Anastasia Khawaja

Overview

Anastasia Khawaja [Anastasia Jean Khawaja] has promoted an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, spread incitement, expressed support for Intifada and defended violent protesters.

She also praised anti-Israel agitators, spread hatred of Israel, is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and has demonized the Birthright Jewish Heritage tour.

As of November 2019, Khawaja was listed as the advisor for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of South Florida (USF). She held the position as early as 2015. As of the same date, Khawaja was listed as an adjunct faculty member of the English Department at USF. 

As of May 2019, she was listed on another USF page as having graduated from Florida State University (FSU) with a master’s degree in “Multilingual/Multicultural Education.” 

On April 29, 2019, Khawaja defended her Ph.D. dissertation at USF titled: “Occupation and Displacement of Palestinian Multilinguals: Language Emotional Perception, Language Practice, and Language Experiences in Palestine and in Diaspora.” 

In March 2013, Khawaja said: “I work in Palestine.”

As of November 2019, Khawaja went by “Anastasia Jean” and “Stacie Tucker” on Facebook. She went by “AJK” on Twitter and Instagram.

Promoting an Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theory

On November 11, 2012, Khawaja responded in agreement to a Facebook comment that said: “Pax Britannica made way for Pax Americana, which will inevitably make way for Pax Judaic. It's not even a secret anymore, at least in my mind. It's not really a conspiracy theory if its evident, is it? :P”

Khawaja responded: “But it's really not all that evident to the public yet, or if it is people are refusing to see it…”

“Pax Judaica” is a term used to describe Jewish control over the world. It is a variation of the terms “Pax Britannica” and “Pax Americana,” literally the “British Peace” and “American Peace.” These terms describe historical periods when the respectivecountries dominated world trade, global politics and were unrivaled in military power. 

Spreading Incitement

On September 18, 2013, Khawaja posted an anti-Semitic cartoon to Facebook. The image depicted a demonic creature wearing a Star of David necklace, popping out of Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, while holding a smoking assault rifle in the air.  

Opposite the demonic figure, sat an Arab man on a bed holding a smoking Hooka pipe in the air. The creature depicted as a Jew was shown as announcing, in Arabic: “Al-Quds (Jerusalem) is ours,” while the Arab man sitting on a bed raising his hands utters the same phrase.

The Dome of the Rock, as well as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, are located on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. The cartoon was a variation of an anti-Semitic libel used to incite violence.

The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda served as the excuse for an upsurge in Palestinian violence that flared in the fall of 2015 and incited Palestinians to attempt mass casualty attacks on Israeli civilians in July 2016.. 
Khawaja said in the comments of her Facebook post that agreed with the cartoon’s message. She then elaborated: “...the only real action unfortunately has been the intifadas where Palestine has tried to rise up and of course the attacks of Gaza by Israel at the end of 2008 and 2012…”

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.  

Israel commenced Operations Cast Lead (OCL), Pillar of Defense (OPD) and Protective Edge (OPE) in 2008-09, 2012 and 2014, respectively, in order to stop Hamas rocket fire from Gaza targeting Israeli civilians.

Supporting the Knife Intifada

On October 5, 2015, Khawaja tweeted: “WB [West Bank] and Jerusalem under state of emergency. Day of Rage scheduled for tomorrow Stay safe Palestine! #freepalestine.”

In October 2015, there was an upsurge in violence across Israel incited by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The wave of stabbings, known as the “Knife Intifada,” was characterized by young Palestinians throughout the country stabbing and attempting to stab Israeli civilians. The attacks were incited by Palestinian leaders propagating the libel that Israel intended to desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Khawaja retweeted an October 14, 2015 tweet from the anti-Israel Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) group, containing a link to a Q&A with anti-Israel propagandist Diana Buttu. In the exchange, Buttu accused Israel of killing children, sparking religious tension and defended terrorist Fadi Aloon. 

Fadi Aloon was shot by Israeli security forces after he stabbed a 15-year-old Israeli boy. Several hours before the attack, Aloon posted “Either martyrdom or victory” on his Facebook page. 

Defending Violent Protesters

On May 18, 2018, Khawaja tweeted in response to a May 15, 2018 tweet from then-United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who spoke against the March of Return riots. Khawaja wrote: “They weren't armed, you stupid stupid woman!” 


On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official, Salah al-Bardawil, stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.

Also on May 18, 2018, Khawaja tweeted a link to a statement defending the border riots, accusing Israel of “mass murder” and describing the rioters as people “whose only crime was taking acts of moral resistance to life under occupation.” 

Praising Anti-Israel Agitators

On October 7, 2016, Khawaja tweeted: “Thank you @rogerwaters and Pink Floyd for standing with Palestine and the women flotilla to Gaza” 

Roger Waters is a world-famous musician and BDS activist who has compared Israel to Nazi Germany. He has also been accused of spreading anti-Semitism at his concerts.

The “flotilla” referred to in Khawaja’s tweet was an attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.

