Families of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023, have filed a lawsuit against the organizers of anti-Israel protests that occurred at Columbia University, alleging the organizers helped “aid and abet” terrorism.
Defendants in the case are listed as Nerdeen Kiswani, a representative of Within Our Lifetime-United for Palestine; Maryam Alwan, a representative of Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine; Cameron Jones, a representative of Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace; and Mahmoud Khalil, a representative of Columbia Apartheid Divest. All have participated in and helped organize the anti-Israel encampments at Columbia since October 2023.
“Their self-described acts in furtherance of their goals to assist Hamas have included terrorizing and assaulting Jewish students, unlawfully taking over and damaging public and university property on Columbia’s campus, and physically assaulting Columbia University employees,” plaintiffs said. “They act behind veiled scarves and largely seek to be anonymous individually, yet seek to intimidate as a group.”
“This case will pull down those scarves and unveil acts that violate this country’s antiterrorism laws. This case will finally hold these admitted terrorists accountable for their actions.”
Plaintiffs in the case are Iris Weinstein Haggai, a U.S. citizen whose parents Judy and Gad were murdered by Hamas and are still being held in Hamas captivity; a Columbia law student who is a U.S. citizen and Israel Defense Forces reservist; Richard Roe, a U.S. citizen and IDF reservist who after fighting in Gaza “returned to the United States to complete his studies at Columbia University, where he was met with an overwhelming atmosphere of hostility and discrimination”; Jane Moe, a U.S. citizen and former IDF soldier who is also a student at Columbia; Shlomi Ziv, a former Israeli hostage whose captors “bragged about having Hamas operatives on American university campuses”; and more.
Organizations that led protests on Columbia’s campus distributed Hamas propaganda willingly. When Hamas called for a global intifada directly after the October 7 attack, terrorists asked their “resistance abroad” to “join the battle in any way they can.” Columbia-affiliated groups immediately answered the call and announced their plans to be “part of this battle,” the lawsuit claims.
Activists organized disruptive sit-ins, “Resistance 101” lessons, the Gaza Solidarity encampment, protests in class buildings, and more, to support Hamas’s stated aims. Khalil, the encampment’s lead negotiator, was detained this month by President Donald Trump’s administration on the ground that Khalil’s presence in the U.S. helps spread antisemitism.
All the while, the plaintiffs, some of whom are students at Columbia and served in the IDF, felt threatened and fearful on campus.
“By providing this practical assistance to Hamas with the purpose of facilitating Hamas’ acts of international terrorism, Associational Defendants aided and abetted Hamas’ acts of terrorism, before, during, and after October 7, including Hamas’ efforts to demonize Israel and exploit the international community’s response to the war in Gaza to sway public opinion in its favor,” plaintiffs added in the lawsuit.