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Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
What is Project Esther, the playbook against pro-Palestine movement in US?
Washington, DC – When the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank in the United States, released a playbook last year for how to destroy the Palestine solidarity movement, it did not garner much attention. But more than eight months later, the policy document – known as Project Esther – now faces heightened scrutiny from activists and media outlets, in part because President Donald Trump appears to be following its blueprint. The authors of Project Esther have presented their report as a set of recommendations for combating anti-Semitism, but critics say the document's ultimate aim is to 'poison' groups critical of Israel by painting them as Hamas associates. Project Esther was created as a response to growing protests against the US support for Israel's war on Gaza, which United Nations experts and rights groups have described as a genocide. So, what is Project Esther, and how is it being applied against activists? Here is a look at the document and its ongoing implications for the US. The Heritage Foundation is an influential conservative think tank in Washington, DC, whose stated mission is to 'formulate and promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense'. Yet, critics argue that Project Esther calls for government interference to curb individual freedoms, including the rights to free speech and association when it comes to opposing Israeli government policies. According to a New York Times report published earlier this month, the project is overseen by Victoria Coates, a vice president at the Heritage Foundation who served as deputy national security adviser during Trump's first term. The Heritage Foundation is also behind Project 2025, which critics describe as an authoritarian playbook for the second Trump presidency. Ahead of the elections last year, Democrats repeatedly invoked Project 2025 to criticise Trump, but the then-candidate distanced himself from the document. The initiative says that it aims to 'dismantle the infrastructure that sustains' what it calls the 'Hamas Support Network' within 24 months. The authors claim that groups engaged in advocacy for Palestinian rights are members of the Hamas Support Network (HSN). They define the supposed network as 'people and organizations that are both directly and indirectly involved in furthering Hamas's cause in contravention of American values and to the detriment of American citizens and America's national security interests'. In short, the document alleges that the 'pro-Palestinian movement' is 'effectively a terrorist support network'. No. There is no such network in the US, which has stern laws against providing material support to groups designated as 'terrorist organisations', including Hamas. Beth Miller – the political director at Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a group that the Heritage Foundation names as part of the network – called Project Esther's allegations 'outlandish'. 'It exposes the length of lies and of absurdity that they are going through to try to tear down the Palestinian rights movement,' Miller told Al Jazeera. The Heritage Foundation did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment. The document calls for a multi-faceted campaign against supporters of Palestinian rights, targeting them legally, politically and financially. The initiative outlines 19 goals that it labels as 'desired effects'. They include denying Palestinian rights supporters who are not US citizens access to universities, ensuring that social media platforms do not allow 'anti-Semitic content', and presenting evidence of 'criminal activity' by Palestine advocates to the executive branch. It also calls for refusing to grant permits for protests organised in support of Palestinian rights. Project Esther suggests that Israel's backers should conduct 'legal, private research' into pro-Palestine groups to 'uncover criminal wrongdoing' and undermine their credibility. 'We must wage lawfare,' it reads, referring to the tactic of using litigation to pressure opponents. It appears to be the case. 'The phase we're in now is starting to execute some of the lines of effort in terms of legislative, legal and financial penalties for what we consider to be material support for terrorism,' Coates told The New York Times. Trump's crackdown on college protests seems to align with what Project Esther is trying to achieve. For example, the US administration has been revoking the visas of foreign students critical of Israel. This echoes a proposal in Project Esther, which calls for identifying students 'in violation of student visa requirements'. The Heritage Foundation also extensively cites Canary Mission – a website dedicated to doxxing and smearing pro-Palestine students – in its footnotes for Project Esther. The Trump administration is also suspected of relying on the website, along with other pro-Israel groups, to identify students for deportation. In addition, Project Esther singles out the 'Middle East/North Africa or Islamic studies' programmes as having professors who are 'hostile to Israel'. The Trump administration has been pressuring elite universities to revamp academic departments, including Middle East studies programmes, that it views as biased in favour of Palestinians. Columbia University, for instance, appointed a provost to review its programmes at Trump's request, 'starting immediately with the Middle East' department. The White House did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment. The initiative explicitly identifies several Arab, Muslim and progressive Jewish organisations as well as student groups as part of the so-called Hamas Support Network. The initiative claims that 'the network revolves around' American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), an educational and civic advocacy group. Osama Abuirshaid, AMP's executive director, said Project Esther points the finger at the group because it has 'Muslim' in its name, playing on Islamophobic bigotry. 