The latest issue sleepyThis is the British Lifestyle and Culture quarterly, with extensive discussions on Khalil’s experience in the 104-day ice detention, the effectiveness of radicalism and protests, and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Perhaps the most striking part of the exchange was at the end of the day when Gold and Khalil spoke about what activists called the “Palestine exception,” a belief in the United States accepting free speech and protests, every issue except Palestine. In 2015, the Palestinian Legal Advocacy Group released a report documenting examples of exceptions to academic and public institutions; it has since kept an updated news section on its website tracking similar situations.
It can be said that Khalil experienced exceptions personally. He was arrested in March under the U.S. immigration law that alleges his presence undermines foreign policy after serving as a negotiator in 2024 at Columbia University. After the judge ruled that the detention could be unconstitutional, the Trump administration shifted the road and claimed he failed to disclose information on his green card application. Few observers accept this reason.
Goldin compared Khalil’s experience with her own painful leader, a radical group that prompted the museum to promote the role of the opioid crisis with the role of the Sackler Family through the production of Oxycontin in Purdue Pharma. As she noted, the pain almost failed to surrender and successfully changed public opinion, partly because it won support from the media and academia. By contrast, pro-Palestinian activism has led to widespread rebound and resentment – criminal, professional or otherwise.
Both Khalil and Gold argue that the difference stems from the political leanings of the university and museum donors and trustees.
“Yes, when you have universities that change long-term rules and procedures, they can criminalize speeches about Palestine… It’s because of their donors, they want to align with power, because universities are becoming for-profit and protecting the reputation of the board,” Khalil said.
“Personally, my career has been very candid because of my support for Palestine. “I boycotted it,” Golding said in a response. The New York Times Some collectors called the gallery and said, “That’s the last straw, I’m going to send her work back.”
As Khalil points out, Goldin can finally choose whether to speak up or not. For him, there was no choice.
He said: “It was my man who was killed. I was alone and I had to do it. I always do what I want to do.”
The complete conversation is worth reading.
