UC students’ Israeli Divestment Push Diverges From Elite Schools

posted on: Feb 13, 2015

When UC Davis student leaders voted last month to seek divestment from businesses that aid Israeli military efforts, it marked the latest formal victory for a movement that has steadily grown on elite campuses across the nation.

Deep-pocketed institutions with ivy-covered walls have seen more activists, professors and students call for such divestment in recent years. But it is primarily at University of California campuses where student leaders have formally voted to condemn Israeli actions and ask that billions of dollars in endowment funds be removed from companies with identifiable ties to the country’s military.

Seven UC student governments have approved resolutions to support divestment, which proponents contend is a peaceful way to force Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories. On Sunday, the systemwide UC Student Association jumped into the fray, voting 9-1 for the measure, with six abstentions.

UC administrators continue to reiterate that divestment from Israel will not happen. But the string of student political victories across UC campuses has nonetheless become a symbolic victory for the pro-Palestinian movement.

Source: www.sacbee.com