In a powerful and polarising moment during Harvard’s graduation ceremony, a student dedicated her entire commencement speech to condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and expressing solidarity with Palestinians. Her remarks echoed sentiments expressed just hours earlier by MIT’s class president, Megha Vemuri, who also criticised Israeli aggression and called for a free Palestine and a permanent ceasefire, reported the Financial Express.
The Harvard student criticized the university for withholding diplomas from students who had previously demonstrated in support of Palestinians. She named individuals like Mahmoud Khalil, who faced allegations of assaulting a Jewish student, as examples of those standing up for the oppressed. “Palestine is waiting for us to arrive… it will keep showing up in our living rooms until we are ready to meet its gaze,” she told the audience, calling for moral courage.
Her speech, shared online by pro-Israel commentator Eyal Yakoby, was branded by some as another instance of “systematic radicalisation” on elite campuses. Critics argued that such statements promote anti-Americanism and antisemitism under the guise of activism.
On social media, reactions to the speeches at both Harvard and MIT were deeply divided. While some hailed the students for their courage and social conscience, others accused them of being misinformed or of excusing violence by groups like Hamas. A user wrote, “MIT’s supposed to churn out sharp minds, not brainwashed drones who can’t see Hamas is the only genocidal force in Gaza.”
The Harvard student also mentioned other peers, including Ramesa Osterk, Mohsin Mehdiwi, and Elam Tateek Tamalco, praising their resilience and commitment to justice.
This wave of pro-Palestinian rhetoric at major universities is fueling a larger debate around the limits of free speech, the role of academic institutions, and how global political conflicts are being expressed on American campuses. Institutions like Harvard and MIT now find themselves at the heart of a national conversation over dissent, activism, and identity.
