabbo made his Facebook profile picture an image supporting over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel prison, many of whom were jailed for acts of terrorism, who were then on a hunger strike known as the “Dignity Strike.”
Hatred of Israel
On January 2, 2023, the Algemeiner reported that Abedrabbo spoke at an SJP event in November 2022, where he said Zionism equals “oppression, segregation, and discrimination.”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.
The SJP event where Abedrabbo spoke [00:00:56] was hosted by the SJP chapter at Rutgers University-New Brunswick (Rutgers NB SJP) on November 18, 2022. The event was titled: “The Fight For Divestment at Rutgers University! Panel Discussion on Divestment From Israeli Apartheid At The University Level.”
On May 14, 2022, Abedrabbo was featured in a Twitter video from an anti-Israel protest where he said [00:00:04]: “Because fundamental to the Nakba is the right of return!”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
On May 14, 2021, during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) against Hamas, Abedrabbo tweeted: “#GenocideinGaza #GazaUnderAttack.”
In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.
On July 14, 2020, Abedrabbo was quoted in a statement by AMP-NJ that demonized the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and echoed a campaign by the anti-Israel organization Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
Abedrabbo said: “The ADL’s attempt to propagate itself as an advocate of social justice in the US is easily exposed by its organizing of US police force training by Zionist forces and its continued attacks on advocates for Palestine. The ADL complicit [sic] in the loss of Black life in America through its support of US law enforcement deadly tactic training by those Zionist forces.”
The accusation that Israeli law enforcement teaches American police brutal tactics during police exchange programs is used to demonize Israel. Participants in these programshave stated [00:02:14] that the training in Israel focuses [00:13:36] on public policy, counter-terrorism and leadership training in the form of lectures and discussions.
In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange” (DX) campaign, accusing American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses by coordinating exchange programs between American and Israeli security personnel to advance “worst practices" and racist policies. The campaign blamed [00:04:04] Jewish organizations for violence against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.
On June 16, 2020, Abedrabbo participated in an AMP-Minnesota event that featured AMP founder and chairman Hatem Bazian and former PLO spokesman under Yasser Arafat Rashid Khalidi. The event was titled: “The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: Colonialism Then, Now and Today.”
At the event, Abedrabbo said [01:06:13]: “These Zionist myths no longer have any place in academia…The analysis of these claims that Zionism is founded upon are easily deconstructed.”
On November 17, 2018, Abedrabbo spoke [00:01:40] at an AMP-NJ event titled: “Workshop for Palestine” at which he said [00:02:06]: “As an organization…our goal is to build our community as a force in the state of New Jersey and in the United States that’s gonna work towards ending U.S. support for Israeli state-sponsored terrorism.”
Abedrabbo continued [00:03:26]: “BDS…and I mean this with every fiber of my being…is the biggest threat…to Zionist supremacy. Money is where it hurts.”
Abedrabbo later said [00:09:00]: “If there is one thing that we as a community need to become well-versed in and understand, is the difference between Zionism and Judaism, and not conflate the two things and separate it out, and then develop our own, uh, realistic, uh, narrative and talking points.”
The word “Zion” first appears in the Bible, where it is used in reference to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. Jerusalem and Israel are central components of Judaism in history, prayer, culture and religious observance, with many of Torah’s commandments relating to Israel.
On July 10, 2016, Abedrabbo posted on Facebook a photo of his name graffitied on Israel’s security barrier and wrote: “... I love my boys who tagged my existence on the Apartheid wall…”
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.
Anti-Israel Activism (AMP, Al-Awda, CAIR, JVP, WOL )
In January 2023, Abedrabbo was listed as a speaker at the AMP-NJ 2023 conference held at Rutgers University-Newark. The conference was titled: “Liberating Palestine: The Time is Now.”On May 10, 2022, Abedrabbo was featured [00:00:01] in an AMP-NJ Instagram video captioned: “Talk about the Nakba
#Nakba74. JOIN US this Saturday and be a part of the discussion on Palestine, we will be joined by remarkable people working to resist the erasure of Palestine !”In May 2022, Abedrabbo spoke at two protests by the New York chapter of Al-Awda — The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (Al-Awda NY). As of August 2020, he was a member of the Al-Awda -NY Facebook group, which he joined in December 2014.
On September 19, 2021, Abedrabbo spoke at CAIR-NJ’s Annual Muslim Youth Leadership Intensive. The event was targeted specifically for “ALL MUSLIM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.”
On May 14, 2021, during OGW, Abedrabbo participated in an anti-Israel protest held byNew Jersey Peace Action, the Palestinian American Community Center, AMP and JVP.
On May 11, 2021, Abedrabbo participated in a WOL protest at the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan titled: “Emergency Rally for Palestine.”
In July 2020, Abedrabbo was listed by AMP as the AMP-NJ government relations coordinator. He was also the government relations director from June 2018 until at least April 2019.
On February 19, 2020, Abedrabbo posted to a Facebook group titled: “NJ Students / Teachers Right to Challenge US Foreign Policy.” His post promoted AMP’s “Palestine Advocacy Day 2020,” scheduled for March 22-24, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
AMP’s annual Palestine Advocacy Day (PAD) has been held in Washington, D.C., since 2015. Activists, including multiple former SJP leaders, are trained by AMP officials and also promote the BDS movement in meetings with Members of Congress, their staff and other government officials.
