Elite law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell has rescinded job offers for three Ivy League students who signed letters expressing support for Palestinians and blaming Israel for the Hamas attacks. The firm stated that the students' views are in direct contradiction with the firm's values and that the student leaders who signed onto the statements are no longer welcome. However, an email from the managing partner, Neil Barr, suggests that the decision may be reversible. The firm remains in dialogue with two of the students to consider any further information they provide. The decision by Davis Polk & Wardwell, which employs around 1,000 attorneys and has annual revenues of $1.7 billion, comes amidst ongoing controversy surrounding US university students' views on the conflict in the Middle East.

Following the 7 October attacks, in which at least 1,400 Israelis were killed, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and over 30 other student groups released a letter blaming the Israeli regime for the violence. The letter faced immediate backlash, with some university donors threatening to stop funding and a Harvard Jewish center calling it antisemitic. Some of the student groups and leaders named as signatories later distanced themselves from the letter, claiming they were unaware of its contents before it was published. Accuracy in Media, a conservative group, has featured the faces of some student leaders on billboards in the Boston area, stating that they will remove them if the students apologize for their statements.

Davis Polk & Wardwell is not the only law firm to revoke a job offer due to these statements. Winston & Strawn withdrew an offer to a former president of the New York University Student Bar Association, who stated in an email that "Israel bears full responsibility" for the Hamas attacks. The student has since also been removed as student body president and has received death threats. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (Fire) has expressed concern about the current conflict in the Middle East leading to a fraught moment for student free speech. Fire urges caution, asking if society wants to live in a world where everyone must have the same views to secure employment.

The controversy surrounding the statements and the Israel-Hamas war has spread to Ivy League universities across the US. The Law firm Davis Polk's decision to rescind job offers is the latest development in the ongoing backlash against the statements. The letters, which characterized the violence as Israel's sole responsibility, have sparked a debate about free speech and privacy on college campuses. Some students have been targeted and vilified for their perceived support of the statements. The situation has led to tension and disputes at various universities, with some donors halting their usual donations until university leadership resigns.

The conflict in Israel and Gaza has resulted in over 1,400 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians being killed since fighting began on 7 October. This initial attack by Hamas terrorists across the Gaza border into Israel prompted the statements and subsequent backlash. The situation continues to reverberate on college campuses and beyond, leading to discussions about the boundaries of free speech and the consequences of expressing controversial views.