Breaking news.
The University of California at Riverside Student government voted last night to defeat a BDS resolution aimed at companies doing business in Israel. This is the second year in a row that BDS has lost at UC Riverside.
After the vote, pro divestment students left the room claiming they had been "silenced". On the contrary- they had spoken, made their arguments and had their say. Their arguments had been found deficient by their elected student council.
The UC Regents issued a firm statement opposing divestment in 2005, so any student council vote on the issue is purely symbolic. The commitment to oppose divestment from Israel was reiterated in 2010
The overarching question of the University of California divesting from any company is a complex one and any action considered must conform to State and federal laws, as well as to the University’s fiduciary responsibilities as a public entity to protect the security of its pension and endowment funds. In 2005, the Regents stated that a policy of divestment from a foreign government shall be adopted by the University only when the United States government declares that a foreign regime is committing acts of genocide. It was also noted at the time that divestment is a serious decision that should be rarely pursued.
We share The Regents’ belief that divestment needs to be undertaken with caution. We firmly believe that if there is to be any discussion of divestment from a business or country, it must be robust and fair-minded. We must take great care that no one organization or country is held to a different standard than any other. In the current resolutions voted on by the UC student organizations, the State of Israel and companies doing business with Israel have been the sole focus. This isolation of Israel among all countries of the world greatly disturbs us and is of grave concern to members of the Jewish community.
We fully support the Board of Regents in its policy to divest from a foreign government or companies doing business with a foreign government only when the United States government declares that a foreign regime is committing acts of genocide. The U.S. has not made any declaration regarding the State of Israel and, therefore, we will not bring a recommendation before the Board to divest from companies doing business with the State of Israel.
Congratulations to the Highlanders for Israel and other student groups for their tremendous efforts to defeat this proposed bill.
4 comments:
While this represents a defeat for Omar Barghouti, who spoke recently at UCR and the sad sack faculty who brought him in to speak, the question must still be asked: Why is it that university student governments have to devote so much of their time, energy and resources to this silly and obnoxious drive, that even if passed, will be rejected by the universities?
It is because student governments are now stocked with members of Muslim Student Associations and Students for Justice in Palestine who have made this their priority. Thus, the tail wags the dog
The reason is that there is a strong antisemitic component to BDS. The BDS will continue to infect society with antisemitism under the guise of antizionism
Divestment at UCR passed last night. April 23, 2014.
This was an earlier vote. The parasites at SJP are commited to ramming this impotent resolution down everyone's throughts until they "win".
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