On December 29, 2019, Abedrabbo posted a video on YouTube promoting AMP’s Palestine Advocacy Day 2020.
On September 17, 2019, Abedrabbo reportedly introduced himself at a regular meeting of the Municipal Council of the City of Clifton, New Jersey, as the “Director” of AMP.
On December 12, 2017, Abedrabbo promoted on Facebook an AMP-co-sponsored protest titled: “Jerusalem is Forever The Capital of Palestine.” The Facebook event description said it was a “national demonstration… to tell Donald Trump that we do not recognize his declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.”
In December 2017, the U.S. government announced its decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
On October 12, 2017, Abedrabbo was reportedly AMP-NJ’s Legislative Outreach Coordinator.
On the same day, Abedrabbo was the featured speaker at an event titled: “Boycott Divestment Sanctions: History, Present, and Future,” hosted by SJP at City College, New York (City College).
On October 25, 2014, Abedrabbo represented Pace NYC SJP at the 2014 National SJP (NSJP) Conference hosted by Tufts University (Tufts).
Pace NYC SJP - Promoting Terrorists (2015-2016)
On August 16, 2015 Pace NYC SJP promoted a protest for Mohammad AllanAllan, a member of terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), was initially jailed in 2006 by Israel for trying to recruit a suicide bomber to carry out an attack in Israel. He was similarly detained in 2015.
On April 27, 2016, Pace NYC SJP shared a video on Facebook by AJ+ promoting Dima Al-Wawi.
12-year-old Al-Wawi said that she hoped she would be killed in the process of killing an Israeli security guard. She said: “I was dreaming that I was going to be martyred.” Al-Wawi was imprisoned for attempting to stab a security guard at the Israeli community Karmei Tzur.
Pace NYC SJP - Spreading Hatred of Israel (2014-2016)
On March 9, 2016, Pace NYC SJP shared to Facebook a Peace House rap video that condemned renowned American record producer, DJ and radio personality DJ Khaled for endorsing Sabra, an Israeli hummus producer.The video showed [00:00:45] clips of Palestinian rock throwers and rappers wearing [00:00:24] shirts saying “boycott sabra” and one rapper wearing a shirt with [00:00:57] “‘48,” condemning the founding of the modern State of Israel.
Rock throwing is a deadly form of violence, despite being romanticized as a form of “popular resistance.”
On March 3, 2016, Pace NYC SJP held an event titled: “South African Apartheid & Lessons for Palestine,” as part of Israel Apartheid Week (IAW).
On February 27, 2015, Pace NYC SJP posted a graphic to Facebook, showing the logos of over 50 businesses, with the comment: “The Companies listed have a part in #Israeli state terrorism” and urged to “BoycottIsrael #BDS.”
The caption on the image read: “STOP ZIONISM BOYCOTT ISRAEL.”
On April 2, 2015, Pace NYC SJP wrote on Facebook: “Check out our NEW cover photo: the link gives a description of Zionist cleansing of the indigenous population and their injustices.”
The cover photo was of an image of a misleading series of maps.
The maps claim that lands once controlled by Britain, Egypt and Jordan as autonomous “Palestinian land” were purportedly stolen by Israel. In February 2016, publisher McGraw-Hill Education recalled copies of a college textbook containing the fraudulent maps. In October 2015, American cable news network MSNBC apologized for airing a similar series of maps and retracted them.
On April 21, 2014, Pace NYC SJP held an event that featured Remi Kanazi.
Pace NYC SJP - Supporting Intifada (2015-2016)
On March 30, 2016, Pace NYC SJP promoted an event co-hosted by NYC SJP, titled: “Nakba Day March for Resistance and Return” slated to take place on May 15, 2016 in New York.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 May 15, 2016, NYC SJP shared images from the event on Twitter and wrote: “From the river to the sea, intifada! Intifada!! #NakbaDay #Nakba68 #nyc.”
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle 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.
Nerdeen Mohsen Kiswani, NYC SJP co-founder and Chair, posted on Facebook a video recording of the protest that featured herself and other protesters inciting [00:00:01] against Jews who moved from New York to Israel, claiming [00:00:06] “The Brooklyn settlers, the New York settlers are the most violent.”
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.
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.
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.
MSA
The MSA was established by members of the Muslim Brotherhood in January 1963 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with the goal of "spreading Islam as students in North America." A 2004 FBI investigation uncovered an internal Muslim Brotherhood document in which a brotherhood leader identified the MSA as "one of our organizations."
The MSA reportedly has “nearly 600 chapters” located in the United States and Canada, and is “the most visible and influential Islamic student organization in North America,” boasting conferences, special events, publications, websites and other activities.
The organization includes a number of previous chapter presidents with explicit links to terrorist groups. Included are al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki (Colorado State University), Somali al-Shabaab militant leader Omar Shafik Hammami (University of South Alabama) and Pakistani Taliban recruiter Ramy Zamzam of the MSA's Washington, D.C. council.
Social Media and Web Links
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/1237268205 [Deleted]https://www.facebook.com/wassim.abedrabbo [Deleted]
Twitter:https://twitter.com/_WKA21_
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/wassim.kanaan/ [Deleted]
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/wassim-abedrabbo-415299b4/ [Deleted]
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@wassim.kanaan
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqSCZ_VzexyhngOjG04qWQg
Videos
Photos & Screenshots