'American Muslims for Palestine is an easy target. Given the Islamophobic tendencies, it's easy to assume guilt of American Muslims, Palestinians. That's a name that sticks,' Abuirshaid told Al Jazeera. He added that the group is also a target because it is effective and has a 'solid constituency'. 'If they can cripple and bring down AMP, that will have a chilling effect within the movement. So they think, if they can bring us down, other organisations will stop working on Palestine solidarity,' Abuirshaid said. Tariq Kenney-Shawa, a US policy fellow at Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian think tank, said Project Esther targets universities because Israel is bleeding support among young people in the US. 'That's why there's such an overwhelming focus on universities and college campuses,' he told Al Jazeera's The Take podcast. Kenney-Shawa explained that support for Israel's war on Gaza has been trending downwards across US demographics. But on college campuses, the change is more pronounced. 'While this change is absolutely across the political spectrum, it's obviously a lot more acute in the left and among young Americans,' Kenney-Shawa said. A recent poll from the Pew Research Center showed that 53 percent of US respondents had negative views of Israel, a number that rises to 71 percent among Democrats below the age of 50. Advocates say that, in the immediate future, the crackdown on the Palestine solidarity movement threatens the safety and wellbeing of activists, especially foreign students. But it has also sparked a backlash. 'The extreme nature of these attacks has also emboldened people to defiantly continue to speak out in the face of these attacks,' JVP's Miller said. 'And it has actually, in many cases, awoken people – who weren't paying attention before – to the hypocrisy that has so long existed in the willingness to silence and censor Palestinian rights activists.' Earlier in May, several right-wing lawmakers and Trump allies came out in opposition of a bill that aimed to expand restrictions on boycotts of Israel, citing free speech concerns. Abuirshaid echoed Miller's comments. He acknowledged that the media attacks, arrests and lawsuits against advocates and student protesters have been 'distracting' from the mission of focusing on Palestine. However, he added, 'I'm going to be clear: It's energising us to continue this fight.'
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Palestine protesters burn diplomas and clash with police at Columbia graduation
Students and activists in the Palestine solidarity movement protested Columbia University's graduation on Wednesday, with some demonstrators just off-campus burning or tearing up diplomas. Outside the New York City campus, which was surrounded with metal barricades and police, a line of about 100 demonstrators pushed back and forth with officers as police yelled, 'Get back!' Two people were arrested and given desk-appearance tickets, which are generally issued for low-level offenses, the NYPD told The Independent. One of the arrested appeared to be wearing Columbia graduation robes. During the Wednesday ceremony, where some new graduates wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves over their regalia, acting university president Claire Shipman was booed and met with chants of 'free Palestine.' Others at the event wore stoles commemorating the Israeli hostages remaining in Hamas custody. Shipman was booed at a smaller graduation ceremony the day before. The university has been at the center of the U.S. campus protest movement since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, as well as the Trump administration's attempts to arrest immigrant activists and punish universities for allegedly not doing enough to counter antisemitism that took place during the protests. In March, Columbia largely agreed to a series of administration demands to gain access to $400 million in threatened federal funding. That same month, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia graduate and U.S. legal permanent resident, was arrested by immigration agents at a campus apartment in what has become a high-profile civil rights case. He remains in a Louisiana immigration detention facility, where he is challenging his arrest on constitutional grounds. During her speech on Wednesday, Shipman, who stepped in after Columbia rotated through two different presidents during the protests and their aftermath, acknowledged Khalil's detention. 'We firmly believe that our international students have the same rights to freedom of speech as everyone else and they should not be targeted by the government for exercising that right,' Shipman said. Protesters have continued to push Columbia to cut investments with companies tied to the Israeli war effort, which has killed over 53,000 people in Gaza, including a large portion of civilians. Earlier this month, over 70 protesters were arrested for briefly occupying a campus library. In March, Columbia grads gathered at a campus alumni event and tore up their diplomas.
