Palestinian Terrorist Rasmea Odeh Receives Standing Ovation at Chicago Hotel Where Family of Her Victims Mourned
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Facing deportation, convicted Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh received a standing ovation at an anti-Israel conference she keynoted this past Sunday, while the families of her victims held a memorial service to mourn the loss of their loved ones at the same Chicago hotel.
She called for strengthening the BDS movement, “challenging the Jewish United Fund and the Jewish Federation,” and “shutting down the Zionists when they try to defend their war crimes.” Odeh said, “I will continue the struggle for the right of return, for self-determination, and for the establishment of a democratic state on the entirety of the historic land of Palestine.”
The land of Israel is considered the only true democracy in the Middle East. Gaza is governed by Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization and receives support from the Iranian government.
Meanwhile, in a suite located at the same hotel, relatives and Israel supporters held an interfaith memorial service for Odeh’s victims who died during a supermarket bombing she was convicting of helping to coordinate. The memorial coincided with Odeh’s speech.
“Who knows what Edward and Leon would have been, who knows what gifts they and their children could have given to the world?” Peggy Shapiro, Stand With Us Midwest director, said, reading from prepared remarks, according to Algemeiner. “They were robbed of their lives and futures by a killer who is speaking at this very venue.”
Odeh was sentenced to life in prison for her alleged involvement in a 1969 supermarket terrorist bombing in Israel where Leon Kanner, 21 of Netanya, and Edward Joffe, 22, of Kiron died. Eight others were wounded.
Video of Odeh’s speech showed her wiping tears from her eyes as she compared her deportation to the “nakba” (“catastrophe” in Arabic) which took place in 1948 when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled Israel once it was founded as a nation-state for the Jewish people after the Holocaust.
Odeh will leave the United States in a few months after accepting a plea deal last month which states that she will be deported to Jordan and avoid serving jail time for allegedly lying about her terrorist past on immigration forms.
“Now I face a similar unjust nakba, forced to leave the country and the life that I built for myself over 23 years in the U.S.,” Odeh said. “The relationships, the memories and all the people I know and love, especially the women of Chicago’s Arab communities, but I will continue my struggle for justice.”
Anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour also spoke. She said she was “honored and privileged… to be on this stage with Rasmea.” Sarsour and Odeh both helped organize the anti-Trump Women’s March.
< >
Facing deportation, convicted Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh received a standing ovation at an anti-Israel conference she keynoted this past Sunday, while the families of her victims held a memorial service to mourn the loss of their loved ones at the same Chicago hotel.
She called for strengthening the BDS movement, “challenging the Jewish United Fund and the Jewish Federation,” and “shutting down the Zionists when they try to defend their war crimes.” Odeh said, “I will continue the struggle for the right of return, for self-determination, and for the establishment of a democratic state on the entirety of the historic land of Palestine.”
The land of Israel is considered the only true democracy in the Middle East. Gaza is governed by Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization and receives support from the Iranian government.
Meanwhile, in a suite located at the same hotel, relatives and Israel supporters held an interfaith memorial service for Odeh’s victims who died during a supermarket bombing she was convicting of helping to coordinate. The memorial coincided with Odeh’s speech.
“Who knows what Edward and Leon would have been, who knows what gifts they and their children could have given to the world?” Peggy Shapiro, Stand With Us Midwest director, said, reading from prepared remarks, according to Algemeiner. “They were robbed of their lives and futures by a killer who is speaking at this very venue.”
Odeh was sentenced to life in prison for her alleged involvement in a 1969 supermarket terrorist bombing in Israel where Leon Kanner, 21 of Netanya, and Edward Joffe, 22, of Kiron died. Eight others were wounded.
Video of Odeh’s speech showed her wiping tears from her eyes as she compared her deportation to the “nakba” (“catastrophe” in Arabic) which took place in 1948 when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled Israel once it was founded as a nation-state for the Jewish people after the Holocaust.
Odeh will leave the United States in a few months after accepting a plea deal last month which states that she will be deported to Jordan and avoid serving jail time for allegedly lying about her terrorist past on immigration forms.
“Now I face a similar unjust nakba, forced to leave the country and the life that I built for myself over 23 years in the U.S.,” Odeh said. “The relationships, the memories and all the people I know and love, especially the women of Chicago’s Arab communities, but I will continue my struggle for justice.”
Anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour also spoke. She said she was “honored and privileged… to be on this stage with Rasmea.” Sarsour and Odeh both helped organize the anti-Trump Women’s March.
