Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of American and Israeli Victims of Hamas Oct. 7 Terrorist Attack Against AJP Educational Foundation, Inc. a/k/a American Muslims for Palestine and National Students for Justice in Palestine
Representing a group of victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel, Holtzman Vogel, along with Greenberg Traurig, LLP law firm, the National Jewish Advocacy Center and the Schoen law firm have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Virginia, Alexandria Division, against AJP Educational Foundation Inc. a/k/a American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP).
The lawsuit, which seeks compensatory damages for nine American and Israeli victims of the attack in which Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 240 people hostage, alleges that AMP and NSJP work in the United States as collaborators and propagandists for Hamas. Hamas is a United States designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The suit also notes that AMP and NSJP are merely the current version of several prior entities that were already determined by the U.S. government to be supporters of Hamas.
The suit alleges AMP and NSJP responded on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after the horrific atrocities perpetrated by Hamas, by participating in the terrorist’s propaganda to justify its appalling brutalities. AMP and NSJP answered Hamas’s “call for mass mobilization” by disseminating a manifesto and plan of attack. This manifesto confirms that “AMP and NSJP are not merely organizing to assist Hamas’s ongoing terror campaign abroad—they are intentionally extending their aid to fomenting chaos, violence, and terror in the United States.” In this manner, the groups acted to support and further the goals and directives of Hamas.
Further, the lawsuit states that “Plaintiffs—survivors of Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack, family members of those murdered by Hamas, civilians still under fire from Hamas’s ongoing terrorism, and persons displaced by Hamas’s ongoing terrorism—have been, and continue to be, injured because AMP and NSJP knowingly provide continuous, systematic, and substantial assistance to Hamas and its affiliates’ acts of international terrorism. AMP and NSJP are thus liable to Plaintiffs for the damages they incurred because AMP and NSJP aid and abet Hamas’s terrorism.”
According to Mark Goldfeder, the CEO and director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, “This case is very simple: When someone tells you they are aiding and abetting terrorists—believe them.”
The group of American and Israeli victims have experienced a wide spectrum of physical and emotional injuries.
“It is time that Hamas and all of its agents, like AMP and NSJP, be held responsible for their horrific actions,” the victims said in a joint statement. “We want to go on record to expose these groups for the terrorists they are and make certain that they are stopped from operating in the United States and other countries they infiltrate.”
Professor Anat Alon-Beck’s decision to join the lawsuit was motivated by personal experiences of harassment as an Israeli American corporate law professor. She wants to prevent this from happening to others on campuses. She is concerned about the alarming rise in antisemitism, demonization, delegitimization and dehumanization of Israel and the United States.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2750 attorneys in 47 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI “Highly Recommended Law Firm” for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 500. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e® Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: www.gtlaw.com.
About the National Jewish Advocacy Center: The National Jewish Advocacy Center, Inc. is a nonprofit organization committed to our mission to advocate for the Jewish nation and the Jewish state as prisms through which people from all walks of life can learn about the dignity of difference, the power of coexistence, and the strength that comes from tolerance. NJAC is a thought leader in the field of combatting antisemitism with a demonstrated ability to innovate creative legal solutions and substantively support them. Web: https://jewishadvocacycenter.org/.
About Schoen Law Firm: David Schoen is a solo practitioner focusing on civil rights litigation and criminal defense work and has for many years represented victims of terrorism. David is the recipient of the American Bar Association’s national Pro Bono Publico award and the U.S. District Judge David Nelson public interest award for his civil rights work. Web: https://schoenlawfirm.com/.
About Holtzman Vogel: Holtzman Vogel specializes in navigating sensitive, high-stakes regulatory and litigation matters for the country’s most prominent individuals, corporations, and advocacy organizations. The firm is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices strategically located in Virginia, Florida, and Arizona. The firm and its lawyers are continuously ranked by the nation’s most trusted legal guides including Chambers USA, Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms, Super Lawyers, POLITICO, Washingtonian, among others. For more information, visit www.holtzmanvogel.com.
