The world’s 80th-ranked Israeli billionaire quits Harvard’s executive committee in protest at the school’s leaders’ response to Hamas attacks on Israel – the latest development in a fierce debate over a war that has roiled the school .
Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and his wife Badia tell us CNN On Friday, they said their “confidence in the university’s leadership has been shattered” and that they “cannot in good faith continue to support Harvard University and its committees.” The couple once served on Harvard’s executive board Kennedy School of Government.
It’s the latest development at an Ivy League university that many have criticized for its response to students statement from a pro-Palestinian group that holds Israel “fully responsible for all the violence that is taking place.”
The letter, published by a group of pro-Palestinian students called the Palestinian Solidarity Committee, said: “Today, Palestinian suffering enters uncharted territory. The coming days will require resolute opposition to colonial retaliation. We call on the Harvard community to take action to stop The ongoing massacre of Palestinians.”
The statement initially included the names of about 30 student organizations, but was later removed to protect the safety of the students involved, the organization said.
Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University estrangement “I condemn the terrorist atrocities committed by Hamas,” the school said in a student statement on Tuesday. “Regardless of one’s personal views on the root causes of the region’s long-standing conflict, this inhumane act is abhorrent,” she added. , “While our students have the right to speak for themselves, no one student group — not even 30 student groups — can speak for Harvard or its leadership.”
But that wasn’t enough for the Overs, who said they decided to resign from the board “because of the university leadership’s lack of support for the people of Israel in the wake of the tragic events of the past week, coupled with their apparent reluctance to admit Hamas is a terrorist organization.”
“We condemn those who seek to blame the Israeli people for the atrocities committed by the terrorist organization Hamas,” they said.
Idan Ofer’s net worth is close to $20 billion, made his fortune by owning a majority stake in an Israeli company, a chemicals, energy and shipping conglomerate.His father, Sammy Ofer, was reportedly the richest man in Israel Forbes.
“With so much misinformation being spread on social media, it is important for the world’s institutions to speak loud and clear at this critical time,” the Overses said.
chaos at harvard
The Overses’ response is the latest in a series of controversies that have dogged the Ivy League since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday. This attack and Israel’s violent retaliation led to fierce fighting between the two sides, resulting in the death of more than 2,000 people.
Several human rights and pro-Palestinian groups have expressed support for the Palestinian people, distinguishing the 2 million civilians living in Gaza from the militant Hamas group that controls the area, which has been blockaded by Israel for 16 years. and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States. Israeli hawks responded angrily, with some equating support for the Palestinians to support for terrorists.
Bill Ackman, the billionaire founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, asked Harvard University on Wednesday to reveal the names of students who signed a pro-Palestinian letter, saying he and other high-profile CEOs Want to see these names so “no one knows”. Some of us have unintentionally hired any of their members. “
the next day, Harvard Crimson Report That so-called “Human flesh search” truck Driving across campus, a digital billboard titled “Harvard’s Leading Anti-Semite” displayed the names and faces of students allegedly linked to the letter. Some students said their names and their organizations were incorrectly labeled. signed this letter Without their knowledge.
The stunt itself prompted criticism of excess.Professor of Economics at Harvard University Jason FurmanThe former economic adviser to President Barack Obama condemned the display. write on X “Two wrongs do not make a right.”Harvard Hillel, the school’s Jewish student organization, also rebuke truck incident and “any behavior that threatens and intimidates” students involved in the statement.
“We will continue to reject the PSC’s statement in the strongest possible terms and hold those who signed it accountable,” Hillel wrote. “But in no case should this responsibility extend to overt intimidation of an individual.”
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