Harvard University has reignited controversy by reinvesting $150 million in Booking Holdings, a company deeply entangled in Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land. According to the university’s third-quarter filings for 2024, this marks the first such investment in five years, despite overwhelming calls for divestment from students and human rights advocates.
Booking Holdings, the parent company of Booking.com, has long been criticized for profiting from Israel’s apartheid regime by listing properties in illegal West Bank settlements. In 2023, the company was among 17 parent corporations named by the United Nations for their role in facilitating Israel’s settler-colonial expansion. Human Rights Watch has also condemned the company for its complicity in violations of Palestinian human rights. Despite this, Harvard Management Company (HMC) has doubled down on its financial backing, disregarding both ethical considerations and student opposition.
Harvard’s Defiance Against Pro-Palestinian Activism
The reinvestment comes in the wake of a year-long surge in pro-Palestinian activism at Harvard, as students demanded an end to the university’s financial entanglements with Israel’s war crimes. Student governments at Harvard Law School, Divinity School, and the Graduate School of Design passed resolutions urging HMC to sever ties with companies complicit in the Zionist occupation of Palestine. Additionally, a 20-day encampment protest in Harvard Yard called for divestment, drawing national attention to the university’s role in enabling Israeli settler expansion.
However, Harvard has demonstrated outright contempt for these demands. University President Alan Garber not only refused to disclose the extent of Harvard’s investments in Israel but also outright dismissed calls for divestment, labeling the movement “divisive.” This blatant disregard for human rights and student voices reveals the institution’s prioritization of financial gains over moral responsibility.
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Institutional Zionism and Repression of Dissent
Harvard’s reinvestment in Booking Holdings is not an isolated incident—it is part of a broader institutional shift to shield Zionist interests from criticism. Earlier this month, the university capitulated to pro-Israel pressure by formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) widely discredited definition of antisemitism, which conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish hatred. This decision came as part of a settlement following a lawsuit by pro-Israel students who sought to criminalize pro-Palestinian activism.
Harvard also announced that its Office for Community Conduct would now use the IHRA definition when assessing alleged discrimination cases. This move mirrors similar tactics employed across U.S. universities to silence dissent, including New York University’s declaration that Zionists constitute a “protected class.” Such measures are designed to suppress Palestinian solidarity movements and entrench Zionist hegemony in academic spaces.
Financial Motivations and Ethical Corruption
Harvard’s portfolio reveals a deliberate prioritization of corporate profiteering over ethical investment. Booking Holdings is now the third-largest holding in HMC’s public portfolio, trailing only behind tech giants Meta and Alphabet. The university has steadily abandoned its once-diverse investments in healthcare and biotechnology, shifting its focus to high-growth companies that align with the interests of U.S. imperialism and Israeli apartheid.
Financial analysts have attempted to justify this move with claims that the travel industry is poised for growth due to a strong U.S. dollar and falling jet fuel prices. However, such justifications fail to address the moral depravity of investing in a company that profits from war crimes and human suffering. Harvard’s decision is not merely a financial calculation—it is an explicit endorsement of Israel’s colonial violence.
Enabling Apartheid for Profit
By pouring millions into a corporation facilitating Israel’s land theft, Harvard has reaffirmed its complicity in upholding an apartheid regime. This investment is a betrayal of the university’s supposed commitment to justice and academic integrity. Students, activists, and ethical stakeholders must continue to challenge Harvard’s financial ties to Israeli war profiteering and demand a full divestment from companies sustaining the Zionist occupation.
The university’s leadership has made its stance clear: profits come before Palestinian lives. It is now up to the arvard community and the global movement for Palestinian liberation to hold them accountable.