The president of Harvard University force4d to resigns following pressure from Israel
The president of Harvard University, Claudine Gay, announced on Tuesday that she was stepping down from her position after being subjected to pressure and criticism for considering the demonstrations against Israel on campus to be within the scope of “freedom of expression”.
Gay said in a statement that she submitted her resignation “so that the controversy surrounding her person would not cause harm to the university”.
She indicated that she made her decision so that the university could continue its goals away from the recent controversies.
She noted that she decided to resign so that the recent disputes related to her person wouldn’t weaken the university as an institution.
She added, “It has become clear that it’s in Harvard’s best interest for me to resign, so that the university can overcome this very difficult stage by focusing on the institution rather than the individual”.
Gay emphasized that there is no place for hate crimes on campus.
The US media reported that Gay was subjected to strong reactions, especially from pro-Israel circles, after she evaluated the protests against Israel at the university within the scope of “freedom of expression”.
The pressure on Gay increased after she answered questions from members of Congress during a session on December 5.
Last week, US media reported allegations about “the theft of some of her previous academic works”.
It’s noteworthy that, on December 5, the US Congressional Education and Workforce Committee summoned Gay, the President of the University of Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Magill, and the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sally Kornbluth, to the session “Holding University Presidents Accountable and Combating Anti-Semitism”.
Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth were subjected to pressure and criticism to resign because they considered the protests against Israel to fall within the scope of “freedom of expression”.
More than 500 Harvard faculty members signed a petition in support of the university president.
