Upcoming Palestine Forum in Doha Set to Platform AMP Leader Alongside Hamas Operative
An upcoming academic forum in Doha features AMP Director Osama Abu Irshaid alongside Saif Abukeshek, identified by Israeli authorities as a Hamas operative and lead member of the flotilla movement
The Fourth Annual Palestine Forum, organized by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the Institute for Palestine Studies, runs January 24-26, 2026 at the Sheraton Grand Doha. The event’s speaker roster includes individuals with deeply problematic records regarding alleged Hamas ties, raising significant questions about the forum’s standards for speaker selection and its commitment to academic integrity. According to the official forum schedule, presentations span multiple sessions including panels on international law, refugee issues, and global solidarity movements.
AMP Director and Hamas Operative Share Sunday Symposium
Among the featured speakers at the Sunday evening symposium titled “Global Solidarity Movements with Palestine” is Osama Abu Irshaid, the Executive Director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). Abu Irshaid’s participation stands out given that multiple terror watchdog groups have linked his organization to Hamas.
In March 2025, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate HELP Committee, launched a formal investigation into AMP, citing alleged ties to Hamas and antisemitic violence on college campuses. Similar concerns prompted congressional oversight demands in June 2024 from House Chairman James Comer, pressing AMP to cooperate with investigations related to alleged funding of pro-Hamas activities.
Sharing the same Sunday symposium is Saif Abukeshek. Abukeshek, identified by Israeli authorities as a Hamas operative, is scheduled to discuss “Europe and Palestine: From Popular Solidarity to Tangible Action—The Spanish Model and the Global Sumud Flotilla.”
Documents released by Israeli officials in September 2025 reveal that Hamas provided financial backing for the "Sumud" flotilla initiative and maintained covert ownership of multiple ships through Cyber Neptune, a Spanish shell company controlled by Abukeshek.
Abukeshek has also served on the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), a Hamas-established body created in 2018 to function as the terror organization's primary international representative. The PCPA, which operates under the guise of civil society while serving as a Hamas front, received a terrorist designation from Israel in 2021.
Georgetown Professor Who Praised Hamas Leader
The forum also features Diana Buttu, a Practitioner in Residence at Georgetown University in Qatar, as a speaker on the panel discussing “How (Not) to Cover a Genocide: Experiences from Journalists in Palestine Reporting on Israel’s Genocide in Gaza” alongside journalist Nidal Rafa.
In an October 22, 2024 interview, Buttu hailed former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, stating that “The Israelis will never understand what it means to die a hero.” In the same interview, she characterized Hamas itself as “a movement for freedom, for liberation.”
A Troubling Convergence
The forum’s programming underscores a concerning trend: a major academic conference in Doha—a known financial backer of Hamas—is providing a unified platform for Western academics and individuals with alleged ties to terror organizations, all operating under the banner of Palestinian solidarity and humanitarian concerns.