Lawrence Summers, Ted Cruz criticize Harvard for student statement blaming Israel

Some of Harvard University’s most prominent political alumni are criticizing the school for not condemning a student-led statement that blamed Israel for the surprise Hamas attack over the weekend.

“The silence from Harvard’s leadership, so far, coupled with a vocal and widely reported student groups’ statement blaming Israel solely, has allowed Harvard to appear at best neutral towards acts of terror against the Jewish state of Israel,” Lawrence Summers, a former Harvard president and longtime Washington economic policy hand, wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I am sickened. I cannot fathom the Administration’s failure to disassociate the University and condemn this statement.”

In their comments, prominent figures who studied at the university — many of them Republicans — blasted the school for not standing up for Israel. The story made the rounds on Sunday and Monday across a plethora of mostly conservative news sites, picking up the attention of Washington figures like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)

“What the hell is wrong with Harvard?” Cruz, who attended Harvard Law School, wrote Monday on X.

Stefanik, the House Republican Conference Chair, wrote Sunday night on X: “It is abhorrent and heinous that Harvard student groups are blaming Israel for Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attacks that have killed over 700 Israelis.”

So far, the university administration has remained mum on the outpouring of criticism, which Summers contrasted with its clear support of Ukraine when Russia invaded the country. The students originally wrote in a Saturday statement that the Hamas-led attack “did not occur in a vacuum” and that Israel was “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”

“In the coming days, Palestinians will be forced to bear the full brunt of Israel’s violence,” the students wrote.

A review of the statement shows that most of the 35 student organizations signing the letter are identity-based groups or caucuses — and several of them, in name, expressly support the rights of Palestinian people. Activist student groups that support Palestinians are common across the country, and they often lead demonstrations and protests critical of Israel on campuses.

The development could represent an early challenge for Claudine Gay, who recently became Harvard’s president this summer. The university has often been the target of conservative criticism that higher education panders to elites and teaches liberal viewpoints, and it was the main target of the Supreme Court case that toppled affirmative action in June.

The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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At Trump’s N.H. rally: Whales, football, but not much on Israel

WOLFEBORO, N.H. — In a weekend filled with politicians offering criticisms and condemnations over the state of the world, Donald Trump on Monday had a few.

For the Wall Street Journal editorial page (“globalists”), for windmills (“we see whales washing up on shore”); for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (“He’s fallen like a wounded bird from the skies”) and his indictments (“a great badge of honor”); for transgender athletes (“Have you seen the weightlifting records?”) and even for one of the region’s most cherished institutions: the New England Patriots (“not a good game” Sunday).

The attack on Israel may have been consuming much of official Washington. But in the small auditorium in a performing arts center in Wolfeboro, N.H., where Trump rallied his base of voters on Monday, it was not topic one, two or even 13.

In all, it took Trump over an hour to spend any significant amount of time discussing the fighting that erupted in the Middle East following the murder of an estimated 900 Israelis. Reading from a teleprompter, Trump blamed President Joe Biden for “tossing Israel to the bloodthirsty terrorists,” for reengaging diplomatically with Iran and for not doing enough to support Israel’s president, Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Less than four years ago, we had peace in the Middle East,” Trump said. “Today we have an all-out war in Israel and it’s gonna spread quickly. What a difference a president makes. Isn’t it amazing?”

After claiming that Hamas may be infiltrating the U.S.-Mexico border and suggesting, also without evidence, that the group could launch a domestic attack, he reverted back to familiar themes: obliterating the Deep State, attacking Hillary Clinton and preventing World War III.

Trump has never been one to stick to script or to refashion his speeches because of the news of the day. But his riff on Monday suggested he had scant organic interest in the events in Israel and saw little upside in making it part of the primary.

On the latter, he doesn’t appear to be alone. The prospect of a broader war between Hamas militants and Israel could have significant repercussions in the general election, serving as a gauge of Biden’s management of conflict abroad. But in a Republican primary buffeted by an unusual amount of foreign policy — from concerns about China and Ukraine to, now, Israel — it so far appears unlikely to alter the trajectory of the race at all.

“If we’re not at war – at least not directly, troops not committed and that type of thing – it’s not as big an issue,” said Wayne MacDonald, a New Hampshire lawmaker and past state Republican Party chair who supports former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. “Guns and butter, so to speak.”

Immediately after the attack, it seemed possible that the crisis might become a wedge issue among the GOP candidates — deepening the rift between the party’s isolationist and more engagement-oriented strains of foreign policy. Former Vice President Mike Pence, campaigning in Iowa over the weekend, faulted “voices of appeasement like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis that I believe have run contrary to the tradition in our party that America is the leader of the free world.”

