This guy’s anti Zionism / pro Hamas went beyond what is considered free speech (and green card holders don’t have the same free speech as USCitizens) - they kidnapped a janitor. This guy handed out info to help people join Hamas. He is on videos I’ve seen - personally violent. Actual violence is not free speech. Jewish students were violently blocked from attending classes. He’s the leader of this Group in Columbia. Columbia is a Cess pool of anti semitism. This guy and his wife need to go back to Syria. He is a Palestinian from Syria
If there's video evidence of his committing violent acts, they would charge him with those acts. This is my point: you can't charge this guy for crimes committed by other people.
You can charge him for providing material support to a designated terrorist organization, and for lying on his green card application. I agree that he should not be deported for speech, but he is not being deported based merely on speech. It's a straw man argument at this point.
Near as I can tell from the last paragraph, if an antisemitic mob seems too threatening, then we should certainly capitulate to them, to reduce the threat. No, we should not. Whatever any mob is for, I am against. I don't need to know details.
I like Penny’s response. I love your videos and your humor, but that essay was so poorly conceived that it’s difficult to find any common ground with you on this subject. And it’s lowered my opinion of your journalism.
Stick to the videos and steer clear of wading into cases like this one. In all honesty, this country does not need to import hate. And, like Penny, I want this guy booted. We shouldn’t ignore the message that’s being sent: they want to destroy Western civilization. All the tolerance and good will in the world won’t do us any good once we’ve lost our country to radicals who hate us.
He affiliates with organizations that are blatantly pro-terrorism and anti-American. There’s no reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s told us who he is. I believe him.
I love your work, Ben, and I'm a big fan or yours. A disagreement over this issue is not going to change that. As a non-Jewish swing voter, there are some questions I have about your position (and that of other Jewish Democrats) regarding the Trump administration's fight against antisemitism.
As a Jewish Democrat, are you embarrassed that it's Trump and his working class voters who are standing up for Jewish Americans, rather than the more prestigious academic/professional class represented by the Democrats?
Would you be more comfortable with Khalil's potential deportation if Kamala Harris were taking these actions to protect Jewish students and/or citizens? Would you be more likely to believe Khalil's potential deportation is based on material support for Hamas and lying on his green card application, rather than mere violations of speech?
Do you think hatred of the Jews is based on the behavior of Trump or of the Israeli government?
Do you think people would hate Jews less if Iran succeeded in destroying Israel (once they acquire nuclear weapons), and killed half the world's surviving Jews?
As a diaspora Jew, would the destruction of Israel make your life easier, since people would view you as a victim rather than an oppressor?
I heard Josh Szeps on a podcast basically say he wished Israel would commit suicide so that he'd feel more comfortable at dinner parties.
I don't want Khalil here, but if the court decides he has a right to stay, I will accept that.
I hope you will accept the court's decision if they decide that Khalil needs to go.
Now this is how to comment! Always lead with praise.
I'm not a Democrat (I'm an independent), but I take everything with a grain of salt, including Republican politicians' support for Jews. That's not a dig at them, but a recognition that people in general stand on principle when it's politically safe or advantageous. Are droves of working-class Republican voters standing up for Jews? If they are, then I'm happy about that!
The Kamala hypothetical is hard to imagine, but I would be against deporting someone for speech acts no matter who was doing it. (One of the guests on Bari's latest podcast made the excellent point that all Americans stand to benefit from hearing even toxic ideas from foreigners. It's all information.) I haven't seen or heard evidence of *material* support for Hamas, and these charges of visa application lies seem like the kind of technicalities you could use to revoke the visas of swaths of immigrants. It's pretty clear to me this is about his political activities. Don't you think?
I suspect hatred of Jews is context-dependent. I think Western antisemitism likely has a different psychological underpinning than Arab antisemitism. I think generally that most people are not sophisticated thinkers and make broad generalizations about groups when they think about them (I think I just did!), and that minorities do better politically when they make themselves palatable (cf: Will & Grace). That doesn't mean letting ourselves be abused, but it might mean being more judicious about when we charge people with antisemitism. People don't like being called bigots.
