Keren Milo: Israeli Spy Cracks Down on Pro-Palestine Columbia Students

The arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil in the U.S. has brought to light the controversial background of a senior Columbia University official, revealing her past as an Israeli intelligence officer.

Keren Yarhi-Milo, dean of the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), played a key role in the crackdown that led to Khalil’s arrest and the threat of his deportation.

On March 9, 2025, U.S. authorities arrested Khalil, who had led pro-Palestine protests at Columbia in 2024 against Israeli occupation war crimes in Gaza. Despite holding a Green Card, his arrest followed an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January 2025, which allows the deportation of students participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations under the pretext of “combating antisemitism.”

Israeli Intelligence Background

At the center of the deportation controversy, Keren Yarhi-Milo, originally from “Israel,” served in Israeli military intelligence during her mandatory service, according to her Columbia University profile.

Milo, 46, played a major role in amplifying claims of rising antisemitism on campus, paving the way for a sweeping crackdown on civil liberties following the protests.

Columbia University became a focal point of a nationwide student movement that swept U.S. campuses in 2024.

An estimated 8% of university students across the country took part in demonstrations against Israeli Occupation assault on Gaza, demanding that academic institutions divest from “Israel.”

The crackdown was just as massive, with over 3,000 protesters—including faculty members—arrested, a campaign in which Milo was actively involved.

The national protest movement in Colombia began on April 17, 2024, with a small solidarity encampment for Gaza.

Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of SIPA, was later seized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in what is believed to be an operation linked to Milo.

According to MintPress News, before entering academia, Yarhi-Milo served as an officer and intelligence analyst in the Israeli military.

Fluent in Arabic, Milo likely played a role in monitoring Arab communities and students in the U.S., according to the same source.

After leaving intelligence work, she joined “Israel’s permanent mission” to the United Nations in New York, where she met her husband, the Israeli Occupation’s spokesperson at the UN (whose name was not disclosed). She now lives in New York with him and their two children.

Though she transitioned to academia, she remained deeply involved in international security, making it her area of expertise. She also worked to highlight women's voices in the field, including hosting a discussion with former U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines in 2023.

Despite Khalil being a student at her school, Milo made no public comment on his arrest. Instead, in March 2025, she invited former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to speak at Columbia University.

The event sparked student outrage, with one protester confronting Milo, following her through a security checkpoint onto campus and down the college walkway.

“You hosted a war criminal last night,” the protester shouted. “You have blood on your hand.”

“How do you feel? More than 140,000 Palestinians have been killed because of you.”

Milo worked to keep the event secret, as shown by an invitation email obtained by The Spectator, which stressed the importance of not disclosing the guest’s identity or the event’s details.

Columbia University condemned the “harassment” of Milo in an official statement, stating that the individual in question was quickly identified, and an investigation was launched. Appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken.

‘Israel’ and Donations

A significant portion of Columbia University's funding comes from donations from the government and billionaires, often tied to political conditions.

For example, one day before Khalil's arrest, Trump announced the cancellation of about $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University.

The connection between donations and support for “Israel” became especially evident after the protests, with several pro-”Israel” donors demanding punitive actions against the students.

Businessman Robert Kraft announced he would cut his funding to Columbia due to the university’s “failure” to suppress the protests effectively.

Former hedge fund manager and pro-”Israel” billionaire Leon Cooperman also demanded the university “control these crazy students,” even calling for the dismissal of Jordanian professor Joseph Massad (61), known for his views on the Middle East.

Jewish billionaire and Britain’s second-richest man, Len Blavatnik, called for the police to “hold the protesters accountable.”

Blavatnik has faced a series of protests in the UK after his Israeli TV channel, Channel 13, was accused of canceling programs to appease Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The three of them collectively donated about $100 million to Columbia University, giving them significant influence over its policies.

Calls to suppress the protest movement also came from within the university itself, with business professor Shai Davidai labeling the protesters as “Nazis” and “terrorists,” calling for the deployment of the National Guard to suppress them. Davidai, who served in the Israeli military, expressed pride in his service.

