Released Palestinian Bomber Gives Video Speech at Berkeley Law

A Palestinian woman convicted in Israel over a 2015 car bombing attempt near Ma’ale Adumim addressed students remotely Monday during an event held inside a University of California, Berkeley Law School classroom, according to university event listings and videos posted online by student groups.

Israa Jaabis appeared by video call during a “Palestinian Political Prisoners Day” event held in Berkeley Law classroom 170 and organized by Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine and UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine. Videos later posted online by the organizers showed a packed classroom applauding after Jaabis spoke.

The event took place only weeks after UC Berkeley reached a settlement in a major antisemitism lawsuit brought by Jewish groups. Under the March agreement, the university said it would strengthen protections for Jewish and Israeli students and continue considering the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition when reviewing antisemitism complaints.

Berkeley Law’s official events calendar listed the April 20 gathering under the title “Teach-In: Palestinian Political Prisoners Day.” The event description said participants would hear from “Palestinian torture survivors and prisoners of conscience.”

Jaabis was convicted in Israel following a 2015 explosion involving her vehicle near Ma’ale Adumim on the highway leading to Jerusalem. Israeli authorities said she attempted to ignite flammable materials and a gas tank inside the car during an attack that wounded a police officer who had stopped the vehicle.

According to Israeli authorities, Jaabis shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the incident, and the Shin Bet said handwritten notes found in her possession expressed support for “martyrs.” The officer injured in the explosion said he became suspicious after stopping Jaabis for driving in a commuter lane without passengers.

Jaabis denied the allegations, and her family claimed the fire was caused by a vehicle malfunction. Palestinian officials accused Israeli police at the time of fabricating the account.

Jaabis was released from Israeli prison in November 2023 as part of the Israel-Hamas hostage-prisoner exchange during the temporary ceasefire reached weeks after the October 7 massacre.

The Berkeley event added to a series of Israel-related controversies surrounding the university and its law school in recent years, including disputes involving anti-Zionist bylaws and allegations of discrimination against Jewish and pro-Israel students.

As of Thursday night, Berkeley administration officials had not publicly commented on Jaabis’s appearance at the law school event. The event came roughly one month after UC Berkeley agreed to strengthen protections for Jewish and Israeli students as part of the antisemitism lawsuit settlement.