This Iran hypothetical is out of my depths. I suspect it is rhetorical. If Israel destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities I would be very happy. That regime is evil.
As a diaspora Jew, my life is already very easy. I do not think Israel's destruction would be good for the Jews, here or there.
Josh Szeps sounds like either a jerk or a guy who made a dark joke that didn't land with you. Israel's current government is deeply unpopular even among Israelis, and this whole subject would be a lot easier if they acted at every moment with magnanimity. Do you think they do?
I will not be fomenting revolution if the courts uphold Khalil's deportation, but I'd certainly criticize them for it. And I'd be grateful to live in a country where that would be allowed!
Listen when you write something be prepared that not all people are going to like what you read. And when you step into a loaded topic prepare for hellfire. That being said calling names is not very adult. Im sorry that people are so crass. Personally I think you are wrong about your premise. But eventually the courts will decide and I’m pretty sure this is going all the way to SCOTUS.
But I do want to comment on one thing you wrote here. Simply because the local DA chooses not to prosecute doesn’t mean the feds dont have a reason to prosecute. These are 2 separate legal systems within our country and completely separate laws that someone can be charged with.
The Manhattan DA is also dyed in the wool woke leftist backed progressive who has historically minimized or refused to charge criminal acts against Jews. That he didn’t want to charge or dismissed charges against the “protestors” doesn’t mean the feds can’t come in a charge other crimes or invoke statutes against a guest in this country. And yes a green card holder is a guest.
On an aside- perhaps the most repugnant thing said about this entire event is when Khalil’s wife accused ICE of kidnapping her husband. These are the people who celebrated the kidnapping of and barbarities against Jews and while demanding a ceasefire have never demanded the release of the Israeli hostages. Perhaps this should be the new definition of chutzpah.
As usual, Ben, I agree with your take both in tone and in substance. Those who deal in reductionist victim/oppressor bullshit narratives salivate at the opportunity for a good, “Help, help! I’m being repressed!” story. All would-be tyrants draw power from claims of victimhood and tales of, “my struggle.”
It is best to do what liberalism demands of our best selves. Free speech, due process, and the rest of the Bill of Rights are for all “persons,” as upheld in multiple SCOTUS decisions. Let that stuff out in the open, where sunlight can disinfect it.
There is a major point that needs clarification: a visa holder is not a US citizen, neither is a green card holder. The behavior and beliefs of those in question, were it listed on their visa or green card application, would have led to their being denied entry into the US. The ACLU defending non-citizens chanting "Death to America?" Quite rich indeed
Center-right-Libertarian here, formerly hardcore Libtard as well. I will diverge from the party lines here and say that I agree with you 100%. It’s often so hard to tease through the details of these cases given the sensationalism of our media these days. When I am fighting to understand something, I try to remind myself that no matter what emotions are being weaponized against me and the public, we are still a nation of laws and the courts will make the best decisions they can with the information they have. None of us have that information. We are, however, as a nation, addicted to the soap opera of media emotion. When it comes to this situation, all I can really do is trust that those making the decisions have more information than me, are trying to also live their lives as solidly good humans, and will make the best decision possible given the facts. If Mahmoud did anything beyond what’s acceptable by the courts to justify exercising his 1st amendment rights, then ALL I can do is trust that they will make the right decision.
I said the same thing when it was the left pulling this free speech crap, esp. over Covid and now over Trump. There are so many lies swirling around him that it’s undeniable; but try to make that point with anyone on the left. It’s too emotional; and while in my own personal idealistic utopian worldview we’d stand across from each other calming debating these types of things, the reality is that humans are too messy and tribal to ever really solve problems like that. (And before anyone tears me up over that, I said the same thing with the idiots saying Obama wasn’t a US citizen. Come ON, people. Use your brains!)
At the end of the day, I will try to refrain from being my own personal court of public opinion and let those that have to make these difficult decisions do their job.
