On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” Mahmoud Khalil said that he won’t denounce Hamas because it’s “being used as a litmus test.” And “I believe in a free Palestine, where every person, between the river and the sea, regardless of their faith, of their background, lives with dignity, with freedom, with justice, with equality.”
Host Kaitlan Collins asked, “Well, the administration, one thing they pointed to at the time, and when you were on CNN was when you were asked, specifically, to condemn Hamas, and you did not do. Why not do so?”
Khalil responded, “Because they are not interested in my views about Hamas. This question is being used as a litmus test.”
He added, “The litmus test is basically, like, why would you ask me if I condemn Hamas? Why don’t you ask an American official if they condemn the U.S. government for killing over 80 girls in Iran or any Israeli official for their crimes in Gaza? This question is only being used to ask Palestinians as a sort of, if you say yes — just say yes or no, it’s a black and white. That’s why it’s not about refusing to condemn Hamas. It’s about refusing the whole premise of that question. And that’s why, as a Palestinian, I refuse. I want to get into the root issues of these issues. I’m a Palestinian. I believe in a free Palestine, where every person, between the river and the sea, regardless of their faith, of their background, lives with dignity, with freedom, with justice, with equality. It’s as simple as that. But this administration is trying to dehumanize me. And these type of questions are — to me, are silly questions. They wouldn’t get us anywhere. That’s why we refuse to answer such questions.”
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