Danna Fakhoury

Overview

Danna Fakhoury [Danna Fakhoury-Neda] has spread hatred of Israel, equated Zionism with Nazism and expressed support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, on social media. She has also shown support for disgraced anti-Israel professor Steven Salaita.

Fakhoury was an executive board member of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), in 2010.

As of August 2018, according to her LinkedIn, Fakhoury was a “global engager” and social media editor at AJ+, where she had been since 2014.

As of August 2018, Fakhoury used the name “Danna Fakhoury-Neda” on Facebook.

Hatred of Israel and Zionism

On July 28, 2014, Fakhoury wrote on Instagram: “May people around the world continue to rise up in protest against the shameful and bloodthirsty contradiction that is the Israeli Zionist government.”

On May 6, 2014, she tweeted; “#IsraeliIndependenceEquals American politicians and Zionists celebrating ethnic cleansing over culturally appropriated falafel and hummus.”

On May 4, 2013, she tweeted: “until governments recognize Israel as an aggressor the world won't know peace.”

On that same day, she also tweeted: “#Israel is the abusive boyfriend that brings his girlfriend ( #Syria ) flowers the day after he nearly beats her to death. don't be fooled.”

On March 8, 2013, Fakhoury tweeted: “Zionism is hate. Zionism is evil. Zionism is the modern day Nazism. don't be fooled. the tide is turning.”

On that same day, she tweeted: “the Zionist ideology perpetuates hate and has resulted in the attempted extermination of the Palestinians.”

On January 23, 2011, Fakhoury tweeted: “self defense from what? #bullshit RT @ASLANmedia #ISRAEL: Govt. inquiry finds that #IDF did not violate int'l ...”
The tweet referred to an Israeli government inquiry finding that Israeli soldiers acted in self-defense during the 2010 “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” incident.

Activists aboard the “Freedom Flotilla”’s lead ship, the Mavi Marmara, claimed to be carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza but agitated for violent confrontation with Israeli security forces and chanted “Khaibar, khaibar ya yahud” — a slogan glorifying the killing of Jews.

The protesters refused all instructions to change course and attacked Israeli security forces  as soon as they boarded the Marmara with iron bars, metal chairs, knives, rocks, bottles, stun grenades and firearms.

The 2011 United Nations’ Palmer Commission report found that the flotilla agitators initiated an organized violent confrontation with Israeli forces. Following the incident, the Mavi Marmara was found to be carrying crude weapons but no humanitarian aid.

Supporting BDS

On May 4, 2015, Fakhoury tweeted “#BDS win! @MsLaurynHill cancels performance in #Israel. Zionists, ‘You might win some, but you just lost one.’”

On August 6, 2014, she tweeted an AJ+ video that implied Israel intentionally targeted hospitals and U.N. schools. Fakhoury commented: “Hop on the #BDS train! ‘@ajplus: Why are people boycotting McDonald's, SodaStream & HP? We explain the BDS movement...’”

On May 6, 2014, she tweeted an image of a shirt with the slogan “Viva Palestina! Divest from Israel,” commenting “Can I start calling this t-shirt vintage if it's 4 years old? Still wear it proudly! #Divest #BDS.”

On March 17, 2014, Fakhoury tweeted a petition “Come on, Beyoncé! | Don't Play Apartheid Israel … Sign the petition!”

Fakhoury’s tweet linked to an article which claimed Beyoncé was “scheduled to play to a segregated audience in Israel on June 15, 2014.”

On January 14, 2014, Fakhoury tweeted: “It's pretty amazing to witness the growing influence #BDS has. I'm thankful for the discussion it creates & the public shaming it allows.”

Fakhoury promoted the #UCRDivest BDS campaign on Twitter. On March 6, 2013, she tweeted: “so proud of @SJP_UCR for pushing for a campus-wide divestment & succeeding! it has been a long time coming! #BDS #UCRdivest.”

On February 12, 2014, she tweeted: “The hashtag to be following tonight is #UCRdivest ! Hoping my alma mater isn't robbed for a second time! BDS! It is the future!”

On that same day, she also tweeted: “Thank you @amal928 for making it clear that @SJP_UCR proudly  and rightly aligns with #BDS ! #UCRdivest.”

Supporting Steven Salaita

On August 6, 2014, Fakhoury tweeted in support of anti-Israel professor Steven Salaita, writing: “Keep sharing! | University of Illinois fires professor @SteveSalaita after Gaza massacre tweets … #SupportSalaita.” Fakhoury’s tweet linked to an Electronic Intifada article that claimed Salaita was fired “apparently over views critical of Israel.”

In 2014, The University of Illinois withdrew an offer of employment to Salaita after becoming aware of his anti-Semitic tweets. One tweet, posted shortly after Hamas kidnapped three teenage Israeli high school students, read: "You may be too refined to say it, but I’m not: I wish all the f**king West Bank settlers would go missing.” In 2017, Salaita posted to Facebook: “People ask if I would go back in time and change anything. I would not…I will die unapologetic.” In February 2019, Salaita stated that he had become a school bus driver in the Washington, D.C., area.

SJP Activism

Fakhoury sat on the executive board of SJP at UCR, which she attended from 2010 to 2012.

On November 8, 2010, she posted to SJP UCR’s Facebook page a letter by the group’s SJP’s executive board that attacked UCR’s Hillel director, Adina Hemley, for critiquing a presentation by anti-Israel activist Ben White. SJP UCR brought White to campus as a guest speaker.

Fakhoury joined the closed SJP UCR Facebook group SJP Riverside in January 2010.

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.