How we stopped a terrorist

Dear friends,

I have good news to share. The Lawfare Project and our partners in the End Jew Hatred movement have once again successfully prevented the provision of material support or resources — in the form of video communications services — to terrorist Leila Khaled. Khaled was slated to speak last Friday at a webinar sponsored by several California State University and University of California entities, which would be held via a Zoom account associated with the University of California, Merced.

After the Israel on Campus Coalition first brought the webinar to our attention, we strongly encouraged Zoom and Facebook to take down registration pages and block access to their platforms, stymying an effort by San Francisco State University (SFSU) and UC Merced to host Khaled, a prominent member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization.

As you may know, we have worked closely with big tech companies for many months now to keep designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations at bay. Last week, we once again urged the platforms to comply with the law after Zoom promulgated a new "academic freedom" statement, perhaps in an attempt to show more deference to universities and other clients.

The Lawfare Project engaged senior Congressional officials and encouraged House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23) to conduct a high-level phone call with top university administrators. We also received strong, vocal support from Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA-50) and Doug Lamborn (R-CO-5), who wrote a public letter to UC Merced urging the event's cancellation.

"This is not a matter of silencing views that one finds repugnant; it is a matter of not allowing a criminal terrorist organization to utilize a legitimate university for its own purposes." – U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn

While this is a victory worth celebrating, it is just a small step in our fight to end Jew-hatred during our lifetime. SFSU has now tried to host Khaled twice, and I'm sure they will do so again. We must continue to work together to push back against higher education institutions and big tech companies who seem all too willing to violate the law and jeopardize the safety of local Jewish communities in order to expose students to terrorists.

Make sure you read the articles below, including a piece I wrote for Newsmax, and stay informed!

• Brooke Goldstein: Terrorists Have No Place at Virtual College

• California Colleges Violate Anti-Terrorism Laws by Hosting Palestinian Terrorist, Lawmaker Warns

• US Congressman Urges Universities to Cancel Planned Webinar with Terrorist Leila Khaled

• California College Distances Itself from Planned Event with Palestinian Terrorist

Thank you all for your continuous support; our operation could not continue without you. We appreciate all that you do for us and look forward to advancing the fight against Jew-hatred with you by our side.

Sincerely,
Brooke Goldstein
Executive Director, The Lawfare Project