The United Nations approved [pp. 39–41] the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza in 2011 as a security measure to stop Hamas from acquiring sophisticated rockets. Multiple flotillas have attempted to breach the blockade, with at least one flotilla initiating a violent confrontation with Israeli forces. 

Khawaja retweeted a March 2, 2018 tweet in defense of Dareen Tatour.

In October 2015, Tatour was placed under house arrest for incitement to violence and for support of a terrorist organization on social media. Tatour had supported the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and posted to Facebook: “I am the next shahid [martyr].”  

Spreading Hatred of Israel

On May 15, 2018, Khawaja posted a Facebook image that said: “#NAKBA70 We Will Return.”

The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.

Khawaja retweeted a May 8, 2018 JVP tweet that said the U.S. government’s anticipated decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem “cements US as Israel’s partner in ethnic cleansing.”

On June 1, 2017, Khawaja tweeted an embedded tweet accusing Israel of “apartheid.”

On January 16, 2017, Khawaja tweeted about the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) marking Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. She wrote: “The @IDFSpokesperson dare invoke the name of #MLK yet still brutally occupy Palestine and illegally seize lands.Who are you kidding???”

On November 22, 2016, Khawaja tweeted: “Meanwhile in Palestine...yes this is still happening too!#freepalestine #IDFraids.” She embedded a tweet with an article that said the IDF detained at least two “Hamas operatives” in raids.

On October 14, 2015, Khawaja tweeted a video, titled: “When I see them, I see us.” The 2015 video featured BDS founder Omar Barghouti and terrorist Rasmea Odeh promoting Black-Palestinian solidarity. The video also claimed [00:01:55] Israel “sterilizes”Palestinians. 

On July 24, 2014, Khawaja tweeted: “@tedcruz please stop talking.You make me sick. Closeted Zionist! #GAZA No one is hectoring #Israel Israel IS apartheid!Wake up!!!”

On July 18, 2014, Khawaja changed her Facebook cover photo to a graphic that said: “there is a GENOCIDE” in Gaza. 

Israel commenced Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.  

On September 12, 2013, Khawaja posted a Facebook image that said: “If 11/9 deserves a moment of silence … then Palestine deserves us to never speak again.”

On November 11, 2012, Khawaja posted on Facebook a graphic composed of a series of maps known as the “Map That Lies.”

Khawaja wrote: “This ad ran on TriMet buses and MAX trains a few months back stating facts about the land and refugee situation...very clear cut and ONE of the sponsors was Jewish Voice for Peace (really like that organization)!”

The maps claim that lands once controlled by Britain, Egypt and Jordan as autonomous “Palestinian land” were purportedly stolen by Israel. In February 2016, publisher McGraw-Hill Education recalled copies of a college textbook containing the fraudulent maps. In October 2015, American cable news network MSNBC apologized for airing a similar series of maps and retracted them.

On December 7, 2012, Khawaja shared a Facebook image showing the Star of David superimposed on the stars on the U.S. flag and the red stripes of the flag depicted as exhaust coming from missiles, with text reading: Israel is A War Criminal. Khawaja commented: “Wow! I can't argue with this…”  

On November 28, 2012, Khawaja posted a Facebook image of the Olympic rings covered with blood, where the Star of David would be on an Israeli flag. The image said: “Israel hasn’t won any Olympic medals, but word on the street is that they’re going to steal a few & say the medals were given to them by God.” 

Supporting BDS

On July 31, 2017, Khawaja tweeted: “Thank you @SenGillibrandfor listening! #freepalestine #bds.” Her tweet embedded a JVP tweet stating that U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand would not support an anti-BDS bill.

On March 6, 2017, Khawaja tweeted in opposition to the Israeli Knesset, the national parliament, passing a bill that barred BDS activists from entering Israel. 

On September 30, 2015, Khawaja tweeted: “Try as they might, congress has NO legal way to stop #BDS!#freepalestine #JVP thank you @pal_legal”

On July 23, 2014, Khawaja, tweeted: “Sign the petition: Military embargo on Israel now! #BDS http://twitpic.com/e8n2rohttp://www.bdsmovement.net/stoparmingisrael … #StopArmingIsrael”
 
Khawaja retweeted a January 26, 2014 tweet by BDS activist Anna Baltzer who accused an actress, of being “in a colonial state of mind” for promoting an Israeli company.

Demonizing Birthright

On September 30, 2015, Khawaja tweeted: “Beautiful sight!Great job @SJP_USF! Standing up and showing what an injustice #birthright is.#SJP #freepalestine.”

Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.

On the same day, SJP USF posted a Facebook photo of protesters standing in front of and blocking access to a Birthright tent at USF. The post said: “So you’re thinking of Birthright? The term ‘Birthright’ itself is telling. It’s the premise that all Jewish people have an exclusive ‘right’ to Palestinian land. We would have no ‘Birthright’ without Israeli occupation and apartheid.” 

The post finished: “#rightofreturn > #birthright.”

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. 

