On 11th October, Harvard students who had issued a letter in support of Palestine following a terror attack by the Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas against Israeli civilians started backtracking from their condemnation of Israel. The “change of heart” appeared to result from worldwide criticism and the decision of corporate heads, especially Jews, not to hire anyone who expressed support to Hamas’ barbaric acts.
A former Harvard student group board member whose group had signed the statement stepped down from her position. In a thread on X, she said that the decision to sign the letter was egregious and apologised for the pain her actions caused. She further claimed that the student organisation ‘did not have a formal process’ and she did not even see the statement until they had signed on. She added, “The statement is not representative of my values, and my heart is with those impacted.”
The Nepalese student organisation, Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association, also backtracked from the statement. In a post on Instagram, they wrote, “We regret that our decision to co-sign the latest PSC statement to call attention to historical injustices against Palestinians, with an earnest desire for peace, has been interpreted as a tacit support for the recent violent attacks in Israel.”
They added, “To ensure that our stance on the condemnation of violence by Hamas and support for a just peace remains clear, we retract our signature from the statement. Through this message, we hope to send love, strength, and solidarity as multiple communities worldwide, including us, continue to process the loss of those who have left us too early.”
It is notable here that several Nepali citizens have been brutally killed by Hamas in the terror attack in Southern Israel.
Harvard Ghungroo, another such organisation, also took back the support for the statement. In an Instagram post, the group wrote, “We, Harvard Undergraduate Ghungroo, would like to formally apologise for co-signing the statement made by The Harvard Palestinian Committee and have formally retracted our signature. We would like to clarify that we stand in solidarity with both Israeli and Palestinian victims and families. Harvard Undergraduate Ghungroo strictly denounces and condemns the massacre propagated by the terrorist organisation Hamas. We truly apologise for the insensitivity of the statement that was released recently.”
Harvard President condemned the statement issued by Student groups
After the backlash, the University President, Claudine Gay, condemned student groups’ statement. She said, “As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region.
Let me also state, on this matter as on others, that while our students have the right to speak for themselves, no student group — not even 30 student groups — speaks for Harvard University or its leadership.
"Let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region." Read more from President Claudine Gay. https://t.co/yXS0cvADes
— Harvard University (@Harvard) October 10, 2023
We will all be well served in such a difficult moment by rhetoric that aims to illuminate and not inflame. And I appeal to all of us in this community of learning to keep this in mind as our conversations continue.“
Corporates vowed not to hire students supporting Hamas
On 10th October, Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square, wrote on X that a number of CEOs asked him if Harvard would release a “list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas’ heinous acts to Israel, so as to ensure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their members.”
I have been asked by a number of CEOs if @harvard would release a list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas’ heinous acts to Israel, so as to insure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their… https://t.co/7kzGOAGwp9
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) October 10, 2023
He added that the signatories’ names should be made public so that the world knows their views. “One should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists, who, we now learn, have beheaded babies, among other inconceivably despicable acts,” he added.
Winston & Strawn LLP, a New York based Law firm, issued a statement saying that they came to know that a former summer associate published inflammatory comments about Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and distributed it to the NYU Student Bar Association. The firm rescinded the law student’s offer of employment.
The letter that stirred the controversy
The letter issued by the Harvard students went viral after a University student Yael Bar Tur shared it on X. In her post, she wrote, “This is the final crack in my broken heart – a joint statement from Harvard students. I could be sitting in class with these students, watching children brutally murdered, raped, kidnapped and their mutated bodies torn apart by a jeering crowd – and hear why it’s justified.”
This is the final crack in my broken heart – a joint statement from @Harvard students. I could be sitting in class with these students, watching children brutally murdered, raped, kidnapped and their mutated bodies torn apart by a jeering crowd – and hear why it’s justified. pic.twitter.com/UTi60Y2omJ
— Yael Bar tur (@yaelbt) October 8, 2023
The latest version of the letter without the list of the groups can be seen here. Instead of the list of the groups and students who signed the letter, it now reads, “This statement was co-authored by a coalition of Palestine solidarity groups at Harvard. For student safety, the names of all original signing organizations have been concealed at this time.“
In the letter, the student groups blamed Israel for the Hamas Terrorist Attack. It even justified the Hamas attack and the barbaric slaughter of civilians in Southern Israel that unfolded on 7th October. The letter read, “We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.
Today’s events did not occur in a vacuum. For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison. Israeli officials promise to “open the gates of hell,” and the massacres in Gaza have already commenced. Palestinians in Gaza have no shelters for refuge and nowhere to escape. In the coming days, Palestinians will be forced to bear the full brunt of Israel’s violence.
The apartheid regime is the only one to blame. Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years. 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.
Today, the Palestinian ordeal enters into uncharted territory. The coming days will require a firm stand against colonial retaliation. We call on the Harvard community to take action to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians.“
Israel-Hamas war
On 7th October (local time), the terrorist organisation Hamas launched a brutal terror attack on Israeli soil. Over 900 people were killed in the attack. Paragliders and vehicle-borne Hamas terrorists wielding automatic weapons barged inside the border walls and attacked civilians, residential communities, and even a music festival in Southern Israel. In response to the brutal terrorist attack on Israel that killed over 900 civilians and wounded over 2,500 others, Israel has declared war on Hamas and has been pounding the Gaza Strip with bombs for 3 days now.
The US and other NATO nations have declared support for Israel. Hundreds of Israelis and foreign nationals are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas. Hamas has massacred civilians brutally after attacking a music festival, and family homes in Southern Israel. Social media posts have surfaced where Hamas terrorists are seen killing children, women, and the elderly. The exact number of hostages is unknown.
Update: On November 10, 2023, Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square, posted that he had recently spoken to the law student who had stepped down from the student organisation board after she learned of the controversial statement, and was informed that she was away for the weekend when that statement was made and had not checked her WhatsApp. Ackman added that as co-president of another student org, the Harvard Armenian Law School Association, members chose not to sign the statement. Ackman had urged media organisations not to disparage this student’s name and had praised her as one of the few students who came out publicly to explain their actions.
