New York -

Palestinian activists, students, and supporters of the Palestinian cause in the United States are being met with fierce campaigns led by the Zionist lobby, the intensity of which has clearly increased recently.

Among these activists is the Palestinian-American student Nardin Kiswani, who participated in the passage of two resolutions in support of the BDS movement at the City University of New York College of Law.

During an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Kiswani - who was chosen to deliver a graduation speech from the university's Faculty of Law last May - denounced his accusations of "anti-Semitism" by the New York City Council.

"I have been subjected to many harassment, death threats and assassination threats from the Zionists since I joined the Faculty of Law to stifle my activities in support of Palestinian rights," the activist said.

New York City Council to investigate Kiswani over accusations of anti-Semitism (Getty Images)

smear campaigns

Kiswani explains that the smear campaigns against her reached their climax when New York Council member Ina Vernikov, a Jew of Ukrainian origin, and her colleague Eric Denowitz decided to investigate her and accuse her of "anti-Semitism" against the background of her main and effective role in passing two resolutions supporting the BDS movement in her college. ".

Wernikov and Dinowitz, with the support of Zionist lobby organizations in the United States, such as StandWithUs, contributed to the New York City Council's withdrawal of the $50,000 financial support provided to the New York University School of Law, due to the boycott decisions he passed and her selection as a speaker. On behalf of the students at her graduation ceremony.

Despite the accusations she faces, Kiswani confirmed in her interview with Al Jazeera Net that targeting her with such intensity "means only that what we are doing for Palestine is beneficial."

She added, "Members of the New York Council are wasting their time trying to suppress the voices of Palestinians exposing the oppression they are subjected to...because the boycott resolution passed by the college, and all the changes that we succeeded in making in New York in support of Palestinian freedom received the support of everyone."

And she continued, "I am under attack because they are sure that my speech in which I spoke about Palestine is not of interest to the Palestinians alone, but because many people in the college also support the Palestinians, so I was chosen to speak at the graduation ceremony."

Kiswani stresses that this campaign is not the first against her, as she was often targeted during her university career by Zionist lobby organizations and electronic applications linked to the Israeli occupation government.

In 2020, the American Zionist organization "Stop Antisemitism" announced the selection of Kiswani as "Anti-Semitism Person of the Year".

Those campaigns and organizations supporting the occupying state also made efforts to expel her from her university, but these efforts failed, and "the magic turned back on the magician," she says.

She adds that the hearing scheduled for the New York City Council is not her first experience, as she was investigated in 2016 before she joined the Faculty of Law against the background of other accusations of anti-Semitism, but she also succeeded at that time in proving her innocence.

Truth and justice

On the extent of the impact these campaigns have on her and other students defending Palestinian rights in America, she indicated that they actually threaten their stability, academic career, future, and job opportunities, and impede their efforts to spread awareness about the Palestinian cause and its justice.

In the midst of these threats and obstacles, Kiswani stressed that she will face the current smear campaign against her as she faced all previous smear campaigns with "truth, justice and trust."

It is noteworthy that Kiswani co-founded the American organization "Students for Justice in Palestine", which is active in student activities in support of the Palestinian cause, and is the founder and director of the American organization "In Our Lives" that supports Palestinian rights.