Failed car bomber released in Oct 7 deal gave video speech at Berkeley classroom

Coverage Comparison

The Jerusalem Post has reported two separate incidents involving pro-Palestinian student activism at US universities. The first concerns a remote address given by Israa Jaabis, a Palestinian woman convicted of an attempted car bombing in Jerusalem in 2015, to students at the University of California, Berkeley. The second involves a bake sale at the City College of New York (CCNY) organized by student groups to raise funds for families of Palestinians killed in Jenin.

Both reports come from the same outlet, the Jerusalem Post, which framed the Berkeley event critically and the CCNY fundraiser with emphasis on the Palestinian Authority's alleged withholding of financial support.

Key Claims

Berkeley event: According to social media posts by the organizing student groups, Jaabis spoke remotely to students on Monday in a classroom at Berkeley Law School. The event was organized by Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine. Video posted Wednesday by the student group shows a full classroom.

Jaabis was convicted of attempted car bombing in Jerusalem in 2015. The Jerusalem Post reports that she allegedly attempted to ignite a gas tank in her car with flammable materials, wounding herself and a police officer, and reportedly yelled "allahu akbar" during the incident. Israeli authorities said they found handwritten notes in her possession.

Jaabis was released in November 2023 as part of a ransom for 26 hostages captured by Gazans during the October 7 Massacre, according to a BBC report cited by the Jerusalem Post.

CCNY bake sale: The bake sale took place in Washington Square Park and was organized by CCNY Students for Justice in Palestine, John Jay College SJP, City University of New York (CUNY) for Palestine, and CUNY Stoop Sales for Gaza. The event raised $1,667 for the "Mothers of Martyrs in Jenin" fundraiser.

In an Instagram post, CCNY SJP stated that Jenin has been "under brutal siege by the occupation for over a year," that residents have been displaced, and that the "treacherous Palestinian Authority" had refused financial support previously allotted to families of martyrs.

The Jerusalem Post notes that the student groups did not specify which program the PA was withholding funds under, but cites a February report—in reference to Reuters coverage—that PA President Mahmoud Abbas faced criticism over a decree altering payments to families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israeli forces. The outlet notes this program has been described as providing stipends to families of terrorists, a practice critics have dubbed "pay to slay."

Perspectives

The Jerusalem Post frames Jaabis as a "failed terrorist" and criticizes the event. The student groups, quoted in the report, frame their actions as support for families of "martyrs" affected by what they describe as a "brutal siege" in Jenin and criticize the Palestinian Authority for withholding financial support.