I absolutely adore you Ben. Keep pissing people off; it means you did something right. Hope to meet you in person some day. :)
When we argue the merits of Khalil’s deportation, we ignore the indoctrination of generations of college students (and now K-12 students) into hating and delegitimizing Israel that he and his ilk are engaged in. It’s pretty apparent that you can’t get a professorship or get admitted to graduate school without those views.
If there was an actual debate on campuses then perhaps I’d be less ok with deporting Khalil and his ilk. He would be less dangerous. Instead, our graduate school programs have become the equivalent of the old days of the Saudis building mosques around the world led by radical Islamist imams. The end result of that was ISIS and radicalized Muslim populations around the world.
If there’s a better way to fix this problem, I’m happy to hear it. For now, I don’t have a problem deporting Hamas supporters any more than I would object to deporting German Nazis (if any still existed).
Btw - that’s exactly what the government did (deport Nazis who lied about their Nazi past on their immigration paperwork). This was government policy under Democrats and Republicans. And those deportees hadn’t come to the U.S. to lead pro Nazi rallies. Instead they led quiet lives while leaving their Nazi ideology behind. Their good behavior upon immigrating to the U.S. did not shield them from deportation.
I think Kemi Badenoch had it right. She gave a speech where she talked about the unwritten contract that immigrants to the UK agree to when entering the country: to forego the old rivalries and hatreds in their country of origin when they leave to start new lives.
Countries like the US and the UK are genuinely diverse places. If you look for your old enemies here there is a very good chance that you will find them. For that reason viewing the US as a new front in an old war rather than as the land of opportunity has to be a non-starter. Do we really want the streets of cities like NY or LA to be the proxy battlefields for foreign conflicts?
I think this might be a little more complicated than we think as far as the law goes. I haven’t done a deep dive on non-citizens rights but from what I’ve read the laws seem a bit open to interpretation and the SCOTUS has ruled both ways in the past. I’m happy to leave the ruling to the courts as they’re all we seem to have right now. And I’m in no sense a libtard.
If universities had put a stop to this nonsense (within their rules regarding student protests) we probably wouldn’t be here right now.
This guy’s anti Zionism / pro Hamas went beyond what is considered free speech (and green card holders don’t have the same free speech as USCitizens) - they kidnapped a janitor. This guy handed out info to help people join Hamas. He is on videos I’ve seen - personally violent. Actual violence is not free speech. Jewish students were violently blocked from attending classes. He’s the leader of this Group in Columbia. Columbia is a Cess pool of anti semitism. This guy and his wife need to go back to Syria. He is a Palestinian from Syria
If there's video evidence of his committing violent acts, they would charge him with those acts. This is my point: you can't charge this guy for crimes committed by other people.
You can charge him for providing material support to a designated terrorist organization, and for lying on his green card application. I agree that he should not be deported for speech, but he is not being deported based merely on speech. It's a straw man argument at this point.
Near as I can tell from the last paragraph, if an antisemitic mob seems too threatening, then we should certainly capitulate to them, to reduce the threat. No, we should not. Whatever any mob is for, I am against. I don't need to know details.
I like Penny’s response. I love your videos and your humor, but that essay was so poorly conceived that it’s difficult to find any common ground with you on this subject. And it’s lowered my opinion of your journalism.
Stick to the videos and steer clear of wading into cases like this one. In all honesty, this country does not need to import hate. And, like Penny, I want this guy booted. We shouldn’t ignore the message that’s being sent: they want to destroy Western civilization. All the tolerance and good will in the world won’t do us any good once we’ve lost our country to radicals who hate us.
He affiliates with organizations that are blatantly pro-terrorism and anti-American. There’s no reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s told us who he is. I believe him.
I love your work, Ben, and I'm a big fan or yours. A disagreement over this issue is not going to change that. As a non-Jewish swing voter, there are some questions I have about your position (and that of other Jewish Democrats) regarding the Trump administration's fight against antisemitism.
As a Jewish Democrat, are you embarrassed that it's Trump and his working class voters who are standing up for Jewish Americans, rather than the more prestigious academic/professional class represented by the Democrats?
Would you be more comfortable with Khalil's potential deportation if Kamala Harris were taking these actions to protect Jewish students and/or citizens? Would you be more likely to believe Khalil's potential deportation is based on material support for Hamas and lying on his green card application, rather than mere violations of speech?
