EDITORS' CORNER
‘Had to reach this moment,’ of Hamas attacking Israel
Anti-Israel Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil said the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians were necessary during a recent interview.
Khalil, who is currently facing deportation, appeared Tuesday on “The Ezra Klein Show,” a New York Times podcast.
Several times during the interview, Khalil (pictured) argued Hamas needed to attack Israel in order to advance the Palestinian cause.
The 30-year-old recent grad student shared his initial reaction to learning about the Hamas attacks. “It felt frightening that we had to reach this moment in the Palestinian struggle. I remember I didn’t sleep for a number of days,” Khalil said.
“What do you mean we had to reach this moment? What moment is ‘this,’” Klein asked the activist.
Khalil responded by sharing how he was interning at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (which he declined to tell the federal government about).
By October 6, the situation had become more “violent,” mentioning deaths of Palestinians.
“So that’s what I mean by like, unfortunately, we couldn’t, we couldn’t avoid such a moment,” Khalil said. “And yet it was absolutely difficult to see,” he said, mentioning “horrific images” but also the “response of Israel.”
He then said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “thrives on the killing of Palestinians” and said the Israeli leader would exploit the terrorist attack “to ethnically cleanse Palestinians.”
Soon after in the interview, Khalil reiterated that he believed the terrorist attack was necessary.
Klein asked Khalil if he believed the Hamas attack aimed to create a conflict in the Middle East by baiting Israel into attacking or if he believed it was meant to “break the equilibrium.”
“I think it’s more the latter, like just to break the cycle. To break that Palestinians are not being heard,” Khalil said.
He said a pending deal between the Saudis and Israel forced the hand of Palestinians. “So they had to do that,” he said, again arguing Hamas simply needed to launch a terrorist attack on innocent Israeli citizens.
Shortly after he did confirm that “targeting civilians is wrong” before saying Palestinians don’t need to be “perfect victims,” apparently justifying the attacks once again.
The Columbia Jewish Alumni Association criticized Khalil’s comments in a post on X.
“Khalil’s role at our school was deeply destructive and every interview he gives just extends the damage to America,” the group wrote.
“His valorization of violence and stated opposition to the idea of PEACE between Israel and Saudi Arabia is just the start.”
MORE: ‘Absurd’ to ask if I condemn Hamas, Khalil tells CNN
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil; The Ezra Klein Show/YouTube
