NYU Law School Sees Tensions Arise Between Student Groups Regarding Israeli–Palestinian Conflict
Members of NYU Law Students for Justice in Palestine were accused of antisemitism in an open letter penned by members of the NYU Law Students for Israel group.
For the past two weeks, the NYU School of Law has seen an online dispute waged between two student groups with differing opinions on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The discord began on the Law School’s email group called Coases, and has since gotten NYU administration’s attention, including NYU President Andrew Hamilton, who said that the “discourse invoke[d] views so troubling that they require a clear response.”
Hamilton addressed the comments made in an open email sent on the Coases platform earlier this month by the members of NYU Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), who were criticized as antisemitic by using phrases such as “the Zionist grip on the media is omnipresent.”
The email, sent on Monday, April 11, came four days after another student coalition, NYU Law Students of Israel, penned a separate email discussing recent updates in the Israel-Palestine conflict, informing students of the 13 Israelis that were killed in “four separate acts of Palestinian terror” this month.
“We stand with Israel during this difficult time and defend its right to protect itself from those who wish it harm,” NYU Law Students of Israel wrote in the April 7 email. “The Middle East is big enough for all its indigenous peoples to enjoy self-determination, security, and prosperity.”
The April 11 LSJP email responded to the group in the same listserv, writing that “it is imperative to address the blatant inaccuracies, fallacies, and misrepresentations contained in the recent email [sent by the NYU Law Students of Israel on April 7].”
“Israel is an apartheid regime that colonized Palestinian land by forcefully removing much of the Palestinian population and forcing those remaining to live in a constant state of fear and oppression by denying them their basic human rights and dignity,” LSJP wrote in the email. “Framing is everything and the Zionist grip on the media is omnipresent.”
As a result of the email, students addressed a letter to NYU Law School Dean Trevor Morrison that condemned the speech in LSJP’s email, which they dubbed as “hateful, alienating, and borderline antisemitic statements.” The letter, which also serves as a petition, went on to name several student groups and individuals within the community that signed on those statements.
“We ask that the NYU Law administration do a better job of proactively protecting an atmosphere of free, respectful, and non-violent speech and to outline its strategy in doing so,” reads the petition. It also urged NYU Law administration to publicly state its expectation that the law school community be “committed to nonviolence in promoting social justice goals,” and hold scholarship students participating in political discourse “accountable through articulated prestigious scholarship guidelines.” The letter also requested NYU Law Admissions ensure their scholarship candidates “are committed to non-violence and respectful dialogue,” going forward.
“The petition is not meant to punish anyone,” said a law student who requested anonymity. “It is to make sure that the school takes actions to keep its students from discrimination and harassment.”
Morrison addressed the matter on April 20, stating that within the NYU community, debate should be conducted in a respectful manner. Morrison stated phrases like “Zionist grip on the media” was close to the antisemitic trope that Jewish people control the media.
Morrison added that Coases’ listserv, which was created for law students to exchange and sell property, publish on-campus activities, and seek life advice, according to NYU Law school’s website, could be partially blamed for the dispute.
“It must be acknowledged that the Coases listserv may itself be part of the problem here,” read the email. “The administration may well choose to consider alternative communications platforms with different functionalities.”
On the same day, NYU President Andrew Hamilton put out a statement about the exchange between the student groups as well, saying that the university will investigate all complaints of antisemitism. Hamilton also addressed the killing of Israeli citizens that the student group dispute began over, stating that “the killing of civilian non-combatants is immoral, full stop.”
“Academia prizes free debate and expression; however, some discourse invokes views so troubling that they require a clear response,” Hamilton wrote. He discussed the “Zionist grip on the media” phrase as well, saying that it is “profoundly troubling.”
He continued, “Antisemitism is bigotry, as repugnant as any other form.”
NYU Law Students for Justice in Palestine, in their April 25 response to the petition as well as the school’s official statement, reiterated their position in their initial open mail sent on April 11 and asserted that the school’s community should not target individual students on this matter.
“We are disappointed that some of our classmates, NYU Law’s administration, and right-wing media outlets have focused on targeting students who speak out against apartheid,” LSJP wrote, “rather than condemning the Israeli occupation forces that are currently bombing Gaza, attacking Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Holy month of Ramadan, and invading the homes of Palestinians.”
NYU Law plans to host “programming on antisemitism, bias, and discriminatory speech” following this semester’s exam period, according to Morrison. The school hasn’t mentioned if any action will be taken against the students who were accused of using antisemitic language in the email. LSJP and LSJ have yet to respond to Local’s request for comment on the dispute.
“Part of doing better is striving to find effective and respectful ways to have difficult, even painful conversations with those with whom we disagree,” Morrison wrote.
