Harvard to host summer course at Palestinian university that declared ‘glory for martyrs’ after Hamas’ October 7 massacre

The "Palestine Social Medicine" course is set to take place in August at Birzeit University in the West Bank, whose official X account sent out a post expressing the aforementioned sentiment three days after the Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group began carrying out its indiscriminate killing spree in Israel.

In response to Israel's bombing of the Islamic University in Gaza, Birzeit expressed its "sincere condolences" to staff and students at the institution who had been impacted by the war.

"Glory for martyrs, recovery for wounded ones, and freedom for the captives," Birzeit added.

Two months later, the university celebrated the anniversary of the violent First Intifada, calling it a "perfect example of national unity."

As the Daily Wire reports, a large proportion of those at the university voted for a Hamas-affiliated group during student government elections. The Islamic Bloc's victory was celebrated by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh himself.

Harvard Dean for Communications and Strategic Initiatives, Stephanie Simon, noted that the affiliation with Hamas would not impact the decision to collaborate with the university.

"Student government elections at Birzeit typically involve candidates affiliated with each of the major political parties in the region, including Hamas," she said. "These student government elections are not germane to and have not affected the FXB Center’s work with the scholars and students at Birzeit’s Institute of Community and Public Health."

Student government president, Abdulmajid Hassan, as well as seven other students, were arrested by the IDF in September 2023 and were accused of planning a terrorist attack.

The course, which was first hosted in 2023, is a collaboration between Harvard's Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights and the Institute of Community and Public Health at Birzeit University.

The course is set to take place at the institute, with field trips around the West Bank and Israel, however "due to the current circumstances," a "contingency plan" has been put in place to host students in Amman, Jordan or Beirut, Lebanon. A final decision will be made in early spring.

During their three-week experience, students will be introduced to the "social, structural, political, and historical aspects that determine Palestinian health beyond the biological basis of disease."

Focus will be placed on "self-awareness and structural humility," "settler colonialism and its manifestations in Palestine," "health and racism," and other related topics.

Ten students from the United States will join an additional 20 Palestinians, however preference in the former group will be given to Harvard students.