The Harvard Kennedy School is set to host Dalal Saeb Iriqat, a Palestinian professor known for her radical pro-Hamas rhetoric.
Her statements include justifying Hamas’ actions, condemning Israel, and promoting conspiracy theories.
Iriqat wrote, “The world tolerated watching >35000 Palestinian youth seek refuge via territorial waters, putting their lives at risk, choosing to drawn in the sea over their miserable lives in a big prison called #Gaza after 17 yrs Israeli siege [sic].”
“Today is just a normal human struggle 4 #Freedom,” she continued.
She later posted, “Statements of support to @netanyahu far right Israeli Gov can only fuel more state organized terror and more impunity to Israel’s continued #crimes & collective punishment against the Palestinian civilians.”
“We will never forgive the Israeli right wing extreme government for making us take their children and elderly as hostages,” she continued.
“The Israeli public need to realize that their own government had caused all this bloodshed and they remain the ones responsible for this escalatin and losses of civilians lives [sic],” she concluded.
This has sparked criticism and a lawsuit from Jewish students, accusing the school of enabling antisemitism.
Iriqat claimed, “The burnt bodies were Hamas militants.”
“This is not an Israel Hamas conflict…Israel is waging a series of #war_crimes against the Palestinians, this is not against Hamas, this is against the Palestinian right of self determination,” explained the professor.
“I urge everyone to refrain from the framing of Israel/Hamas or Israel/Gaza, this is Israel Vs Palestine!!” she exclaimed.
The professor’s controversial views have led to mounting criticism of Harvard University’s response.
Despite this, the university is continuing with its Middle East Dialogues series, featuring speakers with diverse viewpoints, including figures such as Jared Kushner and Salam Fayyad.
Harvard Kennedy School wrote that they “understand what is happening and to expose them to the best thinking on how peace may be achieved.”
“At a time when much attention has been focused on our University and its perceived failures in fostering dialogue on difficult, divisive issues, we have been working quietly to demonstrate that this is in fact a place where open inquiry, searching debate, and honest conversation can and do happen,” the statement continued.
“We hope you will join us for these critical conversations, which I hope will not just make us smarter, but also help us to better become instruments of peace and prosperity in a part of the world that surely deserves them,” explained the announcement.
The intention behind the series is to foster open inquiry and honest conversation about the region’s issues.
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