But Pence, polling in single digits, was largely a voice in the wilderness. The rest of the Republican field highlighted the atrocities not to critique each other or demand a more internationalist foreign policy in general, but to attack the current administration.

Trump called Biden, the Democratic president, “weak.” He was “sleeping on the job,” DeSantis said. Christie criticized policies of “appeasement and isolationism,” but did so in a rebuke of Biden, not fellow Republicans. Even Haley, who broke before with Trump on foreign policy, on China and Ukraine, did little to create any distance on the issue with her rivals.

Instead, she drew a connection from Israel to the Southern border.

“I have been terribly worried about the fact that Iran has said the easiest way to get into America is through the southern border,” Haley said on NBC on Sunday. “We have an open border. People are coming through; they’re not being vetted.”

Haley and others have come out in recent days with specific policies that they believe the U.S. should adopt in the wake of the attacks. Haley called for actions including providing arms and intelligence to Israel and clamping down on Iran. DeSantis, among other things, called for cutting off “any and all types of foreign aid flowing to Hamas.”

And there are some Republicans who do see the attack on Israel as motivating for the party’s voters. Attendees at Trump’s rally expressed broad support for “our ally” Israel — and universal condemnation of Biden over Hamas’ attacks.

“The blood’s on Biden’s hands,” said Jill Hegner, a Gilford, N.H., Republican who’s “300 percent” with Trump and arrived at the performing arts center at 6:30 a.m. to beat the throngs of thousands of people hoping to snag one of the roughly 100 seats inside.

“Trump, we had no new wars, peace in the Middle East,” Hegner said. “The first thing that Biden did when he got into office was get rid of all of that. It’s unbelievable to me.”

Stephen Stepanek, Trump’s senior adviser in New Hampshire and a former state Republican Party chair, said in a brief interview that “the world was a lot safer when Donald Trump was president.” A yarmulke — a head covering worn by observant Jewish men — dotted the sea of red-and-white “Make America Great Again” baseball caps and “America First” hoodies.

And yet Trump’s supporters in New Hampshire — and GOP voters more broadly — remain more concerned about problems at home than abroad.

When Gallup asks Americans what the most important problem facing the country is today, foreign policy barely registers. Republicans are far more concerned about domestic issues like inflation and immigration — both of which Trump played into on Monday, and both of which elicited far more cheers than talk of trouble abroad.

People leapt to their feet when Trump called to “stop child sexual mutilation” and dismantle the Department of Education. They whipped out their phones not to record Trump’s remarks on the state of the world but to capture his dramatic reading of a poem called “The Snake.” He won applause for talking about how he reopened waters off New England’s coastline for lobstering and was greeted with silence when he said Biden “betrayed” Israel’s leader Netanyahu.

And even as they said America should support Israel, voter after voter who came to hear Trump in New Hampshire decried the United States’ continued financial support of another country locked in a bloody battle: Ukraine.

Dave Urban, a Republican operative and former Trump adviser, described the attack on Israel as a “very fluid dynamic situation which is very sensitive on many fronts,” and suggested there wasn’t much more that Trump could say on the subject.

“He’s already put out his statement,” Urban said. “In his case he’s like, ‘I moved the embassy. I’m the most pro-Israel president we’ve ever had.’ … What’s he going to say that’s going to be politically useful?”

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EU halts Palestinian funding following Hamas attack

EU foreign ministers to hold emergency meeting on Israel crisis Tuesday.

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At least 130 Israelis held hostage in Gaza

A senior Hamas official said Sunday the militant group is holding more than 100 people captive after its unprecedented assault on Israel.

Mousa Abu Marzouk made the remarks to Arabic language news outlet al-Ghad on Sunday. The figure is in addition to more than 30 people said to be held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.

During their rampage through southern Israel, militants dragged back into Gaza dozens of captives, among them women, children and the elderly. Their precise number hadn’t been clear until the two militant groups made their announcements.

Those captives are in addition to at least 700 Israelis being killed. Included in that number are at least 260 bodies retrieved from a music festival attended by thousands that came under attack by Hamas. The total figure is expected to be higher as other paramedic teams were working in the area.

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At least 2 members of Congress were in Israel during attack

Both Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) were in Israel over the weekend while extremist group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack at the country’s border with Gaza. Both congressmen have since left the country, according to their offices.

