Ann Yacoubian

Overview

Ann Yacoubian [Ann Elizabeth Yacoubian] has bragged on social media about harassing Israel supporters. Yacoubian was banned from entering Israel after being jailed and deported in August 2014 — shortly after graduating from Tufts.

Yacoubian has referred to Zionists using anti-Semitic slurs commonly used by white supremacists, like David Duke. Yacoubian has also spread hatred of Israelis, likened Israel to ISIS and denied Israel’s right to self-defense.

Yacoubian was an activist with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Tufts University (Tufts SJP) in 2012 - 2014. Yacoubian continued her anti-Israel activities as a graduate student at Columbia University (Columbia).

Yacoubian is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of July 23, 2017, Yacoubian’s LinkedIn page said she attended Columbia from 2014 - 2017. In April 2017 and May 2015, Yacoubian indicated that she was in a post-baccalaureate pre-med program at Columbia.

In 2012, Yacoubian indicated on Twitter that she was a pre-med student at Tufts. Yacoubian claims to have began working at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the psychiatry department as early as February 2012. She stated on Twitter that she worked there as late as July 12, 2013.

On June 30, 2016, Yacoubian tweeted that she worked at a hospital and nursing home.

As of July 23, 2017, Yacoubian said on her Twitter profile that she will be a “Future Doctor.”

Harassing Israel Supporters

On January 22, 2015, Yacoubian tweeted: “masquerading as a Columbia Undergrad--robbing dining halls and making Zionists feel guilty just like old times #college.”

On April 25, 2014, Yacoubian was a leader of a Tufts SJP provocation meant to spoil an event held by supporters of Israel.

On April 25, 2014, Tufts SJP staged a “die-in” next to a Tufts Friends of Israel (FOI) event celebrating Israeli Independence Day. Hannah Freedman, a Tufts SJP activist, said that Tufts SJP “crashed” the event “with a memorial for al-Nakba,” a term defining Israel’s founding as a “catastrophe.” Tufts SJP activists laid on red cloth, meant to symbolize pools of blood.

Banned from Entering Israel

Yacoubian attempted to enter Israel in August 2014 but was detained in an Israeli jail and then deported.

On August 17, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted: “Palestine in 48 hours...time to deactivate the twitter! see y'all on the other side inshallah.”

On August 31, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted that she was back on twitter and had been deported and jailed along with other people on her trip.

On September 6, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted about the incident, with the hashtag “#freepalestine.”

On March 3, 2015, Yacoubian claimed on Facebook that she was interrogated, jailed and deported solely “on the basis of my family ties and ethnicity.” In the same post, Yacoubian called for the “return” of “millions of other Palestinians.”

Yacoubian claimed in August of 2015 that she was banned from entering Israel indefinitely.

Anti-Zionist Hatred

On July 21, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted: “I'm sorry, is that rich white zionist guilt uncomfortable? try #Gaza. #nomore #done #خلص [enough].”

On December 1, 2012, Yacoubian tweeted: “@CoryDeSole basic bit**es! H8erz gonna h8 #zios.” The term “zios” is a popular anti-Semitic slur, used in anti-Israel and White Supremacist circles.

On March 30, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted: “I swear if anyone mentions birthright Israel to me EVER EVER again I will physically harm them #checkyourprivilege.”

Birthright Israel is a series of Jewish heritage trips to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.

On March 30, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted: “Bring up rockets and Hamas regardless of the context #LiberalZionistStrategies.”

On March 24, 2015, Yacoubian tweeted: “Mass unfriending of zionists and conservatives on Facebook is my version of a juice cleanse #purgingtoxins.”

On June 15, 2015, Yacoubian tweeted: “So anyone who posts photos of Palestine but instead refers to their location as ‘Israel’ or brags about birthright is an automatic defriend.”

On June 8, 2016, Yacoubian responded to a Twitter photo showing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio alongside Orthodox Jews and other Israel supporters at the annual Celebrate Israel parade. Yacoubian tweeted, in response: “Absolutely despicable, cheerleader to an apartheid state but zionists have $$$ so I guess nbd [no big deal] @BilldeBlasio @CelebrateIsrael.”

Hatred of Israelis

On May 29, 2015, Yacoubian tweeted: “Screaming babies, ‘Israeli’ tourists, epidemic Manspreading....this subway car has officially become my hell #NYCneedsanewplague.”

On March 20, 2015, Yacoubian tweeted: “Zionist: ‘I'm from Israel’ Drunk me: ‘where's that?’ #sorrynotsorry.”

Likening Israel to ISIS

On October 1, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted: “#ISL and #JSIL fundamentalist apartheid states, two sides of the same evil coin. Except we're funding one of them.”

“#JSIL” means “Jewish State in the Levant” and is used by Israel-haters to liken Israel to the Islamic State (ISIS), also known as the Islamic State in the Levant (ISIL).

On October 1, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted: “#JSIL Jewish State of Israel in the Levant.”

Yacoubian’s tweet linked to an article about the hashtag, that mentioned anti-Israel propagandist Max Blumenthal. Blumenthal made the first comparison likening Israel to ISIL during the infamous Russell Tribunal on Palestine.

Denying Israel’s Right to Self-Defense

On November 18, 2012, Yacoubian tweeted: “EVERY channel in the gym has a piece on ‘US supports Israel's right to self-defense’ Literally gonna vom everywhere #gazaunderattack.”

Operation Pillar of Defense (OPD) was launched to stop Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza on Israeli civilians. From November 14 to November 21, 2012 Palestinian terrorist groups fired more than 1,506 rockets at Israel. The majority of those rockets struck Israel, damaging homes, schools and other civilian areas.

On November 20, 2012, Yacoubian tweeted: “Resistance is justified when people are occupied #gazaunderattack” with a photo from an anti-Israel rally.

On November 29, 2012, Yacoubian tweeted: “So far Susan Rice has brought up all of the zionist cliches in the book ‘security’ ‘delegitimize’ ‘bilateral action’ #killme.”

Demonizing Israel

On May 25, 2013, Yacoubian — referencing Jerusalem’s Old City — tweeted: “‘Ann, tidy your room please. It looks like the Jewish Quarter in there!’ - Dad #sigh #armenianpalestinianproblems.”

On March 7, 2014, Yacoubian appeared in a photo participating in a Tufts SJP demonstration two days earlier that demonized Israel.

On March 5, 2014, Tufts SJP carried out three anti-Israel provocations. First, Tufts SJP slipped leaflets into dorm rooms targeting the Jewish heritage program Birthright Israel.

Second, Tufts SJP slipped mock “demolition” notices into other dorm rooms, claiming that Israel had a “project of ethnic cleansing.” Third, Tufts SJP held a “mock annexation” that purported to show Israeli soldiers violently arresting Palestinians without cause.

On July 12, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted: “Hey Israel, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today? #GazaUnderAttack.”

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

On July 17, 2014, Yacoubian tweeted that Israel was using “poison gas” during OPE.

Supporting BDS

On April 13, 2017, Yacoubian tweeted support for Tufts SJP’s surprise anti-Israel Columbia divestment resolution vote that excluded many Jewish students, on Passover Eve, 2017. Tufts SJP authored the resolution to further the agenda of the BDS movement.

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.