American media outlets have been reporting about the outrageous letter published by pro-Palestinian organizations at Harvard University, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the United States, in which they completely blamed Israel for the war in the south and its consequences, without even mentioning or condemning the murderous terrorist attack by Hamas. Many prominent people in the American business sector have demanded that the names of the students behind the statement be published so that they know to avoid hiring them, and there are also initiatives to stop funding academic institutions infected with antisemitism.
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The New York Post dedicated its front page to this issue on Thursday, with the headline "Schooled to Hate," above a photo of students from the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, who signed the letter.
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Is Harvard creating 'little monsters'
(Photo: Scott Eisen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
In an opinion column published in the newspaper, Jacob Howland writes: "Hamas love exposes the moral rot at the center of Harvard and higher education in America. Progressive liberals have now given birth to a generation of demonic ideologues who excuse sheer evil. Reading the “Joint Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in Palestine,” I can only hope that many Harvard faculty are appalled at the little monsters they’ve helped to create."
In the open letter, signed by 31 student organizations at Harvard, including students studying law, medicine and business administration, they state: "The apartheid regime is the only one to blame," referring to Israel and without mentioning Hamas in any way. In his column, Howland writes that "the Harvard students characterize the Palestinians as hapless victims of 'colonial retaliation,' academic cant as tiresome as it is crude." He then lists a few scenes from the horrific videos that Hamas posted online, and wonders if those students watched them. "More than a national scandal, the Joint Statement exposes the profound moral and intellectual rot at the heart of American higher education," he concludes.
Countless senior executives in the business world, including billionaire and hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman, are now demanding that Harvard reveal the names of the students who are members of the organizations that signed the statement, so that they can be blacklisted and prevented from being hired by top companies.
"One should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists," Ackman stated. "If, in fact, their members support the letter they have released, the names of the signatories should be made public so their views are publicly known." The CEO of salad chain Sweetgreen, Jonathan Newman, wrote: "I would like to know so I know never to hire these people."
Anti-Defamation League Director Jonathan Greenblatt told CNN on Wednesday that the Harvard students' statement is "an outrageously offensive piece and anyone who signed it should either stand behind it and face the consequences in life or step up and apologize and explain themselves,” Greenblatt said. “This is what we learn to do in elementary school. It’s hard for me to understand why it’s complicated for people at Harvard University."
Harvard President Claudine Gay issued a statement on Tuesday in which she sought to clarify the university's position. "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," condemning "terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas." She adds that: "Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region."
Along with the calls to reveal the names of those involved, there are those who ask for leniency. The Jewish economist Larry Summers, who served as U.S Treasury Secretary in 1999-2001, expressed his outrage.
"I yield to no one in my revulsion at the statement apparently made on behalf of 30-plus Harvard student groups. But please everybody take a deep breath. Many in these groups never saw the statement before it went out. In some cases those approving did not understand exactly what they were approving," he said.
There are others who hope, along with their disbelief at the announcement, that the names of students would not be published to avoid harming them, assuming that they did not understand the meaning of the statement.
Since the publication of the letter, some of the students who are members of the organizations that signed it have renounced the statement. For example, the Nepali student group retracted its signature. "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," they wrote.
Also catching the attention of the media is Winston & Strawn law firm which rescinded a job offer to Harvard Law student Ryna Workman after she shared comments holding Israel responsible for the atrocities committed by Hamas. At her failure to condemn the terror organization, Winston & Strawn issued a statement: "Winston stands in solidarity with Israel’s right to exist in peace and condemns Hamas and the violence and destruction it has ignited in the strongest terms possible."