On Tuesday, Claudine Gay, the President of Harvard University, announced her resignation after facing pressure and criticism for considering campus protests against Israel as part of "freedom of speech."
In a statement, Gay expressed that she tendered her resignation to prevent the controversy surrounding her from "causing harm to the university."
She pointed out that her decision was made to allow the university to continue its objectives without the distractions of the recent debates.
"It has become clear that it is in Harvard University's best interest that I step down, so the university can move beyond this very challenging stage by concentrating on the institution rather than the individual," added Gay.
Gay emphasized that there is no place for hate crimes on campus.
American media outlets reported that Gay faced strong reactions, particularly from pro-Tel Aviv circles, following her assessment of anti-Israel protests at the university as a matter of "freedom of expression."
The pressure on Gay increased after she answered questions from members of Congress during a session on December 5th.
Last week, American media outlets covered allegations about Gay's previous academic work being "stolen."
On December 5th, the Congressional Committee on Education and the Workforce summoned Claudine Gay, along with the President of the University of Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Magill, and the President of MIT, Sally Kornbluth, to a session on "holding university leaders accountable and combating anti-Semitism."
Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth faced pressures and criticisms to resign for refusing to label the protests against Israel as anti-Semitic.
More than 500 faculty members at Harvard signed a petition in support of the university president.
