Afif Aqrabawi
Overview
Afif Aqrabawi has spread anti-Semitism, denied Hamas war crimes and equated Israel with Nazi Germany. He has also expressed support for terrorism and spread hatred of Israel and Israelis.
On March 8, 2024, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce cited Aqrabawi’s social media posts as examples of anti-Semitism at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in a letter sent to senior MIT officials. The 12-page letter summarized the committee’s findings from its investigation into the “inadequacy of MIT’s response to antisemitism on its campus” and “its failure to protect Jewish students.”
On November 23, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Yesterday during a lab meeting, my mentor informed me that I may no longer progress in my career due to my so-called 'infamy.' I was told that I was to blame for the challenges I've been facing in publishing my work—that my 'negative' political activism might be provoking the particularly unusual hostility of peer reviewers. Apparently, several 'respectable' figures in the scientific community have contacted him to voice their disapproval and even urged him to terminate my employment.”
Aqrabawi’s social media posts took place after a series of Hamas terror attacks and war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings, which were executed on October 7, 2023. The terror attacks left over 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.”
As of November 2024, Aqrabawi was listed online as a postdoctoral associate at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT.
As of the same date, Aqrabawi was listed online as a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Professor Susumu Tonegawa, the director of the RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics, an independent research institution supported by the Japanese government, which is part of the Picower Institute.
As of the same date, Aqrabawi was listed online as having received a PhD in cell and systems biology from the University of Toronto (UofT) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2019.
As of November 2024, Aqrabawi’s X page said he was located in Boston, Massachusetts.
One method anti-Israel activists use to spread anti-Semitism and deny Israel’s legitimacy is to claim that Jews are not indigenous to the Land of Israel. The claim takes multiple forms, including the “Khazar myth” which alleges that Ashkenazi Jews are ethnically European and are not descended from the ancient Israelites of the Bible.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.” For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
On March 9, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Yesterday, a House Committee sent a demand letter to MIT regarding antisemitism on campus and have generously exploited my tweets to make their case…Despite working in an isolated laboratory over the past 5 years at MIT, minding my own f**king business and having no interactions with these precious, superior, and divine Jewish students /s, they fear me.”
Aqrabawi concluded his post on X, by calling the chairwoman of the House Committee “a treasonous Zionist tool, a genocide enabler, and a disgusting s**t stain of a human.”
In the same post on X, Aqrabawi included [image 2] the page of the House Committee’s letter listing the anti-Semitic statements he made on social media:
“‘Zionism is a mental illness’;
“‘[d]ear ZioNazis of Israel, particularly those supporting this genocide, I hope you
Hamas is a designated terrorist organization founded in 1987 that is dedicated to destroying Israel and killing Jews. Since 2001, Hamas has launched thousands of rockets at Israel and on October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped over 200 hostages, including children and the elderly.
As of November 2024, Aqrabawi was listed online as a postdoctoral associate at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT.
As of the same date, Aqrabawi was listed online as a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Professor Susumu Tonegawa, the director of the RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics, an independent research institution supported by the Japanese government, which is part of the Picower Institute.
As of the same date, Aqrabawi was listed online as having received a PhD in cell and systems biology from the University of Toronto (UofT) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2019.
As of November 2024, Aqrabawi’s X page said he was located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Anti-Semitism
On November 17, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Israeli policy is simple—systematically destroy Arab communities via brutal, indiscriminate bombings, kill countless children, and then, without hesitation, declare ownership over the land based on ‘ancient evidence of Jewish presence’ to justify the theft to a White, Western audience. Any objection is antisemitism. Rinse and repeat.”One method anti-Israel activists use to spread anti-Semitism and deny Israel’s legitimacy is to claim that Jews are not indigenous to the Land of Israel. The claim takes multiple forms, including the “Khazar myth” which alleges that Ashkenazi Jews are ethnically European and are not descended from the ancient Israelites of the Bible.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.” For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
On March 9, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Yesterday, a House Committee sent a demand letter to MIT regarding antisemitism on campus and have generously exploited my tweets to make their case…Despite working in an isolated laboratory over the past 5 years at MIT, minding my own f**king business and having no interactions with these precious, superior, and divine Jewish students /s, they fear me.”
Aqrabawi concluded his post on X, by calling the chairwoman of the House Committee “a treasonous Zionist tool, a genocide enabler, and a disgusting s**t stain of a human.”
Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture. Zionism is a core part of the identity of most Jews.
