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Former DHS officer who glorified Oct. 7 fired after 16 months of paid leave

Nejwa Ali, a former spokeswoman for the PLO, repeatedly made posts praising Hamas terrorists and espousing antisemitic rhetoric.

Department of Homeland Security
Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. Credit: DHS/Benjamin Applebaum.

A former U.S. Department of Homeland Security official who openly praised Hamas after its terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was fired recently after 16 months of paid leave, The Daily Wire reported.

Nejwa Ali, who was in charge of vetting asylum seekers, was placed on administrative leave pending an “investigation” by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Oct. 19, 2023. She was not officially fired until the Trump administration did so on Feb. 10, Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed to the Wire.

Ali’s leave initially came after the news outlet revealed her Hamas sympathies, highlighting repeated posts she made with pictures of Hamas terrorists parachuting with guns and writing statements, such as, “F*** Israel and any Jew who supports Israel.” This prompted a congressional hearing.

In its request for the hearing, the House Committee on Homeland Security stated Ali was a former spokesperson for the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.

The Daily Wire reported that Ali’s LinkedIn profile stated she served as a public affairs officer for the “PLO office in D.C.,” though her LinkedIn no longer lists that title under her previous experience. However, her profile name is “Nejwa Free Palestine from Apartheid Israel A.”

In April, the U.S. government announced it would start screening social-media posts from those who apply to immigrate to the United States for Jew-hatred.

Katie Lawson, a university spokeswoman, told JNS that it was the “first time in more than six years that this authority was exercised.”
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