A group of about 30 student at Harvard University have expressed support for Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday.
The students’ group, which include the Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee, the Harvard Islamic Society, the Harvard Black Students Association, and the Harvard College Democrats, issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning Israel’s “brutal and illegal occupation” of Palestine and held Israel “entirely responsible” for the escalation of violence.
“We stand in solidarity with our Palestinian siblings who are resisting Israeli settler-colonialism and apartheid. We affirm the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to resist oppression by any means necessary,” the statement read.
The statement also accused Israel of committing “ethnic cleansing” in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem where several Palestinian families have faced eviction by Israeli authorities.
The student groups called on the Harvard administration to divest from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation, and to support academic freedom for Palestinian scholars and students.
The Harvard Hillel, a center for Jewish life on campus, denounced the statement as “deeply disturbing” and “morally reprehensible”.
“It is shocking that these student groups would endorse a terrorist organization that has indiscriminately fired thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians,” the statement read.
The Harvard Hillel also expressed its solidarity with the victims of the attack and their families, and called for an end to the violence and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The Harvard College Republicans also issued a statement condemning the student groups’ support for Hamas and calling it “an affront to human decency”.
Hamas is a designated terrorist organization by the United States and many other countries.
The Harvard administration has not yet responded to the statements by the student groups. A spokesperson for the university declined to comment on the matter.
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