Arab News
17-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Members of major UK supermarket chain vote to boycott Israeli goods
LONDON: Members of one of the UK's biggest supermarket chains have voted to end all trading with Israel at its annual general meeting. The motion was put to members of the Co-op Group in light of Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, and its blockade of the Palestinian enclave preventing vital humanitarian aid reaching civilians. In the motion, members called on the Co-op's management to 'show moral courage and leadership' by taking 'all Israeli products off the shelves.' Paul Neill, an activist who helped put the motion to a vote, said: 'We are delighted to say that the motion was passed by a clear majority of Co-op members, reflecting widespread condemnation among the British public for the actions of Israel. 'This is a historic moment for a UK supermarket chain and puts down a marker for other supermarkets and retailers.' In a press release, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign — which has been running a 'Don't Buy Apartheid' campaign for shops and restaurants to avoid Israeli goods and those of companies linked to the country — cited Israel's 'genocide in Gaza and decades of oppression of Palestinian people by military occupation and apartheid' as key drivers of the vote to sever ties, and called on the Co-op to implement the motion and cease selling Israeli products in its stores. Lewis Backon, campaigns officer for the PSC, said: 'Meaningful solidarity actions could not be more urgent as Palestinians continue to face Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip, and its military attacks, land grabs and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. 'The Co-op AGM vote shows ordinary people in this country are committed to the cause of justice and freedom for Palestine in their everyday lives and refuse to support Israel's apartheid economy. 'The Co-op must now listen to its members, and implement the motion by taking all Israeli goods off the shelves.' The PSC said many Israeli goods 'such as avocados, peppers, herbs and dates' are common in UK supermarkets. 'Millions in Britain have taken to the streets to oppose Israel's genocide and the UK government's complicity in it through military, diplomatic and financial support,' it added. Israeli agricultural companies — including Hadiklaim, Mehadrin and Edom — 'operate farms and packing houses in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank,' the PSC said. It added that the Co-op had previously pledged to stop stocking goods from illegal settlements, but that any business done with Israeli agricultural exporters 'supports their role as participants in Israel's colonisation and military occupation of Palestinian land. 'Moreover, campaigners point out that these companies benefit from Israel's systematic destruction of Palestinian agriculture through exploiting the Palestinian captive market, and contribute tax revenue to the Israeli state, which in turn helps it fund its genocide and apartheid against Palestinians.' According to an International Court of Justice decision last July, the 'appropriation of Palestinian resources like water is a war crime,' the PSC said. 'All states have an obligation not to render aid or assistance to Israel in these violations of international law.'
Russia Today
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
African National Congress demands probe into ‘shameful' Israel trip
The ANC has demanded an urgent parliamentary probe into what it calls a 'shameful' visit to Israel by MPs from the DA, PA, and ACDP — slamming the trip as a disgraceful and a constitutionally reckless act that defies South Africa's official stance on the conflict. Speaking in the National Assembly on Tuesday, ANC MP Fasiha Hassan delivered a scathing rebuke of the delegation, describing the trip as 'irresponsible' and 'a betrayal of South Africa's constitutional values and its historic solidarity with the Palestinian people.' In a moment of fierce condemnation, Hassan declared, 'shame on you,' to the MPs involved. The visit occurred amid the ongoing war on Gaza, which has resulted in over 60,000 Palestinian deaths and the displacement of millions. 'What 'facts' were these MPs looking for?' Hassan questioned, 'when the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is well-documented and undeniable.' Hassan likened the delegation's actions to the apartheid-era propaganda tactics, recalling how the National Party once orchestrated similar international visits to sanitise racial oppression and white minority rule. 'This trip echoes the shameful tactics of the apartheid past,' she said. The incident has provoked additional outrage given its timing: South Africa is currently leading a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has ruled that a plausible case of genocide exists. Hassan alleged that the visiting MPs were attempting to justify crimes against humanity. She stated this was not a mission for truth — it was an endorsement of brutality under the guise of diplomacy. At least ten MPs were part of the visit, facilitated by the South African Friends of Israel. The itinerary included a high-profile meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. The DA sent several senior figures, including its spokesperson on international relations, Emma Powell; justice spokesperson, Glynnis Breytenbach; and chairperson of the Social Development Committee, Bridget Masango. The PA was represented by Ashley Sauls and Milicent Mathopa, while the ACDP's delegation included Chief Whip Steve Swart and former MP Marie Sukers. The ANC and other critics have emphasised that the trip was not authorised by Parliament or the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). Meanwhile, DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp had told IOL previously that 'the trip was arranged and attended by individuals in their private capacity and not through the party'. The PA defended their MPs, stating that their policies and political positions were known when they entered the GNU. The party added that the trip was not a published by IOL
