(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The congressional campaign of Rep. Ilham Omar, D-Minn., gave more than a thousand dollars to a nonprofit linked to a Palestinian university, new Federal Election Commission filings revealed.
Omar’s campaign paid $1,559.25 to the anti-Israel Palestine House of Freedom for “event tickets” in September, confirmed by Headline USA after a Fox News report.
The payment from Omar’s campaign nearly coincided with the nonprofit’s June partnership with Palestinian Birzeit University, which was once dubbed “Terrorist University”–even though there’s no evidence that the school has been involved in terrorism.
At the time, the D.C.-based organization had hosted an event titled “From Birzeit and Beyond: How academia shapes resistance and resilience,” with proceeds reportedly going directly to the university.
Birzeit’s radical ties appear to run deep. Its student council has been controlled by the Hamas-affiliated Al-Wafaa bloc since the 1990s. A Hamas official even told the Middle East Monitor that Al-Wafaa’s 2023 electoral victory marked an “extension” of the movement, according to Fox.
Additionally, the Palestine House of Freedom claims its mission is to liberate and dismantle “apartheid in Palestine.” It aims to establish “a free, democratic state from the river to the sea.”
The nonprofit has vowed to “embark on an aggressive educational campaign” targeting lawmakers, staffers, media and the public on behalf of Palestinians.
Under congressional and executive pressure, Harvard University canceled its collaboration with it following scathing letters from the House Education and Workforce Committee on Sept. 29.
Omar did not respond to a request for comment from Headline USA prior to publication, particularly regarding whether she or her campaign were aware of the organization’s controversial affiliations.
