Mamdani hosts anti-Israel rabble-rouser at Gracie Mansion

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife hosted Mahmoud Khalil, a former leader of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University and the target of an unsuccessful deportation effort by the federal government, for an Iftar dinner at the mayoral residence in Manhattan on Sunday.

“Last night, as we marked the one year anniversary of his detention, Rama and I were honored to welcome Mahmoud, Noor and their son Deen to Gracie Mansion to break our fast together,” Mamdani wrote on social media on March 9.

He included a photo of the meal, with his wife—whom Mamdani has defended as a private citizen after it reemerged that she liked social media posts glorifying the violence of Oct. 7 — standing beside Khalil.

“A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor when he was detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana and then held in an ICE facility for months,” Mamdani stated.

Khalil was a spokesman for the anti-Israel encampment at Columbia.

Federal agents arrested him in March 2025 and a move to deport him was blocked by the courts. The federal government is still reportedly seeking his deportation.

“In New York City, terrorist sympathizers have a seat at Zohran Mamdani’s table,” the Republican Jewish Coalition stated. “Mahmoud Khalil should be deported, not fluffed by the mayor of the City of New York. Disgraceful.”

Leo Terrell, who runs the US Justice Department task force on Jew-hatred, commented several times on the mayor hosting the activist at Gracie Mansion.

“After getting exposed for liking posts about Oct. 7, why waste any time before hosting a man who justifies terrorism too?” he wrote. “These people are proud.”

“To Jewish students and faculty members of Columbia University: What do you think of the mayor inviting a Jew-hater for dinner?” Terrell wrote.

“To Jewish citizens who voted for Mamdani: Were you invited for dinner? Shame on you,” he added.

City Councilmember Inna Vernikov wrote that it was “just a casual dinner at Gracie with the lovely, private citizen, shy wifey, whose fingers could not keep up with liking posts about the massacre of Jews.”

Vernikov referred to Khalil as the “ringleader and chief ‘negotiator’ of Columbia’s antisemitic encampments where Jewish students were harassed and intimidated, and where they literally glorified convicted terrorists.”

“This is incredibly offensive to the Jewish community, as Mahmoud Khalil spent the last almost three years aggressively harassing Jewish students on campus,” wrote Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish. “Whether you agree with his deportation or not, his behavior was abhorrent and he should not be celebrated by the mayor.”

Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, is a Syrian-American born in Texas.

Khalil denied he was leading the protests. He said he was only acting as a spokesman and mediator for the demonstrators, though there are images and videos of him leading protests.

The government attempted to deport him to Algeria, where he holds citizenship as a result of family ties to that country.

Robert Silverman, a former US diplomat and president of the American Foreign Service Association, writing in JNS in March 2025, said the visa application form asks: “Have you ever, or do you intend, to provide financial assistance or other support to terrorists or terrorist organizations?”

Khalil failed to disclose employment with the British embassy in Syria, according to federal authorities.

“Had he truthfully answered the questions on the visa form — nor perhaps had the visa officer checked out his social media — then he should have been denied a visa,” Silverman said. “But Khalil slipped through the visa vetting process. Then he married a US citizen, which allowed him to adjust status to permanent resident and get a pathway to citizenship.”

Silverman said Khalil engaged in state crimes, citing his involvement in the illegal occupation of several university buildings, his part in organizing an illegal encampment that barred “Zionist” students, and his mediation to pressure the Columbia administration to accommodate student demands based on their illegal activities.