Harvard University has agreed to make some concessions to anti-Israel agitators in exchange for clearing a protest encampment ahead of an upcoming commencement ceremony, the two sides announced Tuesday.
Harvard University interim president Alan Garber issued a message Tuesday morning saying, “Protesters have agreed to end their camp at Harvard Yard.”
“The area has now been cleared and, in line with the conversations we had with students last week, we are facilitating a meeting with the Chair of the Corporate Committee on Shareholder Responsibility and other university officials to address questions regarding the endowment.” “We plan to do so,” Professor Gerber wrote. . “And in line with my commitment to ongoing and reasoned dialogue, the Dean of Arts and Sciences and I will meet with students to hear their perspectives on academic issues related to the long-standing Middle East conflict. .”
The agreement was reached with the student protest group Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (also known as HOOP), which said in a statement that the encampment “has a usefulness that exceeds our expectations.” ” he said.
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Anti-Israel demonstrators camp in Harvard Yard on April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
“Encampment is a tactic in a larger strategy of divestment, and it’s a big, beautiful thing. Here at Harvard, we believe the usefulness of this tactic has come to an end, and we’re regrouping to find other ways to continue this long-term strategy.” “We have decided to carry out a sustained struggle,” the group said in a separate statement shared on social media. “As a precondition to lifting the camp, the administration will reverse the suspension.The administration will also hold disclosure and divestiture meetings with members of the Harvard Management Company, as well as a “dialogue” regarding the creation of a Center for Palestine Studies at Harvard University. He also made suggestions to us.
“We are under no illusions. We do not believe that these meetings are a victory for divestment. That’s the goal. Don’t worry, that’s not the case.” “Harvard Liberation Zone shattered our understanding of what we believed was possible in a university that served as the rotten center of a dying empire. It brought students to the school who trembled at the word. And It increased our organizational strength.” So we have no choice but to come back stronger in the fight for Palestine. ”
Harvard University’s graduation ceremony is scheduled for May 23rd.
Garber, who replaced Claudine Gay as leader of the Ivy League school after Congressional testimony in which she did not condemn the intifada’s calls for genocide, said that as the camp was being cleared, He also said that he would speed up the reinstatement process for students who were suspended for protesting.
University police walk near an anti-Israel camp in Harvard Yards. (John Turmacchi/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“At Harvard, our school is responsible for involuntary leave and disciplinary procedures,” he said. “Now that the disruption to the educational environment caused by the encampment has subsided, I urge schools to immediately begin the applicable reinstatement process for all individuals placed on involuntary leave of absence. We will also seek an evaluation from each school’s disciplinary committee.”In accordance with existing practices and precedents, we will promptly investigate the cases of those who participated in the encampment. ”
“We recognize that many in our community are feeling deep sadness over the tragic effects of the ongoing war,” Garber added. “There will continue to be deep disagreements and strong emotions as we experience pain and suffering about events in the wider world. It is important that we do everything in our power to create the conditions for genuine dialogue and to model ways to build understanding, empathy and trust, and to foster constructive change based on our shared rights and responsibilities. It’s about pursuing. ”
May 29, 2014, Professor Alan Garber of Harvard University. He currently serves as the university’s interim president and announced an agreement with the protesters. (Paul Marotta/Getty Images)
Harvard University announced that its president and Hopi Hoekstra, dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, will meet with protesters to discuss the Middle East conflict. Protesters said they had struck an agreement to meet with university officials, including Harvard Management Company, which manages the world’s largest academic endowment, valued at about $50 billion.
A statement from protesters said the students would set an agenda that would include discussions on disclosure, divestment and reinvestment, and the creation of a center for Palestinian studies, according to the Associated Press. The students also said Harvard offered to reverse suspensions against more than 20 students and student employees and disciplinary actions against 60 more.
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The announcement came after several other U.S. universities acceded to demands by anti-Israel protesters to abolish the camps. Brown and Northwestern granted concessions, including a meeting with trustees to discuss sales and scholarships for Palestinian students. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee announced it would seek a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the removal of encampments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
