Attorney who once defended Hamas co-founder helped anti-Israel students beat suspensions at Columbia
The attorney who helped anti-Israel Columbia University students beat their suspensions earlier this year also reportedly represented a Hamas co-founder against extradition to Israel in the 1990s.
Stanley Cohen has said that Hamas is not a 'person,' 'movement,' or 'ideology,' but rather 'the winds of freedom, justice and equality that can never be stolen from the hearts and souls of millions.'
The attorney who helped anti-Israel Columbia University students beat their suspensions earlier this year also reportedly represented a Hamas co-founder against extradition from the United States to Israel in the 1990s.
In April, Stanley Cohen represented approximately 16 students who were suspended by the New York City Ivy League institution in after holding “Palestinian Resistance 101,” an event which reportedly included speakers who supported terrorist actions aimed at Jews. At the time, Cohen told The Village Sun that he was able to help 12 students lose their suspensions, while the Columbia Daily Spectator noted that only six students were initially suspended.
As noted by The Washington Free Beacon, Cohen has stated that “Palestinians have a legal right to armed struggle” and has also denied that the war in Gaza is “the fault of Hamas.”
The Free Beacon also notes that Cohen previously represented the co-founder of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook, and has also expressed sympathy for the motivation behind Hamas’ efforts.
“Hamas is not a person. It is not a movement. It is not an ideology,” Cohen wrote on July 31. “It is the winds of freedom, justice and equality that can never be stolen from the hearts and souls of millions.”
In the same post, Cohen wrote about Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas’ Political Bureau, who was assassinated earlier this summer.
”Brother Ismail … Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” Cohen continued. The phrase has been translated to read as, “Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Allah we shall return.”
“I met Ismail Haniyeh 25 years ago & as the assistant to Sheikh Ahmed I would often see & speak with him during my frequent visits,” Cohen posted to X on Aug. 1. “During the same period I was very close to Abu Shanab. All these years later, all 3 have been assassinated.”
“The resistance goes on till freedom,” Cohen’s post concluded.
Cohen describes himself in his X biography as an “Attorney,” “Activist,” “Freedom Fighter, “’Certified Selfloathing’ Jew,” and “AntiZionist.”
“The strategy is as clear as it is plain to see,” Cohen posted about Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza on Aug. 13. “Destroy Gaza. Murder and disappear as many civilians as possible. Drive survivors out. Resettle as many Jews there as possible. Break the spirit and determination of the resistance.”
“Every second of every hour of every day of every year and decade of Israel since the onset of the European Zionist blight has been a sculpted lie with one purpose, and one alone, the eradication of all of Palestine and all Palestinians,” Cohen posted on Aug. 12.
Campus Reform has contacted Columbia University and Stanley Cohen for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.