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Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP)

Website:

harvarddivest.com/
Type:

Anti-Israeli Coalition
Formation:

2023

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Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP) is a coalition of Harvard University students that organized anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian encampments on the Harvard campus from April 2024 until May 2024. 1

HOOP has claimed that Harvard is complicit in what it considers a “genocide” against Palestinians in Israel and the Palestinian territories, 2 supports the creation of a new country comprising of the Palestinian territories, 3 has called for Harvard to divest its ties with Israel, and vowed to “re-group and carry out its protracted struggle” through other means after its encampment was dismantled in May 2024. 4

History and Leadership

Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine was announced when the first pro-Palestinian encampments on Harvard University Campus began in April 2024. 5

Hossam M. Nasr is a former co-president of the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee and co-founder of HOOP. 6 Rameen Javadian and Lea Kayali, a Harvard Law School student, are two HOOP organizers. 7

Activities

Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP) is a left-wing coalition and unrecognized pro-Palestinian student group that organized anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests on the campus of Harvard University beginning in April 2024. HOOP supports the creation of a new country comprising of the Palestinian territories 8 and has advocated for the creation of a center for Palestinian studies at Harvard University. 9

HOOP accused The Crimson, Harvard’s student newspaper, of anti-Palestinian bias for its coverage of anti-Israel protests on campus that began in April 2024 in response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. 10 HOOP said it would only terminate its boycotts if The Crimson removed the names of activist students it published in an article about the encampment to “end a Crimson-exclusive training on anti-Palestinian bias in the media.” 11

In April 2024, HOOP established an encampment at Harvard University to call for an end to what it calls Harvard’s “complicity” in a supposed genocide of the Palestinian people. Activists at the encampments demanded the disclosure of any Harvard investments in Israel; divestment of all investments and reinvestment of those resources in Palestinian-related academic initiatives, communities, and culture; and dropping all charges against student activists. HOOP called its encampment a hope for a free Palestine and a dream of a liberated future, and said the project was driven by its hopes for a world free of what it considers racism, white supremacy, cis-hetero-patriarchy, ableism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hatred. 12

During the encampment, HOOP published a call script that was designed to influence Harvard University administrators to support demonstrators on campus. The call script demanded that Harvard disclose and divest its ties to Israel, said students were “disgusted” with the alleged murder and displacement of individuals in Gaza, and called for Harvard to disclose its financial ties to Israel and disclose financial and academic ties to Israel. 13

In May 2024, HOOP ended its encampment on Harvard University campus after reaching a settlement with university administrators. 14 Following the end of the encampment, HOOP vowed to “re-group and carry out its protracted struggle” through other means. 15

References

  1. “Harvard pro-Palestinian students and encampment but vow continued protest.” Reuters. May 15, 2024. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harvard-pro-palestinian-students-end-encampment-vow-continued-protest-2024-05-14/.
  2. “Announcing the Harvard University Liberated Zone.” Mondoweiss. April 24, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/announcing-the-harvard-university-liberated-zone/.
  3. “X Bio.” Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine X Page. Accessed August 8,2 024. https://x.com/harvardoop.
  4. “Harvard pro-Palestinian students and encampment but vow continued protest.” Reuters. May 15, 2024. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harvard-pro-palestinian-students-end-encampment-vow-continued-protest-2024-05-14/.
  5. “LIVE UPDATES: Pro-Palestine Protesters Begin Encampment in Harvard Yard.” The Harvard Crimson. April 25, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/4/25/harvard-yard-protest-palestine/.
  6. Nizar H. Farsakh, Hossam M. Nasr, and Rosa Vazques. “We are Harvard Alumni. We Stand in Solidarity with Harvard’s Liberated Zone and a Free Palestine.” The Harvard Crimson. May 9, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/5/9/nasr-vazquez-farsakh-harvard-alumni-palestine/.
  7. Javadian, Rameen A. “Op-Eds: 35,000 People Dead; Harvard Suspends Students Instead.” Harvard Crimson. May 13, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/5/13/javadian-harvard-suspends-students-instead/.
  8. “X Bio.” Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine X Page. Accessed August 8,2 024. https://x.com/harvardoop.
  9. Joyce Kim and Jo Lemann. “Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine Ends Harvard Yard Encampment.” The Harvard Crimson. May 14, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/5/14/harvard-encampment-ends/.
  10. “Announcing the Harvard University Liberated Zone.” Mondoweiss. April 24, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/announcing-the-harvard-university-liberated-zone/.
  11.  Emma Haidar and Cam Kettles. “Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine Boycotts The Crimson Over Allegations of Anti-Palestinian Bias.” The Harvard Crimson. May 5, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/5/5/harvard-palestine-group-crimson-boycott/.
  12. “Announcing the Harvard University Liberated Zone.” Mondoweiss. April 24, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. https://mondoweiss.net/2024/04/announcing-the-harvard-university-liberated-zone/.
  13. “Join Our Movement.” Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine. Accessed August 9, 2024. https://harvarddivest.com/about-4/.
  14. Krupnick, Max J. “Update: Harvard Encampment Ends.” Harvard Magazine. May 20, 2024. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2024/05/harvard-encampment-palestine-quiet.
  15. “Harvard pro-Palestinian students and encampment but vow continued protest.” Reuters. May 15, 2024. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harvard-pro-palestinian-students-end-encampment-vow-continued-protest-2024-05-14/.
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