WASHINGTON, DC – An anti-Israel protester who was released from an ICE detention center this past June made an appearance on CNN earlier in July, where the activist currently undergoing immigration proceedings due to his role in various, at times, violent protests at Columbia University refused to condemn the terrorist group Hamas repeatedly when asked.
On June 21st, Mahmoud Khalil was released from an ICE detention facility in Louisiana after being detained for approximately three months.
Khalil was apprehended by immigration authorities back in March following his role in a number of violent protests that took place at Columbia University, where he was enrolled as a student and residing within the country not as a citizen but rather as a lawful permanent resident.
The State Department’s position on Khalil’s immigration status is that it can be revoked due to aspects of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 which specifically allows the deportation of non-citizens in the event their presence in the country poses any risks or general negative outcomes with regard to U.S. foreign policy.
A U.S. District Court judge out of New Jersey, Judge Michael Farbiarz, approved Khalil’s release from ICE custody while his immigration proceedings play out, a move which the Trump administration claims was executed without any legal authority.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said at the time of Khalil’s release, “there is no basis for a local federal judge in New Jersey - who lacks jurisdiction - to order Khalil's release from a detention facility in Louisiana,” adding that the federal government plans to appeal the decision.
On July 22nd, Khalil appeared on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” where he was directly asked by the show’s anchors on whether he would condemn the terrorist group Hamas, the very group responsible for the notorious October 7th, 2023 attack in southern Israel that saw approximately 1,200 killed and over 250 hostages taken.
Pamela Brown, Wolf Blitzer’s co-anchor, asked Khalil, “Do you specifically condemn Hamas, a designated terrorist organization in the United States, not just for their actions on October 7?”
Instead of answering directly, Khalil diverted to saying that he condemns the killing of “all civilians, full stop,” but Brown pressed again and asked Khalil if he would outright condemn Hamas.
In response, Khalil said he wouldn’t condemn the terrorist group while on air, claiming to do so would be appeasing the CNN anchor’s “disingenuous” question.
“No,” Khalil responded, adding, “I am very clear with condemning [the killing of] all civilians. I’m very straight in my position in that part. But it’s disingenuous to ask about condemning Hamas while Palestinians are the ones being starved now by Israel. It’s not condemning October 6, where 260 Palestinians were killed by Israel before October 7.”
Khalil continued with his justification of not condemning the designated foreign terrorist group, telling CNN, “So I hate this selective outrage of condemnation because this is not, this wouldn’t lead to a constructive conversation. And this is also, like what we want to deal with is the root cause of why that happened. And it’s no way anyone can justify the killing of civilians.”
“The Situation Room” co-anchor emphasized that the question about Khalil’s sentiments toward Hamas was rather important, pointing out during the interview that the Trump administration is pointing directly at Khalil’s college campus activities as being sympathetic to Hamas and thus serves as the fodder fueling his current immigration proceedings.
Khalil again refused to answer regarding his sentiments toward Hamas, opting to portray the campus protests he helped lead and organize as being his “duty,” telling Brown, “That’s my duty as a Palestinian, as a human being right now, is to ask for the stop of the killing in my home country. And that’s consistent with who I am.”
On June 21st, Mahmoud Khalil was released from an ICE detention facility in Louisiana after being detained for approximately three months.
Khalil was apprehended by immigration authorities back in March following his role in a number of violent protests that took place at Columbia University, where he was enrolled as a student and residing within the country not as a citizen but rather as a lawful permanent resident.
The State Department’s position on Khalil’s immigration status is that it can be revoked due to aspects of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 which specifically allows the deportation of non-citizens in the event their presence in the country poses any risks or general negative outcomes with regard to U.S. foreign policy.
A U.S. District Court judge out of New Jersey, Judge Michael Farbiarz, approved Khalil’s release from ICE custody while his immigration proceedings play out, a move which the Trump administration claims was executed without any legal authority.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said at the time of Khalil’s release, “there is no basis for a local federal judge in New Jersey - who lacks jurisdiction - to order Khalil's release from a detention facility in Louisiana,” adding that the federal government plans to appeal the decision.
On July 22nd, Khalil appeared on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” where he was directly asked by the show’s anchors on whether he would condemn the terrorist group Hamas, the very group responsible for the notorious October 7th, 2023 attack in southern Israel that saw approximately 1,200 killed and over 250 hostages taken.
Pamela Brown, Wolf Blitzer’s co-anchor, asked Khalil, “Do you specifically condemn Hamas, a designated terrorist organization in the United States, not just for their actions on October 7?”
Instead of answering directly, Khalil diverted to saying that he condemns the killing of “all civilians, full stop,” but Brown pressed again and asked Khalil if he would outright condemn Hamas.
In response, Khalil said he wouldn’t condemn the terrorist group while on air, claiming to do so would be appeasing the CNN anchor’s “disingenuous” question.
“No,” Khalil responded, adding, “I am very clear with condemning [the killing of] all civilians. I’m very straight in my position in that part. But it’s disingenuous to ask about condemning Hamas while Palestinians are the ones being starved now by Israel. It’s not condemning October 6, where 260 Palestinians were killed by Israel before October 7.”
Khalil continued with his justification of not condemning the designated foreign terrorist group, telling CNN, “So I hate this selective outrage of condemnation because this is not, this wouldn’t lead to a constructive conversation. And this is also, like what we want to deal with is the root cause of why that happened. And it’s no way anyone can justify the killing of civilians.”
“The Situation Room” co-anchor emphasized that the question about Khalil’s sentiments toward Hamas was rather important, pointing out during the interview that the Trump administration is pointing directly at Khalil’s college campus activities as being sympathetic to Hamas and thus serves as the fodder fueling his current immigration proceedings.
Khalil again refused to answer regarding his sentiments toward Hamas, opting to portray the campus protests he helped lead and organize as being his “duty,” telling Brown, “That’s my duty as a Palestinian, as a human being right now, is to ask for the stop of the killing in my home country. And that’s consistent with who I am.”
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments