Hisham Al-Falih / Student / 2017
Hisham Al-Falih Occupation: Student University: Stanford Organization(s): SJP, SOOP, BDS Close Connection(s): EKela Autry, Ramah Awad, Kristian Davis Bailey, Maria Diaz-Gonzalez, Lucas Di’Vennci, Lewam Dejen, Clayton Evans, Sherif Ibrahim, Afia Khan, Malcolm Lizzappi, Cole Manley, Stephanie Navarro, Elijah Ndoumbé, Kyle Neil, Co Tran, Laura Perez, Natasha Patel, Sid Patel, Lindsey Redd, Muzzammil Shittu, Kenneth Tea, Manny Thompson, Ruqayya Toorawa, Tefan Yusuf, Fatima Zehra Overview Hisham Al-Falih was a member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Stanford University (Stanford). Al-Falih was also a member of Stanford Out of Occupied Palestine (SOOP), which defines itself as a coalition of 19 student groups without any formal leadership structure and has as its stated mission to “end Stanford's investments in corporations which profit from the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories.” SOOP disseminates Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement materials and solicits donations for BDS, but has stated that it is not connected to the formal BDS movement and is focused on “selective divestment.” Al-Falih was heavily involved in the 2014-2015 SOOP divestment campaign at Stanford. Al-Falih graduated from Stanford in 2016 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was a Senator of the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) in 2013 and the founder and president of Stanford’s Arab Student Association (ASAS). Supporting Divestment at Stanford On February 17, 2015, the Stanford Undergraduate Senate voted in favor of a SOOP resolution calling on the university to divest from corporations that “maintain the occupation of Palestine.” Al-Falih supported the campaign. On October 26, 2014, Al-Falih penned his name to an Op-Ed written for the student newspaper titled “Stanford must divest from the occupation of Palestine.” On February 9, 2015, Al-Falih featured in the SOOP Divest campaign video on behalf of ASAS. www.canarymission.org 1/5
Hisham Al-Falih / Student / 2017
SOOP’s resolution called for Stanford University trustees to divest from companies that “violate international humanitarian law by: maintaining illegal infrastructure of the Israeli occupation… facilitating Israel and Egypt’s collective punishment of Palestinian civilians… [and] facilitating state repression against Palestinians by Israeli, Egyptian or Palestinian Authority security forces.” On February 8, 2015, a student newspaper article reported that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings showed no evidence that Stanford has been invested in any of these companies that SOOP targeted for divestment over the last ten years, with the exception of Raytheon for just one filing period. In a vote held on February 10, 2015, the resolution failed to garner the required 66% senate approval, eliciting shouts of anger from the crowd and leaving one senator in tears. But a February 17 re-vote called by Senate Chair Ana Ordonez — who had abstained from the first vote due to the “hostile” atmosphere making it difficult for her to concentrate — garnered enough support for the resolution to pass. Stanford SJP was a central partner in the SOOP coalition. In 2014, SJP Stanford made a divestment request to the university’s Advisory Panel on Investment Responsibility and Licensing (APIRL). In April of 2015, however, the Stanford Board of Trustees announced that Stanford would take no action on SJP’s request, nor consider it further. In accordance with the board’s Statement on Investment Responsibility, the board focused on “questions of divisiveness and negative impact” and determined that acting on the request would be “likely to impair the capacity of the University to carry out its educational mission.” President John Hennessy also addressed the issue at a Faculty Senate meeting: “I have never seen a topic that has been more divisive within the university community,” Hennessy said. “As a university, we must remain committed to civil and rational discussion, especially when the issues are highly controversial. An atmosphere of intimidation or vitriol endangers our ability to operate as an intellectual community.” Stanford SJP has been rumoured to be planning a BDS campaign in 2017 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War. Stanford SJP - Disrespects Vigil for Terror Victims In October 2015, SJP Stanford organized a protest as a preemptive response to a vigil mourning innocent Israelis murdered in a wave of terror attacks across Israel. The SJP protesters held signs, some of which which read: “#Al Aqsa under fire.” The claim that the Al Aqsa mosque was under threat echoed the same incitement that fueled the Palestinian killings whose victims the vigil was meant to memorialize. The www.canarymission.org 2/5
Hisham Al-Falih / Student / 2017
