On December 12, 2023, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay published an article where Hijaz was featured in a photo participating in an anti-Israel rally in downtown Tampa.
On October 29, 2023, Hijaz featured [slide 4] in a photo at an anti-Israel event holding a sign that said: “from the river to the sea
PALESTINE will be FREE!”
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is a chant used [00:02:47] to call for the elimination of 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. In April 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the chant as antisemitic.
The event, which took place in Tampa, Florida, was reportedly co-hosted by SJP USF.
On October 26, 2023, Hijaz participated [slides 1-2] in an SJP USF protest on campus titled: “March for Palestine.”
Hijaz was featured in a video at the event chanting [00:00:18]: “Palestine is our demand! No peace on stolen land!”
On May 13, 2023, Hijaz participated [slides 5] in an SJP USF protest where she held a sign that said: “WHEN PEOPLE ARE OCCUPIED / RESISTANCE IS JUSTIFIED.”
At the protest, Hijaz held [slide 1] a sign that said: “FROM TAMPA BAY TO PALESTINE / OCCUPATION IS A CRIME!” Both signs were produced by the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), another co-host for the event which was titled: “Nakba 75.”
The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by drawing a comparison to the Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, meaning “catastrophe.”
At the same event, one of the protestors held a sign that said: “END THE OCCUPATION / END ISRAEL / FREE PALESTINE.” Another protester held a PSL sign that said: “RETURN IS OUR RIGHT AND OUR DESTINY.”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
On February 21, 2023, Hijaz attended [slide 1] an anti-Israel event hosted by SJP USF titled: “BOYCOTT / DIVEST / SANCTION / INFO.”
A video from the same event featured [slide 3; 00:00:13] a poster depicting the Israeli flag with blood dripping off the Star of David. The poster said: “FREE PALESTINE.”