March 13, 2025
By Nasser Kandil
• A year ago, for a whole year, Columbia University stood as a beacon of student solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, resisting the Israeli war of extermination. Amid this student movement, several Arab, Palestinian, and American activists emerged as prominent voices, but none shone as brightly as Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil.
• During his campaign and after assuming office, President Donald Trump vowed to pursue students who supported the Palestinian cause, along with universities that failed to take action against them. At the forefront of this crackdown was Columbia University, and Mahmoud Khalil.
• A few days ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security arrested Khalil and initiated deportation proceedings against him. In response, American activists organised protests and filed lawsuits to halt the decision.
• In a CNN interview last spring, Khalil shared that he was born a Palestinian refugee in Syria, though his family hails from Tiberias, a city once home to both Jews and Arabs. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Palestinians were forcibly expelled from cities like Tiberias in what became known as the Nakba. Khalil grew up in Syria and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Lebanese American University. Before enrolling at Columbia, he held various roles in international development, including with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. In 2023, he began pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.
• The war of extermination against Palestinians thrust Columbia and its students into the global spotlight, as pro-Palestinian demonstrations swept across universities. Nearly a year later, Khalil’s attorney argues that he is now being subjected to yet another denial of due process after his arrest by federal agents. More than 1.7 million people have signed a petition on the Action Network platform demanding his “immediate release”. In New York City, hundreds gathered outside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, home to an immigration field office, to protest Khalil’s detention, chanting: “We want justice, tell us how? Free Mahmoud Khalil now!”
• It is both disgraceful and unacceptable that Arab student, human rights, and youth organisations remain silent on Mahmoud Khalil’s case. This is a call for solidarity and a plea for action in Arab universities, which have too often failed to stand by Palestinians. When Mahmoud Khalil and his peers stood alone in the fight, where were they? Will Arab universities finally awaken from their deep slumber?
