But some signatories acknowledged that the campus is heavily polarized over the question of whether Israel is in fact acting immorally.

“I’m going to have a lot of colleagues who disagree with me. I don’t think we should shy away from [the discussion],” Hanson said.

Jonathan M. Gribetz ’02, former president of Harvard Students for Israel, criticized the drive for divestment.

“The divestment campaign is a truly despicable attempt to withdraw support from Israel at a time when it needs and deserves this support most,” Gribetz said.

He said Israel is conducting a morally justified war of self-defense and that there is no parallel between Israel and apartheid-era South Africa.

MIT professor Noam Chomsky will kick off the pro-divestment teach-in at MIT this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Harvard Students for Israel will conduct an unrelated rally in support of Israel in front of the Science Center at noon.

Eighteen professors have signed a statement affirming Israel’s right to defend itself.

—Staff writer David H. Gellis can be reached at gellis@fas.harvard.edu.