Harvard, Columbia students lose job offers for supporting Palestinians

An elite law firm has revoked job offers for three Ivy League students who expressed support for Palestinians amid a war between Hamas and Israel.

According to media reports, Davis Polk & Wardwell said the views "are in direct contravention of our firm's value system".

The students, studying at Harvard and Columbia, signed a letter expressing support for Palestinians that blamed Israel for the Hamas attacks.

Also read: Israel-Palestine War: List of hostages taken by Hamas from Israel

The company said the student leaders who signed onto the statements are "no longer welcome in our firm".

Davis Polk & Wardwell employs around 1,000 attorneys and has annual revenues of $1.7 billion.

Also read: Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai condemns Gaza hospital blast, directs $300k to charities helping Palestinians

Recently, more than 30 Harvard student groups signed a statement of solidarity with Palestine last week, saying responsibility for the violence falls on Israel. The letter sparked criticism from some peers and alumni.

Former Harvard President Larry Summers said he was “sickened” by the university’s hesitance to condemn the “acts of terror.” Hours later, Harvard leadership including President Claudine Gay issued a letter that acknowledged the “death and destruction unleashed by the attack by Hamas.”

Also read: Egypt to send aid to war torn Gaza from tomorrow says US President Biden but rejects proposal to relocate Gazans

Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and his wife quit their positions on the Harvard Kennedy School Dean’s Executive Board, citing a “lack of clear evidence of support” toward the people of Israel from university leadership.

Separately, Stanford University also suspended a teacher over allegations that students were targeted for their identities amid the Middle East conflict.

The temporary removal comes after reports the non-faculty instructor called out individual students based on their backgrounds while addressing recent events in Israel.

Other varisities in the US, including the University of Pennsylvania have come under criticism for their responses to the Hamas attacks on Israel. Students have staged protests and vigils in the aftermath of the violence, which has killed roughly 1,900 Palestinians and 1,300 Israelis.

Penn was mired by accusations of antisemitism after the university hosted the Palestine Writes Literature Festival last month.