Lianet Vazquez, a faculty member and MD candidate at Harvard, has leveraged her medical and academic affiliations to promote politicized narratives against Jews and support pro-Palestinian activism across platforms. Originally from Cuba and now based in Massachusetts, Vazquez has consistently used her voice to push for institutional support of anti-Israel causes while downplaying the role of terrorism in the conflict.

Lianet Vazquez’s Extremist Actions

• Support for FSJP:
  In January 2024, Vazquez signed a public statement by Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP), backing the formation of the Harvard chapter. The statement, later removed from FSJP’s website due to backlash, criticized university responses to antisemitism while offering blanket support to pro-Palestinian activism.

• Political Messaging Under the Guise of Medicine:
  In February 2021, Vazquez co-authored a blog post focused on COVID-19 vaccine equity between Israel and Palestinian territories. The piece presented Israel’s public health policies as discriminatory while omitting context regarding Hamas governance in Gaza and vaccine distribution logistics.

• Protest Activity and Public Statements:
  Vazquez has been quoted in multiple articles for her participation in anti-Israel protests, including at Harvard Medical School. In March 2024, she took part in a protest targeting the president of the American Medical Association (AMA), as part of a broader condemnation of U.S. medical neutrality in the war.

• Crisis Framing in Health Advocacy:
  In October 2024, Vazquez signed an open letter calling on major U.S. health institutions (CDC, NIH, AMA) to intervene in Gaza, accusing Israel of targeting healthcare and children. The letter included no mention of Hamas’s militarization of hospitals or use of civilians as human shields.

• Cultural and Personal Advocacy:
  Vazquez has used music and storytelling as vehicles for activism, writing songs about Gaza such as “An American in Gaza” (since taken down). She also shared personal anecdotes, including emotional encounters with Palestinian children, to bolster calls for international condemnation of Israel.

• International Endorsements:
  In May 2024, she added her name to an open letter from Sciences Po Paris alumni titled “We Stand with Palestine,” reinforcing her alignment with international anti-Israel activism networks.

Summary:

Lianet Vazquez represents a growing trend of faculty at elite institutions who politicize public health and humanitarian rhetoric to support movements hostile to Israel. While claiming to speak on behalf of justice and equity, her involvement with FSJP, one-sided activism, and protest participation contribute to an escalating climate of hostility on campus. Her public image as a physician-advocate masks a deeper pattern of ideologically-driven extremism that marginalizes Jewish voices and ignores the role of terrorism in the conflict she critiques.