Yasmeen Mashayekh

Overview

Yasmeen Mashayekh has spread antisemitism, expressed violent hatred of Zionists, celebrated the death of Israelis and called for the destruction of Israel and the United States. She has also expressed support for terror groups Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), glorified terrorists, promoted incitement and demonized Israel.

Mashayekh has endorsed an anti-Israel agitator, engaged in anti-Israel activism and is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of December 2021, Mashayekh was affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Southern California (USC). She stated [00:04:43] in an interview that SJP was the only group that offered her support after she was [00:11:08] embroiled in a national controversy over antisemitism she spread on social media.

Mashayekh was affiliated with the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) in May 2021.

As of October 2021, Mashayekh was a “Civil Engineer” student at USC, and indicated in her Clubhouse bio that she was an “Engineer in the making,” slated to graduate in 2022.

As of October 2021, Mashayekh was listed as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) “Senator” for USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering (VSOE).

On April 11, 2022, Mashayekh tweeted that she was “NOT a DEI senator anymore.”

In September 2021, Mashayekh was listed by USC’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Executive Board as the Pacific South West Conference (PSWC) Co-Chair as well as the President of USC’s Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI).

As of April 2022, Mashayekh used the handle “@YFalasteen” and the screen name “Umm Obaidah” on Twitter. Mashayekh’s Twitter bio read: “Anti-Zionist, Engineer, Artist, Activist.” Mashayekhalso added the hashtag “#F**k12,” used as an alternative slang expression to “Fuck the Police.”

As of April 2022, Mashayekh used the handle “@catfiyyeh” and screen name “اكلنا كنادر [we ate s**t] on Twitter.

Spreading Antisemitism

On May 9, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “yel3an el yahood [curse the Jews]

.”

On May 30, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “anyways yel3an el yahood [curse the Jews].”

On June 3, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “It’s my little sisters first day of first grade and I asked her what she learned today and she said “yel3an el yahood [Curse the Jews]”

nah where was this curriculum when i was in school

...”

Mashayekh retweeted a June 26, 2021 tweet that read: “zionism is nazism, they even collaborated.”

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 countries have adopted the definition as well.

Violent Hatred of Zionists

On October 25, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Oh no how horrifying that I want to kill my colonizer!!” Mashayekh’s tweet was in response to a Canary Mission tweet that read: “It is HORRIFYING that the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Senator from @USCViterbi Yasmeen Mashayekh tweeted: ‘I want to kill every motherf**king zionist.’”

On May 9, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “I want to kill every motherf**king zionist.”

On May 11, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Palestinian youth set settlers on fire in Haifa

.” Mashayekh’s tweet included a video of the incident featuring superimposed Arabic text that read: “A Jew's head was set ablaze in Haifa a while ago. Long live the heroes' arms.”

On May 11, 2021, during Israel’s “Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW)” against Hamas in Gaza, violent Arab riots broke out in Haifa and Lod, Israeli cities with large Arab populations. The rioters in Haifa reportedly “threw rocks, launched fireworks, and hurled bottles at the various demonstrations,” according to police. They also burned trash cans.

On May 12, 2021, a Twitter user responded to her tweet and wrote: “They should’ve filled it with gas and lit them zionists up” to which Mashayekh replied: “LMFAOOOOOO [Laughing my f**king a** off] THEY DID THOUGH.”

On June 21, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Zionists are going to f**king pay.”

Celebrating the Death of Israelis

On April 8, 2022, Mashayekh tweeted: “الله يرحمه ويجعل مثواه الجنة يا رب [May God have mercy on him and grant him a place in heaven, Lord],” in reference to terrorist Ra’ad Hazem.

On April 8, 2022, Ra’ad Hazem opened fire on a bar in Tel Aviv killing three and wounding several others.Hazem opened fire a second time after he was tracked down by Israeli forces.He was killed during the firefight. Hazem’s father, a former security officer with the Palestinian Authority, praised his son for the terror attack.

On April 8, 2022, Mashayekh tweeted a photo of Palestinians handing out candy to celebrate Hazem’s terror attack and captioned the photo with a heart emoji.

Mashayekh also retweeted an April 8, 2022 tweet that said: “God bless our resistance!! God bless their guns!”

On the same day, Mashayekh tweeted: “

.” Mashayekh’s tweet was in response to another tweet that said: “مساجد قطاع غزة تصدح بالتكبير فرحا وابتهاجا بعملية تل أبيب. [The mosques of the Gaza Strip chant the ‘takbir’ with jubilation and rejoicing in the Tel Aviv operation.]”

“Takbir” is the name for the Arabic phrase “Allahu Akbar,” which means “God is the greatest.”

Also, on April 8, 2022, Mashayekh tweeted: “

” in response to a tweet about the Tel Aviv terror attack, which labeled the people killed and injured as “settlers” and referred to Hazem’s shooting spree as “the Tel Aviv Operation.”

