Harvard student groups who blamed Israel for Hamas terror attack face backlash from corporate world

In the days since over 30 Harvard organizations signed a joint statement declaring Israel "entirely responsible" for the Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas' massacre of innocent civilians in Israel, a number of students affiliated with the signatories have attempted to distance themselves from the sentiments.

Many made the move after prominent billionaire Bill Ackman said he and other CEOs were interested in knowing the names of the students in the groups so as to ensure they did not "inadvertently hire" them in the future.

"One should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists, who, we now learn, have beheaded babies, among other inconceivably despicable acts," Ackman wrote in a post on X.

A Harvard Law student replied to Ackman claiming that while she was a part of one of the groups that signed the statement, she was not a board member, and thus had no say in the decision. 

"I unequivocally condemn the horrific acts of violence against innocent civilians that Hamas committed this weekend," she wrote on Wednesday. "I did not sign the letter. It does not reflect my beliefs."

She suggested CEOs were engaging in "harassment" by wanting to know who the members were.

"Harvard students are legit worried that their open Hamas support will affect future job opportunities with Goldman," professor Wilfred Reilly said in response to the student's plea.

On Tuesday, Townhall's John Hasson published the names of many students belonging to the groups, which included the Editor in Chief of the Harvard Human Rights Journal. 

Among the many others who publicly distanced themselves from the statement was a student who preferred not to be named. She described the sentiments expressed as "egregious," and announced that she had since resigned from her role.

In their statement, the groups called Israel an "apartheid regime," and said it was "the only one to blame" for the terror.

"Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years," they added. "From systematized land seizures to routine airstrikes, arbitrary detentions to military checkpoints, and enforced family separations to targeted killings, Palestinians have been forced to live in a state of death, both slow and sudden."

The current Harvard president eventually spoke out against the statement, while her predecessor slammed the school's leadership for its delayed response.

As the Harvard Crimson reports, a joint statement by school affiliates calling the groups' sentiments "completely wrong and deeply offensive" amassed thousands of signatures. 

The Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee's Sanaa M. Kahloon responded to the backlash, saying members "reject the accusation that our previous statement could be read as supportive of civilian deaths."

As the Manhattan Institute's Chris Rufo noted, Harvard's curriculum is full of courses that inspire people to write the things included in the statement.

He noted that many are "promoting theories of 'anticolonial struggle' and 'how BIPOC communities forged [intersectional] solidarities to rebel against global white supremacy'."

"In practice," he added, "decolonization means Gaza-style violence."