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Nerdeen Kiswani, a Palestinian-American activist, blasted what she called Zionist aggression after investigators foiled a Molotov cocktail plot against her life — but refused to condemn political violence across the board.
In the past, Kiswani’s organization, Within Our Lifetime (WOL), has drawn scrutiny for refusing to condemn U.S.-designated terror organizations.
“For years, I and so many other Palestinian organizers have been the targets of coordinated harassment, threats, stalking,” Kiswani said at a press event.
Undercover investigators prevented Alexander Heifler, 26, from carrying out a plan to make and use Molotov cocktails against Kiswani late last month. According to court filings, Heifler had made as many as 12 incendiary devices and was preparing to throw them at Kiswani’s car and home.
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Pro-Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani speaks during a press conference in City Hall Park on March 30, 2026, in New York City. Kiswani spoke publicly for the first time after the FBI arrested a man linked to an alleged assassination plot against her. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
She also said she believed Palestinians had the right to act in their own interests.
“I believe that in accordance with international law, the victims of a genocide have the right to defend themselves, and I also believe the American people should be concerned about Zionist terrorist organizations attempting to assassinate their critics on the streets of American cities.”
She did not clarify if self-defense also included acts of violence.
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Nerdeen Kiswani, a co-founder and leader of Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a Palestinian-led community organization, speaks during the rally outside the AirTrain at Jamaica station, during the National Day of Action in Queens, New York on Saturday, January 27, 2024. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Reacting to Kiswani’s statement, Yuval David, a fellow with the Middle East Forum, a pro-Israel research group, said Kiswani’s framing did not come as a surprise.
“She refuses to condemn political violence, and she also refuses to condone terrorism because she tries to manipulate the narrative to justify terrorism by calling it resistance,” David said.
David noted that Kiswani’s organization has shied away from condemning violence against Israel in the past.
WOL made headlines in the wake of Hamas’ terror attack on Israel in October 2023 for its anti-Israel support, stating in online messaging that “we are anti-Zionists” and that the “liberation of Palestine requires the abolition of Zionism.”
David recalled WOL’s messaging to its followers at the outset of the Israel-Hamas war.
“A month after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad attacks [Kiswani] and her organization published maps of Jewish organizations across New York City, labeled them as having, quote, ‘blood on their hands.’ And told followers to, quote, ‘know your enemy.’ She said that the map should serve as a call for every struggle to act,” David said.
The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism has said WOL demonstrates “very explicit support for violence against Israeli civilians in support of terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”
For its part, WOL has said it is anti-Zionist, not antisemitic.
After news of the plot against Kiswani broke, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called on viewers to denounce violence across the board.
“We do not tolerate any kind of violent extremism in this city. No one should face violence for their political beliefs or for their advocacy. And I am relieved she is safe,” Mamdani said in a press event.
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Split screen showing Hamas terrorists on left, Hezbollah Radwan forces on the right. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images / Hassan Ammar/AP)
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When asked if she would condemn political violence in the wake of the foiled plot, Kiswani blasted the inquiry.
“Since its inception, Fox News has not only cheerled the Israeli occupation of Palestine, it has spread lies that launched the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which led to the deaths of over a million people, and it presently supports Trump and Israel’s war on Iran,” Kiswani told Fox News Digital.
“It is ironic that a news network that glorifies violence when carried out in the interest of American imperialism puts the burden on me, the Palestinian victim of a Zionist terrorist plot, to explain my position on political violence,” she continued.
