Palestinians entering Israel after taking down the fence on the Israel-Gaza border on October 7.
Hani Alshaer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
An NYU law student has lost their job offer after publicly blaming Israel for Hamas’ attacks.Law firm Winston & Strawn said it withdrew its offer to the student because of their remarks.The student, president of the NYU Student Bar Association, issued a Monday letter condemning Israel.
A New York University law student who published a statement condemning Israel for Hamas’ attacks has lost their job offer at Winston & Strawn, the law firm said on Tuesday.
“Today, Winston & Strawn learned that a former summer associate published certain inflammatory comments regarding Hamas’ recent terrorist attack on Israel and distributed it to the NYU Student Bar Association,” the firm wrote in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“These recent comments are profoundly in conflict with Winston & Strawn’s values as a firm. Accordingly, the Firm has rescinded the law student’s offer of employment,” Winston & Strawn added.
The firm, which is based in New York, did not name the student.
However, its statement comes after a Monday newsletter message from the president of the NYU Student Bar Association, Ryna Workman, went viral for blaming Israel for the October 7 attacks.
“Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life,” Workman wrote. “This regime of state-sanctioned violence created the conditions that made resistance necessary. I will not condemn Palestinian resistance.”
The bar association president continued on to condemn apartheid, settler colonialism, military occupation, and “the violence of obfuscating genocide as a ‘complex issue.'”
“Palestine will be free,” the letter said at the end.
Workman’s LinkedIn account, which is now deleted, listed experience as a summer associate at Winston & Strawn, per Reuters.
In a Tuesday statement, NYU School of Law Dean Troy McKenzie said Workman’s message wasn’t representative of the school management’s views on the “horrific conflict in Israel and Gaza.'”
“This message was not from NYU School of Law as an institution and does not speak for the leadership of the Law School,” McKenzie wrote. “It certainly does not express my own views, because I condemn the killing of civilians and acts of terrorism as always reprehensible.”
Representatives for Winston & Strawn and NYU did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.
Hamas launched a series of surprise attacks and rocket strikes along the Israel-Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,200 people and injuring another 3,000, per an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson.
Dozens of Israelis were also abducted by Hamas fighters and brought into Gaza.
Israel has declared war in response, repeatedly bombing the Gaza Strip and calling up 300,000 reserve soldiers for an anticipated ground invasion. At least 830 Palestinians have been killed since the airstrikes began, per the Gaza Ministry of Health.