{"id":2064312,"date":"2023-10-12T02:44:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T06:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harvard-student-organizations-backtracking-on-letter-blaming-israel-for-hamas-attack\/"},"modified":"2023-10-12T02:47:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T06:47:15","slug":"harvard-student-organizations-backtracking-on-letter-blaming-israel-for-hamas-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harvard-student-organizations-backtracking-on-letter-blaming-israel-for-hamas-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Harvard student groups retract letter blaming Israel for Hamas attack."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fharvard-student-organizations-backtracking-on-letter-blaming-israel-for-hamas-attack%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2064312&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Harvard Student \u200dOrganizations \u2064Distance Themselves From Controversial Letter<\/h2>\n<p>Several college\u2064 student organizations in the United States are backtracking on support for an Oct. \u20628 open letter justifying the actions of Hamas in \u200cits war against Israel after intense backlash.<\/p>\n<p>Authored and publicly released by the Harvard \u2063Undergraduate\u2064 Palestine \u200cSolidarity Committee (PSC) through its Instagram \u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/harvardpsc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">page<\/a>, the letter was co-signed\u2063 by more\u200b than 30 other \u2063student organizations \u200dand stated they\u200c held\u2063 &#8220;the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding\u200c violence.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hamas, a recognized \u200cterrorist\u200b group, launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/israel-at-war-after-unprecedented-hamas-attack-what-to-know-5506213\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">surprise Oct. 7 \u2063attack<\/a> on Israel from\u200c its\u2062 stronghold in the \u200cGaza Strip, \u200bkilling\u2062 over 1,000 Israelis, wounding more than 2,000, and kidnapping many \u200cothers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/hamas-seeks-to-spark-regional-conflict-against-israel-expert-5508555?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Hamas Seeks to Spark Regional Conflict \u200dAgainst Israel: Expert<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 10\/11\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/the-israel-hamas-war-what-the-media-isnt-talking-about-karys-rhea-atlnow-5508498?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>The Israel-Hamas War: What the Media Isn&#8217;t Talking\u2063 About\u2013Karys Rhea | ATL:NOW<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 10\/11\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a feud stretching back decades \u200cthat\u200b has seen ongoing conflict \u2062in the \u2063region, the Islamist \u200bHamas has said\u2062 it \u200cdoes not accept \u200cthe \u200bexistence of the state of Israel, and has tried to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/hamas-attacks-whos-responsible-5506100\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claim the land \u200cof Israel<\/a> for the \u2064state of\u2063 Palestine.\u200d Other Palestinian groups like the secular Fatah differ in \u200bthat they recognize the state of Israel and \u200dseek a \u2062two-state solution to the regional conflict according to 1967 borders.<\/p>\n<p>The PSC&#8217;s \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harvard-student-organizations-backtracking-on-letter-blaming-israel-for-hamas-attack\/\" title=\"Harvard student groups retract letter blaming Israel for Hamas attack.\">statement quickly received widespread condemnation<\/a> from\u2064 politicians on both\u200b sides of the aisle, Harvard faculty, and the public.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Harvard Student Organizations Try \u2064to Distance Themselves\u2064 From Letter<\/h2>\n<p>Following the backlash, at least five organizations \u2064that initially signed the letter withdrew their support.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to\u2064 the student\u2064 newspaper of Harvard \u2062University, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecrimson.com\/article\/2023\/10\/10\/psc-statement-backlash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Harvard Crimson<\/a>, the Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association, Harvard\u2063 College \u200bAct on a Dream, Amnesty International \u2064at Harvard, and the Harvard Islamic Society\u2063 have all backtracked\u200d on their support.<\/p>\n<p>Another organization, the \u2063Harvard Undergraduate Ghungroo,\u200c released \u2063a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/harvardghungroo\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a> on \u2062Instagram to &#8220;formally apologize,&#8221; for signing the letter \u2064and retract their signature.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We \u2063would like to clarify\u2064 that\u2064 we stand in solidarity with\u2064 both Israeli and Palestinian Victims and Families,&#8221; the\u200c statement\u2063 said.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b students also &#8220;strongly&#8221; \u2064denounced and\u2063 condemned the &#8220;massacre propagated by the terrorist organization \u2064Hamas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We truly apologize for the insensitivity \u2063of the statement that was released recently.