Nadia Ben-Youssef / Professional / 2016
Nadia Ben-Youssef Occupation: Professional University: N/A Organization(s): Adalah, BDS Close Connection(s): Ahmad Abuznaid, Rachel Gilmer Overview Nadia Ben-Youssef is the American Representative for Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah). Ben-Youssef has worked in Israel for Adalah since September 2010. She has also worked as a private consultant since March 2011 and is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. It is reported that Adalah receives significant funding from outside of Israel, including European governments and billionaire George Soros. Soros gave Adalah at least $2.68 million since 2001. The New Israel Fund — which is based in New York and is officially opposed to the BDS movement — granted Adalah $2 million between 2008 to 2015. European organizations, the European Union and several of its member governments also regularly contribute to the NGO. Defending Islamic Jihad Militants On August 19, 2015, Ben-Youssef tweeted “for the immediate release” of Mohammad Allan, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which “is dedicated to the violent destruction of Israel.” It is reported that PIJ is backed by Iran and has killed dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks. Allan was first jailed by Israel in 2006 for trying to recruit a suicide bomber to carry out an attack in Israel. The New York Times cited a former head of Israel’s domestic security agency, who suggested that Allan was detained in 2015 for similar reasons. Ben-Youssef has tweeted and retweeted support for Allan in both English and Arabic, claiming that “there is no legal justification for his continued detention, even for 1 moment.” On June 24, 2015, Ben-Youssef retweeted a tweet that read: “Free Khader Adnan, ‘no vitamins, minerals or medical examinations until I am free’ … free all Palestinian prisoners.” Khader Adnan is a senior member of PIJ. A 2007 YouTube video showed Adnan praising and encouraging suicide bombings: “Who among you will carry the next www.canarymission.org 1/4
Nadia Ben-Youssef / Professional / 2016
explosive belt? Who among you will fire the next bullets? Who among you will have his body parts blown all over?” Defending Militants On April 7, 2015, Ben-Youssef tweeted for the release of Khalida Jarrar, a senior member of the the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization by the European Union, Canada, the United States and Israel. Jarrar was arrested in April 2015 on charges including PFLP membership, inciting violence and calling for terrorists to abduct Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers. Jarrar was later sentenced to 15 months in jail as part of a plea deal when she confessed to all of the charges leveled against her. She was released early in June 2016. On January 27, 2016, Ben-Youssef retweeted a tweet in support of PFLP terrorist Rasmea Odeh, who masterminded a bombing that killed two university students in a Jerusalem supermarket in 1969. 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 her 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. Vilifying Israel On September 27, 2015, Ben-Youssef retweeted a tweet quoting Adalah web editor Majd Kayyal who claimed: “Israel does not have racist policies; Israel is a racist state from its conception.” Kayyal, himself from Israel, was arrested in 2014 for attending a 40th anniversary conference for a Lebanese newspaper linked to Hezbollah. He also participated in a 2011 flotilla designed to breach the joint Israeli and Egyptian naval blockade of Gaza. On September 27, 2015, Ben-Youssef, while live-tweeting the anti-Israel event where Kayyal spoke, tweeted: “We don't want rights from the state, we want to own the state @Majdkayyal #ETO2015.” Ben-Youssef also spoke at the event. In 2016, Ben-Youssef co-authored the statement on Israel appearing in the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) Platform — which promotes BDS. On August 2, 2016, M4BL released its Platform, claiming that: “The US justifies and advances the global war on terror via its alliance with Israel and is complicit in the genocide taking place against the Palestinian people.” www.canarymission.org 2/4
Nadia Ben-Youssef / Professional / 2016
On August 10, 2016, Rachel Gilmer, who co-authored the M4BL statement on Israel, stated: “Using the word genocide wasn't a haphazard piece of work.” Gilmer claimed that she coordinated the language of the statement with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and If Not Now. The M4BL Platform further claimed that “Israel is an apartheid state” and insinuated that U.S. aid to Israel is the cause of underfunded “domestic education and social programs” in the United States. Promoting a “Day of Rage” Against Israel On July 31, 2013, Ben-Youssef called on Facebook for a “Day of Rage” against Israel on August 1, 2013 to protest a proposed Israeli government plan (the Begin-Prawer Plan) to officially recognize and register the vast majority of Bedouin settlements throughout southern Israel and to compensate and relocate the residents of 35 unrecognized villages. The protests turned violent in at least one location as protesters shot firecrackers at Jerusalem police. 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, 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: https://www.facebook.com/nadia.benyoussef.9 www.canarymission.org 3/4
Nadia Ben-Youssef / Professional / 2016
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nadiaby LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-ben-youssef-59555b20 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadiasby/
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