Do you think hatred of the Jews is based on the behavior of Trump or of the Israeli government?
Do you think people would hate Jews less if Iran succeeded in destroying Israel (once they acquire nuclear weapons), and killed half the world's surviving Jews?
As a diaspora Jew, would the destruction of Israel make your life easier, since people would view you as a victim rather than an oppressor?
I heard Josh Szeps on a podcast basically say he wished Israel would commit suicide so that he'd feel more comfortable at dinner parties.
I don't want Khalil here, but if the court decides he has a right to stay, I will accept that.
I hope you will accept the court's decision if they decide that Khalil needs to go.
Now this is how to comment! Always lead with praise.
I'm not a Democrat (I'm an independent), but I take everything with a grain of salt, including Republican politicians' support for Jews. That's not a dig at them, but a recognition that people in general stand on principle when it's politically safe or advantageous. Are droves of working-class Republican voters standing up for Jews? If they are, then I'm happy about that!
The Kamala hypothetical is hard to imagine, but I would be against deporting someone for speech acts no matter who was doing it. (One of the guests on Bari's latest podcast made the excellent point that all Americans stand to benefit from hearing even toxic ideas from foreigners. It's all information.) I haven't seen or heard evidence of *material* support for Hamas, and these charges of visa application lies seem like the kind of technicalities you could use to revoke the visas of swaths of immigrants. It's pretty clear to me this is about his political activities. Don't you think?
I suspect hatred of Jews is context-dependent. I think Western antisemitism likely has a different psychological underpinning than Arab antisemitism. I think generally that most people are not sophisticated thinkers and make broad generalizations about groups when they think about them (I think I just did!), and that minorities do better politically when they make themselves palatable (cf: Will & Grace). That doesn't mean letting ourselves be abused, but it might mean being more judicious about when we charge people with antisemitism. People don't like being called bigots.
This Iran hypothetical is out of my depths. I suspect it is rhetorical. If Israel destroyed Iran's nuclear capabilities I would be very happy. That regime is evil.
As a diaspora Jew, my life is already very easy. I do not think Israel's destruction would be good for the Jews, here or there.
Josh Szeps sounds like either a jerk or a guy who made a dark joke that didn't land with you. Israel's current government is deeply unpopular even among Israelis, and this whole subject would be a lot easier if they acted at every moment with magnanimity. Do you think they do?
I will not be fomenting revolution if the courts uphold Khalil's deportation, but I'd certainly criticize them for it. And I'd be grateful to live in a country where that would be allowed!
Listen when you write something be prepared that not all people are going to like what you read. And when you step into a loaded topic prepare for hellfire. That being said calling names is not very adult. Im sorry that people are so crass. Personally I think you are wrong about your premise. But eventually the courts will decide and I’m pretty sure this is going all the way to SCOTUS.
But I do want to comment on one thing you wrote here. Simply because the local DA chooses not to prosecute doesn’t mean the feds dont have a reason to prosecute. These are 2 separate legal systems within our country and completely separate laws that someone can be charged with.
The Manhattan DA is also dyed in the wool woke leftist backed progressive who has historically minimized or refused to charge criminal acts against Jews. That he didn’t want to charge or dismissed charges against the “protestors” doesn’t mean the feds can’t come in a charge other crimes or invoke statutes against a guest in this country. And yes a green card holder is a guest.
On an aside- perhaps the most repugnant thing said about this entire event is when Khalil’s wife accused ICE of kidnapping her husband. These are the people who celebrated the kidnapping of and barbarities against Jews and while demanding a ceasefire have never demanded the release of the Israeli hostages. Perhaps this should be the new definition of chutzpah.
As usual, Ben, I agree with your take both in tone and in substance. Those who deal in reductionist victim/oppressor bullshit narratives salivate at the opportunity for a good, “Help, help! I’m being repressed!” story. All would-be tyrants draw power from claims of victimhood and tales of, “my struggle.”
