Guilty
Palestinian terrorist convicted of
lying to U.S. immigration officials.
The Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit is looking for
a new Chief Executive Officer.
Investigative Project
on Terrorism
www.investigative project.org
R
asmieh Odeh, a Palestinian
woman convicted of killing
two college students in a 1969
Jerusalem grocery store bombing,
faces possible prison time and eventual
deportation from the United States
after being convicted Monday of natu-
ralization fraud.
A federal jury in Detroit deliberated
about two hours before convicting the
67-year-old Odeh. The charges stem
from her failure to disclose to U.S.
immigration authorities her conviction
and life prison sentence in Israel for
a series of Jerusalem bombings that
killed two people.
U.S. District Judge Gershwin A.
Drain told jurors the "verdict is a fair
and reasonable one based on the evi-
dence that came in:' the Associated
Press reports.
That means jurors were convinced
she knowingly lied on her immigra-
tion applications, and did not accept
defense arguments that she merely
misunderstood questions she found
ambiguous.
Odeh has been placed in custody
pending a March 10 sentencing date.
She faces a maximum of 10 years in
prison and will lose her American citi-
zenship.
While she claims her Israeli convic-
tion was unjust, the fraud case was
focused on what Odeh told U.S. immi-
gration officials when she first applied
to come here on a visa obtained in
1995 and when she applied for natural-
ization in 2004.
In both instances, Odeh claimed she
had never been arrested, convicted or
imprisoned. She also claimed to have
lived only in Amman, Jordan, since
turning 16, omitting the 10 years she
spent in an Israeli prison. She was
released in 1979 as part of a prisoner
exchange with the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and
spent four years living in Lebanon. The
1969 bombings of a Jerusalem SuperSol
grocery store and of a British consulate
in the city were PFLP attacks.
The Supersol attack claimed the
lives of Edward Joffe and Leon Kanner,
two Hebrew University students
who stopped in for supplies before a
planned hiking trip.
Defense Rejected
Odeh testified Friday that she didn't
understand English when she applied
for the visa 20 years ago. She relied on
answers her brother provided. When
she applied to become an American
citizen, she said she thought the crim-
inal history questions, which asked if
she "ever" had a record, applied only
to her time in the United States.
But prosecutors noted that, for
those who did have a record, the form
asks for more information, including
the charges involved, and the city,
state and country where it happened.
In addition, U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services officer Jennifer
Williams — who interviewed Odeh
in 2004 as part of the naturalization
process — testified that she asks all
immigrant applicants to disclose any
criminal history "anywhere in the
world."
Odeh testified that she remembered
Williams and the interview, but said
that Williams did not add the phrase
to the question.
Several prosecution witnesses who
review visa and naturalization applica-
tions say any conviction for bombings
involving deaths is a "stop sign" that
would prevent an immigrant from
coming to the United States.
Odeh insisted she was not trying
to hide that record, claiming it was
something known to U.S. officials.
Defense attorney Michael Deutsch
argued that Odeh was not really guilty
of the Jerusalem bombings, mention-
ing in closing arguments that she was
tried by a military court. "Ask yourself
what this case is all about:' he said in
closing arguments Friday.
Pretrial rulings by Judge Drain pre-
vented Deutsch from introducing evi-
dence and testimony about the Israeli
conviction, saying the defense was not
going to retry a 45-year-old case from
another country.
Odeh has been associate direc-
tor of the Arab American Action
Network in Chicago. Her prosecution
sparked a campaign by colleagues
and supporters aimed at pressuring
the U.S. attorney in Detroit to drop
the case. Dozens of people traveled
from Chicago, where Odeh now lives,
to Detroit to pack the courtroom
during the trial and demonstrate
in front of the Theodore Levin U.S.
Courthouse.
❑
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JCCs, serving thousands of children,
teens, adults, seniors and families
through arts, cultural, educational,
health and wellness programs.
We are seeking a dynamic leader
with proven experience taking
organizations to the next level.
Applicants should send their
resume to: detroit@jcca.org .
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November 13 • 2014
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