Afnan Abouisteite
Overview
Afnan Abouisteite has expressed support for Hamas terrorism, promoted anti-Semitism, spread incitement and called for Israel’s destruction. Abouisteite has also used social media to promote hatred of Israel.Abouisteite joined in at least two pro-Hamas rallies organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) after a series of Hamas terror atrocities and war crimes against Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. On that day, Hamas committed mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings. The attacks left over 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.”
Abouisteite was affiliated with the anti-Israel group Toronto4Palestine in April 2022, when it was known as the Greater Toronto Area Palestine Movement (GPM).
Abouisteite engaged in activism with Global Rise 4 Palestine in July 2021 when she participated in a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement protest.
As of March 2024, Abouisteite’s Instagram bio said she was a “Toronto Based Make Up Artist.” She started her make-up Instagram page in December 2017.
However, as of the same date, Abouisteite’s Facebook About page said she was located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, which is a suburb of Toronto.
As of the same date, Abouisteite went by the username “Afnan
” and used the handle “@afnx.n” on Instagram.10/17/2023 - Support for Hamas Terrorism at a PYM Rally
On October 17, 2023, Abouisteite posted on Instagram a video from a PYM protest outside the Israeli consulate in Toronto.Abouisteite’s video showed activists chanting [00:00:34]: “There is only one solution! Intifada, revolution!”
The term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” carries the connotation of violence. Palestinian intifadas waged against Israel have been marked since 1987 by hundreds of hijackings, shootings, stabbings, bombings and suicide missions.
Abouisteite’s video also showed activists chanting [00:09:54]: “When people are occupied, resistance is justified!”
Among Palestinians and anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” can be a euphemism for nationalistic terror. It is often used to excuse or even glorify anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
Among Palestinians and anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” can be a euphemism for nationalistic terror. It is often used to excuse or even glorify anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
On Saturday, October 7, 2023, approximately 2,900 heavily armed Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s border with Gaza. They executed numerous war crimes on civilians, including mass murder, beheadings of children, rape of men and women, torture, kidnappings and mutilation. Hamas broadcast videos of their butchery on social media, often to victims’ accounts for families to see. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.” As of November 10, 2023, over 1,200 Israelis, the vast majority of them civilians, were murdered during the attacks. Hamas kidnapped 242 Israelis, including at least 30 children. At least 3,500 people were wounded, many severely.
Abouisteite posted on Instagram a video from the protest, showing activists chanting [00:00:06]: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” She wrote: “October 09, 2023
Toronto DID NOT DISAPPOINT
.”
Abouisteite also posted on Instagram another video showing signs held at the protest, including one that said [00:00:11]: “Resistance ≠ Terrorism.”
On October 9, 2023, two days after Hamas invaded Israel and massacred over 1,200 Jews, PYM held a rally in Toronto celebrating the attack. A PYM Facebook post promoting the rally called Hamas “our heroic resistance in Gaza” and celebrated “over 30 Zionist hostages captured, the fall of settlements surrounding Gaza.”
The same PYM post said the attack “shaped a new precedent for our national liberation struggle and we remain steadfast in our right to resist by any means necessary.” PYM called on activists “to uplift and honor our resistance and our martyrs…and celebrate our steps closer to liberation!”
Protesters participated in the pro-terror chants [00:00:17]: “Intifada, intifada! Long live the intifada!” and “Be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aza [with spirit and blood we will redeem Gaza]!” They also chanted: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!,” a call for Israel’s destruction. One speaker said [00:00:20]: “When we say ‘Allahu Akbar’ it is a declaration of our celebration for our resistance and its victory against their occupier.”
Abouisteite also posted photos of herself from the protest on Instagram and wrote: “Always in our hearts
…”
The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda has led to multiple periods of violence against Israeli civilians.
For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page about Hamas.
10/9/2023 - Celebrating Hamas Terrorism at a PYM Rally
On October 9, 2023, Abouisteite participated in an anti-Israel rally celebrating the Hamas attacks against Israeli civilians two days earlier.Abouisteite posted on Instagram a video from the protest, showing activists chanting [00:00:06]: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” She wrote: “October 09, 2023
Toronto DID NOT DISAPPOINT.”“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.
Abouisteite also posted on Instagram another video showing signs held at the protest, including one that said [00:00:11]: “Resistance ≠ Terrorism.”
