Ilhan Omar Campaign Sent Money to Anti-Israel Group Linked to Palestinian University Dubbed ‘Terrorist U’
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s campaign sent over $1,500 to a nonprofit tied to a Palestinian university that has long been associated with Hamas operatives and student groups, according to new Federal Election Commission filings.
The payment went to the Palestine House of Freedom, also known as Dar Alhurriya, which is headquartered just a short walk from the U.S. Capitol. The group’s mission, posted in videos and statements on its website, calls for the dismantling of Israel and the establishment of a state “from the river to the sea,” a phrase widely understood to mean the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state.
Omar’s campaign, Ilhan for Congress, paid the group $1,559.25 in September for “event tickets,” the filings show. It’s unclear which event the funds were used for, but the group hosted a fundraiser in June for Birzeit University—a Palestinian school that has earned the nickname “Terrorist University” for its ties to Hamas and its history of campus activity praising suicide bombers and rocket attacks on Israel.
Birzeit University’s student council has repeatedly been dominated by the Hamas-affiliated Al-Wafaa bloc, winning elections in 2022 and 2023. Reports from outlets like Memri TV have shown student parades featuring mock suicide vests and models of rockets.
After the bloc’s 2023 election win, former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh praised the results, calling them an “extension” of the terror group’s presence in Palestinian institutions. He said the bloc had overcome arrests, martyrdom, and deportations, and vowed that Hamas would remain “unbreakable.”
The Palestine House of Freedom’s website states that its mission is to target lawmakers, staffers, and the media with what it calls educational campaigns, urging the U.S. to support dismantling Israel and replacing it with a one-state solution that includes equal rights for all from the river to the sea.
All proceeds from the June event reportedly went to Birzeit University. That event, titled “From Birzeit and Beyond: How academia shapes resistance and resilience,” featured speakers praising anti-Israel resistance and the role of Palestinian academic institutions in the broader movement against what the group calls Israeli apartheid.
Rep. Elise Stefanik and Rep. Tim Walberg sent a letter in September to Harvard University, demanding an explanation for its previous ties to Birzeit. The lawmakers accused the school of maintaining ties to an institution that explicitly supports Hamas. Harvard later confirmed it had decided not to renew its cooperation agreement with Birzeit and would review the matter further.
Omar, first elected in 2018, has been one of the most controversial members of Congress. She has drawn backlash for antisemitic and anti-American remarks, including saying “Israel has hypnotized the world” and referring to 9/11 as “some people did something.” Though she has since apologized for some of those statements, the criticism has persisted.
In September, a House vote to censure Omar over comments she made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk failed by a narrow margin. Critics continue to question her ties to anti-Israel groups and her repeated history of inflammatory rhetoric.