Against a backdrop of mounting pro-Palestine demonstrations on US campuses, a new report reveals that multiple Ivy League institutions, including Harvard University and Brown University, have reportedly received millions in contributions from foundations and donors located in the “State of Palestine” to support the education of Palestinian students at American colleges.
The report by Open the Books, a Republican-owned nonprofit dedicated to transparency in government spending, reveals that these prestigious institutions received a total of $10 million from 2017 to 2023 from entities within the “State of Palestine.”
Brown University, Harvard University, and the non-Ivy Indiana University of Pennsylvania are among the recipients of funding from donors located in a nation that lacks recognition by the United Nations or the US, despite being recognised by approximately 140 other countries.
In February 2020, Brown University received a $643,000 donation from a foundation within the “State of Palestine” to establish a professorship in Palestinian Studies as part of its Middle East Studies program.
Although the donor’s identity was not disclosed in financial filings, the donation was reportedly from the Munib and Angela Masri Foundation based in the West Bank, as per the federal disclosures reviewed by Open the Books.
According to a 2020 press release, nine distinct donors, including several Brown alumni and the foundation, collaborated to establish the “Mahmoud Darwish Professorship in Palestinian Studies.”
Meanwhile, Harvard University received $1.6 million from donors within the “State of Palestine,” while Indiana University of Pennsylvania received $6.4 million from entities within the same area and an additional $900,000 from a donor in the “Palestinian Territory, Occupied.”
Funds allocated to support Palestinian students
Most of these funds were allocated to support Palestinian students from the occupied territories in pursuing higher education in American universities, covering tuition, fees, and other related expenses, as indicated in financial disclosure documents, as per the New York Post.
According to the same 2020 report, Indiana University of Pennsylvania received a minimum of $2.3 million from the West Bank-based Arab American University. This funding was allocated to cover tuition and various other expenses for Palestinian students enrolled at the US college.
Furthermore, in addition to financial support, US universities have maintained enduring relationships with institutions in the West Bank.
For instance, Brown University’s inaugural professor of Palestinian Studies, Beshara Doumani, concurrently served as the president of Birzeit University in the West Bank for two years.
Meanwhile, Indiana University of Pennsylvania also collaborates with Arab American University in the West Bank, offering business Ph.D. and master’s programs as part of their partnership since 2014.
“IUP has received instructional agreement income for providing educational programs at various international locations, including one in Palestine, since 2014,” stated a spokesperson for the university to Open the Books.
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