Shame on Harvard

Khalid Amayreh, thepeoplesvoice.org

"Harvard is a one of the most respected universities in the world. It is especially renowned for its academic excellence and sound scholarly traditions. However, Harvard’s good name is being tarnished by the presence on its campus of a certified war criminal who is believed to have been responsible for the murder and maiming of thousands of innocent men, women and children in the Middle East.

The reported attendance of the former Israeli Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz, on a Harvard Elite study program, does besmirch the reputation of this school which claims to be guided by ethical principles.......

However, Harvard should know better, and if ordinary Americans can be forgiven for their ignorance about Israel’s criminal behavior and racism, Harvard has no excuse.

But in case the Harvard administration is not aware of Halutz’s criminal credentials, here is a brief reminder.

As Commander of the Israeli Air Force and later Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Dan Halutz instructed Israeli forces, including the air force, to indiscriminately bomb Lebanese and Palestinian population centers, causing the death of thousands of civilians.

Halutz instructed Israeli pilots to bomb homes, hospitals, colleges, ambulances, airports, refineries, gas stations, schools, roads and power stations. The atrocities committed under his command were condemned worldwide as "war crimes.".....

Moreover, during the Palestinian Aqsa uprising against the Israeli occupation, Halutz adopted a policy of extra-judicial executions of Palestinian political and resistance activists. The harvest of this manifestly criminal policy was the brutal death of thousands of people, many of whom, it was later proven, were totally innocent.

Halutz also instructed Israeli soldiers to shoot Palestinian children and civilians knowingly and deliberately whenever the soldiers thought that the civilians posed the slightest threat to their safety. It is believed that as many as a thousand Palestinian children and minors were killed as a result of this haphazard policy......

And in Lebanon, Halutz committed even more horrible war crimes. Indeed, toward the end of the war of last year, he ordered his army to drop 2000,000-3000,000 million cluster bombs or bomblets all over Lebanon, with the apparent intent to kill and maim as many Lebanese children as possible.

As a result of this war crime, Lebanese children continue to die nearly on a daily basis as a result of the explosion of these ubiquitous explosives.

These are only a few examples of the war crimes committed under Halutz’ command, which makes him a war criminal, not unlike any Nazis war criminal.......

Yes, Harvard receives grants and financial contributions from pro-Israeli donors. However, Harvard should never give the impression that its ethics and moral principles are on sale for the highest bidder?"