NEW YORK CITY (VINnews)— Outrage erupted this week after a Columbia University activist referred to Hamas’s brutal October 7 attack on Israel as a “desperate attempt” by Gaza to be heard — a comment that Fox News host Lawrence Jones called “disgusting” and “un-American.”

Jones tore into Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil during a segment on Fox & Friends, blasting the activist’s remarks and demanding to know why someone defending terrorism is still allowed to remain in the United States.
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“Why is he still in our country?” Jones asked bluntly. “He’s defending a terrorist massacre that slaughtered innocent civilians — women, children, entire families.”

Khalil made the shocking comments during a panel discussion on campus, describing the massacre — which left over 1,200 Israelis dead — as “a desperate attempt for Gaza to scream through the silence.” His words drew swift backlash from Jewish organizations, pro-Israel advocates, and conservative leaders, who accused him of justifying terrorism.

Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi is free on bail after a judge ordered his release from federal immigration custody Wednesday, weeks after armed DHS agents detained him in Vermont during his naturalization

Jones said Khalil’s comments are part of a disturbing pattern of antisemitic and pro-Hamas rhetoric that’s been festering at elite universities.

“This is the kind of radical garbage being tolerated — even celebrated — on Ivy League campuses,” Jones said. “It’s not just free speech. It’s moral rot.”

Critics say the university has failed to protect Jewish students and has turned a blind eye to dangerous rhetoric and threats.

“This is a defining moment,” Jones added. “You’re either with the terrorists or you’re with civilization.”