by Bill Levinson

At least one online source says that the Palestine Solidarity Movement’s “mystery guest speaker” for its Georgetown University conference is Dyab Abou Jahjah of the Arab-European League, which openly advocates the destruction of Israel. Abou Jahjah is or was a member of Hezbollah, a Foreign Terrorist Organization as defined by the U.S. State Department, and may therefore be ineligible to enter the United States.

To begin with, I am not an attorney and my interpretation of the following does not constitute legal advice. In addition, it is not currently known for certain if Abou Jahjah is in fact the PSM’s mystery speaker. It is known from the PSM’s own Web site that they are reluctant to disclose this individual’s identity and that is something that we, and Georgetown University, must look at very closely. The PSM cannot blame us if its furtive behavior regarding this individual’s identity gives the perception that he or she cannot enter our country legally.

If Abou Jahjah is in fact a member of Hezbollah, or is a former member who has engaged in terrorist activities, he is not eligible to enter the United States according to U.S. Code Title 8 § 1182, “Inadmissible Aliens,”

(B) Terrorist activities
(i) In general Any alien who—
(I) has engaged in a terrorist activity,
(II) a consular officer or the Attorney General knows, or has reasonable ground to believe, is engaged in or is likely to engage after entry in any terrorist activity (as defined in clause (iv)),
(III) has, under circumstances indicating an intention to cause death or serious bodily harm, incited terrorist activity,
(IV) is a representative (as defined in clause (v)) of—
(aa) a foreign terrorist organization, as designated by the Secretary of State under section 1189 of this title, or
(bb) a political, social or other similar group whose public endorsement of acts of terrorist activity the Secretary of State has determined undermines United States efforts to reduce or eliminate terrorist activities,
(V) is a member of a foreign terrorist organization, as designated by the Secretary under section 1189 of this title, or which the alien knows or should have known is a terrorist organization [1]
(VI) has used the alien’s position of prominence within any country to endorse or espouse terrorist activity, or to persuade others to support terrorist activity or a terrorist organization, in a way that the Secretary of State has determined undermines United States efforts to reduce or eliminate terrorist activities, or
(VII) is the spouse or child of an alien who is inadmissible under this section, if the activity causing the alien to be found inadmissible occurred within the last 5 years, is inadmissible. An alien who is an officer, official, representative, or spokesman of the Palestine Liberation Organization is considered, for purposes of this chapter, to be engaged in a terrorist activity.

We do not currently know for certain whether the PSM’s mystery guest is Abou Jahjah, or whether he is in fact an inadmissible alien as defined above. The PSM’s Web site says the following and the PSM can hardly blame us for being suspicious of this unknown person, whoever he is:

Conference organizers made the decision not to release this activist’s name for fear of any backlash or harassment that he/she may face from Israeli occupation forces that restrict the daily movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. “The Israeli government places a great deal of obstacles in the way of outspoken Palestinians wishing to leave or return to their homeland”

Maybe the real problem is not that Israel will prevent this individual from leaving but rather that the United States might have problems with his entering. If this mystery individual is in fact ineligible to enter the United States, we remind the Palestine Solidarity Movement of the provisions of U.S. Code 8 § 1327. “Aiding or assisting certain aliens to enter.”

Any person who knowingly aids or assists any alien inadmissible under section 1182 (a)(2) (insofar as an alien inadmissible under such section has been convicted of an aggravated felony) or 1182(a)(3) [”Security and Related Grounds,” including terrorism] (other than subparagraph (E) thereof) of this title to enter the United States, or who connives or conspires with any person or persons to allow, procure, or permit any such alien to enter the United States, shall be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

This is not an accusation because we do not know that the Palestine Solidarity Movement is in fact planning to bring in someone illegally. The PSM (known as the International Solidarity Movement abroad) is, however, on record as encouraging its activists to enter Israel illegally, and we can hardly be blamed for at least entertaining the possibility that they might do the same here. If it comes out that the individual in question has in fact entered the United States illegally, we guarantee that this will come to the official attention of our law enforcement agencies. If, on the other hand, he turns out to be a legal guest, we must and will respect his First Amendment right to spew whatever pro-terrorist and Islamofascist swill he chooses, as long as he does not incite a riot in the process.

Furthermore, we must really ask whether Georgetown University itself wants to allow an “unknown person” from “Palestine” on its campus. We assume that the Administration will demand to know this individual’s identity ahead of time.

Now let’s get back to Abou Jahjah, assuming that he is in fact ISM/PSM’s mystery guest. Hezbollah is a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) as defined by the U.S. Department of State. Abou Jahjah’s connection with Hezbollah is documented on his own organization’s Web site. Furthermore, he seems to have used false pretenses to enter Belgium. He would be well advised not to try the same thing in the United States; we have laws, backed by criminal penalties, against it.

But Abou Jahjah says his Arab pride movement is already echoing elsewhere. His group has recently set up chapters in three Dutch cities, and he said he had been invited to France and Britain to start chapters.

Articulate, fast-talking, self-assured, he is indeed different from many Muslims in Belgium, who have largely come from the interior of Morocco, Turkey and Algeria. Growing up in Lebanon, the son of university teachers, he said, he joined the Hezbollah resistance against Israel.

“I had some military training, I`m still very proud of that,” he said.

In 1991, at age 19, he left. “I wanted to go abroad like a lot of Lebanese young people.” Abou Jajjah said he was accepted at the University of Michigan but because of the Gulf War of 1991 failed to obtain a visa to enter the United States. He tried France, then Belgium, where he applied for political asylum.

“Most asylum seekers invent a story, and I said I had had a conflict with the Hezbollah leaders,” Abou Jahjah said. “It was just a low political trick to get my papers. Now they want to use this against me.”

Abou Jahjah`s marriage to a Belgian woman was brief, but it gave him Belgian citizenship. His wife said later that she had been tricked into the marriage and tried unsuccessfully to sue him. It is hard to know the truth.

The last paragraph shows that he is a typical Islamofascist liar but that is only minor in comparison to everything else. Abou Jahjah does not advocate a “just peace in Palestine” but rather the destruction of Israel. Again as shown by his organization’s own Web page,

We reject the Zionist project in Palestine and we call for the dismantling of the Zionist entity and the establishing of a united Palestinian democratic state in all historical Palestine. A state where Arabs and Jews can coexist peacefully enjoying equal rights without any discrimination.* This includes the return of all Palestinian refugees to their original homes with compensation. Until such a solution is put to practice we will support resistance against the Zionist occupation of Palestine.

* except of course for dhimmis, i.e. Jews and Christians, as shown by Hamas’ reinstitution of the dhimmi tax.

“Resistance” is of course a euphemism for terroristic violence but the first part of the paragraph speaks for itself. If Abou Jahjah is in fact the Palestine Solidarity Movement’s mystery guest speaker, his presence speaks for the organization’s true agenda.

We must admit, however, that he is not bigoted against Israelis; his equal-opportunity hatred extends to all kafirs and infidels. As shown here,

AEL: every Dutch soldier’s death is a victory

25 October 2004

AMSTERDAM — The leader of the Dutch-Belgian Arab European League (AEL) has come out in support of killing Dutch troops serving in Iraq.

“I consider every death of an American, British or Dutch soldier as a victory,” Dyab Abou Jahjah said in an interview with Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws on Monday.

In summery, the PSM’s own Web site does show a reluctance to reveal its guest speaker’s identity and it is reasonable to speculate that the problem may involve his eligibility to enter the United States. For reference should it become applicable and necessary, here is the contact information for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (202-282-8000).