Harvard University made concessions to anti-Israel protesters in exchange for them dismantling their protest encampment ahead of the upcoming commencement ceremony, Interim President Alan Garber announced on Tuesday. The student protest group, Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP), agreed to end the encampment, stating that it had outlasted its utility with respect to their demands. The group highlighted that the encampment was a tactic in a larger strategy of divestment and shared that the administration had offered meetings regarding disclosure, divestment, and potentially establishing a Center for Palestine Studies at Harvard.
Garber also stated that he would expedite reinstatement proceedings for students suspended due to the protest now that the encampment was being removed. He acknowledged the ongoing war and expressed the need for true dialogue, understanding, and constructive change. Harvard’s commencement is scheduled for May 23, and Garber promised meetings with the protesters to discuss the conflict in the Middle East. The Associated Press reported that the protesters’ agenda for the meetings with university officials will include discussions on disclosure, divestment, reinvestment, and the potential establishment of a Center for Palestine Studies at Harvard.
Other U.S. universities have also made concessions to anti-Israel protesters, with Brown and Northwestern granting meetings with trustees to discuss divestment and scholarships for Palestinian students. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee agreed to call for a cease-fire in Gaza in exchange for dismantling the protest encampment. Harvard’s concessions, including retracting suspensions and offering meetings on divestment, are seen by the protesters as intended to pacify rather than actual divestment wins. Despite this, the group expressed that they had ruptured understanding and grown organizing power during their protest activities.
The protesters emphasized that the encampment at Harvard had brought the student intifada to a school that trembles at the very word, and they pledged to return stronger in their fight for Palestine. The agreement reached with Harvard included meetings with university officials, including the Harvard Management Company, which oversees the academic endowment, valued at approximately $50 billion. The announcement of the agreement came after Harvard Interim President Garber took over leadership from Claudine Gay, who had faced criticism for not condemning genocidal calls for intifada in her congressional testimony.
In conclusion, Harvard University made concessions to anti-Israel protesters in exchange for the dismantling of their protest encampment ahead of the commencement ceremony. The agreement included meetings to discuss divestment, disclosure, and potentially establishing a Center for Palestine Studies at Harvard. Other U.S. universities have also conceded to anti-Israel protesters’ demands, with Brown, Northwestern, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee making similar agreements. Despite the protesters’ acknowledgment that the side-deals offered by Harvard were not true divestment wins, they expressed their commitment to continuing their fight for Palestine.