It is best to do what liberalism demands of our best selves. Free speech, due process, and the rest of the Bill of Rights are for all “persons,” as upheld in multiple SCOTUS decisions. Let that stuff out in the open, where sunlight can disinfect it.
There is a major point that needs clarification: a visa holder is not a US citizen, neither is a green card holder. The behavior and beliefs of those in question, were it listed on their visa or green card application, would have led to their being denied entry into the US. The ACLU defending non-citizens chanting "Death to America?" Quite rich indeed
Center-right-Libertarian here, formerly hardcore Libtard as well. I will diverge from the party lines here and say that I agree with you 100%. It’s often so hard to tease through the details of these cases given the sensationalism of our media these days. When I am fighting to understand something, I try to remind myself that no matter what emotions are being weaponized against me and the public, we are still a nation of laws and the courts will make the best decisions they can with the information they have. None of us have that information. We are, however, as a nation, addicted to the soap opera of media emotion. When it comes to this situation, all I can really do is trust that those making the decisions have more information than me, are trying to also live their lives as solidly good humans, and will make the best decision possible given the facts. If Mahmoud did anything beyond what’s acceptable by the courts to justify exercising his 1st amendment rights, then ALL I can do is trust that they will make the right decision.
I said the same thing when it was the left pulling this free speech crap, esp. over Covid and now over Trump. There are so many lies swirling around him that it’s undeniable; but try to make that point with anyone on the left. It’s too emotional; and while in my own personal idealistic utopian worldview we’d stand across from each other calming debating these types of things, the reality is that humans are too messy and tribal to ever really solve problems like that. (And before anyone tears me up over that, I said the same thing with the idiots saying Obama wasn’t a US citizen. Come ON, people. Use your brains!)
At the end of the day, I will try to refrain from being my own personal court of public opinion and let those that have to make these difficult decisions do their job.
I absolutely adore you Ben. Keep pissing people off; it means you did something right. Hope to meet you in person some day. :)
When we argue the merits of Khalil’s deportation, we ignore the indoctrination of generations of college students (and now K-12 students) into hating and delegitimizing Israel that he and his ilk are engaged in. It’s pretty apparent that you can’t get a professorship or get admitted to graduate school without those views.
If there was an actual debate on campuses then perhaps I’d be less ok with deporting Khalil and his ilk. He would be less dangerous. Instead, our graduate school programs have become the equivalent of the old days of the Saudis building mosques around the world led by radical Islamist imams. The end result of that was ISIS and radicalized Muslim populations around the world.
If there’s a better way to fix this problem, I’m happy to hear it. For now, I don’t have a problem deporting Hamas supporters any more than I would object to deporting German Nazis (if any still existed).
Btw - that’s exactly what the government did (deport Nazis who lied about their Nazi past on their immigration paperwork). This was government policy under Democrats and Republicans. And those deportees hadn’t come to the U.S. to lead pro Nazi rallies. Instead they led quiet lives while leaving their Nazi ideology behind. Their good behavior upon immigrating to the U.S. did not shield them from deportation.
This is a great piece. 100%
I agree. The Jews are being played by Trump and his Khalif stunt.
Ben, I thought your take was spot on. Please keep up the good work upsetting all the right oeoole
*people
I think Kemi Badenoch had it right. She gave a speech where she talked about the unwritten contract that immigrants to the UK agree to when entering the country: to forego the old rivalries and hatreds in their country of origin when they leave to start new lives.
Countries like the US and the UK are genuinely diverse places. If you look for your old enemies here there is a very good chance that you will find them. For that reason viewing the US as a new front in an old war rather than as the land of opportunity has to be a non-starter. Do we really want the streets of cities like NY or LA to be the proxy battlefields for foreign conflicts?
I think this might be a little more complicated than we think as far as the law goes. I haven’t done a deep dive on non-citizens rights but from what I’ve read the laws seem a bit open to interpretation and the SCOTUS has ruled both ways in the past. I’m happy to leave the ruling to the courts as they’re all we seem to have right now. And I’m in no sense a libtard.
If universities had put a stop to this nonsense (within their rules regarding student protests) we probably wouldn’t be here right now.