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The PSC later amended\u200b the letter to hide the organizations who signed, citing safety concerns over ongoing\u200b harassment of students in those groups, even ones that graduated years ago and are no longer members.<\/p>\n<p>The PSC also cancelled a planned vigil on\u200b Oct. 10 that was \u2064to mourn &#8220;all innocent \u200blives\u200c lost.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To restate what should \u200cbe obvious: the PSC staunchly opposes violence against civilians\u2014Palestinian, Israeli, or other,&#8221; a member of the PSC said in a follow up post.<\/p>\n<p>In an Oct. 10 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harvard.edu\/president\/news\/2023\/war-in-the-middle-east\/?utm_source=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=hu-twitter-general&#038;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a>, \u2063Harvard President Claudine Gay also \u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/harvard-responds-after-backlash-over-students-blaming-israel-for-hamas-attacks-5507558\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tried to \u2063distance<\/a> the university from the comments of its students.<\/p>\n<p>She condemned the &#8220;terrorist atrocities \u2062perpetrated by Hamas,&#8221; and stressed that &#8220;while our students have \u2064the right to speak for themselves, no student group\u2014not even \u200b30 student groups\u2014speaks for Harvard University\u2063 or \u200bits leadership.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Signed Without Seeing Letter<\/h2>\n<p>At least \u200done of \u200cthe students has\u200b apologized in \u200ba post on X, the platform formally known as\u2064 Twitter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Danielle Mikaelian, a\u2063 Harvard Student,\u2062 said in an Oct. 10 X <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DanniDKM\/status\/1711838922320318854\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a>, \u200c&#8221;As a board member of a Harvard group \u2062that signed the \u200cstatement on Israel, I think \u200cit\u2063 was egregious \u200band have resigned from my role.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s unclear which organization Ms. Mikaelian \u200bwas part of, but she has claimed that\u2063 nobody in \u2063their group even \u200dread the \u200dletter&#8217;s contents\u2063 before signing, and they have since withdrawn their support.<\/p>\n<p>However, when she\u2062 realized what the letter said, Ms. Mikaelian says she prevented &#8220;another student \u2064group I \u200bremain\u200d on the board of \u2062from signing on.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She also stressed the letter justifying the actions of Hamas as\u2062 &#8220;not representative of my values and my heart is with those impacted.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In an \u200bupdate, Ms. Mikaelian revealed that she knows &#8220;firsthand some of my fellow students\u200c are in this situation too. I wasn&#8217;t the only board member \u2062who stepped down today.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This appeared to be confirmed \u200bby former Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers, who wrote in an Oct. 11 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LHSummers\/status\/1712175642404434280\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> on X, that while he stands by his previous condemnation of the letter, he asks everyone to &#8220;take \u200ba deep breath.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Many in these groups never saw the statement before it went out. In some cases, those approving did not understand exactly what they were approving. Probably some were\u2062 naive and foolish,&#8221; \u200cMr. Summers said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is not a time where it \u2062is constructive to vilify individuals and I am sorry that is happening,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Sadness and Frustration<\/h2>\n<p>Previously, in an \u2063Oct.\u2062 10 X <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LHSummers\/status\/1711421307227607255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a>, Mr. Summers expressed his sadness and\u200c frustration at\u2064 the \u2063statement from the student\u200b groups and the lack of a firm show of support for Israel by Havard&#8217;s leadership.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;In nearly 50 years\u200b of Harvard affiliation, I have never been as\u200d disillusioned and alienated as I \u2062am today,&#8221; he said at the \u2064time.<\/p>\n<p>Harvard \u200bPresident Claudine Gay came out \u2062with her own\u200b statement later that day, condemning Hamas.<\/p>\n<p>At \u200cleast 250 faculty members so far have also signed an open letter, condemning the actions of Hamas, but also \u2063lamenting the response from Harvard&#8217;s \u2064administration\u2064 as falling short.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As a\u2063 University aimed at educating future leaders, \u2062this could have been a teaching moment and an opportunity to remind our students that beyond our political debates, some acts such as\u2062 war crimes are simply wrong,&#8221; the letter said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Summers and Harvard Computer Science professor Boaz Barak, two of\u2062 the signatories, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LHSummers\/status\/1712172857122234688\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shared<\/a> a copy of the letter on X, on Oct. 10,\u200b and Oct.11.