Thea Abu El-Haj is a professor at Barnard College with a history of promoting extremist rhetoric and supporting radical movements. She has used her academic platform to push anti-Semitic narratives, justify hostility against Jewish students, and endorse the dangerous Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Promotion of Anti-Semitism & Radical Ideologies

• BDS Advocate: Longtime supporter of the BDS movement, which seeks to isolate and delegitimize Jewish institutions under the guise of activism.

• Vilification of Jewish Students: Amplified anti-Israel propaganda that mischaracterizes security operations against terrorism as “attacks on education.”

• Academic Disinformation: Used research and publications to whitewash extremist activities while blaming Israel for every challenge in Palestinian education.

Key Incidents

• 2016: Anti-Israel Disinformation Campaign

  • Co-authored a blog post spreading false claims about Israel targeting Palestinian education.

  • Cited propaganda sources to accuse Israel of suppressing Palestinian academic freedom while ignoring Hamas’s exploitation of schools for terror activities.

  • Advocated for an academic boycott, attempting to pressure the American Anthropological Association into adopting BDS.

• Academic Work as a Political Tool

  • Authored books and papers framing Palestinian-American identity as one of victimhood, promoting the idea that the U.S. and Israel are inherently oppressive.

  • Consistently presented one-sided narratives that dismiss radicalization and violence within Palestinian movements.

• Ties to Anti-Semitic Campus Movements

  • Aligned with Birzeit University’s “Right to Education” campaign, which serves as a front for anti-Israel indoctrination.

  • Ignored the fact that Birzeit’s student body has repeatedly elected Hamas leadership and barred Jewish individuals from campus.

Conclusion

Thea Abu El-Haj has used academia as a shield for promoting radicalism, pushing an anti-Semitic agenda, and excusing terrorist-affiliated organizations. By disguising propaganda as scholarship, she continues to embolden extremist movements that threaten Jewish students and global academic integrity.