It is unlikely that the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) will change its pro-”Israel” stance, especially after announcing the appointment of Jacob Lew to its faculty in January.

Jacob Lew recently stepped down as the U.S. Ambassador to “Israel” under the previous administration of President Joe Biden. He played a key role in supporting the Israeli war on Gaza through supplying weapons and diplomatic backing.

It may come as no surprise to some that former officials from Israeli military intelligence hold prominent positions in American institutions.

Recent revelations have exposed vast networks of former Israeli spies working at major tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon.

Even TikTok, often accused of being a Chinese spy tool, has employed former Israeli intelligence agents in senior administrative positions.

It may not be entirely surprising that the dean of the school at the heart of a global media controversy is a former Israeli military intelligence officer. However, it serves as a striking reminder of the profound institutional bias in favor of “Israel” that is evident throughout the United States.

Her Activities and Connections

Keren Yarhi-Milo is the youngest dean in the history of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. She has received awards in the field of international security and crisis decision-making, according to her profile on Columbia's website.

Yarhi-Milo holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with honors from Columbia University.

She joined Columbia’s permanent faculty in 2019 after spending a decade at Princeton University.

Before becoming the dean of SIPA in July 2022, Yarhi-Milo served for two years as the director of Columbia University's Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies.

In a March 2023 report on her appointment, Yedioth Ahronoth wrote, “Last summer, Prof. Keren Yarhi-Milo was appointed dean of Columbia University’s School of International Relations and Public Policy in New York [SIPA], becoming not only the first Israeli in office but also the youngest woman to ever fill such a high position at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.”

In an interview with the newspaper, she described herself as coming from a political family in “Israel.”

“I come from a political family that lives in Israel, and I talk to my mother a lot about what is happening. I feel the emotions, I hear the pain, and it saddens me that I am not in Israel right now.”

Yedioth noted that she is considered a prodigy in the field of international relations research and trains the next generation of diplomats and government officials.

The report further highlighted that she heads “one of the most important schools in the world, with a list of alumni such as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, business magnate Warren Buffett, and former CIA Director George Tenet.”

Her faculty also includes former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who co-teaches a course on decision-making and strategy with her.

In 2023, Yarhi-Milo founded the Institute for Global Policy (IGP) at Columbia University, which has an advisory board composed of faculty members, and is chaired by Clinton.

In the fall of 2023, Yarhi-Milo co-taught the course Inside the Situation Room with Hillary Clinton, where they discussed the psychological biases that affect decision-making during crises.

Regarding the course, Yedioth Ahronoth said it will combine theory and practice, with Milo—who is a highly intelligent analyst with extensive knowledge and great energy—leading the teaching.

The course will cover crisis management and decisions that Clinton had to make in situations such as sanctions on Iran, the Gaza ceasefire, the hunt for former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and more.

Milo emphasized in the interview “her deep connection to her Israeli identity,” even though her research does not specialize in Israeli politics.

On another note, she mentioned one of her goals is to attract more Israeli students to the university, adding that their military experience, for example, is closely related to what “we teach.” She also discussed another goal of “combating anti-Semitism.”

“We forge the leaders of tomorrow, we give them integral and professional tools to recognize and analyze the most pressing problems nowadays, and I very much want to change the anti-Israel bias. It will also allow us to change the discourse and give the opportunity for others to hear different opinions.”

In general, Milo's research focuses on how leaders make foreign policy decisions related to the use of force, as she describes herself on her profile page.

Her research addresses “misperceptions in global politics,” threat assessments, intelligence analysis, the role of secrecy and deception in foreign policy, and the importance of direct diplomacy.

She has authored two award-winning books: Who Fights for Reputation? The Psychology of Leaders in International Conflicts (2018) and Knowing the Adversary: Leaders, Intelligence Organizations, and Assessments of Intentions in International Relations (2014).

Recently, she co-authored an article in The Atlantic on The Lessons Israel Failed to Learn From the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and another on Hamas’s attacks on October 7.

While in “Israel,” she worked with several NGOs that claim to “promote peace in the Middle East,” including the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.