“threat” of “attacks on Al Aqsa” has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews, well before the existence of Israel. SJP Stanford President Fatima Zehra considered the emails advertising the vigil for Israelis problematic because they acknowledged that Israelis who had been murdered were “victims of terror.” Stanford SJP - Hosting Omar Barghouti On October 26, 2016, Stanford SJP held an event hosting BDS founder Omar Barghouti for a live-video lecture. Stanford SJP - Supporting the “Right To Education” Tour On November 12, 2014, Stanford SJP hosted a “Right 2 Education” tour at Stanford. The “Right 2 Education” campaign brings students to United States campuses who claim that Israel is obstructing the rights of Palestinians to higher education. These claims mischaracterize sweeps Israeli security forces have taken to shut down terror cells operating from Birzeit’s campus. Birzeit’s student body elected Hamas to power in 2003, 2015 and 2016. In January of 2016, Birzeit characterized an IDF raid to arrest wanted militants as a “belligerent ... attack on the university and our right to education …” In September of 2014, pro-Palestinian Haaretz reporter Amira Hass was thrown off of Birzeit’s campus — because Hass is Jewish. Stanford SJP - Hosting Mads Gilbert On November 09, 2015, Stanford SJP held a “Visual Talk” event featuring Dr. Mads Gilbert and decrying that he was “hit with a lifetime ban from entering Gaza by the Israeli government.” Gilbert has been banned indefinitely from entering Gaza via Israel due to his connections to the Hamas leadership. In 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014 Gilbert — whose anti-Israel allegations are popular with white supremacists — was stationed at a hospital that served as a Hamas command bunker and rocket launching site. During that time, Gilbert acted as a propagandist for Hamas in Gaza. In December of 2009, Gilbert was accused of faking resuscitation on a dead child in Gaza for dramatic effect on a CNN video. www.canarymission.org 3/5
Hisham Al-Falih / Student / 2017
SJP SJP was co-founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) by Professors Hatem Bazian and Snehal Shingavi. Bazian served as president of the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) while studying at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and headed the Muslim Students Association (MSA) while earning his M.A. at UC Berkeley. In 2004, while the second intifada was already winding down in Israel, he called for an intifada in the United States. Shingavi, an activist tied to the International Socialist Organization (ISO), has been criticized for using his literature course as a vehicle for promoting anti-Israel propaganda. SJP has grown to become the primary student movement advancing the Palestinian national agenda on North American campuses and is the primary force behind BDS campaigns at most schools. SJP activists frequently intimidate and harass Jewish and pro-Israel students. SJP members have physically assaulted Jewish students, aggressively disrupted pro-Israel events and possibly vandalized communal property. SJP rallies regularly include hate-speech and chants such as “Long Live The Intifada” and “From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free” — calls for violence and for the destruction of the Jewish state. SJP chapters frequently run inflammatory campaigns against Israel, including BDS resolutions, rallies, Israel-Apartheid initiatives, propaganda comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, mock checkpoints and “die-ins.” SJP chapters regularly host speakers who use language considered anti-Semitic by the U.S. State Department and individuals linked to terrorist activity. BDS The BDS movement was founded in 2005 by Omar Barghouti and asserts that it “works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law." BDS initiatives include compelling institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, academic boycotts, anti-Israel rallies and protests. The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for "BDS resolutions." In these cases, backed by university anti-Israel affiliates, student governments have brought to vote on some form of boycott of — or divestment from — Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities. These resolutions, www.canarymission.org 4/5
Hisham Al-Falih / Student / 2017
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. In 2013, when the student government of the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats and the spitting on a student wearing a Star of David necklace. As a result, the student government chose to vote via a "secret ballot" in order to ensure their own safety. Social Media and Web Links Facebook: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hisham.alfalih Twitter: https://twitter.com/bufali7/ [Protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hishamfalih Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hishamkf/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/113734091670119662310 Video Links Stanford Student Groups Support #StanfordDivest Senate Hearing #StanfordDivest (2/10)
www.canarymission.org 5/5
