CEOs have right to know who signed anti-Israel letter: Executive
- Some Harvard student groups signed a letter blaming Israel for the attack
- Business leaders say students who signed the letter should be named
- EasyHealth CEO: 'I felt the need to speak up and take action'
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(NewsNation) — Multiple business executives and CEOs, led by hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, are asking Harvard University to reveal the names of the students who signed a letter blaming Israel for the attack by Hamas.
David Duel, CEO of EasyHealth, is one of the executives who feels companies have a “right to know” what kind of people they could be hiring. Duel says he shared an article naming some of the students behind the organizations on a social media platform and his page was disabled.
“My family fled their homeland of Iran (…) They were Jews and they had to leave during the revolution. I was not raised to take my freedoms for granted. I’m a student of history and know how tenuous our security and safety could be in the history of Jewish people and my parents’ journey shows me that clearly,” Duel told NewsNation host Dan Abrams. “So, I felt the need to speak up and take action, even if it came at a personal or financial price. I felt that the price of inaction and silence could be greater.”
More than 30 student groups at Harvard University signed a letter by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups that said: “We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”
The coalition released the letter after a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead.
Facing backlash, some of the student organizations have since withdrawn their signatures from the letter. Some claim the members of their organizations were not aware of the letter’s content. Others insist it’s for safety purposes and that they have been doxxed.
“My view is that everyone has a right to be forgiven and not be judged by the worst decisions if they want to renounce. I could imagine that some people did get caught up into this, you know, unfairly,” Duel said. “But ultimately, if they want to continue calling for the genocide of the Jewish people, then their employers, their friends and their neighbors should have a right to know that they harbor these beliefs.”
The controversy over the letter comes as concerns grow that the Israel-Hamas conflict could reach cities around the world. A former Hamas chief called for a “Day of Jihad” on Friday, asking Muslims to take to the streets in anger to support Palestinians. The message has prompted some police departments to step up patrols and some colleges to close their campuses to the public Friday.
