I'm not sure what the point of having this guy on TV is at this point. He's an anti-Trump talking point but other than that what does he have to say that couldn't be said by hundreds of identical "Free Palestine" activists.
In any case, Mahmoud Khalil was on CNN yesterday and was asked about his ongoing unwillingness to condemn Hamas. Khalil called it a "silly question."
Mahmoud Khalil tells CNN that asking him whether he condemns Hamas is a “silly question.” “This question is only being used to ask Palestinians as a sort of, you know, if you say yes—just say yes or no. It’s black and white.” https://t.co/IEHzOlE7pr
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) October 5, 2026
This guy is so slippery. It's really worth going through his answer to consider it carefully.
Collins: Well the administration, one thing they pointed to at the time when you were on CNN was when you were asked specifically to condemn Hamas. You did not do so.
Khalil: Mm-hm.
Collins: Why not do so?
Khalil: Because they are not interested in my views about Hamas. This question is being used as a litmus test.
Collins: What's the litmus test?
First, he's not wrong that asking him to condemn a terrorist group which murdered hundreds of Israeli civilians is being used as a litmus test. It's a simplified way to determine whether someone openly supports terrorism against Israelis or refuses to do so.
Kaitlyn Collins asks "What's the litmus test?" which is her way of asking what's wrong with a litmus test about a terrorist group. And here's where Khalil completely ducks the question.
Khalil: Basically, like, why would you ask me if I condemn Hamas?
Because we want to know whether or not you can do it, Khalil. So far the answer is no. But from there he tried to change the subject.
Khalil: Why don't you ask an American official if they condemn the US government for killing over 80 girls in Iran or any Israeli official for crimes in Gaza.
The suggestion that no one has asked American officials to answer for the killing of girls in Iran is nonsense. Newspapers covered this story extensively and condemnation of the strike was widespread. The total number of people killed has been estimated to be as high as 156 including parents, teachers and students. The total number of girls killed is believed to be 47.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the attack did originate with the US and suggested the problem was an out of date targeting map.
The Feb. 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building was the result of a targeting mistake by the U.S. military, which was conducting strikes on an adjacent Iranian base of which the school building was formerly a part, the preliminary investigation found. Officers at U.S. Central Command created the target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, people briefed on the investigation said.
Officials emphasized that the findings are preliminary and that there are important unanswered questions about why the outdated information had not been double checked.
This appears to be a pretty big screw up, though the final report hasn't been issued yet. But what you won't see is anyone in the US military proudly taking credit for this strike as a great victory.
That's not the case with Hamas. Hamas didn't accidently target Israeli civilians with a bomb sent to a site that used to be part of an Israeli military base. Hamas sent armed men into Israel who killed Israeli civilians in their homes and at a music festival, knowing full well they were not combatants. They kidnapped hundreds of people, including young children and American citizens and held them hostage for months. None of this was an accident or a mistake. It was celebrated as it was happening and afterwards.
Palestinism is such a depraved ideology that you can parade dead Jewish teens in the back of a pickup truck in broad daylight and have men and women, young and old, run after it in ecstasy. https://t.co/2quQJbqWKs
— AP (@Average_NY_Guy) October 6, 2026
So the bottom line is that if you ask American officials if they condemn the accidental killing of Iranian children, they may hesitate to say so out loud because the whole thing is embarrassing, but they certainly aren't proud of it. You won't find anyone celebrating or hoping for a repeat.
On the other hand, if you ask Hamas fighters how they feel about 10/7, they will almost certainly be proud of it and see it as a high point they'd like to see repeated again, as soon as possible. That's not a mistake. It's terrorism.
Khalil: If you say yes or no it's black and white.
That's correct, Khalil. Terrorism is pretty black and white. That's the litmus test here: Do you support terrorism?
Yes. It is black or white. They are terrorists.
— Joe Scarborough (@ScarboroughNow) October 6, 2026
Yeah, because it’s black or white.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) October 6, 2026
Yes, Mahmoud, the question is a litmus test, and you’ve failed it.
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) October 5, 2026
Khalil: This administration is trying to dehumanize me. And these types of questions are, to me, are silly questions. They wouldn't get us anywhere. That's why I refuse to answer such questions.
It's not a silly question, it's a litmus test: Do you support terrorism? That's not a silly question in this case because there is reason to believe that Khalil does support Hamas. The group he helped lead at Columbia clearly did support Hamas and violence. It said so directly. It handed out Hamas-authored literature. It praised the mastermind of the 10/7 attack.
So answering the question definitely would get us somewhere. We would know for certain if Khalil supports Hamas instead of having to guess based on clues. But really, at this point, it's not much of a guess anymore. Khalil supports Hamas and that's the real reason he won't answer.
This “silly” question (do you support terrorism) is explicitly asked on visa applications to visit or live in the United States. If you lie on the paperwork it is grounds for visa revocation and deportation.
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) October 6, 2026
So, in short, he supports Hamas which is why, among other things, he should’ve been deported months ago.
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) October 5, 2026
As I've covered elsewhere, Khalil should be leaving soon but has sued everyone around him to delay that outcome.
Finally, if you want another example of Khalil dodging his own extremism, check out this story from last August.
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