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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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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