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NYU student doubles down after blaming Israel for Hamas terrorism: ‘Who I condemn was pretty clear’

October 28, 2023 | | Print Article

The New York University Law School student who in a statement had blamed Israel for Hamas’ brutal terror attack doubled down in an interview this week, refusing to back down from her insensitive and arguably pro-terrorist stance.

Appearing on ABC News, NYU Law School student Ryna Workman, who’s also the president of the school’s Student Bar Association, claimed her statement had been motivated by a desire to stand up for “Palestinian human rights.”

“I will continue to speak up for Palestinian human rights and use whatever platform I have available to me to call for a ceasefire and end this occupation that’s harming the Palestinians,” she said.

Asked if she’d change anything about her statement given the backlash, she essentially said no. Also asked if she’s finally willing to condemn Hamas for butchering 1,300+ Israelis, she again essentially said no.

“I think what I use my platform for, and who I condemn was pretty clear by my message. I think I will continue to condemn apartheid and military occupation,” she said, making it clear she still blames Israel.

Listen:

At one point during the interview, ABC News anchor Linsey Davis asked Workman whether she felt any “empathy for the Israeli victims” who were butchered by Hamas. Instead of directly answering the question, Workman tried to deflect.

“I think whether or not my empathy goes to Israelis or to Palestinians is really not the question here. What the question is, will we call for an end to this genocide and will we call for a ceasefire,” she responded.

Davis then tried asking the question again.

“Do you think that in this space that we’re in right now, there’s room to have empathy for the Israelis who lost their lives, who were brutalized, who were raped and also empathy for the Palestinians who are similarly losing their lives?” she pressed.

This time Workman responded by claiming that because the media are primarily covering the Israeli victims of this ongoing conflict — which isn’t necessarily true — she’d rather talk about the Palestinians.

“I think right now if you turn on any mainstream channel you’ll see the stories of Israelis on every screen you look to. So I think for me, I will continue to use my platform to uplift the voices of Palestinians and the struggles they’re going through because right now we have over 5,000 Palestinian lives lost. And they are asking us and begging us to share their stories, and that’s what we’ll continue to do,” she said.

FYI, the “5000 Palestinian lives lost” claim was based on Hamas’ own very dubious reporting. The terrorist group has repeatedly been shown to be liars. But that didn’t appear to matter to Workman.

As previously reported, Workman went viral after she used her position as NYU Law School’s Student Bar Association president to publish a notice in a school-wide newsletter accusing Israel of bearing the blame for the Oct. 7th terrorist attack.

“I want to express, first and foremost, my unwavering and absolute solidarity with Palestinians in their resistance against oppression toward liberation and self-determination,” the notice read.

“Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life. This regime of state-sanctioned violence created the conditions that made resistance necessary. I will not condemn Palestinian resistance,” it continued.

Workman continued her screed by condemning everything and everyone except for Hamas.

“I condemn the violence of apartheid. I condemn the violence of settler colonialism. I condemn the violence of dispossession and stolen homes. I condemn the violence of trapping thousands in an open-air prison. I condemn the violence of collective punishment. I condemn the violence of phosphorous bombs,” she wrote.

“I condemn the violence of the United States military-industrial complex. I condemn the violence of obfuscating genocide as a ‘complex issue.’ I condemn the violence in labeling oppressed people as ‘animals.’ I condemn the violence in removing historical context. I condemn the violence of silence. Palestine will be free,” she concluded.

The backlash to her notice was swift and deafening.

First, Winston & Strawn LLP, a law firm that had been on the verge of hiring Workman, announced that it was rescinding its job offer to her. Second, the Student Bar Association initiated a process to boot Workman from her position. And third, NYU released a statement distancing itself from her.

Sadly, Workman is one of many, many, many far-left college students throughout the country who’ve aligned themselves with Hamas over Israel.

Vivek Saxena
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