Report outlines alleged extremist ties, chronological contradictions for pro-Palestinian activist

A 101-page investigative report seeks to overturn the public story of Mohsen Mahdawi, the Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist facing deportation proceedings in the United States.

Researchers David Collier and Rachel Feldman call their document “Mohsen Mahdawi: A Timeline of Support for Terrorism.” It compiles Arabic-language social media posts, historical archives and public records to challenge the biography Mahdawi has presented to universities, American audiences and mainstream media.

Mahdawi moved to the United States from the West Bank as a student and became a lawful permanent resident. Immigration authorities later targeted him for removal under a provision alleging that his campus activism and speech could harm US foreign policy interests. His legal team and prominent political supporters have described his detention and deportation order as violations of free speech and due process.

The researchers argue that the digital record conflicts with Mahdawi’s image as a peaceful bridge-builder. Their report centers on a childhood account in which Mahdawi has said that his best friend, Hameida, was shot dead in front of him at the Al-Fara’a refugee camp in the West Bank. He has described being consumed by revenge until his uncle Thaer redirected him toward education and hope at the graveside.

The report disputes that account on both historical and chronological grounds. Citing casualty databases from B’Tselem and records from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, it says only one child was killed inside Al-Fara’a Camp during the Second Intifada: 14-year-old Muhammad Ahmad Mubaraq Ishteiwi. The researchers say the circumstances do not match Mahdawi’s description.

They also point to the death of Mahdawi’s uncle Thaer on September 12, 2001. According to the report, that date would make it impossible for him to have comforted Mahdawi at a graveside if the event happened later. The authors allege that Mahdawi addressed the contradiction by changing his stated age.

The document presents its conclusions as investigative claims based on documentary evidence and contemporary records. Its allegations come as Mahdawi’s deportation case remains contested by his defenders.