A would-be Palestinian suicide bomber received raucous applause from University of California Berkeley law students during a virtual appearance. Israa Jaabis, released from an Israeli jail in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange for 26 hostages taken on October 7, participated in a 'teach-in' organized by the student-run UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine. The event occurred just one day before Israeli Independence Day and was described as an opportunity 'to hear experiences of Palestinian torture survivors and prisoners of conscience.'
Background of the Incident
Jaabis was accused in 2015 of attempting to ignite a gas tank in Jerusalem. According to the Jerusalem Post, a police officer noticed her driving in a commuter lane without passengers and acted suspiciously when questioned. The subsequent explosion left Jaabis disfigured and the officer burned. Israeli authorities reported that Jaabis shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before the explosion and had handwritten notes expressing support for 'Palestinian martyrs.' The officer involved described the incident as an act of terrorism, stating, 'You always hear of terrorist attacks and suddenly I am in one - boom - that's how it is.'
Conflicting Accounts
The Palestinian Authority claimed that Israeli police fabricated the story to justify attacking Jaabis. Jaabis denied the charges, and her family asserted that the fire started due to a faulty engine. During her speech on Monday, Jaabis told students, 'Your attendance makes us hopeful that there remains some humanity. That there is someone to support us in the future, delivering our message to the international community and amplifying our call to liberate Palestinian prisoners, as well as to liberate all societies from servitude and from bigotry, which produces populations complicit in perpetrating inhumane laws.'
University Response
A university spokesperson stated, 'As a public university, UC Berkeley has a non-discretionary obligation to abide by and support the First Amendment in a completely content-neutral manner. We do not have the legal ability to sanction or censor Constitutionally protected expression.' The spokesperson added that if any campus community member feels threatened, they are encouraged to contact the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination. The Daily Mail has also reached out to UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine for comment.
