One of America’s most prestigious law firms has rescinded job offers for three students who appeared to lead condemnations of Israel in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks.
Davis Polk reversed employment offers to those the company reportedly believed led organizations at Harvard and Columbia university’s that issued statements blaming Israel for the violence.
The firm added on Tuesday that it would re-evaluate the decision for two of the students, who appealed the verdict and claimed they did not authorize the letters, which were unsigned.
It comes as college campuses across America have become a focal point of domestic hostilities as the US grapples with the complex conflict in the Middle East, where pro-Palestine and pro-Israel student groups have clashed over the escalating campaigns.
Supporters of Palestine gather at Harvard University to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza at a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 2023
Pro-Palestinian students take part in a protest in support of the Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, at Columbia University in New York City, U.S., October 12, 2023
College campuses (pictured at Harvard) have become a focal point of hostilities as the nation grapples with the complex conflict in the Middle East
Pro-Palestine student organizations have sparked fury with shows of support for Hamas after the terrorist organization killed over 1,400 Israelis in attacks since Saturday.
As Israel responds with retaliatory sieges on the Gaza Strip, pro-Israel groups have been confronted in fiery exchanges and incendiary statements from groups on campuses across the country.
According to the law firm, two of the students who have seen their offers rescinded were leaders in groups at Columbia and another at Harvard, who were affiliated with the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups that condemned Israel following the attacks.
The groups jointly wrote a letter that blamed the ‘Israeli regime’ for the grisly attacks, which included the massacre of at least 260 people at a music festival.
Davis Polk, which did not identify the students, said in a statement: ‘The views expressed in certain of the statements signed by law school student organizations in recent days are in direct contravention of our firm’s value system.’
The company added that it will ‘continue to maintain a supportive and inclusive work environment’, and said that ‘the student leaders responsible for signing on to these statements are no longer welcome in our firm.’
Pro-Israel students take part in a protest at Columbia University in New York City, U.S., October 12, 2023
Davis Polk managing partner and chair Neil Barr (pictured) said the company’s decision came as it does not wish to employ any supporters of the Hamas terrorist attacks
In an interview with the New York Times on Tuesday, Davis Polk managing partner and chair Neil Barr affirmed the move as he insisted the company does not wish to employ any supporters of the Hamas attacks.
The move also reportedly spurred a large number of law students that were set to be employed by Davis Polk have reached out to the company to maintain that they did not support the statements, according to Davis Polk spokeswoman Katie Moss.
Moss added that many of the students – from Columbia, Harvard and other prestigious universities – said they resigned from groups that appeared to support the Hamas attacks.
While saying it will re-evaluate the decision for the two students that appealed, Davis Polk says it has not made any decisions to reverse course and employ them.
The move also comes as major firms, led by Wall Street hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, have also rescinded job offers or pledged not to hire students issuing pro-Hamas statements.
Pro-Israel groups (pictured at Columbia University) have clashed with pro-Palestine groups on numerous US campuses since the conflict in the Middle East escalated a week ago
Republican Josh Hawley has called for the Department of Justice to investigate pro-Palestine student groups on college campuses
As college campuses continue to become an epicenter of the complex conflict within the US, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has called for the Department of Justice to investigate pro-Palestine student groups within universities.
The Missouri lawmaker slammed organizations at Ivy league schools like Harvard and Columbia, which have supported the terrorists’ actions as justified.
‘[Hamas] would kill every Jew in the world if they could. That’s what these terrorists want. And to be silent in the face of that or to celebrate it as these crazy student groups are doing?,’ Hawley told Sean Hannity on Fox News.
‘What I want to know, Sean, is who’s funding these student groups? I hope that the DOJ is investigating where the money is coming from. Are there terror groups who are part of these networks who are infiltrating our campuses?
‘I mean, this is crazy stuff that we’re seeing on these campuses. And for these administrators to have their hand out to take federal money, taxpayer money, and at the same time be silent or silently condone this kind of terrorism is just it is grotesque.’
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