The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a well-known Palestinian activist engaged in arranging at Columbia University, is the outcome of more than a year of pro-Israeli think-tank campaigns and lobbying measures to connect the students to Hamas and corrupt free speech protections in the America.
Following the first anti-war encampment at Columbia University last April, a web of pro-Israel organizations — including lobby bodies, think tanks, and private security companies has functioned to disassemble the student demonstration movement. Their leverage has been apparent in the rapid and collaborative response to repress demonstrations.
Despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assertion that Khalil is a “Hamas supporter,” no proof has been presented to confirm the baseless. In particular, a White House official acknowledged in an interview with The Free Press that “the allegation here is not that [Khalil] was breaking the law.”
The Trump government has offered no proof of illegal or damaging activity to explain its actions to deport Khalil, a Green Card holder. In reality, his disposal appears embedded in political controversy. UShas made explicit that any speech condemning Israel can be marked as “pro-Hamas” and “antisemitic” without the requirement to justify such claims.
A federal judge has halted Khalil’s deportation after his lawyers said his detention was a “targeted, retaliatory detention and attempted removal of a student protestor because of his constitutionally protected speech … Neither Secretary Rubio nor any other government official has alleged that Mr. Khalil has committed any crime or, indeed, broken any law whatsoever.”
The lack of substantiation against Khalil has been a descriptive characteristic of the wider campaign pushed by the Israel Lobby to trim First Amendment rights on college campuses. While Jewish student bodies were among those organizing last year’s anti-war encampments, the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters became a special emphasis of political scrutiny.
The Washington-based Atlantic Council indicated in a report that Tehran was engaged in the student demonstration movement. Media quickly seized on the claim and tried to make a case around it. In spite of the steady stream of reports, none of the statements were able to invoke any real proof to back up their indictment.
The Israeli-American CEO of Oracle, Safra Catz commented on the protests. When questioned about the wave of student protests, she stated the case in starkly militaristic words:
“The reason, in my personal opinion, why they’re out there is because they think Israel is weak. They think the Jews are weak, so they stand up strong. If Israel regains its deterrence capability and America regains its deterrence capability and is strong, they will disperse like they always do. We’ve seen this pattern here in Israel — when the terrorists feel strong, they’re out in the streets. And when Israel comes in hard, they’re hiding under the floor.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has frequently blamed the U.S. student movement of antisemitism and backing Hamas, has pushed for the expulsion of Mahmoud Khalil. Pro-Israel bodies press that Khalil has links to Hamas. Despite this, the Canary Mission could not orchestrate proof beyond his participation in a rally chant.
One of the most vociferous representatives behind the clampdown on campus demonstrations is Trump’s U.N. envoy, Elise Stefanik, who has openly bragged about her part in causing the departure of five university presidents.
Free speech is being attacked from multiple angles, developed on baseless charges of Hamas links and antisemitism is now being employed to explain the deportation of a permanent U.S. resident whose spouse and future offspring are American nationals. The drive is part of a broader wrangle to corrupt First Amendment protections under the disguise of national security.
