Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil criticized Israel during a Yom Kippur event held Monday in New York City, organized by groups opposing Zionism. Speaking at the gathering, Khalil called for accountability, condemning what he described as violence and displacement of Palestinians facilitated by U.S. support for Israel.

Standing before a podium inscribed with the phrase “For the sin of genocide we atone,” Khalil characterized the Zionist project as an effort to obscure shared humanity. He accused Israel of committing several transgressions, including the displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as well as orchestrating conditions amounting to famine and genocide. He concluded his remarks with a prayer for divine accountability.

Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander also addressed the event, appealing to liberal and progressive supporters of Israel to acknowledge their role in what he termed complicity in “genocide in Gaza.” While recognizing ongoing debates over the use of the term genocide and concerns about increasing antisemitism, Lander cited the extensive destruction in Gaza, along with hunger and violence in the West Bank, as evidence of collective responsibility.

Khalil has gained prominence following his March 2025 arrest by U.S. immigration authorities in the lobby of his Columbia University residence during the Trump administration’s intensified focus on pro-Palestinian student activists. Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, was not charged with any crime.

Last week, Khalil joined fellow pro-Palestinian students in filing a lawsuit against Columbia University, accusing the institution of failing to protect them from harassment related to their advocacy. The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court on behalf of Khalil, the SIPA Palestine Working Group, and its president Mohammad Zubairi, alleges violations of federal civil rights laws due to Columbia’s insufficient response to threats, doxxing, and other forms of intimidation linked to the students’ perceived Arab or Muslim identity and support for Palestinian rights.

At a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Khalil criticized Columbia for what he described as “rotten, institutionalized anti-Palestinian bigotry” entrenched throughout the university and supported by its board of trustees.