Day 523 - Columbia anti-Israel activist's arrest makes some US Jews uneasy

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute
audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and
the Jewish world.


New York reporter Luke Tress and NY
stringer Cathryn J. Prince join
host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily
Briefing.


US federal authorities on Friday announced the cancellation of
$400 million in grants and contracts with New York’s Columbia
University due to campus antisemitism. The cuts marked the most
significant action yet taken by the Trump administration in its
planned crackdown on anti-Jewish discrimination at universities.
We discuss the White House's new efforts to stop antisemitism on
campuses.


On Monday, President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social
platform, “ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a
Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas student on the campus of Columbia
University…This is the first arrest of many to come.” Khalil was
born and raised in Syria, however his grandparents were
originally from Tiberias near the Sea of Galilee.


The arrest this week of Khalil, who is one of the main faces of
the pro-Palestinian protests that have at points brought Columbia
to a standstill, has set off a maelstrom of responses and support
-- including from high-profile Jewish leaders.


According to a CNN report, a federal judge in New York has
blocked any efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to
deport Mahmoud Khalil until a conference today. We learn
about the allegations that led to Khalil's detention and hear how
widespread the dissemination of Hamas propaganda may be at
Columbia.


We also speak about the past year and a half of pro-Palestinian,
anti-Israel protests on campuses and some of their surprising
repercussions.


Please see today's ongoing liveblog for
more updates.


For further reading:


Deportation of anti-Israel Palestinian Columbia activist
to be challenged in federal court


Protesters call for campus takeovers as Columbia activist
threatened with deportation


Trump administration cuts $400 million to Columbia
University due to antisemitism


NYPD clears anti-Israel protesters at Barnard College
after bomb threat


Anti-Israel activists show their true face at Columbia as
students mark year since Oct. 7


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podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.


IMAGE: Demonstrators raise a sign depicting President Donald
Trump as Adolf Hitler during a protest in support of Palestinian
activist Mahmoud Khalil, March 10, 2025, in New York. (AP
Photo/Yuki Iwamura)


 


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