‘Jewish Voice for Peace’ hosts convicted Palestinian terrorist

A Palestinian terrorist convicted of murdering innocent civilians is the featured speaker for a Jewish Voice for Peace event in Chicago.

By Lea Speyer, The Algemeiner

A Jewish human rights organization will be hosting a convicted Palestinian terrorist at its upcoming conference, The Algemeiner has learned.

Rasmea Odeh, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), is a featured speaker at the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) 2017 National Member Meeting. Odeh is slated to speak during the “All In!” workshop alongside three other panelists, including Linda Sarsour, a vocal anti-Israel activist who recently made headlines for her involvement in and comments during last month’s Women’s March in Washington, DC.

In 1970, Odeh was sentenced to life in prison by an Israeli military court for her involvement in an illegal organization and planting the explosives used in two 1969 Jerusalem bombings. The first attack, at a grocery store, killed two Hebrew University students and wounded nine others. The second, which occurred four days later, targeted the British Consulate. After spending 10 years in prison, Odeh was one of 78 terrorists freed by Israel during a prisoner swap with the PFLP.

Odeh made headlines once again in 2013 when she was indicted by a US court for immigration fraud. The PFLP terrorist was found guilty of having concealed her arrest, conviction and imprisonment on her immigration forms, resulting in the revoking of her citizenship. Odeh’s lawyers filed an appeal, claiming she is innocent of the terrorism attributed to her; that her confession was obtained under duress; and that she suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Odeh was later hit with a new terrorism-related indictment, and she is currently awaiting trial in May.

Odeh’s scheduled appearance at the JVP conference highlights concerns frequently raised about the organization and its controversial anti-Israel activity. JVP is a vocal proponent of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and, according to a campus watchdog study, has “expanded its presence on American campuses…helping [non-Jewish anti-Israel organizations] legitimize anti-Zionist rhetoric and effectively defend against accusations of antisemitism.”

The JVP event is scheduled to take place in Chicago from March 31 to April 2. Attendees will take part in various panels and workshops, including “Freedom Fighting Under State Repression,” “Fighting Against Anti-BDS Legislation” and “Zionism, Antisemitism and White Supremacy: Ideological and Political Currents.”

JVP did not respond to The Algemeiner’s request for comment by press time.