Notorious anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil made his presence felt in New York City on Saturday, quoting an Al Jazeera correspondent who also served as a Hamas terrorist during a large anti-Israel protest outside the New York Public Library, reports The New York Post.
The rally was attended by several thousand activists who held up signs reading, among other things, “Stop starving Gaza,” “Stop killing journalists,” and “Defeat imperialist/Zionist genocidal war-makers.”
Khalil, 30, stood at the front of the crowd on the library steps and delivered a seven-minute speech focused on Anas al-Sharif, who was eliminated in an Israeli missile strike in Gaza last week. Israel has provided proof that al-Sharif was running a Hamas terror cell, though this was denied by both him and Al Jazeera.
In his address, Khalil recalled al-Sharif’s final words and declared to the crowd of approximately 2,000 people - one of whom was seen wearing a green headband associated with Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - “The time is now, the bridges towards liberation start with us.”
The demonstrators proceeded to march from the library to Columbus Circle, chanting slogans as they moved through Manhattan’s streets.
Khalil, a former Columbia University student who organized anti-Israel protests on campus, made national headlines earlier this year when he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March for allegedly posing a threat to national security. He was released in late June after a judge ruled that his detention was unconstitutional.
The controversial activist faced widespread condemnation for his defense of the October 7, 2023 massacre that ignited the Israel-Hamas War. In an interview with the New York Times on August 6, he bizarrely attempted to justify the massacre as a “desperate attempt” by Hamas to “just break the cycle” of Palestinian suffering. He also refused to describe the attack as a “mistake,” acknowledging that “targeting civilians is wrong.”
He also joined an anti-Israel rally in June, days after his release. Footage posted to social media showed Khalil during the protest, which included chants of “Palestine will live forever” and “from the river to the sea”.