Mahmoud Khalil, The Real Story
Mahmoud Khalil’s recent media tour, full of softball questions and warm embraces from Liberal hosts, pushed an egregiously misleading narrative. The interviews insinuate there is no evidence he supports Hamas, he was detained solely for “speech critical of Israel,” and that there was no antisemitism at the protests. An abundance of evidence shows that is not the case. The evidence below demonstrates that he promulgated support for terrorism on campus, participated in disruptive misconduct, and enabled discriminatory behavior. His actions as a leader of this movement disrupted academic activities, created a hostile environment for Jewish students, and at times a physically unsafe one. This was especially during the encampment which he was a leader, participant, spokesperson, and negotiator of. There is a legal debate whether his promulgation of support for U.S. designated terrorist groups and his discriminatory misconduct reach the bar for deportation, however those debates should be grounded in the facts. The following evidence contradicts much of the politically motivated and whitewashed narrative told by the media, crafted to purify Khalil’s image in their battle against the Trump Administration’s immigration policy.
Evidence Below
Actions that demonstrate his support for Hamas and the 10/7 massacre
On Oct 12, 2023, at Columbia University Mahmoud Khalil led a celebration of the Hamas massacre of Jews just 5 days after it occurred. Israel was still burying bodies. Columbia SJP released a statement on October 9th 2023 that they stand in “full solidarity” with Hamas’ slaughter of over 1200 Israelis and Jews. At the end of this letter they advertised their rally on Oct 12. They read this statement again during the rally itself. Evidence Mahmoud was a leader in this rally: he leads with the megaphone, he stands in the middle throughout the chanting, directs the marchers where to go, and wears an armband indicating a leadership position He also flips someone off while on camera. The Hillel went on lockdown for several hours due to safety concerns.
Evidence online:
Columbia SJP began rallies in support of Hamas immediately after the October 7 attacks (sww post below). At their rally on October 12, 2023 on Columbia’s campus Khalil demonstrated a leadership role (shown above).
October 7, 2024
Khalil again demonstrated a leadership role at a massive rally on Columbia’s campus, on the anniversary of the 10/7 terrorist attack, to “Commemorate the historic Al-Aqsa Flood operation. During the rally he is seen instructing one of the lead marchers who carried the speaker system where to march, indicating a leadership role in this rally in support of terrorism. Some of the chants included “Resistance is glorious, we will be victorious!” If he claims he does not support Hamas then what is he doing with a leadership role at a rally named the “Al Aqsa Flood Walkout” meant to “commemorate the historic Al-Aqsa Flood operation?” (Al Aqsa Flood is the name Hamas gave their 10/7 attack)
March 7, 2024
Mahmoud Khalil directly espoused support for terrorism at an event titled “Palestine 101,” hosted by CUAD, a group which explicitly supports Hamas. Here he is indoctrinating impressionable young minds to support terrorism.
“Israel and their propaganda always find something to attack... they — we — have tried armed resistance, which is, again, legitimate under international law, but Israel calls it terrorism”
In the same session, his co-panelist explains that for the movement “The end goal is the end to the Zionist project, the full liberation of Palestine”
Video with captions (10 seconds in)
Archive of event (Go to “additional evidence folder” for full video)
More Support for Terrorism
Khalil seemingly held a leadership role at a protest of Veterans day in 2024 at Columbia that supported terrorism. Instead of honoring the U.S. Veterans who served to protect the freedoms of the West, they chose to venerate Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists instead. One speaker said “We honor all our Martyrs, those who resisted whether violently or non-violently. If this makes you uneasy ask yourself why.” Pamphlets had images of Palestinian militants who often engage in terrorism and quoted Hassan Nasrallah, former leader of U.S. designated terrorist group Hezbollah.
“Veterans Day is an American Holiday to honor the patriotism, love of country, and sacrifice, of Veterans. This won’s stand! We reject this holiday”
- CUAD event flyer
It is actually a Hezbollah tradition to celebrate “Martyrs Day” on Nov 11 each year to commemorate the massive suicide bombing attack by Ahmad Qasir in Lebanon 1982. CUAD imported this terrorist group’s tradition to campus, which commemorates a suicide bombing!!
Archive of CUAD Martyrs Day Event
Enabler of Discriminatory conduct
Mahmoud was a participant, leader, spokesperson and negotiator on behalf of the encampment, led by CUAD in April 2024 at Columbia. For a period of time the encampment systematically blocked many Jewish students from entering the West Lawn (a public space on campus). There is footage of him introducing Norman Finkelstein to speak in the middle of the encampment, demonstrating a leadership role and direct participation, contrary to claims he was a mere negotiator.
Jewish students forced out of public lawns
Jewish students blocked from entering public lawn
Khalil as a leader of the encampment
More Than a Mere “Negotiator”
A livestream from April 19, 2024 shows Khalil holding the microphone in the center of the encampment introducing Norman to the other protestors at around the 4:58:00 mark.
