CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS: Amid the recent escalation of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas, Harvard University has found itself in hot water after maintaining silence even as criticism mounted over students’ open letter that blamed Israel for the bloody attacks.
A coalition of business executives recently joined Bill Ackman’s call to refuse to hire Harvard students, who signed on to a letter blaming Israel for Hamas’ deadliest attack that killed more than 1300 people, including at least 22 Americans.
The 57-year-old billionaire hedge fund manager emphasized that individuals should not be allowed to hide behind corporate affiliations when endorsing statements that appear to support the "actions of terrorists."
Israeli businessman Idan Ofer and his wife also resigned from their positions on the Harvard Kennedy School's executive board as a protest against school President Claudine Gay's tardy and unsatisfactory response to the student letter.
What did Harvard student groups say in their controversial letter?
On October 8, Harvard’s student organizations condemned Israel in a public letter released under the title "Joint Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in Palestine.”
The letter claimed that the ongoing Hamas offensive "did not happen in a vacuum" and that the Israeli government has been making Palestinians live in "an open-air prison for over two decades."
“We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,” it stated. The letter further stated that Israel is forcing Palestine to live in an apartheid state, a notion that has been forwarded by left-leaning academics before.
“From systematized land seizures to routine airstrikes, arbitrary detentions to military checkpoints, and enforced family separations to targeted killings, Palestinians have been forced to live in a state of death, both slow and sudden,” it continued.
The letter was originally signed by 31 student organizations including the African American Resistance Organization, Amnesty International, 'Harvard Act on a Dream,' groups of Muslim and South Asian students from the Kennedy and Chan schools, the Harvard Islamic Society, and Harvard Jews for Liberation.
Josh Willcox, the 22-year-old son of perfume mogul Jo Malone, was also among the students, who reportedly helped lead a pro-Palestinian Harvard group behind the controversial letter.
Harvard student organization slammed over pro-Palestine letter
The pro-Palestine letter released by Harvard student organization has sparked a furious backlash, with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers blasting the Ivy League school’s administration over its lack of response to the statement.
“In nearly 50 years of @Harvard affiliation, I have never been as disillusioned and alienated as I am today. The silence from Harvard’s leadership, so far, coupled with a vocal and widely reported student groups’ statement blaming Israel solely, has allowed Harvard to appear at best neutral towards acts of terror against the Jewish state of Israel,” he tweeted.
Following the backlash, a “doxxing truck” was also seen driving around the Harvard campus, with digital billboards that display the names and photos of students who signed the letter.
This came after 17 other Harvard groups joined around 500 faculty and staff and 3,000 others in signing a counter-statement attacking the other groups’ letter as “completely wrong and deeply offensive,” according to the NY Post.
Harvard president Claudine Gay also broke her silence on Monday when she condemned the university’s leadership, for not denouncing the pro-Palestine letter.
In the letter, Gay and 17 other deans and administrators also expressed condolences to members of the Harvard community who had lost loved ones, and called for “an environment of dialogue and empathy.”
However, the administrator’s statement gave no satisfaction to Israeli businessman Idan Ofer and his wife, who resigned from their positions on the Harvard Kennedy School's executive board.
The couple stated that they are resigning “in protest of the shocking and insensitive response by the president of the university, who did not condemn the letter by student organizations who blamed Israel for the massacres.”
Internet foretells the end of Harvard
Harvard student’s open letter and administrator’s response have sparked a furious outrage on social media, with many users predicting the end of the prestigious university.
“Harvard is a communist brainwashing school for morons and losers,” one user wrote. “They want to stop ppl like Candace Owens from speaking on campus but then turn around and embrace these hate groups,” a second user slammed.
“What a waste of education going to Harvard,” the third user asserted, while the fourth user said, “There was a day that it was a decent institution. That day has long since passed.”
“Hatevard is more like it! To all the alumni this is what your donations support!” a fifth user fumed.
“Harvard is a”Puke” University! I gets at least $500,000 a year from taxes but still charges tuition! They have billions of dollars at the disposal and they use it for anti America ideas,” another one said.
“It's much worse that that. It's a training ground for intellectual extremism,” one more wrote.
