Harvard, Penn lose major donors after botching response to Hamas invasion of Israel

Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania are facing fierce backlash from wealthy donors disgruntled by how the schools responded to Hamas’ slaughter and kidnapping of Israeli civilians.

A storm of criticism hit Harvard after university President Claudine Gay’s initial statement condemned neither the Hamas terrorist attacks nor an anti-Israel statement signed by dozens of student organizations.

Following the Hamas invasion on Oct. 7, many Harvard students signed a joint statement holding the Israeli government “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” The statement justified the invasion by arguing, “For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison.”

Billionaire Harvard donor Bill Ackman demanded the school release the names of students involved in the statement so that CEOs would not “inadvertently” hire them.