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The conflict \u2064is complex but &#8216;the events\u200d of this week are not \u2063complicated. Sometimes there is such a thing as evil,'&#8221; Mr. Barak\u200c said \u200cin his\u200c post <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/e\/2PACX-1vRrU_R4lJMubYBFX5KePu9RclIerKeXVWtEFKHvsetG7sXUTFdDfLF9TBJDe_Qra2Pmf1gMbyfdrJdJ\/pub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quoting<\/a> the staff letter.<\/p>\n<p> Ny \u200dof the co-signers claim that they\u200b did not actually\u200b read \u200dthe letter \u2063before \u2062signing it and have \u2062since distanced themselves\u200b from its content,&#8221; Summers wrote. &#8220;Let us remember that we are\u2064 talking about young people who are making mistakes and \u2062learning.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While the\u200c letter and its aftermath have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-governor-asked-about-potential-presidential-run-says-hes-focused-on-virginia-elections\/\" title=\"GOP Governor asked about potential presidential run: \"I'm focused on Virginia elections.\"\">generated\u200c significant attention<\/a> and controversy, it is important to<\/p>\n<h2> What steps can the PAA take to ensure\u200d that co-signers fully understand and endorse the\u200c content of a letter before signing it?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  To ensure that\u200c co-signers fully understand and endorse the content of a letter before signing it, the PAA can take the \u200cfollowing\u2062 steps:<\/p>\n<p>1. Provide a\u200d draft of the letter: Share a preliminary version of the letter with\u200d the co-signers so they can review the content and suggest any changes or provide feedback. It allows them to understand the\u200b purpose and tone of\u2062 the letter.<\/p>\n<p>2. Present\u200b a\u2064 clear explanation: \u2064Discuss the \u2063context, objective, and the intended impact of \u2064the \u2062letter \u200dwith the co-signers. Explain why\u2064 their endorsement is important and how it aligns \u200dwith their interests and values.<\/p>\n<p>3. Offer opportunities \u2062for discussion: Organize meetings or discussions where the co-signers can ask questions, voice concerns, or seek clarification about any \u200caspect\u200d of\u2062 the letter. Encourage open and\u200c honest communication.<\/p>\n<p>4. Provide supporting information: Share\u2063 relevant\u200c data, facts, statistics, or\u200d background materials that support the claims\u2063 and arguments made in the letter. This enables co-signers to make an informed decision before endorsing it.<\/p>\n<p>5. Address concerns and objections: Listen to the co-signers&#8217; \u2063concerns, objections, or \u2064reservations and try to address them to the best of your ability. If necessary, make revisions to the \u200bletter \u2063to accommodate their\u2064 viewpoints, if reasonable.<\/p>\n<p>6. \u200bConfirm comprehension: Before signing the letter, ask the co-signers\u200d to confirm their understanding of the\u2062 content, purpose, \u2062and potential consequences of the letter. Ensure \u2064they comprehend \u2063the significance of their endorsement.<\/p>\n<p>7.\u200b Provide ample\u200c time for review:\u2062 Give the co-signers sufficient time to review the letter thoroughly. Rushing the process may\u200c lead to mistakes or \u2063omissions.<\/p>\n<p>8. Seek legal advice if\u200b needed:\u200c In situations where \u2062legal implications are involved, it \u2063may be wise to consult with \u2062an attorney who can provide\u2062 guidance on the legal aspects of \u2063the letter and ensure everyone&#8217;s interests are protected.<\/p>\n<p>9. Obtain \u2063written\u200b consent: Once the co-signers have fully understood and \u200cendorsed the \u2064content of the letter, request their written consent or signature to\u2062 confirm \u2064their agreement and commitment.<\/p>\n<p>10. Maintain open lines of communication: Even after the letter is signed, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-adviser-warns-china-will-face-consequences-if-it-helps-russia-evade-sanctions\/\" title=\"White House Adviser Warns China Will Face Consequences if it Helps Russia Evade Sanctions\">maintain open channels<\/a> of communication with the co-signers. Keep \u2062them informed about any developments related \u2063to the letter and address any concerns or \u200bquestions\u200b that may arise.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>college student organizations across the country. However, due to severe criticism, many of these organizations are now retracting their support for the letter, which defended Hamas&#8217; actions in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The backlash has prompted a change of heart among these groups, leading them to distance themselves from the controversial statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2454,"featured_media":2064313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2064312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2064312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2064313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2064312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2064312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2064312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}