In the same post on X, Aqrabawi included [image 2] the page of the House Committee’s letter listing the anti-Semitic statements he made on social media:
“‘Zionism is a mental illness’;
“‘[d]ear ZioNazis of Israel, particularly those supporting this genocide, I hope you
never find peace and comfort in life... You are all barbaric lunatics... Yes, this is
hateful language’;
“‘it is more clear than ever that Israel has no future in this world’;
“‘Zionists not only steal our lands, food, and culture, but our dead bodies as well for
“‘it is more clear than ever that Israel has no future in this world’;
“‘Zionists not only steal our lands, food, and culture, but our dead bodies as well for
organ harvesting’;
“‘[t]here‘s no need for such evil to infect our world, for what?! So that Israeli’s [sic]
“‘[t]here‘s no need for such evil to infect our world, for what?! So that Israeli’s [sic]
can continue to consider themselves God’s chosen people, supreme to the rest,
and deserving of your tax money to fund their lifestyle?!’;
“‘[d]on’t be afraid of these Zionist cucks! They bark loudly but are the weakest among
“‘[d]on’t be afraid of these Zionist cucks! They bark loudly but are the weakest among
us’;
“‘ironically, here I am believing that Zionist Israelis are Jewish fundamentalists who
“‘ironically, here I am believing that Zionist Israelis are Jewish fundamentalists who
want to enslave the world in a global Apartheid system’;
“‘[e]ven the richest man in the world was seen bending his knee to their prime
“‘[e]ven the richest man in the world was seen bending his knee to their prime
minister just yesterday. Sorry, am I sounding antisemitic?’”
Aqrabawi’s post on X was in response to another post that said: “Hamas raped women until their pelvises were broken. / Let that sink in.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas raped both women and men. Some were raped and murdered or mutilated. Hamas terrorists said they were given explicit orders to carry out those atrocities on both live victims and corpses.
Denial of the Hamas war crimes of October 7, 2023, among anti-Israel activists has been likened to Holocaust denial among neo-Nazis.
On October 17, 2023, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Breaking: an estimated 500-900 people killed in a single strike to the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, the last operating Christian hospital. / Not only a savage war crime, this is Nazism. This is the behavior of Nazis. There’s no ambiguity and I refuse to censor the reality of it.”
On October 17, 2023, the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired rockets at Israel from Gaza, one of which misfired and fell on the parking lot of the al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital. Initial media reports blamed Israel.
On December 28, 2023, Aqrabawi posted on X: “...Dear ZioNazis of Israel, particularly those supporting this genocide, I hope you never find peace and comfort in life.”
In the same post, Aqrabawi also accused Israel of committing a “holocaust.”
Anti-Israel activists compare Israel to Nazi Germany to insinuate that the plight of Palestinians has eclipsed Jewish suffering during the Holocaust.
On March 9, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X, referring to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) service members as “bloodthirsty and perverted Nazis serving in the IOF.”
Denying Hamas War Crimes
On February 29, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Nobody loves to fantasize about the brutal rape of their own women like an Israeli Zionist. Disgusting. / I’ve heard every perverted and grotesque sexual scenario. Yet, not a single actual victim has spoken. All attempts at independent investigations have been rejected by Israel.”Aqrabawi’s post on X was in response to another post that said: “Hamas raped women until their pelvises were broken. / Let that sink in.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas raped both women and men. Some were raped and murdered or mutilated. Hamas terrorists said they were given explicit orders to carry out those atrocities on both live victims and corpses.
Denial of the Hamas war crimes of October 7, 2023, among anti-Israel activists has been likened to Holocaust denial among neo-Nazis.
Equating Israel with Nazi Germany
On October 10, 2023, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Incredible how Western governments will gaslight their own populations to support Nazism, disguised as Israeli self-defense. God damn every one of you who has remained silent and to hell with those who cheered on and facilitated our murder. I have no more words.”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.
On October 17, 2023, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Breaking: an estimated 500-900 people killed in a single strike to the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, the last operating Christian hospital. / Not only a savage war crime, this is Nazism. This is the behavior of Nazis. There’s no ambiguity and I refuse to censor the reality of it.”
On October 17, 2023, the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired rockets at Israel from Gaza, one of which misfired and fell on the parking lot of the al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital. Initial media reports blamed Israel.
On December 28, 2023, Aqrabawi posted on X: “...Dear ZioNazis of Israel, particularly those supporting this genocide, I hope you never find peace and comfort in life.”
The term "Zio" is a common derogatory reference to Zionists, as well as an often-used anti-Semitic slur among white supremacists.
In the same post, Aqrabawi also accused Israel of committing a “holocaust.”
Anti-Israel activists compare Israel to Nazi Germany to insinuate that the plight of Palestinians has eclipsed Jewish suffering during the Holocaust.
On March 9, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X, referring to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) service members as “bloodthirsty and perverted Nazis serving in the IOF.”
“IOF” stands for “Israeli Occupation Forces,” a derogatory name used by anti-Israel activists to demonize Israel’s army in place of its official name, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Support for Terrorism
On September 28, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “A martyr’s blood is the fuel of resistance.”Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.
Aqrabawi reposted a February 23, 2024 post on X that said: “The resistance of the Palestinian people against aggression should not be classified as terrorism.”
