Wesam Jallaq
Overview
Wesam Jallaq is an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Ohio State University (OSU). In 2017, Jallaq was an administrator of the SJP OSU Facebook page.On April 15, 2017, Jallaq attended the “CAIR-Columbus 20th Annual Banquet.” Jallaq was also the 2017-2018 vice president of the Arab Student Union at OSU.
Anti-Israel Rallies
Jallaq indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an October 14, 2015 SJP OSU event titled “A Day of Solidarity with Palestine at Ohio State.” The event description accused Israel of “settler colonialism and apartheid” and called for a show of solidarity for “the new generation of Palestinians” who are “rising up en masse.”In October 2015, there was an upsurge in violence across Israel incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” was characterized by young Palestinians throughout the country stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians.
Jallaq also indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an October 18, 2015 American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)-organized demonstration titled “Rally to Protest Israeli Aggression.”
SJP OSU Activism
On December 7, 2017, Jallaq updated the Facebook event photo for the event “CALL to Action: Rally Against US Embassy Relocation To Jerusalem.” The event was co-hosted by SJP OSU and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) of Central Ohio.On April 7, 2017, Jallaq updated the Facebook event photo for SJP OSU’s “Ice Cream Social - Meet the new SJP Board,” and also indicated on Facebook that he “went” tothe event the following day.
Jallaq indicated on Facebook that he “went” to SJP OSU’s “Palestine Awareness Week,” formerly called Israel Apartheid Week (IAW), in April 2016.
Jallaq also indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an April 6, 2016 SJP OSU event titled “R2E: Right to Education.”
The Right to Education Tour brings Birzeit University students to U.S. campuses, where they claim that Israel is obstructing the rights of Palestinians to higher education. This claim mischaracterizes the sweeps Israeli security forces have made to shut down terror cells operating on the Birzeit campus, including cells linked to Hamas.
OSU Divest 2017
OSU’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) worked together with OSU Divest to launch a divestment campaign in late January of 2015. In March of 2015, OSU Divest unsuccessfully attempted to put a last-minute divestment referendum on the University Student Government (USG) election ballot.During the pre-vote discussion of the bill, OSU divest members accused Israel of “apartheid.” One claimed that United States presidential election candidates “all paraded to AIPAC to pledge allegiance to a foreign government.”
The divestment bill claimed that the call for (active) divestment is a "neutral position" but targeted companies involved in Israel's security as "complicit in human rights abuses.”
OSU Divest petitioned students to place the Divestment resolution open to popular vote, and received enough signatures for their Divestment initiative to be placed on the USG ballot as a referendum.
Daniella Israelstam, a sophomore at OSU who worked against the divestment resolution, reported that OSU Divest used “misleading” tactics, “disguising what was petition [sic.] by saying, ‘please sign this if you support human rights’.”
The vote, which took place from March 6-8, 2017, defeated the divestment bill with 3,843 votes in favor and 4,084 opposed.
As of November 27, 2017, Alyssa Ruebensaal-Novak was listed as SJP OSU’s 2017-2018 Divest Committee Head, with her role being to “recruit and head SJPs efforts to get divest passed.”
SJP OSU
SJP at OSU (SJP OSU) was formerly known as the Committee for Justice in Palestine (CJP).SJP OSU - Threatening Student Senators
On December 1, 2016, SJP OSU hosted an event objecting to a David Project-sponsored trip to Israel geared towards student government leaders. Yousef Yacoub, SJP OSU’s then-treasurer, threatened on Facebook to track student “senators, directors, and members of senior staff” who indicated interest in the trip.Yacoub wrote: “I see you, and I promise you that if you go on this trip without hearing our voices, I will take action. At the first General Assembly of next semester, I will bring forth a resolution for all of your impeachments.”
SJP OSU - Spreading Incitement
On September 23, 2015, SJP OSU promoted an event on Facebook titled “#AlAqsaUnderAttack: The Treatment of Sacred Palestinian Places of Worship Under the Occupation.” The event description claimed that there have been “attacks of Masjid Al-Aqsa, the third-holiest site in the Islamic faith, by the Israeli Defense Forces.”October 2015 saw an upsurge in violence across Israel incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” saw young Palestinians throughout the country stabbing and attempting to stab scores of Israeli civilians.