On April 9, 2022, Mashayekh tweeted: “We will not water down Palestinian resistance to be deemed a less violent people by the West...” In the same thread, she tweeted: “We should not be concerned with what racist westerners have to say about our resistance…”

On the same day, Mashayekh tweeted: “We celebrate the death of our [Israeli] colonizers get over it lol [laughing out loud].”

On April 10, 2022, Mashayekh tweeted: “yes. We hand out candy and celebrate their victories. Idc [I don’t care].”

On April 11, 2022, Mashayekh tweeted: “...Palestinian armed resistance is not the violence you should be worried about. The REAL violent act here is being a settler on indigenous Palestinian land. Don’t get it twisted.”

Mashayekh’s tweet was in response to a tweet criticizing celebrations of the Palestinian terror attack against Israeli civilians in Tel Aviv.

On the same day and in response to the same tweet, Mashayekh tweeted: “... if you’re not Palestinian shut the f**k up about how Palestinians resist ethnic cleansing. We don’t need your crusty uninformed analysis.”

On the same day, Mashayekh also tweeted: “Settlers are not civilians. I also despise death. That’s why I want settlers off of Palestinian land.”

On December 2, 2021, in an interview with Ihmoud Nader on the Palestine In America podcast said: [00:12:41] “Palestinians didn’t make up their right to resist in any way, whether it be violent or not; that’s like something that’s protected under international law which…that’s not something that Palestinians made up or like pulled out of our a**es. it’s a protected right, should be protected, I'll say that.”

Mashayekh’s statement [00:12:08] was in defense of another terror attack perpetrated by a Palestinian terrorist several months earlier, in which one Israeli was killed.

On November 21, 2021, Eliyahu David Kay, a 25-year-old Israeli civilian and tour guide,was killed by a Hamas gunman, Fadi Abu Shkhaidem, who opened fire near the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Kay was an immigrant from South Africa who had served in the Israeli army. One civilian and two policemen were also injured from the shooting.

Calling for the Destruction of Israel and the United States

On October 15, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “I will be returning from exile soon. mark my words. the death of Israel is coming. I will do it single handedly if I must.”

On June 30, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Death to Israel and its b**ch the US.”

Mashayekh retweeted a June 29, 2021 tweet that read: “May i****l [Israel] burn to the ground. #SaveSilwan.”

Jewish ownership claims to lands in Silwan, a Jerusalem neighborhood also known as Shiloach, have been frequently met with Palestinian violence against Israelis who sought to reclaim their property rights.

Mashayekh retweeted a June 27, 2021 tweet that read: “When we say free Palestine we mean ALL OF PALESTINE! We want all of 48 back.”

“48” refers to 1948, the year the State of Israel was established.

On June 21, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “If you are not for the complete destruction of Israel and the occupation forces then you’re anti-Palestinian.”

On June 15, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Death to Israel.”

Supporting Hamas

On May 8, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Yes I f**king love hamas now stfu [shut the f**k up].”

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.

On May 10, 2021, she tweeted: “All my homies love Hamas.”

On May 13, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “We ask everyone to stop filming/sharing footage of the firing of rockets towards the Zionist state because it will negatively affect our resistance. Not sharing will stop [Israel’s] ability to pinpoint where the rockets are being fired from. We are all responsible.”

Hamas's founding charter calls for the murder of Jews, while the terror group’s “summer camps” have taught children how to wage war.

On May 29, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted a photo of a Hamas militant walking alongside a child with his arm perched on the child’s shoulder and captioned it: “I love this picture so much.”

On June 25, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “I thirst over NOBODY except Abu Obaida ofc [of course].”

Abu Obaida is the spokesperson of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

Supporting the PFLP

On February 11, 2022, Mashayekh tweeted: “AAAAAAHHHHHH GUYS LOOK WHAT@notshathaa SENT ME

.”

The tweet included a photo of a physical copy of the terrorist organization, the PFLP’s, official manifesto, Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine, which she received from anti-Israel activist Shatha Ayman.

The PFLP has been designated a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the United States, Canada, Israel, the European Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Australia.

The group’s manifesto lists [p.4-10] the PFLP’s enemies as Israel, “World Zionist Movement,” the U.S. and “World Imperialism” and claims [p.62] that the liberation of Palestine cannot be achieved “except through armed struggle and a protracted popular liberation war.”

On September 23, 2020, Mashayekh posted a renowned photo of Leila Khaled to Instagram and captioned it: “LEILA KHALED: PALESTINIAN LIBERATION ICON.”

Leila Khaled is a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970. As of 2017, Khaled was a member of PFLP's Political Bureau. Khaled has said that the second intifada failed because it was not violent enough, advocated [00:36:07] for the use of children in terror activities and compared Zionists to Nazis.

Glorifying Terrorists

Mashayekh retweeted a June 29, 2021 tweet from the PYM that read: “KHADER ADNAN ENDS 25-DAY HUNGER STRIKE AND IS FREE! Palestinian political prisoner, Khader Adnan, ends his historic 25-day Hunger Strike & is free from Zionist detention after his abduction from a checkpoint near Nablus on May 30th.FREE ALL OUR POLITICAL PRISONERS!

.”