On October 9, 2023, two days after Hamas invaded Israel and massacred over 1,200 Jews, PYM held a rally in Toronto celebrating the attack. A PYM Facebook post promoting the rally called Hamas “our heroic resistance in Gaza” and celebrated “over 30 Zionist hostages captured, the fall of settlements surrounding Gaza.”
The same PYM post said the attack “shaped a new precedent for our national liberation struggle and we remain steadfast in our right to resist by any means necessary.” PYM called on activists “to uplift and honor our resistance and our martyrs…and celebrate our steps closer to liberation!”
Protesters participated in the pro-terror chants [00:00:17]: “Intifada, intifada! Long live the intifada!” and “Be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aza [with spirit and blood we will redeem Gaza]!” They also chanted: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!,” a call for Israel’s destruction. One speaker said [00:00:20]: “When we say ‘Allahu Akbar’ it is a declaration of our celebration for our resistance and its victory against their occupier.”
Abouisteite also posted photos of herself from the protest on Instagram and wrote: “Always in our hearts
…”Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, European Union, Israel and other countries. Founded in 1987, it has killed thousands of Israeli civilians through mass shootings and suicide bombings. Hamas has also kidnapped children, families and the elderly and held them hostage in Gaza. It has desecrated [slide 2] dead bodies and launched numerous rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.
Spreading Incitement and Promoting Anti-Semitism
On April 25, 2022, Abouisteite posted on TikTok a video with photos from anti-Israel protests, including one showing [00:00:05] an activist holding a sign that said: “Hands off Al Aqsa.” She commented on her post: “We will never stop until our liberation arrives. #GPM4PALESTINE #apartheidstate #antizionism…”The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda has led to multiple periods of violence against Israeli civilians.
Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.
On April 24, 2022, Abouisteite posted on Instagram a video of activist Aliya Hasan speaking at a Toronto4Palestine protest. In the video, Hasan expressed support for terrorism, spread incitement and promoted anti-Semitism and historical revisionism. Abouisteite wrote in the post: “FREE FREE P@L£$TIN€ / #gpm4palestine.”
In the video, Hasan claimed [00:04:22] Israel was carrying out “premeditated, orchestrated attacks…on Palestinian worshippers that are simply just trying to pray at masjid Al-Aqsa…” She then discussed the Al-Aqsa Mosque, claiming [00:05:53] that Israelis wanted to “Judaize an Islamic holy site…to allow Zionist intruders in” and that [00:06:35] “far-right groups organize these raids in coordination with Israeli police.”
Palestinians and anti-Israel activists have historically described visits by Jews to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as “incursions” during which Jews purportedly “storm” the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestinians have also frequently used the mosque to stockpile stone slabs, fireworks and rocks, with which they attack Israeli security officers and non-Muslim visitors to the Temple Mount.
In Abouisteite’s video, Hasan also claimed [00:07:10] that “there’s no actual historical evidence of there ever being temples there, this is just Zionist propaganda used to justify their atrocities against the Palestinian people and their attempt to steal a Muslim holy site.”
“Temple Denial” is a form of historical revisionism and is part of a broader political effort to deny the Jewish historical connection to Israel. Its purpose is to portray Jews as foreign to the Land of Israel as well as to delegitimize Israel and Jewish sovereignty. Jerusalem’s two ancient Jewish Temples were the center of Jewish life for nearly one thousand years.
Hasan continued [00:08:10]: “All of this to clear the way for Zionist invaders, Zionists that aren’t even indigenous to the land. They’re from America and Canada and Europe.”
One way that anti-Israel activists spread anti-Semitism is to claim [00:06:46] that Israeli Jews, particularly Ashkenazi Jews, do not descend from the ancient Israelites. This claim alleges that Israeli Jews are white Europeans who lack a connection to the Land of Israel.
In the video, Hasan further said [00:11:36]: “Israel has witnessed the deadliest attacks…seen in the last 15 years, all because of Palestinian freedom fighters.” She also claimed [00:13:36]: “Palestinians have a right to resist under international law, by any means necessary.”
Hasan then led protesters in chanting [00:14:26]: “Settlers, settlers, go back home!” The chant is a call for the expulsion of Jews from Israel.
In Abouisteite’s video, Hasan also led the chant [00:17:52]: “be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aqsa [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Aqsa]!”
On May 16, 2021, Abouisteite posted on Instagram photos from a protest that included a protester holding a sign that said: “Exist. Resist. Return.” The sign showed a map of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, all covered in a Palestinian flag. Abouisteite wrote: “...#torontopalestine #sheikhjarrah #palestine #freepalestine #gazaunderattack.”
