A University of Pennsylvania student has been arrested and charged with theft and receiving stolen property after allegedly stealing an Israeli flag from a house near the Ivy League campus.
Tara Tarawneh, who graduated from King’s Academy in Madaba, Jordan, in 2020, was caught on video giving a hate-filled speech at a Philadelphia rally last month. In the disturbing footage, Tarawneh can be seen proclaiming her support for the Hamas terrorists who launched a deadly attack against Israeli civilians on October 7th.
“I remember feelings so empowered and happy, so confident that victory was near and so tangible,” Tarawneh said to the pro-Palestinian crowd, referring to the monstrous Oct. 7 attack.
“I want all of you to hold that feeling in your hearts. Never let go of it. Channel it through every action you take. Bring it to the streets.”
The video went viral, and drew widespread condemnation, including from US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who denounced Tarawneh’s words on social media.
#BREAKING: @Penn student Tara Tarawneh, who said the Hamas massacre on October 7 made her feel “empowered and happy,” was arrested on November 4 for stealing an Israeli flag from the front of a Campus Apartments house last month.https://t.co/AUlxmbFKX4 pic.twitter.com/HSkQ2nxOyl
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 12, 2023
“This is not a patient at a psychiatric hospital, this is a student at an Ivy League,” Torres wrote.
According to an online profile on artmejo.com, Tarawneh considers herself a passionate human rights activist and had plans to study English literature and art at UPenn. She has previously written for Taleed Magazine and has been outspoken about her beliefs regarding “settler colonialism” and its impact on the Palestinian people.
The University of Pennsylvania declined to comment on the incident but referred to the president’s recent remarks denouncing antisemitism at a trustees meeting earlier this month.
UPenn president Liz Magill acknowledged a rise in antisemitic acts on campus, including “swastikas and hateful graffiti” as well as “chants at rallies” that she said “celebrate and praise the slaughter and kidnapping of innocent people, and that question Israel’s very right to exist.”
Tarawneh did not respond to requests for comment, and her current status at the university is unknown.
The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas has sparked widespread protests around the world, including on college campuses. The Ivy League schools of Columbia, Cornell, Yale, and Harvard have all seen demonstrations in support of Palestine. However, incidents such as Tarawneh’s arrest for stealing an Israeli flag highlight the importance of promoting peaceful dialogue and respect for differing viewpoints on college campuses.