UC Irvine Student Senate Calls for Divestment from Israel

Updated Nov. 16:University administrators were quick to dismiss the student resolution seeking divestment from companies doing business in Israel. In a statement, it said "such divestment is not the policy of this campus, nor is it the policy of the University of California. The UC Board of Regents' policy requires this action only when the U.S. government deems it necessary. No such declaration has been made regarding Israel."

The University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) student senate passed a non-binding resolution Tuesday asking the school to divest from companies that do business with Israel.

The Associated Students of UC Irvine voted 16-0 requesting divestment from Caterpillar, Cement Roadstones Holding, Cemex, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Raytheon, Sodastream, and L-3 Communications. The resolution refers to the eight companies as ones that "Profit from Apartheid."

The resolution has not yet been approved by UC Irvine student government's executive board. An approval from the executive board is needed in order for the resolution to reach UC Irvine's administration.

"Our work today stands tall in the noble tradition of students advocating for justice, joining the ranks of those brave and visionary students who demanded that our universities divest from the terrible crimes of South African apartheid," Sabreen Shalabi, co-author of the legislation said in a press release.

Anti-Israel activity is not new to UC Irvine. In February 2010, the school's Muslim Student Union (MSU) orchestrated a series of repeated disruptions during a lecture by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren. Students stood up and shouted accusations of murder and genocide at the ambassador during his speech before being escorted out by police. Eleven students were arrested the night of Oren's speech and ten were convicted in September 2011. The University also suspended MSU for a year in June 2010 following a school investigation into the incident.

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