This situation is going to do some lasting damage to Harvard’s image, and it’s totally justified.
From Fortune via Yahoo News:
Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer quits Harvard’s board, blasting the school leadership’s response to students’ anti-Israel letterAn Israeli billionaire who is the 80th richest man in the world has quit Harvard’s executive board in protest of the school’s leaders’ response to the attacks by Hamas on Israel—the latest development in a fierce debate over the unfolding war that has roiled the university.Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and his wife Batia told CNN on Friday that their “faith in the University’s leadership has been broken” and that they “cannot in good faith continue to support Harvard and its committees.” The couple had sat on the executive board of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.It’s the latest development at the Ivy League university, where many have criticized its response to a student statement from a pro-Palestine group that held Israel “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”The letter, published by a number of pro-Palestine student groups called the Palestine Solidarity Committee, read: “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 and to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians.”The statement initially included the names of approximately 30 student organizations, which were later removed to protect the safety of the students involved, the group said.Harvard University president Claudine Gay distanced the school from the student statement on Tuesday, saying, “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.” She added, “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.”
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