Goldman was in Israel for a Bar Mitzvah with his wife and three of his children, his spokesperson, Simone Kanter, said. “Congressman Goldman and his family sheltered from Hamas rocket fire in their hotel’s interior stairwell until early Sunday morning, when they were able to safely depart for New York,” Kanter said in a statement.

Booker arrived in Israel on Friday, according to his office, ahead of a summit on the Abraham Accords at which he was scheduled to speak Tuesday.

“Senator Booker and accompanying staff were in Jerusalem when Hamas launched their attacks against Israel on Saturday, and sheltered in place for their safety,” spokesperson Maya Krishna-Rogers said in a statement. “We are grateful that Senator Booker and our colleagues were able to safely depart Israel earlier today.”

The Saturday morning assault blindsided Israeli forces, leaving hundreds dead, wounded and kidnapped, including civilians. Both congressmen took to social media to condemn Hamas’ actions and offer their support for Israel in the hours and days after the attack.

“At a minimum, Congress must replenish — and expand — the Iron Dome as soon as possible,” Goldman posted on X, formerly Twitter, early Sunday morning, referring to Israel's defense system against rockets. “I hope Republicans can get their House in order so we can pass emergency legislation to assist Israel in defending herself.”

“I emphatically condemn Hamas' horrific acts of violence, kidnapping and terror targeting Israeli families, children and other civilians in towns and cities across the nation of Israel,” Booker wrote. “I stand with the people of Israel and the families of those who have lost loved ones.”

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Illinois governor says White House has ‘heard’ him on migrants

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday the White House has “heard” his calls to put together a singular office to manage asylum-seekers.

“They heard me, you know, there are so many departments that are responsible for helping to care for these asylum-seekers, as well as managing them as they cross the border, I hope that they will put one office together,” Pritzker said during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

He had sent a letter to President Joe Biden with that request, while also pleading for more federal funding to help the thousands of asylum-seekers who have arrived in Chicago.

Chicago is one of a handful of Democratic strongholds struggling to keep up with the flow of migrants arriving after crossing the border. More and more, leaders in those cities and states are finding themselves at odds with the Biden administration as the flood of asylum-seekers threatens to overwhelm their shelter systems.

"Governors and mayors from border states have shipped people to our state like cargo in a dehumanizing attempt to score political points. The people of Illinois are kind and generous. We believe in the fundamental right of every human, especially those facing persecution, to find refuge and live with dignity in this great country of ours," Pritzker wrote in the letter addressed to Biden on Oct. 2. "But as the numbers being transported to Chicago are accelerating, the humanitarian crisis is overwhelming our ability to provide aid to the refugee population."

In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has publicly feuded with Biden over the migrant crisis in his city, and leaders in Massachusetts have recently become more forceful in demanding action from the White House.

On Sunday, Pritzker reupped his request for additional support.

“We're a welcoming state, and we understand the humanitarian crisis that we're addressing. But we can't address this all by ourselves, and we need help from the White House,” he said.

Chicago is set to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and while Pritzker said he is “confident” the city will have a better handle on its migrant situation, “it will require help from the federal government,” he said.

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As death toll rises, Israel approves ‘significant’ steps to retaliate for surprise attack by Hamas

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli government formally declared war Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack, as the military tried to crush fighters still in southern towns and intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The toll passed 1,000 dead and thousands wounded on both sides.

More than 24 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still trying to defeat the last groups of militants holed up in several towns. At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 300 have been killed in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes pound the territory.

The declaration of war portended greater fighting ahead, and a major question was whether Israel would launch a ground assault into Gaza, a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties. Meanwhile, in northern Israel, a brief exchange of strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group fanned fears that the fighting could expand into a wider regional war.

Authorities were still trying to determine how many civilians and soldiers were seized by Hamas fighters during the mayhem and taken back to Gaza. From videos and witnesses, the captives are known to include women, children and the elderly.

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” U.S. Secretary of State Andrew Blinken said as many as 1,000 Hamas fighters were involved in the assault — a high figure that underscored the extent of planning by the militant group ruling Gaza. The gunmen rampaged for hours, gunning down civilians in towns, along highways and at a techno music festival being held in the desert near Gaza.

Israel hit more than 800 targets in Gaza so far, its military said, including airstrikes that leveled much of the town of Beit Hanoun in the enclave’s northeast corner.

Warplanes fired tons of explosives on 120 targets, Israeli Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters, saying Hamas was using the town as a staging ground for attacks. There was no immediate word on casualties, and most of the community’s population of tens of thousands of people likely fled before the bombardment.

“We will continue to attack in this way, with this force, continuously, on all gathering (places) and routes” used by Hamas, Hagari said.

