Harvard President Emeritus Larry Summers Blasts University Over Its Response to Attack On Israel: ‘I Am Sickened’

(AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki)

Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary and director of the National Economic Council who served as the 27th president of Harvard University from 2001-2006, blasted the university’s students and administration for their respective responses to Hamas’s attack on Israel over the weekend.

While Harvard’s administration has yet to release a statement on the mass murder, rape, and kidnapping of Jews in Israel, 31 student organizations at the prestigious Ivy League school signed onto a shocking letter asserting that Israel was “entirely responsible” for the barbaric deeds committed against its citizens.

The gunning down of civilians at a concert, kidnapping of children, mass rape went unmentioned in the letter, which called “on the Harvard community to take action to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians.”

Summers was aghast at both the letter and the lack of a response from President Claudine Gay.

“In nearly 50 years of @Harvard affiliation, I have never been as disillusioned and alienated as I am today,” began Summers. “The silence from Harvard’s leadership, so far, coupled with a vocal and widely reported student groups’ statement blaming Israel solely, has allowed Harvard to appear at best neutral towards acts of terror against the Jewish state of Israel.”

He continued:

Unlike President Bacow’s strong statement of support for Ukraine after Putin’s invasion and the decision to fly the Ukraine flag over Harvard yard or Dean Gay’s powerful statement on police violence, we have as yet – 48 hours later – no official Harvard statement at this time of moral testing. Instead, Harvard is being defined by the morally unconscionable statement apparently coming from two dozen student groups blaming all the violence on Israel. I am sickened. I cannot fathom the Administration’s failure to disassociate the University and condemn this statement. I very much hope appropriate statements from the University and College condemning those who launched terrorist attacks and standing in solidarity with its victims will soon be forthcoming. To be clear nothing is wrong with criticizing Israeli policy past, present or future. I have been sharply critical of PM Netanyahu. But that is very different from lack of clarity regarding terrorism.

In nearly 50 years of @Harvard affiliation, I have never been as disillusioned and alienated as I am today.

— Lawrence H. Summers (@LHSummers) October 9, 2023

Summers has long been affiliated with the Democratic Party, and was an economic advisor to Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.