Pro-Hamas activist who Trump tried to deport says ‘we couldn’t avoid October 7th’
A pro-Hamas student activist whom the Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to deport says the October 7th massacre of 1,200 Israeli men, women, and children was unavoidable.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-Algerian who has declared himself a Palestinian, made the comments during an interview with New York Times columnist Ezra Klein last week. After Khalil said that “it felt frightening that we had to reach this moment in the Palestinian struggle,” Klein asked him what he meant.
In response, Khalil began by blaming the Israeli government for negotiating peace treaties with surrounding Arab nations without somehow making Palestinians the focus.
“I was interning at . . . the United Nations Relief and Works Agency at the UN at their New York office. And as part of my internship, my research and work was focused on Palestine, on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza,” Khalil said. “And you can see that the situation is not sustainable. You have an Israeli government that’s absolutely ignoring Palestinians.”
“They are trying to make that deal with Saudi [Arabia] and just happy about their Abraham accord without looking at Palestinians as if Palestinians are not part of the equation,” he went on. “And they circumvented the Palestinian question.”
That’s when Khalil claimed, without any proof, that Israel had killed 200 Palestinian innocent civilians, which “unavoidably” triggered the mass murder and rape of 1,200 Israelis and the capture of over 240 as hostages.
“And it’s clear it’s becoming more and more violent. By October 6, over 200 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers. Over 40 of them were children. So that’s what I mean by unfortunately we couldn’t avoid such a moment,” said Khalil. “And yeah, it was absolutely difficult to see not only the horrific images, but also the response of Israel, because I knew that’s what Netanyahu wants because Netanyahu thrives on the killing of Palestinians.”
The Left blocks Trump admin’s efforts to deport Khalil
Khalil is a leader of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, an organization that has openly backed Hamas’ terror activities and celebrated the October 7th massacre in Israel. He grew to prominence last year when he played an active role in leading a student revolt at Columbia in support of Hamas. Radical Left-wing students occupied Columbia University’s campus, where they barricaded buildings, disrupted classes, and targeted Jewish students.
The Trump administration moved to revoke Khalil’s green card and deport him under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citing the threat he poses to US foreign policy. The State Department also noted that Khalil left out key details on his green card application, including his ties to UNRWA and Columbia University Apartheid Divest. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that had the US been aware of Khalil’s support for Hamas and his intent to foment chaos on campus, he never would have been allowed entry.
On March 9th, ICE agents arrested Khalil. Legacy media quickly designed a narrative arguing for Khalil’s release, drumming up support for the pro-Hamas activist. Far-Left judges like District Judge Jesse Furman and District Judge Michael Farbiarz consistently ruled against the Trump administration. Farbiarz ordered Khalil released, though the activist still faces charges of immigration fraud.