SJP USF - Leaders Idolizing Terrorists and Spreading Anti-Semitism

In March 2019, SJP USF officers included vice president Abdallah Junio Mansour, who has a history of spreading anti-Semitism on Facebook and secretary Salman Shalan. 

SJP USF - Supporting Violent Riots  

On April 11, 2018, SJP USF posted an Instagram photo for an April 14, 2018 rally it co-sponsored in downtown Tampa, FL. The rally was in support of “The Great Return March” riots that had begun two weeks earlier, in Gaza.

On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The violent demonstrations were instigated by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border. Participants declared their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”

March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Rioters also made numerous attempts to breach Israel’s border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire.
On May 14, 2018, SJP USF posted on Instagram: “52 Palestinians have been killed on the border of Gaza by Israeli snippers [sic] as the US embassy opens in Jerusalem.”

On May 16, 2018, senior Hamas official, Salah al-Bardawil, stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.

On October 27, 2018, SJP USF claimed on Instagram: “For over six months the people of Gaza have been peacefully protesting at the border …”  

In April 2018, media reports confirmed [00:00:20] the March of Return protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of Israel’s border fence, some by armed Palestinians. One Hamas leader declared [00:00:30]: “We will take down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”

SJP USF - Demonizing Israel  

On February 22, 2019, SJP USF posted an Instagram image promoting its event featuring Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) board member Eran Efrati. The SJP USF image quoted Efrati as saying that as an Israeli soldier, he was “the terrorist.”

On February 6, 2019, SJP USF posted an Instagram image promoting BDS and accusing Israel of“settler colonialism” and “apartheid.” The image called for a boycott of a performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) in Sarasota, Florida.

On October 8, 2018, SJP USF posted an Instagram video of its activists making a display portraying Israel’s security barrier as an “Apartheid Wall.” The display promoted BDS and was for an event on campus the next day. 

On January 6, 2019, SJP USF posted an Instagram image claiming that Israel simultaneously will “play the victim” and “commit war crimes.”

SJP USF - Spreading Anti-Semitism  

On July 30, 2014, SJP USF posted an image to Facebook showing Adolf Hitler performing a Nazi salute with text reading: “WE ARE THE MASTER RACE,” next to an image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his hand raised and text reading: “WE ARE GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE.” SJP USF commented: “Justifications.” 

On November 18, 2013, SJP USF reportedly hosted and sponsored a game show “about Palestinian culture, geography and history” modeled on the TV show, "Jeopardy!" 

SJP USF - Demonizing Israel  

As of August 2019, an SJP USF Facebook post from February 14, 2015, remained on the group’s Facebook page. The original SJP USF shared an article and quoted the story’s headline: “Israeli authorities usually open the floodgates to their dams in the direction of the Gaza Strip - without prior notice - in order to discharge the enormous quantities of water that had accumulated due to the heavy rains in the region. #Gaza.” 

Less than two weeks later, Al Jazeera retracted a similar story, noting: “In southern Israel, there are no dams of the type which can be opened.”

On February 25, 2016, SJP USF members reportedly joined with other BDS supporters to disrupt a talk at USF given by two Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers. One of the protesters called the soldiers “murderers and child killers” and was eventually was escorted out by police.

On September 5, 2014, SJP USF held an event titled: “The Hidden Genocide: The Story of Palestine.” The Facebook event page referred to Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) against Hamas earlier that year as a “summer of atrocious massacres.”

Israel commenced OPEin July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.

One of the speakers at the event was Hamas supporter Sheikh Monzer Taleb, who was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) terrorism finance trial. Taleb was not brought to trial.

SJP USF - Promoting BDS  

On February 10, 2014, SJP USF posted a video to Vimeo promoting its “Divest 2014” campaign. The video claimed that USF invested in companies that made “fighter jets and rockets that the IDF uses against civilians in the Gaza strip.”

On May 28, 2014, the USF Foundation, which manages USF investments from donor contributions, reportedly rejected an SJP USF petition calling on the school to divest from multiple companies doing business with Israel. 

On January 14, 2015, SJP USF purchased [00:05:18] space on a Tampa, Florida billboard to demand that USF stop its investments “in Apartheid Israel.”

On January 20, 2016, the USF Oracle, USF’s student newspaper, reported that a BDS resolution passed in the student government, as a result of SJP USF’s BDS campaigning the previous two years. 

On January 25, 2016, SJP USF President Rahma Elmohd posted a Facebook video urging the USF student government president to sign the resolution.

On January 27, 2016, the USF Oracle reported that the USF student government president and vice president both vetoed the resolution. 

On February 4, 2016, the USF Oracle reported that a second BDS resolution was submitted by USF student senator and member of SJP USF Hala Alkattan. That resolution was identical to the previous one which was supported by SJP USF but was categorized differently so that the USF student government president and vice president could not veto it.

SJP

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5208820/ 

Twitter:https://twitter.com/amora970

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/amora970/ [Private]

University Website:http://english.usf.edu/faculty/akhawaja/

My.Tesol.Org:https://my.tesol.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=1eb9114f-43fd-45f7-abab-83c80b05fa6f