Unmasking the Truth: The Ongoing Struggle of Palestinian Americans and Activists

Prior to attending college, Fouad Abu-Hijleh, 25, was unaware of a reality in which expressing solidarity with Palestinians was considered incorrect. Abu-Hijleh comes from a lineage of individuals displaced as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, during which around 700,000 Palestinians were either forced to leave or fled their residences due to actions carried out by armed Jewish factions. This event, referred to by Palestinians as al-Nakba or "the catastrophe," led to Abu-Hijleh's family eventually finding refuge in neighboring Jordan, where he spent his formative years alongside other descendants of Palestinian refugees.

However, Abu-Hijleh discovered that his name had appeared on an anonymous website, which aims to publicly shame individuals considered to be anti-Israel or antisemitic, even though he had expressly requested anonymity in a news article where he was quoted. CNN will not disclose the name of the site due to its practice of revealing personal information without consent.

Since then, Abu-Hijleh has been living in constant fear and unease, especially while applying to medical school. His concern has extended to avoiding visits to the West Bank, as he worries about facing lengthy interrogations and encountering difficulties at the border due to his association with the website.

Not only does he find his personal information exposed to the public, but he also discovers that he is not alone in this experience. This week, a mobile billboard truck circled near the campus of Harvard University, showcasing the names and photos of Harvard students who belong to organizations that solely blamed Israel for the deadly attacks carried out by Hamas. A conservative nonprofit confirmed its involvement in organizing this truck, which displayed virtual billboards with students' names and images, all under the provocative banner declaring them "Harvard's Leading Anti-Semites."

According to Palestinian human rights activists, the act of doxxing is not a novel occurrence. They shared with CNN their concerns about potential job loss and the emotional distress they have faced while advocating for fair treatment of Palestinians living under occupation, or simply due to their Palestinian identity.

Doxxing refers to the unauthorized disclosure of personal information, typically carried out with malicious intentions, as stated by the International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication.

The website published pictures of Abu-Hijleh that were not uploaded by him, along with his professional background and his Facebook alias. His webpage remained constantly updated, suggesting that someone was closely monitoring his activities. It still prominently appears among the top search results when you Google his name.

Abu-Hijleh expressed his shock upon reading the content, particularly because he is a private individual. The abundance of negative and misleading information about him on a website known for promoting hate was truly disheartening. CNN has contacted the website for their response.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a significant source of tension on college campuses for a long time. However, recent attacks by Hamas have escalated tensions to a new level. These attacks resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 people in Israel. In response, Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed at least 1,900 people and left many Palestinians, including Palestinian Americans, trapped in the territory. Israel issued an evacuation order for approximately 1.1 million people to relocate to southern Gaza, although the United Nations deemed this order as "impossible."

According to Dylan Saba, a staff attorney at Palestine Legal, pro-Israel advocacy groups have been using tactics such as doxxing and blacklists to suppress political expression in support of Palestine. These tactics aim to deter individuals from engaging in activities related to Palestine organizing and advocacy. Palestine Legal provides legal aid to those who support Palestinian rights.

Saba expressed deep distress regarding the impact that individuals face, including receiving death threats, personal threats, and facing negative employment consequences.

Despite maintaining a private social media presence with no profile picture for several years, Lena Ghrama, a student at the City University of New York School of Law, had her pictures and tweets published on the aforementioned website.

"They even shared a video of the hour-long protest I attended, despite my rare participation in such events. Surprisingly, they were able to locate the exact moment I was present," Ghrama, a Yemeni-American with Jewish ancestry, disclosed. Having been raised in a diverse neighborhood in Brooklyn, Ghrama's background is a fusion of cultures.

"We exist in a state of coexistence," she expressed. "This solely concerns the well-being of humanity and I consider it my duty to address."

Harvard Hillel, the Jewish student organization at the university, denounced the conservative nonprofit's billboard truck and its efforts to intimidate those who signed. Meredith Weenick, Executive Vice President of Harvard, emphasized that the school unequivocally disapproves of and takes seriously any threats, harassment, or acts of violence.

No room to grieve

A Harvard graduate student of Palestinian descent was initially doxxed for speaking out about the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement during their undergraduate years. The BDS movement, deemed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers as an attempt to delegitimize Israel, led to the student receiving messages referring to them as a terrorist as they applied for graduate school. CNN has chosen not to disclose the student's identity for safety reasons.

Despite the ongoing harassment faced by Palestinian Americans, the student mentioned that the current atmosphere of fear and panic on the Harvard campus is unprecedented. Following the public release of the letter condemning Israel, prominent figures such as billionaire hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman and several other business leaders demanded that Harvard University disclose the names of students who signed the letter, with the intention of avoiding their employment.

"They are denying us the space to mourn the events unfolding in our home country," they expressed, condemning the discrimination against Muslim students and criticizing the Harvard administration for its lack of response. "I am currently dealing with the repercussions of this discrimination while people back home are losing their lives."

Confirming the statements made by the Harvard truck campaign, the same strategy of using floating billboards was also employed at the University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, these billboards were sent to the homes of the students' families. This information was confirmed by the organization responsible for the Harvard truck campaign, as reported by CNN. A controversy emerged at Berkeley's law school, becoming widely known after a student group implemented a bylaw prohibiting supporters of Zionism from speaking at their events. This decision ignited a fierce debate on campus about freedom of speech, resulting in an investigation by the Department of Education, according to the Daily Cal.

In June, under pressure from students and organizations who claimed they were being harassed, Erwin Chemerinsky, the Dean of UC Berkeley Law, published an open letter denouncing the doxxing site. In the letter, he stated that although he may disagree with some of his students' views on certain issues, he firmly believed that the site should not be used as a means to assess students' qualifications for employment. He expressed concern that students being barred from job opportunities because of the site would have a detrimental impact on free speech and the exchange of ideas on campus. Saba stated that websites like this are protected by the strong free speech laws in the United States, unless they cross legal boundaries such as inciting direct harm or defamation.

Abu-Hijleh has made the decision to keep his name on the website. However, individuals who wish to have their names removed must provide a letter renouncing antisemitism and organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and BDS. Abu-Hijleh commented, "They intend to humiliate you regardless, whether by maintaining your page or by requiring you to denounce your own cause."

CNNs Catherine Thorbecke contributed to this story.