In May 2021, Palestinian violence erupted in anticipation of an Israel High Court ruling on eviction proceedings concerning over 70 Palestinian tenants illegally residing in Jewish-owned properties in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Incitement surrounding Al-Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah were leading factors in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists firing over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at Israeli population centers from May 10 to 21, 2021. In response to rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel launched “Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW),” striking military targets in the terrorist-controlled enclave.”
On July 7, 2021, Abouisteite posted to Instagram a group photo from a BDS protest she participated in on July 4 in Mississauga. In the photo, she stood with protesters holding signs that said: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “End Apartheid Now” and “Boycott Israel.”
Global Rise 4 Palestine organized the protest, where protesters blocked trucks and entrances at a Walmart distribution center because of Walmart’s alleged support for Israel.
In another Instagram post about the protest, Abouisteite wrote: “...more and more people are becoming aware of the truth. It was never an occupation but it is a GENOCIDE on Palestinians. / Therefore, as @judeelrayes said ‘we hold the power in our money, so let’s put it where our mouth is’. / Do your part and research what companies fund the IOF and #boycottisrael…”
“IOF” stands for Israeli Occupation Forces, a derogatory name used by anti-Israel activists to demonize Israel’s army in place of its official name, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
In the video, anti-Israel activists accused [00:00:08] Israel of “inhumane crimes against Palestinian…civilians on their own soil,” of deliberately targeting Palestinian journalists because [00:00:27] “they posed a threat to your reputation by exposing your war crimes” and [00:01:51] of “heinous crimes against humanity.”
On February 26, 2022, Abouisteite posted on Instagram a video in which she featured and wrote: “Thank you to @thepalestineobserver for having us put together this global message / #freepalestine #apartheid #apartheidisrael #palestine #endapartheid.”
Abouisteite also posted the same video on TikTok and captioned it: “A global message directed at #apartheidstate of i$rael. #antizionism is NOT #antisemetisim.”
In the video, Abouisteite accused [00:00:13] Israel of “depriving Palestinians of clean water.” Other anti-Israel activists called [00:00:51] for sanctions against Israel and claimed [00:00:57] “Zionism is racism…approved by a terror state.”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.
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Calling for Israel’s Destruction and Supporting BDS
As of March 12, 2024, Abouisteite wrote in the bio for her @afnx.n Instagram page: “From the River to the Sea”On July 7, 2021, Abouisteite posted to Instagram a group photo from a BDS protest she participated in on July 4 in Mississauga. In the photo, she stood with protesters holding signs that said: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “End Apartheid Now” and “Boycott Israel.”
Global Rise 4 Palestine organized the protest, where protesters blocked trucks and entrances at a Walmart distribution center because of Walmart’s alleged support for Israel.
In another Instagram post about the protest, Abouisteite wrote: “...more and more people are becoming aware of the truth. It was never an occupation but it is a GENOCIDE on Palestinians. / Therefore, as @judeelrayes said ‘we hold the power in our money, so let’s put it where our mouth is’. / Do your part and research what companies fund the IOF and #boycottisrael…”
“IOF” stands for Israeli Occupation Forces, a derogatory name used by anti-Israel activists to demonize Israel’s army in place of its official name, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Hatred of Israel
On September 6, 2022, Abouisteite posted on Instagram and TikTok a video, in which she featured [00:00:48] and wrote on Instagram: “Thank you to @thepalestineobserver and everyone who helped make this video possible.”In the video, anti-Israel activists accused [00:00:08] Israel of “inhumane crimes against Palestinian…civilians on their own soil,” of deliberately targeting Palestinian journalists because [00:00:27] “they posed a threat to your reputation by exposing your war crimes” and [00:01:51] of “heinous crimes against humanity.”
On February 26, 2022, Abouisteite posted on Instagram a video in which she featured and wrote: “Thank you to @thepalestineobserver for having us put together this global message
/ #freepalestine #apartheid #apartheidisrael #palestine #endapartheid.”Abouisteite also posted the same video on TikTok and captioned it: “A global message directed at #apartheidstate of i$rael. #antizionism is NOT #antisemetisim.”
In the video, Abouisteite accused [00:00:13] Israel of “depriving Palestinians of clean water.” Other anti-Israel activists called [00:00:51] for sanctions against Israel and claimed [00:00:57] “Zionism is racism…approved by a terror state.”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
Social Media and Weblinks
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