Yesterday, a joint statement was put forth by 35 groups affiliated with Harvard University, including Amnesty International at Harvard. The statement held "the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence" as reported by NBC Boston and has sparked widespread criticism among various parties, including former Harvard President Larry Summers and Harvard alumni Congressmen Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss.
Larry Summers expressed his disappointment with the statement and questioned the university's administration's quietude regarding their obligations toward supporting Israeli students. Congressman Seth Moulton supported Summers by characterizing the statement and Harvard's silence as intellectually weak and morally repugnant according to Boston 25 News report. Congressman Jake Auchincloss similarly questioned the university's leadership for failing to join and denounce the antisemitism reportedly exhibited by student groups as stated in Boston 25 News.
Harvard's response to the unfolding situation was to release an official statement acknowledging the emotional toll the violence had on the community as reported by NBC Boston. However, their reluctance to specifically address the controversial statement by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups drew further criticism from Auchincloss.
The joint statement by Harvard-affiliated groups was in response to recent attacks and airstrikes between Israel and Hamas, which resulted to over in 1,550 casualties according to Boston 25 News.
