UC Berkeley Draws Backlash After Event Features Released Would‑Be Bomber; Regent Calls Appearance "Disgusting and Abhorrent"

The University of California, Berkeley faced intensified criticism after a Palestinian Political Prisoners Day event included Israa Jaabis, who was convicted in a 2015 attempted car‑bombing and released from Israeli custody in November 2023 as part of a hostage‑return deal following the Oct. 7 attacks.

Background and incident

Jaabis was convicted for attempting to detonate a car bomb during a 2015 traffic stop. The attack occurred near an area where Israeli soldiers would often try to hitch rides; both Jaabis and Israeli officer Moshe Chen suffered severe burns in the incident.

Campus appearance and reaction

Israa Jaabis, a Palestinian woman who spent eight years in Israeli prisons with severe burns, spoke about her captivity and freedom at the 3rd International Al-Aqsa Women's Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 7, 2025.

The event was organized in part by UC Berkeley's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). The student group posted a video of Jaabis's remarks on Instagram, which included English‑language subtitles. In the video, Jaabis thanked attendees and said their presence made released Palestinian prisoners feel cared for.

“Firstly, I would like to thank [the students] for their attentiveness, for listening with their hearts,” Jaabis said in the subtitled clip.

UC Regent Jay Sures strongly condemned the appearance, telling Fox News Digital that hosting Jaabis was "disgusting and abhorrent." Sures, who serves as one of the university system's Jewish regents, said he supports administrative efforts to curb antisemitism but warned that some campus groups can promote rhetoric that he views as glorifying or justifying violence and anti‑Zionist positions.

Sures also noted that chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine have faced suspension or bans at other universities, including Columbia, American and Duke, and argued that anti‑Zionist rhetoric can contribute to antisemitism.

University response and legal constraints

UC Regent Jay Sures told Fox News Digital that it was "disgusting and abhorrent" that a student group hosted a convicted failed car bomber.

UC Berkeley Law officials told Fox News Digital they have limited authority to restrict constitutionally protected expression. Alex Shapiro, assistant dean of communications, said the campus, as a public institution, must apply the First Amendment in a content‑neutral manner and therefore cannot legally sanction or censor protected speech based on its content.

Shapiro added that campus resources are available to community members who feel threatened. The Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD) provides support, investigates allegations, and takes appropriate actions based on findings.

Wider context

The controversy comes amid heightened tensions on U.S. campuses over the Israel‑Palestine conflict, free‑speech debates and allegations of antisemitism. Regent Sures' criticism follows his recent rebuke of a UCLA student government statement that he said failed to acknowledge Israeli victims of the Oct. 7 attacks. Freed hostage Omer Shem Tov, who spent 505 days in captivity, has also spoken about the backlash to his campus appearance as an example of polarized campus debate.

Fox News Digital reached out to UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine for comment. Reporting contribution: Peter D'Abrosca.