Exposed: Hamas-linked funding to 'Students for Justice in Palestine'
New research has shed light on how the pro-Palestinian protests on US college campuses received millions from Hamas-linked groups encouraging the intimidation of Jewish and pro-Israel students
If you’re like me, you have probably been looking at the footage coming from college campuses across America with one question on your mind: Just who is funding this organized chaos?
It is no secret that groups often pay people to be ‘agitators’ in public events for social justice causes. In 2016 I was offered money and food by my American alma mater to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump (I declined). I learned then how protests can be highly organized and, in some cases, protestors can be bought and paid for by organizations that operate within the safe spaces of US college campuses.
So it is refreshing to be able to confirm that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and its umbrella organization, the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) have received $3 million a year of funding from organizations also accused of funding Hamas.
The funding has helped support SJP through three main pillars: financial support, legal aid, and campaign/activist preparation. Perhaps now the behavior of these indoctrinated college kids can be better understood!
"National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP): Antisemitism, Anti-Americanism, Violent Extremism and the Threat to American Universities" is a report published by The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). The paper highlights several non-profit organizations providing legal or financial support to SJP linked to Hamas, including The WESPAC Foundation, Tides, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), and Americans for Justice in Palestine (AJP).
AMP is a non-profit currently under investigation by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and has been accused of being a successor to a charity held accountable for funding Hamas.
WESPAC calls itself “a leading force for progressive social change” yet appears to serve as a financial sponsor by channeling tax-free donations through its accounts to SJP chapters.
SJP's ideology and actions align with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, including “denying Jewish self-determination”, “applying double standards to Israel”, and using antisemitic tropes to demonize Jews.
Its umbrella, NSJP, emerged under another umbrella of actors including known backers of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
PIJ is an Iran-sponsored organization based in Gaza that pursues terror activity in Israel.
The PFLP “combines Arab nationalism with a Marxist-Leninist ideology and views the destruction of Israel as integral to the struggle to remove Western capitalism from the Middle East,” claims the report.
The funding has helped with the organization of protests across the country and subsequently increased the levels of antisemitism at college campuses, with many Jewish students reporting instances of aggression, violence, or intimidation. It also helps promote campaigns like Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) on campuses that seek to undermine Israel economically.
The Daily Mail has reported that the attorney of AMP Christina Jump denied any wrongdoing or links to Hamas, but confirmed that they give between $500-2,000 of grants to pro-Palestine student groups including SJP and JVP, for what she calls “tangible expenses for specified events, such as food or copying costs for specifically identified gatherings.”
However, the report clarifies that: “SJP protests often feature chants like ‘Resistance is justified’ and ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ which reflect a genocidal objective to eradicate Israel.”
ISGAP is an American non-profit organization that produces academic research, seminars, and conferences to study antisemitism. It was founded in 2004 by Dr. Charles Asher Small from Tel Aviv University and its Chairman is Natan Sharansky, an Israeli politician, human rights activist, and author.
"This research uncovers the intricate and alarming network of extremism propagated by SJP on university campuses across the US, as seen by their direct involvement in the growing antisemitic protests taking place across US campuses,” said Dr. Small, Executive Director. “We have shed light on the deeply concerning trend of antisemitism intertwined with radical ideologies, posing a grave threat to the safety and well-being of Jewish and pro-Israel individuals. As we witness a troubling surge in antisemitic incidents, it becomes increasingly imperative to expose and confront the tactics of hate employed by groups like SJP. Only by uncovering the roots of this phenomenon and understanding its manifestations, can we equip ourselves to combat it effectively.”
The consequences of this are evident. In 2023 the ADL published its annual survey that revealed 7,523 antisemitic incidents in 2023 compared to 3,697 the year before. That number rises to 8,873 if expanded to include a broader definition of antisemitism.
The survey also highlighted how the NYPD recorded 325 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2023 in comparison to the 261 it recorded in 2022. In Los Angeles, the figure was 165 compared to the 86 incidents filed the previous year, according to Israeli news site i24 News.
Some universities have already suspended or banned SJP activities on their campuses. Brandeis University president Ronald Liebowitz acknowledged how “SJP openly supports Hamas” and in November 2023 stopped recognizing it entirely.
Rutgers University suspended the chapter in December 2023, but that was reversed the following month when a member of SJP argued it had been dropped due to “Zionist pressure”, according to British Jewish newspaper The JC.
Governor Ron DeSantis said it was “not a First Amendment issue” when banning SJP chapters in Florida’s state universities because “[SJP] have said that they are in cahoots with Hamas,” reported by The Hill in 2023.
With tangible funding channels practically confirmed, universities across America can now feel the consequences. The results are highly organized, funded, and supported protests that aim to spread antisemitic propaganda and cause intimidation to Jewish students on campus. While some faculty are pushing back against these thugs and their demands, it appears it might be too late for institutions like Columbia, NYU, and UCLA.