Unmasking the Man Who Accosted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

On Wednesday, as militants overseas called for an “unprecedented day of rage,” days into Hamas’ war on Israel, a bespectacled man in a white shirt accosted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene inside the U.S. Congress, screaming at her: “Let Gaza live! Murderers go home!…End the genocide!”

The incident inside the U.S. Congress was a stark reminder of the challenges facing American democracy today and support for the right of Israel and Jews to exist in peace. While political tensions run high, it’s crucial to uphold the principles upon which our nation was built and the values we uphold, including the right of all lawmakers, regardless of their political affiliations, to stand safely in Congress and the right of nations – like Israel and her citizens – to exist in peace.

Nobody figured out publicly who the bespectacled man was. But I knew the minute I saw him.

He is Taher Herzallah, a leader of American Muslims for Palestine, an organization started by University of California at Berkeley ideologue Hatem Bazian, who also started Students for Justice in Palestine – both groups known for their campaigns to destroy the state of Israel. Bazian’s nickname is “Hate’em” Bazian because he is notorious for his hate of Israelis.

The incident on Capitol Hill — bringing a hateful man shoulder to shoulder with a lawmaker — highlights the massive movement inside the U.S. against Jews and Israel, advocating an extremism in our political discourse that includes wiping Israel off the map and unabashedly attacking Jews and their supporters.

The incident this week is part of a long war against Jews and Israel. Herzallah was convicted as part of the “Irvine 11” for conspiracy to deny the free speech rights of the Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, accosting Oren as he tried to deliver a speech in 2010 at the University of California at Irvine.

Later, in a video, Herzallah said: “What if, as Muslims, we wanted to establish an Islamic state? Is that wrong? What if, as Muslims, we wanted to use violent means to resist occupation? Is that wrong?”

Yes, as a Muslim reformer and feminist, I can say: it’s wrong. It’s very wrong.

The chosen tactic of Herzallah’s network is intimidation. I know firsthand. In early 2019, Herzallah was part of a group of Muslim establishment leaders, marching through the House Longworth Building to support Rep. Ilhan Omar from charges of anti-Semitism. Outside Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s office, they acted like bouncers, blocking my way. They knew me. They knew I opposed their views filled with sexism, misogyny, anti-Semitism and anti-West hate.

In late 2019, I attended a fundraiser for American Muslims for Palestine in Arlington, Virginia, and Herzallah blocked my camera as I filmed anti-Israel local activist Abrar Omeish raising money for her race for school board in Fairfax County, Va. The event raised concerns about the influence of radical ideologies in our K-12 education system and made a parent advocate of me.

When I saw the video of Herzallah accosting Greene, I knew immediately who he was. For 21 years, I’ve been reporting on extremists within our American Muslim community. Since the murder of my friend and Wall Street Journal colleague Daniel Pearl in early 2002, I’ve kept a close eye on those hell-bent on destroying the state of Israel and promoting hate against Jews.

I documented my expose in a book, “Woke Army: The Red-Green Alliance Undermining America’s Freedom,” that I published earlier this year and it is now a primer for the ongoing war against Jews and Israel by far-left activists and radicalized Muslims. The events unfolding on campuses, like Harvard University, and even in Congress are alarming, and it’s important for people to understand the forces at play.

American Muslims for Palestine is one of dozens of organizations I highlight in the book and a “cast of characters,” born out of the arrival of immigrants in the 1960s with beliefs in the values of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, espousing Islamism, or political Islam. It’s a reminder that we must remain vigilant against those who seek to divide our society and promote hate. If you oppose Rep. Greene as a political flamethrower, you have to be equal opportunity against political extremists and oppose Herzallah, not make excuses for him.

In knowing his identity, you will also know that the protest at the U.S. Capitol was not just led by “Jewish protestors in D.C.,” as the Washington Post reported. It was also led by Herzallah and American Muslims for Palestine, using the Jewish organizations “Jewish Voice for Peace” and “If Not Now” as cover for their agenda against the state of Israel. A staffer with American Muslims for Palestine bragged about the protest on their Facebook page, tagging Herzallah in the video and complaining: “They won’t even let us have our freedom of speech in a public building.” She then filmed herself, joining Herzallah in heckling Greene.

Men like Herzallah and organizations like American Muslims for Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine, and others create alliances with far-left groups, such as Black Lives Matter, Antifa, “Jewish Voice for Peace” and “If Not Now” to create their fake “intersectional” movement.

Our mission should prioritize truth, transparency and support for the Jewish people and the right of Israel to exist as a nation-state. Simultaneously, we must work toward a peaceful solution for Palestinians, free from the influence of extremist organizations, from Hamas to “American Muslims for Palestine,” “Jewish Voice for Peace” and “If Not Now,” which do not represent the best interests of Palestinians.

This unholy alliance, with activists like Herzallah and his anti-Semitic organization, wants to destroy the state of Israel and remove all Jews from “the river to the sea.”

We’ve got to stand in the way with eyes wide open about who they are.

Asra Q. Nomani is a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the author of Woke Army: The Red-Green Alliance That Is Destroying America’s Freedom. She is cofounder of the Muslim Reform Movement and the Pearl Project, which is dedicated to exposing anti-Semitism and remembering the legacy of journalist Daniel Pearl. She can be reached at asra@asranomani.com and @AsraNomani.