“Professor Norman Finkelstein joined us today to show support for this movement... please come closer as Professor Norman Finkelstein gives his remarks to everyone here in support of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest movement on campus that has now inspired a big movement across U.S. universities.”
Regarding claims that Khalil is a leader of the CUAD movement the BBC reported the following: “Mr. Khalil has denied that he led the group, telling the Associated Press (AP) that he only served as a spokesperson for protesters and as a mediator with the university.”
That clearly does not add up with this footage or other statements
Other statements implicate Khalil as a leader of CUAD
“ ‘So not only protests, not only encampments, kind of any — any available means necessary to push Columbia to divest from Israel,’ said Mahmoud Khalil, student negotiator on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest.
‘And we’ve been working all this summer on our plans, on what’s next to pressure Columbia to listen to the students and to decide to be on the right side of history,’ Khalil added. “
(The next year saw more vandalism, building takeovers, and destructive actions that turned campus upside down. Some examples include when university toilets were cemented, the Columbia COO’s home was vandalized with red paint, crickets, and mealworms, multiple libraries were taken over, and an Israeli professor’s class was barged into, disrupted, and littered with antisemitic flyers.)
CNN:
“Just days after the encampment first appeared, Khalil said he and other protest leaders were offered a meeting with school President Minouche Shafik to discuss their demands.”
The Encampment that Khalil was spokesperson and negotiator for was neither “Peaceful” nor “Anti-war.”
The encampment displayed explicit support for Hamas and included violence and antisemitism. They invited onto campus Within Our Lifetime, a group whose attendees have a history of violence. An alleged affiliate of this group punched a Jewish Columbia student in the face at a rally later in the year just outside Columbia. Some try to paint the protest movement as “anti-war.” This is simply not true.
Violent Harassment of Jewish Students
Jewish students yelled at to “Go back to Poland”
Nardeen Kiswani, leader of Within Our Lifetime, spoke at the encampment: “We will resist.. by any means necessary.” She vigorously supports Hamas and the 10/7 attack. One illustrative post is from October 8, 2024: “Long Live October 7!” and likened it to the uprising of Jews in Auschwitz. Deeply antisemitic.
Hamilton Hall: Destructive and Violent
Misconduct, Not Speech
Mahmoud Khalil directly participated in the disruptive Alumni Weekend encampment at Columbia over the summer, May 31- June 1 2024. He also served as spokesperson to the encampment here as well.
Photos show him talking with the chair of the University Senate Jeanine D’Armiento from inside the encampment along with other protest leaders.
Khalil is also seen trying to block Public Safety officers by sitting on a tent as they try to remove it. This again debunks the claim he was just a “negotiator.”
Milbank Building Takeover
On February 26, 2025, a bit before Khalil's detention, he was seen at the Milbank building takeover in Barnard to protest the expulsion of 3 students who burst into an Israeli professor’s classroom and distributed antisemitic pamphlets, such as a Boot over a Star of David. Students forcibly entered, allegedly physically assaulting a school employee, and took over this building for 6 hours, shutting down classes, vandalizing the walls, and causing enough chaos that the dean had to ask their permission to use the restroom. They caused around $30,000 of damage. Khalil was seen at this takeover.
Footage of Khalil at the event
Milstein Library Takeover
On March 5, 2025 Khalil was seen at another takeover of a Barnard building, just over a week after the Milbank Building takeover. It was led by CUAD and this time in the lobby of the Milstein Library where they burst in and disrupted studies just a week before midterms. This caused chaos on Barnard’s campus, again, and the police had to be called in. Students studying had to leave the library. Mahmoud was seen with a bullhorn during negotiations and standing amongst the protestors at times. Pamphlets with the words “Hamas media Office” on the cover were distributed at this rally. It gave justifications for the 10/7 terrorist attack, similar to manifesto attributed to Osama Bin Laden justifying 9/11. Additionally there was iconography of Yahya Sinwar, the late military leader of Hamas and mastermind of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. There were pictures of Nasrallah, the late leader of Hezbollah, another U.S. designated terrorist group. Stickers said “Death to America”, “Two, Three, many Al-Aqsa Floods,” and “Sometimes History Needs a Push (picture of Sinwar and rifle). A few days later Khalil was detained by ICE.
CUAD support for terrorism
There are many demonstrations of their ideological support for terrorism in their Substack posts. Just one example below quotes Hamas, the PFLP, and venerates Yahya Sinwar.
CUAD praised a terrorist attack that occurred in Tel Aviv on October 1, 2024. Terrorists murdered Inbar-Segev Vigdor, an innocent civilian who was protecting her nine month old baby. The gunmen had opened fire on a light rail car full of civilians. CUAD described it as “a significant act of resistance… targeting Israeli security forces and settlers.”
Another post glorified the barbaric Ramallah lynching of two Israelis in 2000, showing one of the murderers celebrating with blood on his hands.
Other Posts retracted an apology for one of their leaders saying “Zionists don’t deserve to live”, a tribute to Yahya Sinwar (former leader of Hamas), and reaffirmed their support for “armed resistance.” They say “long live the resistance,” which often refers to Hamas.
