LONDON: An Israeli billionaire has left the executive board of Harvard’s Kennedy School in protest at the “shocking and insensitive” official response to a student letter that held Israel accountable for last week’s Hamas attack.
Idan Ofer, a shipping and chemicals businessman, and his wife Batia said they were quitting their roles at Harvard following the row.
A group of 33 student organizations at Harvard, led by the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, released a statement last Saturday holding Israel’s “apartheid regime” responsible for causing the latest outbreak of violence.
The statement said: “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 apartheid regime is the only one to blame.”
The university’s response to the statement was criticized by 160 Harvard faculty members, who claimed that the student organizations “can be seen as nothing less than condoning the mass murder of civilians based only on their nationality.”
Harvard President Claudine Gay was accused by the Harvard Hillel Jewish center of contributing to “further hatred and antisemitism” by allegedly refusing to explicitly condemn Hamas in a response to the student group statement.
Harvard authorities said on Monday: “We write to you today heartbroken by the death and destruction unleashed by the attack by Hamas that targeted citizens in Israel this weekend, and by the war in Israel and Gaza now underway.”
A day letter, following criticism from former university President Lawrence Summers and former Harvard Medical School dean Jeffrey Flier, Gay said: “As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that 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.
“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.”
Hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman called for the names of the student signatories to be released to the public so that companies could avoid hiring them.
Sanaa Kahloon of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee said the student group’s message had been misinterpreted.
“To restate what should be obvious: The PSC staunchly opposes violence against civilians — Palestinian, Israeli, or other,” she added.
Committee members have been sent death threats in the wake of the row, with the group calling off a planned vigil to mourn deaths in Israel and Gaza over safety fears.
Israeli billionaire quits Harvard executive board over Hamas support row
https://arab.news/bkey4
Israeli billionaire quits Harvard executive board over Hamas support row
- 33 student organizations blamed Israeli ‘apartheid regime’ for violence, saying ‘events did not occur in a vacuum’
- Idan Ofer calls official response to student letter ‘shocking and insensitive’
Iraqi lawmakers to elect president Tuesday, PM appointment next
- Parliamentary speaker Haibat Al-Halbussi announced on Sunday that the new parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect a president
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s parliament will meet on Tuesday to elect the country’s new president, who will then appoint a prime minister expected to be Nouri Al-Maliki after he was endorsed by the largest Shiite bloc.
By convention, a Shiite Muslim holds the post of prime minister, the parliament speaker is Sunni and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd.
Parliamentary speaker Haibat Al-Halbussi announced on Sunday that the new parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect a president, according to the official INA press agency.
The president will then have 15 days to appoint a prime minister, who is usually nominated by the largest Shiite bloc formed through post-election alliances.
On Saturday, the Coordination Framework alliance — whose Shiiite factions have varying links to Iran — endorsed former prime minister and powerbroker Al-Maliki as the country’s next premier.
The alliance, to which Al-Maliki belongs, spoke of his “political and administrative experience and his record in running the state.”
Kurdish parties have yet to agree on a presidential candidate, who must be endorsed by other blocs and win a two-thirds majority in parliament.
The presidency is usually held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This year, the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) named its own candidate: Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
Although Maliki’s endorsement effectively guarantees him the post, forming a new government remains a daunting challenge that could drag on for months and still fail.
The designated premier has one month to form a government and present it to parliament for a vote of confidence.
The 75-year-old Maliki, a shrewd politician, is set to return to power at a time of seismic changes in the Middle East, as Tehran’s regional influence wanes and tensions with Washington rise.
Government formation in Iraq must balance internal political dynamics and power-sharing among major parties, all under the continued influence of Iraq’s two main allies: Iran and the United States.
A close Iran ally, Al-Maliki will be expected to address Washington’s longstanding demand that Baghdad dismantle Tehran-backed factions, many of which are designated terrorist groups by the US.
Last month, Iraqi officials and diplomats told AFP that Washington demanded the eventual government exclude Iran-backed armed groups, even though most of them hold seats in parliament, and have seen their political and financial clout increase.
But Iraq is struggling with weak economic growth and cannot risk punitive measures by the US, which has already sanctioned several Iraqi entities, accusing them of helping Tehran evade sanctions.
