With growing tension over antisemitic and pro-Hamas sentiment on campus, the president of Harvard University is now condemning a slogan commonly used by demonstrators.
In a letter titled "Combating Antisemitism" addressed to members of the Harvard Community and posted Thursday to the university's website, President Claudine Gay condemned the chant of "from the river to the sea." Critics deem that Palestinian slogan to be genocidal.
"Our community must understand that phrases such as 'from the river to the sea' bear specific historical meanings that to a great many people imply the eradication of Jews from Israel and engender both pain and existential fears within our Jewish community. I condemn this phrase and any similarly hurtful phrases," Gay wrote.
Also in her letter, the Harvard president reiterated what she and other university leaders have previously said, "Antisemitism has no place at Harvard."
"While confronting any form of hatred is daunting, the challenges we face tackling antisemitism are made all the more so by its pernicious nature and deep historical roots. But we are committed to doing the hard work to address this scourge," Gay noted.
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The Palestinian slogan has also created controversy elsewhere. As CBN News reported, the House of Representatives voted late Tuesday to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) over anti-Israel remarks she has made since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The resolution said Tlaib was "promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel."
She has defended the controversial Hamas chant "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" which is used by anti-Israel protesters to call for annihilating the Jewish nation.
On X, formerly Twitter, Tlaib claimed, "'From the river to the sea' is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate."
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), who is Jewish, voted with Republicans and said it was important to debate the controversial phrase.
"It is nothing else but the call for the destruction of Israel and murder of Jews," he said. "I will always defend the right to free speech. Tlaib has the right to say whatever she wants... but it cannot go unanswered."
Censure is a punishment just one step below expulsion from the House.
Harvard Student Groups' Statement Holding Israel Responsible for Violence Met with Severe Backlash
As CBN News reported, following the brutal massacre of Israelis by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee issued a statement, originally co-signed by 33 other Harvard student groups, that said they "hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence" against its own citizens.
The student groups faced severe backlash on social media. Criticism also came from other Harvard students, faculty, national politicians, and donors to the university over its statement saying, Israel's "apartheid regime is the only one to blame" for the violence, according to The Harvard Crimson.
Since that time, many of the groups and some of the students have released statements announcing they were rescinding their signatures from the statement, according to The New York Post.
On Oct. 15, more than 1,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied on the Harvard campus to show their support for the people of Gaza ahead of Israel's expected ground invasion, according to The Crimson.
Universities like Harvard have been embarrassed and have also lost donations because of pro-Hamas support. The Wexner Foundation, which had partnered with the university for more than 30 years, announced on Oct. 16 it was "no longer compatible partners" with the school.
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