Khalil’s own statements suggest he is a member and representative of CUAD
In a press conference held for media during the encampment Khalil speaks at 35:10: “these are negotiations.. between senior members of the university administration and people representing the Columbia Apartheid Divest movement on campus.” … “We cannot comment on the details of these negotiations as of now… our demands are clear. At the end of the day we are a movement to push Columbia to divest from the Israeli Occupation.” (Certainly seems he is insinuating he is part of CUAD as well as a representative for them. Strongly suggests a leadership position). He also says he is the lead negotiator. CUAD has created an incredibly hostile environment on campus for Jewish students, even revoking their apology of a member’s statement that “Zionists don’t deserve to live.”
Mahmoud speaks again at the 47:50 mark regarding international students and the encampment. “I did not participate, feeling that I would be arrested and ultimately deported” because he was on an F1 Visa at the time. Evidence from two days earlier shows he was a participant in the encampment
The attached video titled “UPDATE: Students at the Columbia Gaza Solidarity Encampment are pitching tents again” was posted to Instagram by BreakThrough News on April 21, 2024
At the 10 second mark of the attached 12 second video Mahmoud Khalil can be seen in the background talking to another person at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment just as its tents had gone back up. See the screenshot and video below:
Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are
Many of the public figures that Khalil surrounded himself with in the protest movement at Columbia were blatantly pro-Hamas or antisemitic.
People often seen around Khalil -
James, one of Khalil’s Co-spokespersons for the encampment, and an affiliate of CUAD is infamous for his statements “Zionists don’t deserve to live. Be glad that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists” and for forming a chain to kick “Zionists” out of the encampment, which was on a public lawn on campus.
Leading this march from left to right is Mohsen Mahdawi, Mahmoud Khalil, Maryam Iqbal, and Fadi Shuman
Mohsen Mahdawi- He has multiple posts venerating terrorists and justifying the 10/7 Hamas attack.
From the Sundial:
Court filings and social media posts paint a similarly disturbing picture. Mahdawi touted his cousin, Maysara Masharqa, a senior Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade operative killed alongside Hamas leadership in Jenin, as a “fierce resistance fighter” and “dreamer of liberation.” He mourned his uncle—convicted of orchestrating a suicide bombing that injured over 60 Israelis—as a victim of Zionist cruelty. At a protest last January, Mahdawi glorified martyrdom, declaring: “There’s nothing more honorable than dying for a noble cause.”
Maryam Iqbal – Demonstrated support for terrorism on multiple occasions, While leading a session on strategy for Columbia SJP’s manifesto, she explains how even though they know internally that they support the right resist (referring to the Hamas 10/7 terrorist attack), they won’t put it in their manifesto because of the optics. She goes on that they shouldn’t condemn “resistance” even for optics, because that would compromise their principles.
For a long time, Iqbal’s twitter bio included an upside down red triangle. This is the sign Hamas uses when identifying targets in their propaganda videos and has become a symbol of support for Hamas.
Fadi Shuman – Often seen wearing Within Our Lifetime(WOL) apparel on campus. He is seen at almost all CUAD/SJP rallies as well as WOL rallies across NYC. WOL has a history of violence and is very open about their support for Hamas and the October 7 attack. He was arrested for ripping the hat off a cop just outside Columbia and for skirmishing with Public Safety officers in Butler Library.
Facing the picture: To the left of Mahmoud is Maryam Alwan. To his right is Layla Saliba
Maryam Alwan was a CU SJP organizer. CU SJP blatantly support the Hamas 10/7 terrorist attack.
Layla Saliba was another leader of the protest movement. She has glorified Ismail Haniyeh, the late leader of Hamas, on social media. One post included a picture of Haniyeh and her lawyer Stanley Cohen together. Mr. Cohen is the lawyer they used in litigation with Columbia. He’s famous for representing a family member of Osama Bin Laden.
Khalil and Catherine Curran-Groome [Catherine Elias]
Catherine Curran-Groome [Catherine Elias] -
Curran was one of the organizers of the encampment and Resistance 101 event. Speakers at that event included Charlotte Kates who said “there is nothing wrong with being a fighter in Hamas” as well as Khaled Barakat who has ties to the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP is another U.S. designated terrorist organization with a history of carrying out assassinations, suicide bombings, and hijackings. Curran was put on interim suspension following this unauthorized event. She was later arrested multiple times at Columbia including in the destructive and violent Hamilton Hall takeover.
NY Times: Catherine Elias, 26, a master’s student at the School of International and Public Affairs, was part of a small group of students who set up the encampment.
In sum: Khalil was much more than a mere negotiator or bystander. All evidence suggests he was a ringleader of the chaos on campus.
Palestine Working Group (PWG) is the group that organized the Resistance 101 event that praised Hamas and hosted Khaled Barakat, who has ties to the PFLP, a U.S. designated terrorist organization.
Khalil is seen here manning a table for them on campus
Archives
DJHC Full Archive of events at Columbia
Google Drive of Incidents by DJHC
Khalil’s canary mission profile