Hatred of Israel and Israelis
On July 25, 2025, Aqrabawi posted on X: “One land. / One people. / One democratic state. / From the river to the sea— / not occupied, not erased, but free. / Palestine.” Aqrabawi’s post included a graphic of Israel in the colors of the Palestinian flag.
“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.
On July 18, 2025, Aqrabawi posted on X: “There are no words strong enough to express how deeply I hate Israel, Israelis, and every Jew around the world who supports the genocide of Palestinians. Your existence is violence. Your ideology is death. And I will never forgive you.”
On June 28, 2025, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Death, death to the IDF! / Free, Free Palestine! From the river to the sea! / Death, death to the IDF! / Free, Free Palestine! From the river to the sea! / Death, death to the IDF! / Free Palestine! Death to Israel!”
“Free Palestine” is a chant that has been described as a "battle cry for the death of Jews.” In May 2025, two Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.C., were murdered by a gunman shouting “Free Palestine!” In June 2025, one pro-Israel activist was killed and over 25 were injured in Boulder, Colorado, when a man yelling “Free Palestine” firebombed them.
On June 24, 2025, Aqrabawi posted on X: “The lesson is simple: Israelis lie, thrive on violence, and will never stop bombing until their colony is destroyed—completely.” Aqrabawi shared the post on the same date that the Israel-Iran ceasefire came into effect.
On June 19, 2025, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Don’t kill yourself — somewhere, Israel’s getting bombed and you should be here for it.”
On June 13, 2025, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Beginning of the end for ‘israel’ 
.” Aqrabawi’s post included a video of an Iranian missile falling on Tel Aviv. He wrote the post during the ongoing Israel-Iran war.
.” Aqrabawi’s post included a video of an Iranian missile falling on Tel Aviv. He wrote the post during the ongoing Israel-Iran war.In December 2024, the Israeli military deployed troops to the buffer zone in the Golan Heights in order to ensure the security of the communities there following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
On December 4, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “F**K Israel!”
On November 5, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Israel will collapse, it’s just a matter of time.”
On May 27, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “The State of Israel itself is a tragic mistake, God willing, it will be corrected.”
On April 1, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “There will be a day when the Israelis no longer dance. When it arrives, I will enjoy my favorite music and laugh.”
Also on April 1, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X “...Israel is committing a genocide. Israel is a terrorist organization masquerading as an illegitimate state; funded by the likes of you and your puppets in Washington for the benefit of defense contractors and imperialism in the Middle East…”
On March 26, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Israel is not your greatest ally, Israel is your greatest oppressor.”
On November 9, 2023, Aqrabawi posted on X in bold text: “From the river to the sea, #Palestine will be free.” He was responding to a tweet from The Hill that said: “White House rejects use of phrase ‘from the river to the sea…’”
On November 5, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Israel will collapse, it’s just a matter of time.”
On May 27, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “The State of Israel itself is a tragic mistake, God willing, it will be corrected.”
On April 1, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “There will be a day when the Israelis no longer dance. When it arrives, I will enjoy my favorite music and laugh.”
Also on April 1, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X “...Israel is committing a genocide. Israel is a terrorist organization masquerading as an illegitimate state; funded by the likes of you and your puppets in Washington for the benefit of defense contractors and imperialism in the Middle East…”
On March 26, 2024, Aqrabawi posted on X: “Israel is not your greatest ally, Israel is your greatest oppressor.”
On November 9, 2023, Aqrabawi posted on X in bold text: “From the river to the sea, #Palestine will be free.” He was responding to a tweet from The Hill that said: “White House rejects use of phrase ‘from the river to the sea…’”
On October 25, 2023, Aqrabawi posted on X a video of a statement issued by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wrote: “Hail the man leading an industrial-scale slaughter of an occupied, defenseless people!...Zionism is a mental illness…”
Social Media and Weblinks
University Website:https://bcs.mit.edu/directory/afif-aqrabawiUniversity Website 2:https://tonegawalab.mit.edu/tdeam/afif-aqrabawi/
X:https://x.com/AjAqrabawi
ResearchGate:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Afif-Aqrabawi
Google Scholar:https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=xOgbcQsAAAAJ
- Status:
- Professor
- University:
- Massachusetts-Technology
- Organizations:
- N/A
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 09/15/2025
Photos & Screenshots
32 images
Infamous Quotes
“The State of Israel itself is a tragic mistake, God willing, it will be corrected.”
“Israel is committing a genocide. Israel is a terrorist organization masquerading as an illegitimate state.”
“Nobody loves to fantasize about the brutal rape of their own women like an Israeli Zionist.”
“Dear ZioNazis of Israel, particularly those supporting this genocide, I hope you never find peace and comfort in life.”
“Incredible how Western governments will gaslight their own populations to support Nazism, disguised as Israeli self-defense. God damn every one of you.”
“Zionism is a mental illness.”
“A martyr’s blood is the fuel of resistance.”
“Israel is a cancer that will continue to metastasize without intervention.”
