Lawrence Summers apologises for linking Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi with antisemitism

US economist Lawrence Summers took to social media on Wednesday to apologise for linking a prominent Palestinian-American historian with antisemitism.

Summers, who served in the Clinton and Obama administrations and was formerly president at Harvard University, had said in a post on Tuesday that many people see Khalidi as being antisemitic, and accused Harvard of failing to confront alleged anti-Jewish sentiment on campus.

The post drew major backlash, with Associate Editor of Newlines Magazine Idrees Ahmad calling the comment "cowardly" and "defamatory" while journalist Mehdi Hasan said Summers was "casually smearing" Khalidi.

On Wednesday, Summers posted on X saying he was mistaken for linking Khalidi to antisemitism, and that he had reached out to apologise to the historian directly.

Summers' comments on Harvard University are part of a broader row over accusations of antisemitism and the targeting of pro-Palestine activists who have been protesting against Israel's war on Gaza at numerous US institutions, including Harvard and Columbia.

In January, Claudine Gay resigned from her position as Harvard president after she was accused of failing to address antisemitism on campus. The campaign — led by pro-Israel figures within the US, including billionaire Bill Ackman — culminated in Gay being sacked over alleged plagiarism.

Several major funders for the university have halted their donations over the accusations, among them billionaire investor Ken Griffin, who accused the university of producing "whiny snowflakes".

However, Harvard has also received criticism from pro-Palestinian activists, with over a dozen students announcing that they were suing the university for failing to protect them from harassment on campus, including being chased, spat at, and stalked.

The students believe they have been targeted because of their Arab, Muslim and Palestinian background, as well as their pro-Palestine activism.

At Columbia University, pro-Palestine demonstrators were sprayed with harmful substances by counter-protesters, causing eight people to be taken to hospital and leading the New York Police Department to open an investigation.

Columbia University had suspended two organisations focused on Palestine activism – Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine – over pro-Palestinian protests they held that the university said had violated its policies regarding events on campus.