分类： politics

A federal appeals court delivered a significant ruling on Thursday that could reignite the contentious legal battle surrounding Palestinian activist and green card holder Mahmoud Khalil. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals determined in a 2-1 decision that the district court judge who ordered Khalil’s release from immigration detention in June lacked proper jurisdiction over the deportation proceedings.

The ruling represents a substantial victory for the Trump administration while creating immediate uncertainty for Khalil’s immigration status. Although the decision doesn’t immediately reactivate detention orders, it opens the possibility of re-arrest once the ruling takes formal effect, pending potential appeals from Khalil’s legal team.

Central to the case are fundamental questions about free speech protections for non-citizens, particularly permanent legal residents. Khalil, who served as a lead negotiator during the Gaza war encampments at Columbia University in spring 2024, was arrested by ICE officers on March 8, 2025, despite not personally participating in the protests. He was transferred to a Louisiana detention facility 1,300 miles from his home, separating him from legal counsel and his pregnant wife.

During his 104 days in ICE custody, Khalil missed both the birth of his first child and his Columbia University graduation ceremony. The government’s deportation efforts relied on a rarely invoked provision of immigration statute—the “foreign policy ground”—with Secretary of State Marco Rubio determining that Khalil’s protected speech allegedly compromised compelling U.S. foreign policy interests.

Legal experts expressed concern that the appeals court declined to address First Amendment arguments while focusing solely on jurisdictional grounds. Bobby Hodgson, deputy legal director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, stated the decision “undermines the role federal courts must play in preventing flagrant constitutional violations.”

Khalil’s legal team is currently reviewing multiple appellate options, including seeking en banc review by the full Third Circuit court. The activist vowed to continue his legal fight, stating: “The door may have been opened for potential re-detainment down the line, but it has not closed our commitment to Palestine and to justice and accountability.”

A newly formed technocratic committee tasked with overseeing Gaza’s transitional governance has been revealed, marking a significant development in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement to end hostilities in the region. The 15-member Palestinian committee will be led by Ali Shaath, former Palestinian deputy minister for planning, with oversight provided by Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, the former UN Middle East peace coordinator.

The committee’s formation follows Egypt’s Wednesday announcement that most Palestinian factions had reached consensus to support this technocratic governance structure, facilitating the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan. Mladenov is reportedly positioned to serve as high representative of a Donald Trump-led ‘Board of Peace’ responsible for monitoring the agreement’s implementation.

The committee features specialized appointments including Omar Shamali (Communications), Abdul Karim Ashour (Agriculture), Aed Yaghi (Health), and Aed Abu Ramadan (Industry and Economy). Additional appointments encompass Jabr al-Daour (Education), Bashir Al-Rayes (Finance), Ali Barhoum (Water and Municipalities), Hanaa Tarzi (Relief and Solidarity), and Adnan Salem Abu Warda (Judiciary). Completing the roster are Rami Tawfiq Helles (Endowments and Religious Affairs), Osama Hassan Al-Saadawi (Housing and Public Works), and Samira Helles (Energy and Transportation).

Notably, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have expressed agreement ‘to support the mediators’ efforts in forming the Palestinian National Transitional Committee to administer the Gaza Strip.’ Committee members were instructed to maintain confidentiality about their appointments to allow former President Trump to formally announce the initiative, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.

The committee is expected to comprise Gaza-based figures with no political faction affiliations. Egypt is likely to host the committee’s inaugural meeting, with sources indicating coordination with Israeli authorities to facilitate travel for Gaza-based members. At least four prospective members have remained in Egypt since the conflict began.

The ceasefire agreement, which took effect in October, has faced implementation challenges due to continued hostilities. Palestinian health authorities report over 71,400 fatalities and 171,000 injuries since the conflict’s onset, with nearly 450 additional Palestinians killed since October amid ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid access.

A coalition of Gulf nations successfully persuaded U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon a planned military strike against Iran, according to senior Saudi diplomatic sources. The diplomatic intervention, led by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, culminated in intense last-minute negotiations that ultimately changed the administration’s course of action.

