The Trump administration's assault on Palestine activism may seem unprecedented, but the parallels to the post-9/11 "War on Terror" are chillingly familiar. However, this attempt to quash dissent will fail, because you cannot deport a movement.
At first glance, the assault on Mahmoud Khalil and other pro-Palestine organizers may seem like a terrifying rupture—something unprecedented. But to those who have studied the U.S. government’s response to dissent, particularly in Arab and Muslim communities, it is chillingly familiar. This is not a new phenomenon. It is the resurrection of the post-9/11 “War on Terror” playbook, this time aimed not at a constructed foreign enemy, but at the growing, domestic movement for Palestinian liberation.
In fact, the playbook and narrative are strikingly similar. When former President George W. Bush declared the “War on Terror,” his administration ushered in a new era of expanded executive power at the expense of civil liberties, adopting a “detain first, ask questions later” approach. Early in his presidency, Bush authorized the President’s Surveillance Program in secret, directing the National Security Agency to engage in warrantless electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens—including phone tapping and internet data mining—targeting primarily Arab and Muslim communities. Congress subsequently passed the Patriot Act, dramatically expanding government surveillance powers and paving the way for heightened, unchecked criminalization and further erosion of civil liberties.
Dozens of organizations were shut down under the guise of national security – most notably of which is the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. The Holy Land Foundation was shut down by the Bush administration after 9/11 and labeled a terrorist organization, even though it donated to Palestinian charities also funded by the U.S. government. Its leaders received sentences of up to 65 years, despite not being accused of directly funding terrorism or terrorist attacks. Instead, they were prosecuted under “material support” laws based on the claim that the social services they funded helped build support for Hamas. The case relied on FISA wiretaps, foreign intelligence from Israel, flawed translations, and testimony from anonymous Israeli military witnesses.
The “disappearing” of Muslims and Arabs on U.S. soil is also nothing new. Such is the case of Muhammad Salah. On January 23, 1995, President Clinton declared a national emergency targeting foreign terrorists seen as obstructing Middle East peace. Six months later, the Treasury designated Muhammad Salah as a Specially Designated Terrorist without informing him or providing any factual or legal basis. Salah and his family only learned of the designation when his wife discovered their bank account had been frozen. The government imposed these restrictions indefinitely without trial, hearing, or notice—denying Salah due process in violation of the Fifth Amendment. To this day, he has never been told why he was designated, even after his death. (more...)
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