Harvard University President Claudine Gay is under increasing pressure to step down following her congressional testimony on campus antisemitism.

Dr. Gay, 53, faced backlash and issued an apology for her failure to clarify whether students advocating for the genocide of Jewish people would face disciplinary action.

Despite criticism, hundreds of Harvard faculty members expressed support over the weekend, urging the university not to terminate her employment.

A decision regarding Dr. Gay's future is anticipated during a meeting of the Harvard Corporation on Monday.

Her controversial remarks occurred during a House of Representatives hearing last week, where she appeared alongside counterparts Elizabeth Magill and Sally Kornbluth from the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, respectively.

Under intense questioning from Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Dr. Gay stated that determining whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated Harvard's code of conduct on bullying and harassment "depends on the context."

In a subsequent interview with the Crimson, Harvard's campus newspaper, Dr. Gay expressed regret, saying, "I am sorry. When words amplify distress and pain, I don't know how you could feel anything but regret."

The Harvard Corporation, consisting of 13 members and one of the university's governing bodies, is set to convene later on Monday to discuss Dr. Gay's fate and potential courses of action.

Over the weekend, more than 500 faculty members signed a petition urging Harvard to "resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard's commitment to academic freedom, including calls for the removal of President Claudine Gay." By mid-morning on Monday, the number of signatories had increased to nearly 700.

Alison Frank Johnson, one of the petition's co-authors, told Reuters that staff "don't want to lose her because of a political stunt".

"I get the impression that many people don't know how much support she has as a scholar, colleague, and administrator within the university, including from people who sometimes disagree with her," she said.

In July, Dr Gay became Harvard's first black president in its 368-year history.

More than 70 members of Congress have called for her resignation alongside Ms. Magill's and Dr. Kornbluth's, In a letter, the mostly Republican lawmakers referred to the college presidents' answers as "abhorrent" and standing "in stark contrast to the principles we expect leaders of top academic institutions to uphold".

"It is hard to imagine any Jewish or Israeli student, faculty or staff feeling safe when presidents of your member institutions could not say that calls for the genocide of Jews would have clear consequences on your campus," the letter added.

On Saturday, President Magill announced that she had "voluntarily tendered her resignation". It came after a major university donor withdrew a $100m (£80m) grant in protest over her comments.

Following Ms Magill's announcement that she was stepping down, Ms Stefanik again aimed at Dr. Gay and Dr. Kornbluth.

"One down, two to go," she wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

College campuses across the US have been the scene of frequent pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli protests, raising concerns about both Islamophobia and antisemitism.

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