A coalition of Harvard student groups has ignited widespread criticism, both within and beyond the university campus, for their joint endorsement of a statement that placed full responsibility on Israel for the violent Hamas attack, a devastating incident that has claimed the lives of hundreds of Israelis and instigated a conflict.
This statement, which surfaced on a Sunday, initially originated from the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) and garnered the signatures of 33 additional Harvard student organizations.
The letter, entitled 'Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in Palestine,' unequivocally stated, "We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence." The statement went on to assert that the Hamas attacks did not occur in isolation and argued that the Israeli government had compelled Palestinians to endure "an open-air prison for over two decades."
The statement faced a barrage of condemnation and was even temporarily removed from Instagram, the platform on which it was published.
Numerous professors, politicians, and individuals viewed the statement as an effort to rationalize Hamas' attack and subsequently criticized it. Some demanded the disaffiliation of the student organizations from the university, while others labeled it as "morally indefensible."
Harvard Hillel, the University's Jewish center, expressed strong opposition to the statement, characterizing it as an extension of hatred and anti-Semitism. In response to the statement, Hillel conveyed, "In the strongest terms, we oppose this outrageous statement that blames Israel for the violence carried out by Hamas terrorists - a group that has opposed peace and called for Israel’s destruction since it was founded. We expect the Harvard community to do better."
Political scientist Ian Bremmer also criticized the statement for its stance, posting on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that a large number of Harvard student organizations were placing sole blame on Israel for Hamas terrorist attacks that had claimed the lives of 700 civilians.
Former Harvard President and economist Larry Summers expressed his disillusionment, conveying that he had never felt as alienated as he did at that moment. He lamented that Harvard was now defined by a morally indefensible statement, seemingly emanating from dozens of student groups that attributed all the violence to Israel. He expressed his sickness over the situation and his inability to comprehend the university administration's failure to dissociate itself from the statement and condemn it.
US lawmakers, including Representatives Ritchie J Torres and Elise M Stefanik, also voiced their disapproval of the statement.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss criticized the statement as a "word salad approved by committee" and expressed his shame in Harvard's leadership for failing to denounce the antisemitism evident in the student groups.
Meanwhile, Harvard University released a statement indicating their aspiration to take measures that leverage common humanity and shared values to mitigate rather than exacerbate the deep-seated divisions.
While acknowledging that Harvard alone cannot easily reconcile the differing perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the statement conveyed hope that, as a community committed to education, the university could implement actions that draw on shared humanity and shared values to temper, rather than amplify, the pronounced divisions and hostilities prevalent in the wider world.
The statement reassured that the university authorities would continue to offer as much support as possible to its students and colleagues.
The invasion by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip occurred on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah on a Saturday, leading to over 1600 casualties thus far.
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