Anti-Israel Activist Mahmoud Khalil’s Bid to Win Over Jewish Critics Falls Flat

Anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil sat down with a Jewish publication, the Forward, to “reassure” American Jews that his movement poses no threat to them, though the interview appears to have convinced many readers of exactly the opposite. “Ok. Despite what is I presume his best efforts, I remain unconvinced that Mahmoud Khalil is our savior and liberator,” quipped a Jewish, New York-based lawyer, Daniela Jampel, on X. She attached highlighted sections from the interview that backed up her position, including notes from the author that Mr. Khalil is “sympathetic to support for Hamas among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza” and believes it is unclear whether Hamas terrorists “sought to kill, rather than kidnap” Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023.Another section she included stated that Mr. Khalil believes “Israel is to blame for anti-Zionism sometimes slipping into antisemitism” because its government claims to represent the Jewish people while, in Mr. Khalil’s words, committing “genocide” in Gaza.Mr. Khalil, who was born in Syria but holds Algerian citizenship, served as one of the leaders of the anti-Israel, pro-Hamas student protests that roiled Columbia after October 7, 2023. He became one of the faces of the movement after immigration officers arrested him in March, following the State Department’s revocation of his visa and green card for, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, fostering “a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States.”The administration has since sought to deport him based on allegations that he committed immigration fraud by lying on his green card application about his employment history, namely his involvement in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, a UN group accused of aiding Hamas and employing people who participated in the October 7 massacre.The 31-year-old activist was released from immigration detention in June, though his deportation proceedings remain ongoing. Mr. Khalil returned quickly to his anti-Israel activism following his release, conducting a press tour, appearing at various protests, and meeting with politicians sympathetic to his cause.In this latest conversation with the Forward — a left-wing, Jewish daily newspaper — Mr. Khalil seeks to justify his cause to Jewish critics and convince them that his mission is merely “to liberate everyone.” In the article, titled “Mahmoud Khalil wants to reassure you,” Mr. Khalil explains that his desire to respond to allegations of antisemitism is most largely inspired by his belief that “misplaced Jewish fear” poses “a major obstacle” to achieving his movement’s mission, which he considers “the liberation of Palestine.”And yet the interview appeared to persuade few, with Mr. Khalil at times contradicting his supposedly more moderate views. For example, while he states that he has a “nuanced view of the Zionist project that goes beyond ‘Zionism is bad,'” he also insists that Zionism is racist. In another instance, Mr. Khalil says he “absolutely” recognizes “a Jewish connection” to Israel and suggests that he does not want to drive Jews from the region. Yet, as the author notes, Mr. Khalil keeps a magnet on his fridge showing a map of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza covered by a Palestinian keffiyeh.During the interview Mr. Khalil also downplayed the documented atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, as well as evidence of their deliberate strategy of torturing and murdering civilians, claiming that “I wouldn’t rule out that Hamas targeted civilians, but I wouldn’t confirm it either.”For many members of the Jewish community — the target audience at hand — the interview rang hollow.“Celebrity antizionist Mahmoud Khalil showing what a super smart, sophisticated, well-meaning, philosemitic intellectual he is,” remarked Middle East analyst and lecturer, Daniel Robenstein, in response to the piece. A former Israel Defense Forces captain and the brother-in-law of a returned hostage, Moshe Emilio Lavi, argued that Mr. Khalil was not “speaking to Jews” but “speaking for and over them, redefining their fears, dismissing their aspirations, and delegitimising their national and ethnic identity.” He added: “A minority of Jews may embrace this ‘liberator’s’ words. Most will see them for what they are: erasure.”Some marveled at Mr. Khalil’s total failure to convince. “Even with the gimme of a softball interview in the Forward, Mahmoud Khalil can’t help himself, questioning whether Hamas terrorists wanted to kill, rather than kidnap, Israeli civilians on Oct. 7,” noted legal scholar and professor David Bernstein. He reckoned that such “bad faith” and “dishonesty” rendered “anything else he says worthless.” Others were more blunt. “Breaking news! Mahmoud Khalil, the lover of terrorists and 10/7 apologist, wants to liberate Israelis!!! Jews rejoice! Your knight in shining armor has arrived!” quipped American attorney and New York City mayoral candidate, Jim Walden.

Anti-Israel Activist Mahmoud Khalil’s Bid to Win Over Jewish Critics Falls Flat

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