In a striking act of protest, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania publicly disassociated himself from his alma mater, Harvard University, on Wednesday.
The senator's move was in response to what he perceives as the institution's failure to support the Jewish community. Fetterman, who is known as one of the staunchest defenders of Israel within Democratic circles, made his feelings known by removing his crimson hood during a commencement ceremony.
Fetterman's protest came as he was being honored at Yeshiva University's commencement with a 'Presidential Medallion' for his role as a 'Hero of Israel.' Addressing the crowd of graduates, he said, "I was reflecting when was my last graduation and that was literally a quarter century ago, 25 years ago. I was graduating from Harvard University but today I have been profoundly disappointed the way Harvard's inability to stand up for the Jewish community."
The senator, who graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School with a Master's of Public Policy in 1999, further emphasized his disappointment by stating, "For me personally I do not fundamentally believe it is right for me to wear this today," before removing his crimson hood. His actions were met with a standing ovation from the crowd.
The commencement ceremony took place at the Orthodox Jewish university in Queens, New York City, where 1,700 students graduated on Wednesday. Fetterman's stance comes at a time when many Democrats have been expressing their dissatisfaction with Israel due to the increasing Palestinian death toll in its mission to eradicate Hamas. However, Fetterman has remained unwavering in his support for Israel.
During an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday, Fetterman was asked whether Israel had crossed a 'red line' by targeting a refugee camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, resulting in the death of dozens of civilians and two senior Hamas commanders. In response, Fetterman said, "Hamas, those cowards, hide behind civilians, and now it's becoming more and more [clear] that there was a dump of munitions there that exploded. That's where Hamas is hiding them, and that added more damage that way as well."
The Gazan Health Ministry reported that at least 45 people in Kuwaiti Al-Salam Camp 1, which was established in early January, were killed by the blast and subsequent fires, with more than 240 wounded. Israel's Admiral Daniel Hagari suggested that the fires could have been caused by Hamas storing weapons in the area, stating, "Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size."
Fetterman has been openly critical of President Joe Biden for temporarily halting several weapons shipments to Israel and has also criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas commanders. He recently stated, "I have no conditions, I never have, and I can't imagine I ever will," regarding U.S. aid to Israel.
The Hamas-run health ministry reports that over 36,000 Palestinians have died in Israel's offensive, following the death of some 1,200 Israelis in the October 7 attack.
Login