Harvard anti-Israel encampment ends as interim president agrees to concessions

Organizers of the anti-Israel encampment at Harvard University agreed to disband Tuesday as the school's interim president agreed to the demonstrator's concessions.

Three weeks after starting the encampment, the organizers, known as Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, announced the conclusion of their demonstration in a post on social media. 

The announcement comes after Harvard on Friday suspended some of the student protesters, but part of the agreement to disband the encampment means the suspensions, also known as involuntary leaves of absence, are no longer in effect, the organizers said.

"As a pre-condition for decamping, [the] administration will retract suspensions. [The] administration has also offered us meetings regarding disclosure and divestment with members of the Harvard Management Company and 'conversations' regarding the establishment of a Center for Palestine Studies at Harvard," the group wrote.

In a message to affiliates of the university, Harvard Interim President Alan Garber asked the individual schools that oversee disciplinary processes to "promptly initiate applicable reinstatement proceedings for all individuals who have been placed on involuntary leaves of absence." He also asked school disciplinary boards to "expeditiously" process the cases of encampment participants. 

Garber additionally agreed to meet with the students participating in the encampment to "hear their perspectives on academic matters related to longstanding conflicts in the Middle East."

The organizers still expressed frustration with the concessions, specifically with the agreement to meet with administrators and discuss their ideas about divesting from companies linked to Israel.

"We do not believe these meetings are divestment wins," the group said. They called the discussions "side-deals" that are "intended to pacify us away from full disclosure & divestment."

The removal of the encampment paves the way for Harvard to hold commencement ceremonies as planned, per The Harvard Crimson, the school's student newspaper.

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