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Sen. John Fetterman gets standing ovation for his act of defiance of alma mater Harvard over antisemitism at Yeshiva commencement
Sen. John Fetterman disavowed himself on Wednesday from his alma mater Harvard in protest of what he says is the university's 'inability to stand up for the Jewish community' by removing his crimson hood at a commencement ceremony.
The Pennsylvania senator is one of Israel's biggest defenders in Democratic circles. He was awarded at Yeshiva University's commencement with a 'Presidential Medallion' for being a 'Hero of Israel.'
'I was reflecting when was my last graduation and that was literally a quarter century ago, 25 years ago,' he told a crowd of graduates. 'I was graduating from Harvard University but today I have been profoundly disappointed the way Harvard's inability to stand up for the Jewish community.'
'For me personally I do not fundamentally believe it is right for me to wear this today,' he added as he removed his crimson hood. The crowd audibly gasped before breaking into a standing ovation.
Fetterman graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School with a Master's of Public Policy in 1999.
Sen. John Fetterman disavowed himself on Wednesday from his alma mater Harvard in protest of what he says is the university's 'inability to stand up for the Jewish community' by removing his crimson hood at a commencement ceremony
Fetterman (D-PA) removes a Harvard Kennedy School masters graduation hood in protest of Harvard's handling of the Jewish community on campus
The Orthodox Jewish university in Queens, New York City graduated 1,700 students on Wednesday.
As many Democrats have grown more vocal in their frustrations with Israel as the Palestinian death toll mounts in its mission to eradicate Hamas, Fetterman has not.
On Wednesday Fetterman was asked on MSNBC's Morning Joe whether Israel crossed a 'red line' by targeting a refugee camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, killing dozens of civilians and two senior Hamas commanders.
'Hamas, those cowards, hide behind civilians, and now it's becoming more and more [clear] that there was a dump of munitions there that exploded. That's where Hamas is hiding them, and that added more damage that way as well,' he said on Wednesday.
Fetterman (D-PA) displays a wrist band from the Nova Music Festival, given to him by a family member of someone taken hostage at the festival
Fetterman poses with Yeshiva graduates who gave him a standing ovation for disavowing himself from Harvard
At least 45 people in Kuwaiti Al-Salam Camp 1, which was built in early January, were killed by the blast and subsequent fires, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. More than 240 were wounded.
Israel's Admiral Daniel Hagari said the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) had not expected the bombing to kill civilians - and suggested the fires could have broken out because Hamas had weapons stored in the area.
'Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size,' Hagari said.
Fetterman has been critical of President Joe Biden for briefly pausing a number of weapons shipments to Israel and tore into the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas commanders.
'I have no conditions, I never have, and I can't imagine I ever will,' he said recently of U.S. aid to Israel.
Over 36,000 Palestinians have died in Israel's offensive, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, after some 1,200 Israelis were killed in the October 7 attack.