Khader Adnan was a senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization. A 2007 YouTube video showed Adnan praising and encouraging suicide bombings: "Who among you will carry the next explosive belt? Who among you will fire the next bullets? Who among you will have his body parts blown all over?” In May 2023, Adnan died in prison after refusing medical treatment during a hunger strike.

Mashayekh retweeted a July 4, 2021 tweet that read: “Ooooof free Yasmine [Jaber]!
Israel jails East Jerusalem woman for aiding Lebanon's Hezbollah.”

Hezbollah has long been known as an anti-Semitic and genocidal terror organization dedicated to destroying Israel.

Yasmine Jaber was reportedly recruited by “Hezbollah operatives at a conference in 2015 and asked to recruit others in east Jerusalem.… and communicated with them via social media.” An Israeli court reportedly sentenced Jaber to 30 months in prison, probation and a fine in a plea bargain, after Jaber acknowledged aiding Hezbollah over several years.

Promoting Incitement

On August 3, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Globalize the Intifada. I want to destroy everything everywhere and never stop until the land is back in the hands of the rightful Palestinians owners.”

On May 11, 2021, during Israel’s OGW in Gaza, Mashayekh tweeted: “LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA.”

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

On the same date, Mashayekh tweeted: “INTIFADA INTIFADA.”

On May 7-10, 2021, violent clashes broke out between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa compound, following claims that Al-Aqsa Mosque was in danger. The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy Al-Aqsa has been a traditional pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state.

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.

Mashayekh retweeted a June 24, 2021 tweet that read: “#photo Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque this morning, protected by the occupation forces.”

Demonizing Israel

On June 27, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “oppose occupation oppose apartheid oppose colonialism oppose ethnic cleansing #SaveSilwan.”

On June 26, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Israel has no history, just a criminal record.”

Mashayekh retweeted a June 12, 2021 tweet that referred to Israel as “a terrorist state.”

On April 8, 2021, Mashayekh shared a graphic from SJP Tufts “Instagram story” that promoted the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)’s “Deadly Exchange” theory.

In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange (DX)” campaign, which accused American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses. JVP also released a video that blamed [00:04:04] U.S.-based Jewish organizations for violence that occurs against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.

Endorsing an Anti-Israel Agitator

Mashayekh retweeted a June 26, 2021 tweet by anti-Israel agitator Mohammed El-Kurd that read: “Israeli terrorist forces arresting people left and right in Sheikh Jarrah, making our families’ lives a living hell… sick of these fascists #SaveSheikhJarrah.”

In May 2021, calls to “save” Sheikh Jarrah, a Jerusalem neighborhood at the center of a property dispute, led to violence against Israelis and were one of the leading factors in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists firing over 4,300 rockets from Gaza into Israel that month.

El-Kurd was one of the Palestinian tenants whose family was illegally residing in Jewish-owned properties in Sheikh Jarrah. In May 2021, El-Kurd returned from the United States to his family home, following a February 16, 2021 Israeli District Court ruling to evict over 70 Palestinian tenants.

Mashayekh retweeted a June 21, 2021 tweet from El-Kurd that read: “Israeli occupation soldiers are rabid terrorists.”

Anti-Israel Activism

On June 9, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “Thank you everyone who placed an order! 100% of profits have been donated to PCRF [Palestine Children's Relief Fund]. Please please please continue to support us by spreading awareness.”

On May 12, 2021, Mashayekh tweeted: “HI!!! I HAVE SOMETHING TO PROMOTE! PLEASE FOLLOW@palyouthmvmtFOR UPDATES FROM PALESTINE AND INFORMATION REGARDING PROTESTS AND SUCH

.”

On May 10, 2021, during Israel’s OGW in Gaza, Mashayekh tweeted: “Los Angeles !!!! TOMORROW!!!” and shared a promotional flyer to Twitter for the May 11, 2021 “Emergency Rally” titled “All Out for Palestine.” The rally took place outside the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles and was co-organized by American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), PYM, Al-Awda as well as JVP-LA.

On May 8, 2021, Mashayekh promoted to Twitter a May 15, 2021 “LA RALLY & PROTEST” titled “Nakba 73 – Resistance Until Liberation Rally.”

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.

Mashayekh shared the event flyer to Twitter and captioned it: “LOS ANGELES!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The event was co-organized by AMP, PYM, Al-Awda.

Also, on May 8, 2021, Mashayekh promoted another May 15, 2021 “RALLY & PROTEST” in Houston. The event was titled “Nakba 73: We Will Return” and was co-organized by the PYM. Mashayekh captioned the post: “HOUSTON !!!!!!!!!!!”

Supporting BDS

Mashayekh retweeted a June 29, 2021 tweet that read: “Also now more than ever it’s SO IMPORTANT to boycott boycott BOYCOTT... #SaveSilwan.”

On June 8, 2021, Mashayekh responded to a tweet and wrote: “This is what I use but you might wanna double check if it’s bds friendly

.”

Mashayekh retweeted a June 6, 2021 tweet that read: “boycott zionist twitter. i dont wanna see anyone engage anymore.”

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.