Harvard School of Public Health cuts ties with Palestinian university accused of Hamas ties
Birzeit was accused of electing ‘would-be terrorists to student government.’
“Shockingly, following the October 7 attack, Birzeit University posted, ‘Glory for martyrs, recovery for wounded ones, and freedom for the captives,’” congressional lawmakers previously noted.
The School of Public Health at Harvard University (HSPH) in Massachusetts recently ended its partnership with Birzeit University, a controversial school in the West Bank that has been accused of having connections to the terrorist group, Hamas.
After reviewing its partnership with Birzeit, Harvard refused to renew the collaboration it had with the Palestinian University, The Harvard Crimson reported.
The dean of HSPH, Andrea Baccarelli, told The Harvard Gazette that the school conducted an internal review in order to “objectively evaluate partnerships and collaborations and ensure the center exemplifies academic excellence in alignment with our mission.”
Eric Fleiss, president of the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance (HJAA), told Jewish Insider that the termination of the cooperation between Harvard and Birzeit is a victory for Jewish students.
“While we were disappointed that it took this long for Harvard to suspend relations with a university that, among other misdeeds, blatantly discriminates against Israeli Jews by barring them from campus,” Fleiss said.
Fleiss also accused Birzeit of electing “would-be terrorists to student government” and hosting “Hamas and PFLP parades on campus.” He concluded by stating that Jewish students are “gratified” that HSPH has “finally” ended the relationship.
As Campus Reform previously reported, a lawsuit against Harvard noted that Birzeit’s “buildings and events are named after convicted terrorists” and that “Hamas won the majority of Birzeit student government seats” in May 2022.
Last July, more than two dozen lawmakers, including Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York), wrote an open letter to the Harvard administration, urging it to end its partnership with Birzeit.
“Shockingly, following the October 7 attack, Birzeit University posted, ‘Glory for martyrs, recovery for wounded ones, and freedom for the captives,’” the lawmakers noted. “This type of behavior stands in direct opposition to the values Harvard claims to uphold.”
Campus Reform has reported that Harvard is not the only American university to have had ties with Birzeit. For instance, the University of Nebraska also partnered with Birzeit for an event, and Brown University employs a professor who was previously the president of the controversial Palestinian school.
In March, Harvard University was one of 60 institutions of higher education that received a warning from the Department of Education that there will be consequences if it took no effectual measures to combat anti-Semitism.
“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated at the time.
Campus Reform has contacted Harvard University and Birzeit University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
