Harvard Student Slams University for Tolerating Anti-Israel Agitation

A Harvard student is demanding the resignation of the university president if he refuses to call in the National Guard to quell anti-Israel protests that have taken over the campus.

Shabbos Kestenbaum, a Jewish student at Harvard University, has sparked controversy by calling for the resignation of university president Lawrence Bacow if he fails to take decisive action against anti-Israel protests that have engulfed the campus.

The protests, organized by the anti-Israel group Philly Palestine Coalition (PPC), have seen the construction of encampments on College Green, the university's central quad. The protesters are demanding that Penn divest from Israel, sever ties with Israeli institutions, and reinstate the student group Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine, which was recently revoked as a registered student group.

Kestenbaum, a prominent student activist, has accused the university administration of allowing anti-Israel agitators to "hold the keys" to Harvard. He argues that the presence of the encampments, which he says are intimidating and hostile towards Jewish students, constitutes a "threat to the safety of the campus."

"The university should not tolerate this," Kestenbaum said. "If President Bacow is unwilling to take the necessary steps to protect his students, then he should resign."

Kestenbaum's call for the president's resignation has garnered support from other Jewish students on campus, who have expressed their concerns about the escalating hostility towards Israel.

"This is no longer just a Jewish issue," said Eyal Yakobi, another student activist. "It is an American issue. When people are chanting 'death to America' on college campuses, it shows that this is a problem for all of us."

The protests at Harvard are part of a broader wave of anti-Israel activism on college campuses across the country. Similar protests have been witnessed at the University of Southern California, Princeton, the University of Michigan, UT-Austin, and Yale.

In response to these protests, some university presidents have taken a more conciliatory approach, expressing support for the right to protest while condemning anti-Semitic rhetoric. Others, such as Columbia University president Minouche Shafik, have faced calls for their resignation for allegedly tolerating anti-Israel agitation.

The situation at Harvard is particularly sensitive, as the university has a large Jewish population and a history of anti-Semitic incidents. The administration has tried to balance the right to protest with the need to maintain safety and respect for all members of the community.

However, the ongoing protests and the calls for the president's resignation suggest that the university is still grappling with how to address anti-Israel activism on campus.