Over the past several months, tensions across university campuses in the U.S. have remained high over issues relating to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza against Hamas militants.
Most recently, pro-Palestinian protests broke out at colleges like Columbia University and Yale University, with some students calling for the schools to divest from Israel.
Tensions have remained high since October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group launched an attack on southern Israel that left 1,200 people dead and saw over 200 more taken hostage. More than 34,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the war began, The Associated Press reported, citing local health officials.
Protesters at Columbia University are actively calling on the school to divest from Israel amid its ongoing war in Gaza. Similarly, a number of student-run organizations at other schools across the nation have made similar calls, with some passing resolutions to support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
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City University of New York
In 2021, the City University of New York (CUNY) Law School’s student council voted in favor of a resolution in support of the BDS Movement and called on the college to divest from Israel. However, CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez issued a statement in 2022 saying that the student organizations “speak for themselves and the opinions or positions they express are entirely theirs and do not represent the views of CUNY.”
“CUNY does not support and to be clear cannot participate in BDS activities and is required to divest public funds from any companies that do,” the chancellor added.
Binghamton
In April 2024, the Binghamton student-run newspaper, Pipe Dream, reported that the school’s Student Association (SA) Congress voted in favor of a BDS resolution.
“Companies like Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems have no place on our campus, and the student body has made it resoundingly clear that we stand firmly against the investment of our tuition funds and endowment into an industry that manufactures weapons of war and mass destruction,” the resolution said, according to Pipe Dream.
Newsweek reached out to Binghamton University for comment on the resolution.
New York University Department of Social and Cultural Analysis
In 2021, the faculty members at the New York University Department of Social and Cultural Analysis voted in favor of implementing a resolution of non-cooperation with the university’s Tel Aviv campus.
A non-cooperation resolution was passed at the previous faculty meeting and as part of its implementation, SCA will not officially sponsor faculty teaching at the study abroad program or dedicate resources to faculty exchanges.
“With respect to this departmental vote: it’s a little puzzling as to what form it would take, as our Tel Aviv campus does not draw on the department of social and cultural analysis for its academic program,” NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in response to the resolution.
Case Western Reserve University
In 2022, the Undergraduate Student Government at Case Western Reserve University voted in favor of a resolution which encouraged the university to look into how its funds are invested in Israeli companies, the Case Western Reserve Observer reported.
The resolution called for divestment in companies that “facilitate the building, maintenance, or economic development of illegal Israeli settlements, outposts, and settler-only roads and transportation systems on occupied Palestinian territory,” the newspaper reported.
However, University President Eric W. Kaler issued a statement shortly after the vote saying he “was disappointed to see support of this resolution.”
“I pledge that Case Western Reserve will continue to be a place welcoming to all,” Kaler said. “Vigorous political debate is welcome and encouraged, but hate towards any group will be opposed at every step, including categorically rejecting the calls to action outlined in this resolution.”
University of California, Davis
In February 2024, the UC Davis student government (ASUCD) voted in favor of a BDS resolution that blocks the group’s budget from being spent on companies supporting Israel.
“The bill that was passed prevents any of the $20 million in the ASUCD budget from being spent on companies complicit in the occupation and genocide of Palestinians, as specified by the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement. From McDonald’s to Sabra to Chevron, none of our student fees that fund ASUCD operations will be used to financially support 30+ companies that are complicit in Zionist violence,” the group said in an Instagram post.
A spokesperson for UC Davis told Newsweek that the student government at UC Davis is independent of the university.
UCLA
In February 2024, the UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council and Graduate Student Association both voted in support of a BDS resolution, which accused Israel of “apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide,” against Palestinians, the UCLA Daily Bruin reported.
However, UCLA issued a statement criticizing the resolutions, saying that they “run counter to the position of the University of California and UCLA, which, like all nine other UC campuses, has consistently opposed calls for a boycott against and divestment from Israel.”
Newsweek reached out to the BDS movement via email for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.