Harvard law student linked to statement blaming Israel denounces contents, says she didn't read it

A Harvard law student claims she resigned from her post on the board of a student group that co-signed a statement solely blaming Israel for the horrific attacks carried out by Hamas terrorists. 

Danielle Mikaelian, a Harvard law student involved in multiple campus groups according to information she has posted online, announced Tuesday that she had stepped down from her role as a board member of one of the student groups that co-signed the controversial statement, calling it "egregious." She also claimed the group subsequently removed its name from the list. 

She also claimed that she didn't read the statement before her group signed on because of a lack of a "formal process" for approval.

"I am sorry for the pain this caused. My organization did not have a formal process and I didn’t even see the statement until we had signed on," Mikaelian stated on X Tuesday evening. 

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The statement, which was released Sunday evening just a day following the terror that resulted in the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust, said that Hamas' killing, torturing, and abduction of Israeli's "did not occur in a vacuum."

"For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison. Israeli officials promise to "open the gates of hell," and the massacres in Gaza have already commenced. Palestinians in Gaza have no shelters for refuge and nowhere to escape. In the coming days, Palestinians will be forced to bear the full brunt of Israel’s violence," the statement signed by two-dozen Harvard student groups read. 

"The apartheid regime is the only one to blame," the statement read. 

"Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years. From systematized land seizures to routine airstrikes, arbitrary detentions to military checkpoints, and enforced family separations to targeted killings, Palestinians have been forced to live in a state of death, both slow and sudden," it said.

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"Today, the Palestinian ordeal enters into uncharted territory. The coming days will require a firm stand against colonial retaliation. We call on the Harvard community to take action to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians," it concluded. 

Mikaelian claimed that she "prevented another student group I remain on the board of from signing on when I saw the statement" and that the statement, "is not representative of my values and my heart is with those impacted." 

Mikaelian's comments come roughly 48 hours after the statement was released. 

The centuries-old university came under sharp criticism when the university didn't immediately condemn the statement. And when Harvard president Claudine Gay issued an official statement Monday condemning the attacks and that "no student group — not even 30 student groups — speaks for Harvard University or its leadership,"one of its top alumni said it was too little too late. 

"Why can’t we find anything approaching the moral clarity of Harvard statements after George Floyd's death or Russia's invasion of Ukraine when terrorists kill, rape and take hostage hundreds of Israelis attending a music festival?" questioned Lawrence H. Summers, president emeritus of Harvard.

"Why can’t we give reassurance that the University stands squarely against Hamas terror to frightened students when 35 groups of their fellow students appear to be blaming all the violence on Israel?" Summers, who served in senior leadership posts under Presidents Clinton and Obama, asked in a post on X on Tuesday. 

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Several CEOs of major companies like Delta Airlines and Hewlett Packard Enterprises, vocalized their support for Israel and offered support.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said that all employees working in Israel and traveling in the region are safe and that the bank supports the country.

"This past weekend’s attack on Israel and its people and the resulting war and bloodshed are a terrible tragedy," Dimon said Sunday in an internal memo obtained by CNN. "We stand with our employees, their families and the people of Israel during this time of great suffering and loss."

Tuesday afternoon, Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square, posted on X that "a number of CEOs" have asked if Harvard "would release a list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas’ heinous acts to Israel, so as to insure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their members."

"If, in fact, their members support the letter they have released, the names of the signatories should be made public so their views are publicly known. One should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists, who, we now learn, have beheaded babies, among other inconceivably despicable acts," Ackman said. 

As of Tuesday evening, the original Google document of the signatory groups had been edited to remove the names of the groups that signed it. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Chicago law firm Winston & Strawn announced they rescinded an employment offer from a New York University (NYU) law student and NYU Student Bar Association president after she issued a statement saying she "would not condemn Palestinian violence" and that "Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life."

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On Tuesday, Israeli media reported Israel’s military has discovered unspeakable horrors in an Israeli community that was attacked by Hamas on Saturday, including the bodies dozens of babies who were beaded by the terrorists.

According to local Israeli outlet i24News, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers moved into Kfar Aza, one of the communities Hamas terrorists invaded early Saturday morning, and discovered about 40 dead babies, some decapitated — highlighting the brutality of the invading forces. 

IDF were removing the bodies of victims found in the area when they found the children's remains. Israeli soldiers are attempting to use bones to identify the victims, according to the report. 

Fox News Digital's Danielle Genovese contributed to this report.