Civilians on both sides were already paying a high price.

A line of Israelis snaked outside a central Israel police station to supply DNA samples and other means that could help identify missing family members. Israeli TV news aired a stream of accounts from relatives of captive or missing Israelis who wept and begged for assistance and information.

In Gaza, the tiny enclave of 2.3 million people sealed off by an Israeli-Egyptian blockade for 16 years since the Hamas takeover, residents feared an intensified onslaught. Israeli strikes flattened a number of residential buildings. Some 74,000 displaced Gazans were staying in 64 shelters, with the number expected to increase. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNWRA, said a school sheltering more than 225 people took a direct hit. It did not say where the fire came from.

Several Israeli media outlets, citing rescue service officials, said at least 700 people have been killed in Israel, including 44 soldiers. The Gaza Health Ministry said 313 people, including 20 children, were killed in the territory. Some 2,000 people have been wounded on each side. An Israeli official said security forces have killed 400 militants and captured dozens more.

The exchange of fire with Hezbollah added to concern that the conflict could spread. Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets and shells Sunday at three Israeli positions in a disputed area along the border, and the Israeli military fired back using armed drones. Two children were lightly wounded by broken glass on the Lebanese side, according to the nearby Marjayoun Hospital.

The Israeli military said the situation since was calm after the exchange.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah is estimated to have tens of thousands of rockets at its disposal. Since its brutal 2006 war with Israel, Hezbollah has stayed on the sidelines amid previous outbreaks of Israeli-Hamas fighting. But if destruction in Gaza escalates, it may feel pressure to intervene.

The declaration of war announced by Israel’s Security Cabinet was largely symbolic, said Yohanan Plesner, the head of the Israel Democracy Institute, a local think tank. But it “demonstrates that the government thinks we are entering a more lengthy, intense and significant period of war.”

Israel has carried out major military campaigns over the past four decades in Lebanon and Gaza that it portrayed as wars, but without a formal declaration.

The Security Cabinet also approved “significant military steps.” The steps were not defined, but the declaration appears to give the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a wide mandate.

Speaking on national television Saturday, Netanyahu vowed that Hamas “will pay an unprecedented price.” He further warned: “This war will take time. It will be difficult.”

In a statement, his office said the aim will be the destruction of Hamas’ “military and governing capabilities” to an extent that prevents it from threatening Israelis “for many years.”

Israelis were still reeling from the breadth, ferocity and surprise of the Hamas assault. The group’s fighters broke through Israel’s security fence surrounding the Gaza Strip early Saturday. Using motorcycles and pickup trucks, even paragliders and speedboats on the coast, they moved into nearby Israeli communities — as many as 22 locations.

The high death toll and slow response to the onslaught pointed to a major intelligence failure and undermined the long-held perception that Israel has eyes and ears everywhere in the small, densely populated territory it has controlled for decades.

The Israeli military was evacuating at least five towns close to Gaza and them scouring them for militants.

Much of the territory’s population was thrown into darkness Saturday night as Israel cut off electricity and said it would no longer supply power, fuel or other goods to the territory.

One woman sheltering at an UNWRA school in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood described a panicked flight from her home in the middle of the night. The Israeli military made announcements on loudspeakers telling people to leave.

“We didn’t know where to go,” she said. “It was a miracle we arrived at the schools because there was no transport.”

The presence of hostages in Gaza complicates Israel’s response. Hamas officials have said they will seek the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, and Israel has a history of making heavily lopsided exchanges to bring captive Israelis home.

The military has confirmed that a “substantial” number of Israelis were abducted Saturday without giving an exact figure.

An Egyptian official said Israel sought help from Cairo to ensure the safety of the hostages, and that Egypt’s intelligence chief contacted Hamas and the smaller but more radical Islamic Jihad group, which also took part in the incursion, to seek information. Egypt has often mediated between the two sides in the past.

The official said Palestinian leaders claimed they don’t yet have a “full picture” of the number of hostages but said they were held in “secure locations” across Gaza. The official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to brief media. estimated Hamas held “a big number — several dozens.”

Egypt also spoke with both sides about a potential cease-fire, but the official said Israel was not open to a truce “at this stage.”

In Iran, which has long supported Hamas and other militant groups, senior officials have openly praised the incursion. President Ebrahim Raisi spoke by phone with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhalah, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Sunday.

The shadowy leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, said the assault, named “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, the Israeli occupation and a series of recent incidents that have brought Israeli-Palestinian tensions to a fever pitch.

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