Hundreds protest for release of Mahmoud Khalil in New York
Activists in America organised a protest today in front of a court in New York City, demanding the release of Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested and is threatened with deportation for organising protests supporting Palestine at Columbia University.
The protesters chanted slogans against what they described as the suppression of a student movement and freedom of expression in universities, calling for his release and his return to the university.
Khalil’s defence team held a news conference among the protesters, giving an update on their continued efforts to secure his legal rights and return him to his pregnant wife.
US judge orders that detained student Mahmoud Khalil be allowed private calls
US judge Jesse Furman has ordered that detained Palestinian Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil be allowed to have private phone calls with lawyers challenging his arrest by immigration authorities.
At a hearing in Manhattan federal court, Khalil’s lawyer Ramzi Kassem said his client had been allowed just one call with his legal team from immigration detention.
Kassem added that the call was cut off prematurely and was on a line recorded and monitored by the government.
Furman today ruled that Khalil and his lawyers should have one phone call today and another one tomorrow covered by attorney-client privilege, meaning the government would not have access to their conversation.
Khalil’s detention is part and parcel of the Trump administration’s pledge to deport pro-Palestinian college activists.
The student’s lawyers argue the arrest violated his right to free speech under the US Constitution’s First Amendment, and have urged his release.
Major US conservative think tank recommends cutting military aid to Israel
The massively influential Heritage Foundation has issued a new report proposing that the US end its military aid to Israel by 2047, saying that the US should “re-orient its relationship” with its closest Middle East ally.
The proposal aims to transition from a relationship based on foreign military financing to one emphasising a strategic partnership. It included measures for Israel to increase its purchase of US defence materials, reflecting a more reciprocal and mature alliance between the two nations.
2047 ???