The attacks were fueled by Palestinian leaders propagating the libel that Israel intended to desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks against Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.
On November 3, 2014, SJP OSU promoted on Facebook and co-sponsored a “Hands Off Al Aqsa!” event. The event description said: “When will we stop rallying? When Palestine is FREE! Religious freedom is under attack! As humans, we cannot stand around and watch as Palestinians are robbed of their religious freedom.”
On October 30, 2013, SJP OSU posted an Al-Jazeera article on Facebook titled “Shutdown of Al-Aqsa mosque a ‘declaration of war’ say Palestinian leaders.”
SJP OSU - Supporting an Anti-Israel Agitator
On December 25, 2017, SJP OSU posted to Facebook: “#FreeAhedTamimi” and attached an article titled: “Israel has transferred Ahed Tamimi to three different detention facilities in the last five days even though she has not yet been charged with a crime.”On December 24, 2017, SJP OSU tweeted: “#FreeAhedTamimi.”
SJP OSU - Spreading Hatred of Israel
On November 6, 2015, SJP OSU posted an article on Facebook that accused Israel of harvesting Palestinians’ organs.The Right to Education Tour brings Birzeit University students to U.S. campuses, where they claim that Israel is obstructing the rights of Palestinians to higher education. This claim mischaracterizes the sweeps Israeli security forces have made to shut down terror cells operating on the Birzeit campus, including cells linked to Hamas.
SJP OSU - Demonizing Free Trips to Israel
On April 4, 2016, SJP OSU shared a quote on Facebook from an article demonizing the Birthright Jewish heritage tour. The article claimed that Birthright was “violent” on that “To make Birthright fun and safe means eradicating an Arab populace.” On February 22, 2016, SJP OSU promoted a poster on Facebook that condemned a free trip to Israel awarded to Oscar nominees. The poster declared: “Free Trip To Israel At The Expense of Palestinians” and “#SkiptheTrip, Don’t endorse Israel Apartheid.”
SJP OSU - Pushing BDS on Campus
SJP OSU supported a divestment resolution presented by OSU Divest to the University Student Government (USG) on March 23, 2016. The resolution, which targeted companies the group claimed were “complicit in human rights violations,” failed in a secret ballot by 21-9 votes with 15 abstentions.During the pre-vote discussion of the bill, OSU Divest members accused Israel of “apartheid” and claimed that presidential election candidates were “paraded to AIPAC to pledge allegiance to a foreign government.”
On April 6, 2016, SJP OSU joined other groups staging a “sit-in” in front of OSU President Michael Drake’s office, as part of a “#ReclaimOSU” campaign. The campaign demanded “complete, comprehensive and detailed access to the Ohio State budget and investments immediately.”
Following repeated discussions and warnings, the university released a statement declaring the groups’ occupation of the premises illegal. Police were called in to prevent access to the building past closing time.
SJP OSU - Attacking Anti-BDS Bill
On October 13, 2017, SJP OSU tweeted: “ATTENTION: There is an anti- BDS resolution that is in the process of being passed here in Ohio.” The tweet referred to Ohio bill H.C.R 10, which condemned the BDS movement and “manifestations” of anti-Semitism.On October 16, 2017, SJP OSU tweeted: “Hearing for anti-BDS house bill has been delayed until further notice please RT and spread the word.”
SJP OSU also tweeted: “Further details about submitting written testimonials also coming in the next couple days as well! Stay tuned!”
On October 28, 2017, SJP OSU tweeted: “Breaking: just released the hearing for the anti bds bill in the state legislature is THIS Wednesday at 9:30 am, RT and tell your friends.”
SJP OSU also tweeted that students should send in a written testimony against the bill, to tell “them you’re against this bill,” and to “share with friends.”
SJP OSU - Supporting Terrorist Rasmea Odeh
In November 2014, SJP OSU promoted on Facebook a solidarity rally for Rasmea Odeh. Odeh was a key military operative 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 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.
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.
- Status:
- Student
- University:
- Ohio-State
- Organizations:
- BDS,
- SJP
- Related Profiles:
- Leila Elaqad,
- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
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