The breakthrough followed days of escalating tensions and mounting expectations of American military retaliation against Iran’s suppression of nationwide protests. President Trump confirmed from the Oval Office that he had received assurances from highly placed sources within Tehran that planned executions of demonstrators would not proceed.

In statements indicating a deliberate de-escalation of hostilities, Trump emphasized that the United States would adopt a watchful stance. “They’ve stated the killings have ceased and executions will not occur. We intend to verify these developments,” the president remarked, adding that military options remained under consideration pending Iran’s compliance.

Subsequent to these diplomatic exchanges, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied existence of execution plans for protesters. Iranian state media corroborated this position by reporting that Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old detainee from Karaj protests, would not face capital punishment.

The reduced tensions prompted tactical reassessments at strategic regional installations. Personnel previously relocated from Qatar’s Al-Udeid Airbase began returning to their positions as threat levels diminished, according to diplomatic sources familiar with the situation.

Human rights organizations monitoring the unrest provided staggering casualty estimates, with figures ranging from 2,600 to 3,428 fatalities resulting from protest-related violence and government crackdowns. The Gulf-mediated diplomatic resolution potentially prevented further escalation in a region already experiencing significant instability.

The United States and Israel have initiated significant military and economic actions targeting Iranian interests and its regional proxies. In a decisive move, the U.S. Treasury Department has imposed comprehensive sanctions on a cohort of senior Iranian leaders directly implicated in the violent suppression of domestic protests. This sanctions package targets key figures within Iran’s security apparatus and morality police, freezing U.S.-based assets and prohibiting American entities from engaging in any transactions with them.

Concurrently, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched precision airstrikes against multiple Hezbollah operational sites across southern Lebanon. Military officials confirmed the strikes targeted weapons depots, observation posts, and command centers belonging to the Iran-backed militant group. This military action is described as a direct response to recent cross-border provocations and attempted infiltrations, underscoring the escalating tensions along the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

The dual developments highlight a concerted effort to challenge Iranian influence on multiple fronts. The U.S. sanctions aim to impose tangible costs on Tehran for its human rights abuses, while Israel’s military strikes seek to degrade the capabilities of Hezbollah, Iran’s primary proxy force in the region. These actions occur amidst stalled negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, signaling a potential shift towards a more confrontational approach by the Western and Israeli alliance.

South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol awaits a landmark judicial ruling on Friday regarding his controversial 2024 martial law declaration that plunged the nation into political crisis. The embattled ex-leader faces eight distinct charges including insurrection, abuse of power, and campaign law violations in what legal experts describe as one of the most consequential trials in modern Korean history.

Prosecutors have presented a case alleging Yoon systematically attempted to subvert constitutional order by declaring martial law without legitimate justification. Central to the allegations is his mobilization of military and police forces to blockade the National Assembly compound, preventing lawmakers from challenging his decree, and his authorization of arrests targeting political opponents including the Assembly speaker and party leaders.

While Yoon initially justified his actions as necessary to counter pro-North Korean elements, evidence suggests the move was primarily motivated by mounting political vulnerabilities. The prosecution has sought capital punishment, characterizing Yoon as remorseless and noting the severity of his actions exceeded even the 1979 military coup led by former dictators Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo.

Legal analysts anticipate a life imprisonment sentence rather than execution, considering both the political implications of martyrdom and South Korea’s 27-year moratorium on capital punishments. Additional charges include obstruction of justice for evading arrest with unprecedented security barricades, abuse of power for bypassing cabinet procedures, and document falsification.

A separate trial examines allegations that Yoon attempted to provoke military conflict with North Korea through unauthorized drone incursions, potentially to justify his martial law declaration. Former intelligence chief Yeo In-hyung and ex-defense minister Kim Yong-hyun face related indictments.

Despite the gravity of charges, some experts predict eventual presidential pardon based on Korea’s political traditions, though any sentence would serve as symbolic condemnation of constitutional violations. The proceedings have exposed deep societal divisions, with both supporters and opponents regularly demonstrating outside courtrooms.