Zaina Taha
Overview
Zaina Taha has spread hatred of Israel on Twitter and supported a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) disruption at the University of Houston (UH) in 2018.In 2017 and 2018, Taha was affiliated with SJP at UH. Taha also indicated on Facebook that she “went” to the 2017 National SJP Conference.
NSJP 2017 was held October 27-29, 2017 at UH. The conference was themed “A Reimagined World: Dismantling Walls from Palestine to the Rio Grande.” Per the 2017 National SJP Conference website, the conference aimed to strengthen “collaborative efforts within all regions to pass BDS” and envision “pathways to achieving sanctions in the future.”
Taha has promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
As of July 2019, Taha was listed on the UH directory as a Chemical Engineering student.
Spreading Hatred of Israel
On November 7, 2018, Taha created a series of tweets demonizing Israel, writing: “The fact that people correlate a ‘country’ with a whole religion should be a red flag. You think that it’s not built on oppressing the voices of other people when we say Isra*l and you automatically think it’s a country solely reserved to Jewish people?”Taha continued: “It means creating an open air prison and bombing the s* out of it. It means building illegal settlements on Palestinian lands and demolishing Palestinian villages.”
Taha added: So no, hating isr*el and calling it a piece of s**t settler colonial state that commits genocide and not believing that it exists is not f**king anti Semitic. Next question.”
Taha retweeted a January 11, 2019 tweet that read: “We’re really in 2019 and y’all are still calling the occupation a ‘conflict’? #ItsCalledApartheid #FreePalestine.”
Taha retweeted a January 7, 2019 tweet that read: “Israel is a racist apartheid regime run by a psychopath.”
Taha retweeted a December 28, 2018 tweet that read: “zionists forcing the world to believe the state of israel is based on Judaism, and not an oppressive piece of s**t occupation.”
Taha retweeted a December 28, 2018 tweet that read: “Here is my video on how Israel uses Palestine as a weapons testing laboratory, which Facebook erased without explanation.”
The tweet linked to a video narrated by journalist Rania Khalek, where she claimed [00:00:23] that “Palestine is Israel’s personal laboratory for testing, refining and showcasing methods and weapons of domination and control.” Khalek also said [00:01:06] that Gaza is an “open air testing ground for weapons of mass destruction.”
Khalek then suggested [00:05:25]: “In many ways, what Israel does to Palestinians is a glimpse into the future of what’s to come for the most vulnerable and marginalized among us, from the killing fields of Gaza to the tear-gassed streets of Ferguson and beyond, which makes the struggle for justice in Palestine a global one.”
Taha retweeted a December 27, 2018 tweet that read: “@ everyone who thinks israel has ‘the right to defend itself’, israel is a settler colonial state, colonialism and occupation are inherently violent so even if no one is ‘attacking’ israel its mere existence as a colonial power is a threat to peace and stability.”
Supporting an SJP UH Disruption
On May 21, 2018, Taha tweeted: “UH students who support Nikki are a disgrace to humanity.” Taha later commented on her tweet: “I disagree with genocide, massacres, murder, ethnic cleansing, etc. Etc. So obviously I'm not going to want someone who agrees with and tries to validate such horrific actions to speak freely on my campus.”Taha’s tweets referred to a speech given by former United States Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, at UH, which was disrupted by SJP UH activists on May 22, 2018.
On the same day, Taha tweeted: “Nikki was the first governor to sign the anti-BDS legislation that doesn’t allow the state to do business with anyone who boycotts Israel, a complete violation of our freedom of speech so you're supporting a fascist. That's all I have to say to you, bye.”
During Haley’s speech, Mohammed Fattouh, an SJP UH activist, stood up and shouted [00:00:11] that Haley was “continuing to sign off on the genocide of a native people” and that she was “an accomplice to terrorists and colonizers.”
Another SJP UH activist led protestors in chanting [00:00:25] “Nikki Nikki can’t you see? You allowed a killing spree” as well as [00:00:33] “Haley Haley you can’t hide, you signed off on genocide!” and [00:00:56] “Nikki Haley you will see, Palestine will be free!”
After law officials escorted them out of the auditorium, SJP UH protestors chanted [00:01:55] “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!”
SJP UH - Spreading Anti-Israel Propaganda
UH’s IAW featured a mock apartheid wall, erected on campus. Text on the wall read: “If you want to find a safe place in Gaza, do not stand beside a child.” Another piece of text read: “Israel uses sophisticated attack jets to bomb densely crowded refugee camps, schools, apartment blocks, mosques and slums to attack a population that has no airforce, no navy, army and calls it a war. It is not war, it is murder.”SJP UH - Spreading Propaganda
On October 1, 2017, SJP UH shared a Facebook post that read: “17 years ago today, 12yr old Muhammad Al-Durra was shot dead on LIVE TV in his father's arms.#Coogs4Palestine #FreePalestine.”
The Al-Durah hoax is an iconic piece of anti-Israel propaganda, fabricated on September 30, 2000 at the start of the Second Intifada by a France 2 reporter.
On May 8, 2017, SJP UH organized Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) on UH’s campus. One IAW event featured a mock “apartheid wall” erected on campus. Text on the wall read: “If you want to find a safe place in Gaza, do not stand beside a child.” Other text read: “Israel uses sophisticated attack jets to bomb densely crowded refugee camps, schools, apartment blocks, mosques and slums to attack a population that has no airforce, no navy, army and calls it a war. It is not war, it is murder.”
Throughout the summer of 2014 — during Operation Protective Edge (OPE) — Hamas’ continued deployment of human shields was extensively documented and publicized. Hamas encouraged gazans to act as human shields, to specifically frustrate Israeli efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. Israel commenced OPEin July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
SJP UH - Supporting Terrorists
On September 5, 2017, SJP UH shared a graphic on Facebook of an image and quote by Leila Khaled.Khaled is a leader 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 for the use of children in terror activities and compared Zionists to Nazis.
The PFLP claimed credit for the 2014 Har Nof Massacre where six people were murdered during morning prayers in a Jerusalem synagogue. The PFLP also claimed credit for the 2001 assassination of the Israeli tourism minister.
On May 25, 2017, SJP UH rallied behind convicted Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike, by organizing a “symbolic hunger strike” and participating in a Saltwater Challenge. The event organizers wrote on the Facebook event page: “we demand that Israel end its policies of apartheid, colonization, military occupation, displacement, dispossession, and mass incarceration.”
The hunger strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings — and shooting attacks that killed five Israelis during the second Intifada. Barghouti led the the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Barghouti also financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe massacre where 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured.
More than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners participated in the hunger strike — most of whom were also convicted for acts of terrorism.
According to CNN , the “Saltwater Challenge” appears to have been started by Aarab Marwan Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti.
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.
SJP UH - Disrupting Campus Events
On November 3, 2017, SJP activists disrupted a lecture by David Horowitz at UH. SJP activists stood up holding a Palestinian flag and a Pan African/Black Liberation flag and yelled [00:07:04] at Horowitz. The protesters began shouting, “Zionists! Off our campus! Racists! Off our campus! Islamophobes! Off our campus!” and walked out of the lecture hall as they continued to chant.The protesters included members of other campus organizations that comprised the Cougar Voice Coalition (CVC), such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), United Muslim Relief (UMR) Houston and Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Houston.
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.
