Mahmoud Khalil arrives in Washington weeks after his release from ice arrest and has demands

Washington-from that he was released from a Federal Detention Center a month ago, Mahmoud Khalil said he often listens to a question: Can regular people change the United States politics towards Israel-Palestine and do something about the repression of speech on the subject?

People tell him that they feel trapped or that they cannot challenge American military and diplomatic support that allows Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza. Khalil, a green card holder that was organized protests Against the Gaza War, while a student graduated at Columbia University and who the Trump administration tries to deport, recommends a broader vision.

“The change is happening, although they are trying to distract us from that,” said Khalil, an Algerian citizen of Palestinian descent, News themezone on Tuesday. “The fact that this administration made an additional effort in the prosecution of me, when arriving after the student movement, is a great testimony of the success of this movement, where you have the president of the United States and all its cabinet focuses on curbing the movement of the students because it is working.”

Khalil traveled to Washington, DC, this week in the hope of encouraging change through Congress. A two-day whirlwind passed with almost 20 legislators, almost all democrats, from younger progressives such as the representative Ilhan Omar (D-minn.) To powerful figures established as the representative Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)

His priority was to urge legislators to “stop the genocide financed by the United States in Gaza,” Khalil said, pointing out the massive star Israeli soldiers and American contractors who has killed more than 1,000. (The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation supported by the United States and Israeli disputes that cost).

“They are assembling food, in reality, to design a famine in Gaza,” he continued. On Wednesday, a coalition of more than 100 humanitarian groups, which Israel produced largely operating in the region, issued an articulation statement To accuse Tel Aviv de Hunger of 2.1 million Palestinians and point out that using hunger as a war tool is a war crime. Israel argues that his campaign focuses on the Mixting Group Hamas and limits the damage to civilians.

Khalil and his allies “are not going back,” he said: “We will continue to resist until each Palestinian obtains justice, freedom and dignity.”

In addition, he is looking to “hold the Trump administration and the University of Columbia,” Khalil continued, accusing “a broader effort … to silence the speech.”

Anna Moneymaker through Getty Images

On Monday, Columbia disciplined almost 80 students, even revoking titles of some, for participating in demonstrations against war; The school expects to recover $ 400 million in federal funds, President Donald Trump is holding his alleged failure to combat anti -Semitism. The administration has characterized the protests on Gaza as an inherently anti -Semitic to criticize Israel and highlighted the complaints of some Jewish students, although they have in turn accused Trump of exploiting the accusations of anti -Semitism to attack higher education. Meanwhile, Trump remains deportation for Khalil and several other student protesters, although federal judges have repeatedly arrested the effort.

Surprisingly, Khalil’s visit took place almost a year until the day from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went to a joint session of Congress in the midst of Israeli attacks in progress in Gaza. Although more than 100 legislators jumped their speech and both President Joe Biden and Trump have questioned their strategy, Netanyahu has continued to receive American weapons such as Israeli forces have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and their objectives declared for war, including the release of dozens of hostages still in Hamas, have not been fulfilled.

Khalil’s Washington’s journey showed how entrenched the hard line narratives in Israel remain in elite circles. Giving a live interview in CNN on Tuesday, presenter Pamela Brown repeatedly asked Khalil to condemn Hamas.

It is “false and absurd to ask such questions when Israel literally killed 62,000 Palestinians,” Khalil told Brown, adding that he would not get involved with the question because “the selective convictions … would not take us anywhere.”

Almost two years after the war, he told News themezone that he is still surprised by the “indifference that those in charge of formulating US policies have with respect to Palestine” and their “level of complicity in such war crimes so flagrant and obvious.” In his meetings with legislators, Khalil said they described “the difficult” that follows in the Congress advocated the Palestinians due to the influence of the Public Affairs Committee of Israel (Aipac), whose donors They often finance campaigns against critics from Israel.

Even so, in the midst of a greater awareness of the crisis in Gaza, “none can affirm that they did not know … [and] The American public wakes up now, “he said.” That is why it is very important that we continue to press … unfortunately, the institutions take a bit to respond to the change in the field, but it is happening. “

“For me, it is obvious that Biden was as bad as Trump … The Biden administration would actually illuminate you.”

– Mahmoud Khalil activist

Khalil pointed out the recent victory in the Democratic primaries for the mayor of New York City by Zohran Mamdani, who has been involved in the defense against war; The two men recently appeared on stage in a comedy program.

“Supporting Palestine is not a taboo in American politics, it is happening,” he said.

While Khalil and his group walked, a group of war activists shouting slogans under the hot sun became visibly emotional when detected. Several young employees in the buildings of the Congress office requested that they take a photo with him and took a blue gift bag, a gift from the representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass). For his son Deen, who was born while Khalil was in immigration arrest.

“They wanted to give me an example. They wanted me to intimidate me not to speak for the rights of the Palestinian people and I find it very difficult to reconcile my silence where my people are being killed. I really cannot justify anyone’s silence when such atrocities are happening under our nose,” Khalil told News themezone.

When Khalil was white of deportation and arrested in March, the administration reclaimed His beliefs meant that his presence in the United States could hurt American foreign policy, without accusing him of any crime. On May 28, District Judge Michael Farbiarz said the administration had not tried that case. American officials told the judge who alleged irregularities in Khalil’s green card application provided additional justification to stop him.but on June 20, Farbiar ruled that Khalil ought be released on bail. The administration maintains its statement, it is a threat: during the meetings of the Khalil Congress on Tuesday, the Department of National Security issued an X mail Calling Khalil “a terrorist sympathizer” and accusing him of anti -Semitism. Khalil and his lawyers argue that the government has submitted it to great reputation damage and highlights its rejection of anti -Semitism.

Spencer Platt through Getty Images

Khalil emphasized that a calculation of alarming policies in the United States must recognize that they have been bipartisan.

“The Biden administration laid the foundations for my detention, the repression of freedom of expression in this country, when aligning with the Israeli narrative and the Zionist narrative in this country that what is happening is anti -Semitism or violence,” he told News themezone. “For me it is obvious that Biden was as bad as Trump. It’s just that, this administration are not avoiding [it] … the administration biden actually hell: “Oh, we are actually in favor of peace or we are helping.” No, you are not literally you gave Israel everything you need to commit this genocide. “

In addition to fighting the government’s attempt to stop him and deport him in the courts of New Jersey and Louisiana, Khalil is now searching $ 20 million in damages or an official apology of the Trump administration for its arrest. News themezone asked if you have faith the US legal processes that can provide justice.

“We have to try … I want responsibility through any avenue,” Khalil said. “I am sure that I have a very good case since a judge has already ruled that my arrest was probably unconstitutional … I want to hold everyone literally, literally, that they have contributed to my illegal prosecution [and] This administration also to spread all these lies about me. “

Free for only one month after a shock clash in the lobby of his apartment building and 104 days in captivity to thousands of miles from his house in New York, the young man with a soft voice struggles to describe his feelings. He described Joy to meet with his wife and son, but also a deep sense of duty, even when he faces a continuous risk.

“What I happened is a fall in the sea of injustices that the Palestinians have to face daily … Now my arrest accidentally gave me this platform to be able to advocate more and more for the rights of the Palestinians,” Khalil said. “I did not choose to be in such a position, but now that such a position is imposed, I will assume that responsibility with pride, because that is what the Palestinians do: only resist and continue resistance until we obtain our rights.”