Palestinian-American Writer Susan Abulhawa Calls for “Wiping Israel From the Earth”
Abulhawa also wrote that she does not “give a sh*t if people collapse the distinction between zionists from jews.”
On Monday, Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa posted on X “Israelis should not feel safe anywhere in the world” and called to “wipe that vile colony from this earth.” In her post, Abulhawa further described Israel as a “cancer” that she said must be removed if humanity is to have a future. Tellingly, she also wrote that she does not “give a sh*t if people collapse the distinction between zionists from jews.”
Yesterday’s outburst, along with prior examples of extreme, inciteful rhetoric, have caused concern among the Jewish community and others due to her prominent role in academic circles.
The “Palestine Writes Literature Festival”
Susan Abulhawa is a U.S.-based Palestinian novelist, best known for her 2010 book Mornings in Jenin. In addition to her literary work, she is the founder of the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, which came under fire for platforming members of U.S.-designated terrorist organizations. For example, the inaugural festival, which took place at the University of Pennsylvania, featured Wissam Rafeedie, a convicted member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Then-University President Liz Magill issued a statement clarifying that while the event was permitted under free expression principles, Penn opposed speech that undermined the dignity of Jewish students. The festival became a flashpoint in wider discussions about the rise of antisemitism on campuses and the way cultural programming intersects with global political disputes.
Additional Inflammatory Rhetoric
On June 24, 2025, during the Israel-Iran war, Abulhawa posted on X referencing the antisemitic chant "Khaybar, Khaybar, ya yahud" alongside a video of Iran firing a Kheibar missile at Israel. This chant, which translates to "Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning," recalls the seventh-century Battle of Khaybar where Muhammad and his followers massacred Jews and enslaved surviving women, and is commonly heard at anti-Israel rallies in the United States.
Earlier that year, on May 22, 2025, Abulhawa had celebrated the antisemitic murder of two Israeli diplomats in Washington D.C., calling the victims "genocide cheerleaders" and "human garbage," while suggesting the attack might have been "a false flag to focus on manufactured antisemitism instead of the actual holocaust being committed by Jewish supremacists."
Abulhawa’s recent social media post adds to her record of highly charged statements that move well beyond traditional literary or cultural commentary. For many observers, Abulhawa’s rhetoric underscores the need to distinguish sharp political criticism from calls that target entire peoples and seek the eradication of a sovereign state.
There are few more-horrendous than Susan Abulhawa, that I’ve come across in her blatant “Wipe Israel of the earth” and “Demons” hatred. But focusing on Jews not “just Zionists” -even if we know what people mean, is going further…(Susan Abulhawa blocked me months ago. I did a Substack piece on her in May. https://substack.com/home/post/p-163079065
It’s coming: The truth that those who hate Israel, hate the Jews. It’s that simple.
They cannot stand that they cannot control the Jews. Jews cannot control Jews why should they think they can?
Islam is all about submission. It ain’t going to happen. Tragically many more of them than us will die trying in the effort.