Israelis Protest to Block Netanyahu's Trip to Berlin

Demonstrators in disguise, including a mask of Netanyahu, during a protest against the draft law on judicial reform (AFP)
Demonstrators in disguise, including a mask of Netanyahu, during a protest against the draft law on judicial reform (AFP)
TT

Israelis Protest to Block Netanyahu's Trip to Berlin

Demonstrators in disguise, including a mask of Netanyahu, during a protest against the draft law on judicial reform (AFP)
Demonstrators in disguise, including a mask of Netanyahu, during a protest against the draft law on judicial reform (AFP)

Protest leaders in Israel launched a "day of resistance to the dictatorship" against the judicial overhaul plan by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, announcing that Thursday would be an "extraordinary day."

The protesters decided to disrupt the trip of Netanyahu slated on Wednesday to Berlin, as they did on the eve of his visit to Rome.

The number of demonstrators in the weekly protests exceeded 300,000 on Saturday, and its leadership was led by five former top leaders of the Israeli police.

Recent reports stated that the government decided to continue legislating most of the laws included in its plan, and that Netanyahu wanted to stop and halt the process, but his allies did not approve.

In response, the protest leadership decided not to enter negotiations unless the legislation was halted and the laws approved so far were canceled.

However, sources close to Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he had recently received several signs of a possible understanding.

The demonstrators protesting the government's plan had set a new record by demonstrating for the tenth week in about 130 locations.

Protest organizers said about half a million people participated in the protests nationwide, but the media put it at a quarter of a million people.

The opposition has surged from across society. For the first time, business leaders and legal officials have spoken out against what they say is a “ruinous” effect of Netanyahu’s plan.

On Saturday, five of the top inspectors of the police joined the protests and marched at the forefront of the major demonstration in Tel Aviv. They received a warm reception from the demonstrators.

The current police inspector, Yaakov Shabtai, held a press conference declaring that he made a mistake when he dismissed the Tel Aviv police chief at the request of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

"I made a mistake. I made an error of judgment; I was wrong in the timing and in the manner in which it was done. I do not take that lightly," Shabtai said, adding that he accepted the decision of the attorney general to freeze the appointment.

Shabtai also indicated he had considered resigning amid the uproar caused by the move but had decided not to walk away from the task and promised to protect the demonstrators and their right to protest.

Meanwhile, Attorney Eliad Shraga, chairman of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the critical organizations protesting against the coalition's judicial overhaul program, announced that the protesters would not negotiate with the government and issued a list of firm conditions for entering into talks.

Shraga set ten strict conditions, including adopting a constitution based on "the spirit" of the Declaration of Independence and passing a bill of rights to ensure equality "in rights and obligations" as preconditions for a compromise solution.



Leader of Student Protests at Columbia Facing Deportation after Arrest by Immigration Officials

Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, US, June 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, US, June 1, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Leader of Student Protests at Columbia Facing Deportation after Arrest by Immigration Officials

Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, US, June 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Mahmoud Khalil speaks to members of media about the Revolt for Rafah encampment at Columbia University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in New York City, US, June 1, 2024. (Reuters)

A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead protests at Columbia University is facing deportation following his arrest by federal immigration agents over the weekend.

Mahmoud Khalil, who graduated from the university in December, was arrested Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest, saying it was a result of President Donald Trump’s executive orders prohibiting antisemitism. He has not been formally charged with a crime.

Khalil’s lawyer, Amy Greer, said the agents who took him into custody at his university-owned home near Columbia initially claimed to be acting on a State Department order to revoke his student visa. But when Greer informed them that Khalil was a permanent resident with a green card, they said they would revoke that documentation instead.

Federal immigration authorities also visited a second international student at Columbia over the weekend and attempted to take her into custody but were prevented from entering the apartment, according to a union representing the student. The woman has not been identified, and it’s not clear what grounds ICE had for the visit.

According to the Student Workers of Columbia, a graduate student union representing the woman, three ICE agents visited her university-owned residence Friday night and attempted to enter without a warrant.

“The agents were rightfully turned away at the door,” the student union said.

Over the weekend, the university circulated guidance to students about its policies for allowing federal authorities on campus. The guidance states that “in general, ICE agents must have a judicial warrant or subpoena to access non-public areas,” including housing.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a message posted Sunday on X that the administration will be “revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”

Khalil’s arrest is the first publicly known deportation effort under Trump’s promised crackdown on students protesting the war in Gaza.

The Republican president has argued that protesters forfeited their rights to remain in the country by supporting the Palestinian group Hamas that controls Gaza.

Khalil and other student leaders of Columbia University Apartheid Divest have rejected claims of antisemitism, saying they are part of a broader anti-war movement that also counts Jewish students and groups among its members. But the divestment group, at times, has also voiced support for leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, another organization designated by the US as a terrorist group.

Khalil is currently being held in an immigration detention center in Louisiana after initially being sent to a facility in New Jersey, according to ICE’s online detainee database, which lists his birthplace as Syria.

It’s unclear when he will have a hearing in immigration court, which is typically the first step in the deportation process. Spokespersons for ICE and DHS did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Monday.

Columbia University declined to comment on Khalil’s arrest over the weekend. University spokespersons did not immediately respond Monday.

A protest was scheduled for later Monday in front of ICE’s offices in Manhattan.

Khalil was one of the most visible activists in last year’s protests, serving as a negotiator for students who erected a tent encampment on campus. Pro-Israel activists in recent weeks have called on the Trump administration to begin deportation proceedings against him.

Khalil was also among those being investigated by a new Columbia office that has already brought disciplinary charges against dozens of students for their pro-Palestinian activism, according to records shared with The Associated Press.

Khalil received a master’s degree from Columbia’s school of international affairs last semester. His wife, who is an American citizen, is eight months pregnant.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration last week pulled $400 million in federal funding from Columbia because of what it claimed was the Ivy League school’s failure to reign in antisemitism on campus.