2025-03-24T21:50:13+00:00
font
Enable Reading Mode
A- A A+
Shafaq News/ 80 Jewish members of the Harvard University community, including faculty, staff, and students, have signed a statement condemning the arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil.
The statement denounces the actions of US authorities, who arrested Khalil for his participation in protests against the ongoing situation in Gaza.
According to The Harvard Crimson, the statement, which has garnered nearly 3,000 signatures from various American universities, calls for the immediate release of Khalil.
Among the signatories, 80 are Jewish individuals from Harvard.
The statement emphasizes, "We condemn anyone who uses our name to harass, arrest, or deport members of our academic institutions."
It also urges caution regarding misleading narratives that equate support for Palestine with anti-Semitism. Furthermore, the signatories call on US universities to allocate institutional resources to secure Khalil's release.
On March 9, 2025, Khalil, who led solidarity protests at Columbia University last year condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza, was arrested. His detention follows an executive order signed by then-President Donald Trump in January 2024 aimed at combating anti-Semitism, which grants authorities the power to deport students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Protests in support of Palestine, which began in April 2024 at Columbia University, have since spread to more than 50 other US universities, including Northwestern, Portland State, and the University of Minnesota. These demonstrations, in response to Israel's ongoing military actions in Gaza, have led to over 3,100 arrests, mostly among students and faculty members.
Harvard University witnessed heightened tensions last week as police intervened to disperse protests against the visit of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, resulting in the arrest of several demonstrators.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full US support, has been engaged in military operations in Gaza, resulting in a humanitarian crisis. Over 163,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured, many of them women and children, with more than 14,000 reported missing.