Britain’s Daily Mail and others reported on the 13th (local time) that Israel’s ‘shipping king’ Ethan Ofer (68) resigned from the board of directors of Harvard University in protest against a statement criticizing Israel by students there.
The Daily Mail, citing the Hebrew-language media outlet The Marker, reported that Ofer and his wife, Batia, recently resigned from their positions as directors of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Public Policy. His wife, Bhatia, who is also a descendant of a Holocaust survivor, explained to Marker, “This is a protest against Harvard University President Claudine Gay’s shocking and blunt response to a student group that criticized Israel on the issue of Hamas’ massacre in Israel.”
The Ofers were supposed to donate millions of dollars to Harvard University, but with the resignation, that donation will be withdrawn, Marker added먹튀검증.
Ofer, considered Israel’s richest person, is a shipping conglomerate that owns Eastern Pacific Shipping, which owns 210 bulk carriers, containers, and crude oil vessels. He owns a 32% stake in Spanish professional soccer club Atletico Madrid and an 85% stake in Portugal’s FC Famalicao. According to Forbes, a US economic media outlet, he is the 121st richest person in the world, and his current assets amount to $14 billion (approximately 19 trillion won).
Previously, after the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas attacked Israel on the 7th of this month, 34 student groups at Harvard University issued a statement to the effect that “responsibility for this incident lies entirely with the Israeli government,” sparking controversy. In a statement titled “Joint Statement of the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Group on the Situation in Palestine,” they argued, “As responsibility for the violence lies with the Israeli regime, the Harvard community must take action to prevent the continued massacre of the Palestinian people.”
At the time, as the issue of indiscriminate massacre and kidnapping of Israeli civilians by Hamas was raised, the students’ statement caused controversy both inside and outside the school. Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a major benefactor of Harvard University, also posted on his
As the controversy arose, Harvard University released an official statement on the 9th saying, “We are distressed and deeply concerned about the incidents that occurred in Israel and the Gaza Strip.” As criticism grew stronger over Harvard University’s attitude, saying, “The school turned a blind eye to Hamas’s acts of aggression,” President Gay posted a second statement in his name on the website on the 10th. “There is no question that I condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas, and no one, including the 30 student groups, speaks for the leadership of Harvard as a whole,” Gay said.
Leave a Reply