UPDATE (Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, 1:15 p.m.): Harvard President Claudine Gay released a new statement addressing what the groups said. Details here.
A former Harvard president is among those criticizing a collection of university-affiliated advocacy groups that have placed the blame for Hamas' deadly attack on Israel on the Israeli government.
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Thousands in Israel were killed, injured and taken hostage in Saturday's surprise attack by Hamas gunmen. Israel responded with massive airstrikes on Palestinian Gaza, which have killed hundreds more.
The joint statement from the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups, which as of Monday afternoon was signed by 35 organizations, including Amnesty International at Harvard, said its signatories "hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.
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"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," the statement continued, noting that "Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years" through the systematic seizure of land, airstrikes and more, and referred to the current political situation as "apartheid."
The statement also called on Harvard's community to stop the "annihilation of Palestinians."
Among the many people who have criticized the letter was former Harvard President and economist Larry Summers, who said on social media, "I have never been as disillusioned and alienated as I am today," coupling the statement with the current administration's silence on the unfolding situation in the Middle East.
"Harvard is being defined by the morally unconscionable statement apparently coming from two dozen student groups blaming all the violence on Israel. I am sickened. I cannot fathom the Administration’s failure to disassociate the University and condemn this statement," he said in social media.
“Nothing justifies murdering babies in front of their parents, or murdering parents in front of their children or raping young girls for the sport of it. And that is what happened over the weekend and that is where the focus should be,” Summers added in an interview with NBC10 Boston.
He added that many universities, including Harvard, have failed their students by not being vocal about their support for Israeli students.
Summers noted that one of his successors, Lawrence Becow, issued a statement supporting Ukraine after Russia invaded in 2022 and that Claudine Gay, who took office as president days ago, released a "powerful statement on police violence" in the wake of George Floyd's death in 2020.
A letter to the school community, attributed to Gay and other leaders, was posted to Harvard's website and shared on social media after 8:15 p.m. Monday. It did not mention the earlier statement from the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups.
"The violence hits all too close to home for many at Harvard. Some members of our community have lost family members and friends; some have been unable to reach loved ones," the letter read. "And, even for people at Harvard who have not been affected directly by the fighting, there are feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and more that create a heavy burden. We have heard from many students, faculty, and staff about the emotional toll that these events are taking."
The school went on to say it had "heard an interest from many in understanding more clearly what has been happening in Israel and Gaza."
"We have no illusion that Harvard alone can readily bridge the widely different views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but we are hopeful that, as a community devoted to learning, we can take steps that will draw on our common humanity and shared values in order to modulate rather than amplify the deep-seated divisions and animosities so distressingly evident in the wider world," Harvard said in its letter.
Hours after joining other lawmakers at a Boston Common rally in support of Israel, Rep. Jake Auchincloss expressed anger at Harvard's letter, calling it "word salad approved by committee."
Summers also said that he wasn't frowning on criticism of Israeli policy, but drew a distinction between that and "lack of clarity regarding terrorism."
NBC10 Boston has reached out to the Harvard administration for comment, as well as many of the groups that signed the letter, some of which planned to attend a pro-Palestinian rally in Cambridge Monday afternoon.
Congressman Seth Moulton also weighed in on the statement and Harvard's silence Monday evening, which hs called complicity.
"You can stand up for Palestinian rights while condemning Hamas terrorists, just as you can fiercely criticize the extremist, anti-democratic actions of the Netanyahu government while supporting the nation of Israel’s right to defend itself from people, terrorist groups and states that want it wiped out of existence.
In fact, engaging in this intellectually and morally honest debate is the best way to honor the millions of peace-loving Israelis and Palestinians who want a bright and prosperous future for their families, and who have regularly stood up to the extremists. In contrast, what’s happening at Harvard right now is intellectually weak and morally repugnant," he wrote.
Earlier Monday on Boston Common, Gov. Maura Healey announced Massachusetts' unwavering support for Israel.
"Massachusetts stands with Israel now and always," she said, flanked by both U.S. senators from Massachusetts and other local leaders. "The atrocities we’ve seen documented since Saturday morning shock the soul. The scale of the cruelty of the attacks is hard to fathom."
