College campuses across the country have experienced disruptions due to pro-Palestinian demonstrations calling for universities to divest from Israel. The demands vary at each university, with some calling for divestment from companies with ties to Israel, including tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon. At Columbia University, the student coalition is demanding the divestment of the university’s $13.6 billion endowment from any company linked to Israel. Protesters at other schools, such as Cornell and Yale, are asking their schools to stop investing in weapons manufacturers.
Some schools have been hesitant to divest due to concerns about the complexity of untangling financial interests with companies tied to Israel. Defenders of Israel also fear that calls for divestment can be interpreted as anti-Semitic. Pro-Palestinian protesters argue that divestment would send a strong message of disapproval towards Israel’s actions in Gaza. However, many schools, including the University of Michigan and the University of California, have refused to divest, citing concerns about academic freedom and the exchange of ideas on their campuses.
While most schools have not acquiesced to protesters’ demands for divestment, some administrations are willing to engage in dialogue with demonstrators. The University of Texas, Dallas, and Brown University have expressed openness to hearing divestment proposals. Portland State University announced a pause in gifts and grants from Boeing after calls from students and faculty to sever ties to businesses that support Israel. This demonstrates a willingness by some academic institutions to consider divestment as a response to student activism.
There are historical precedents for university divestment, such as the divestment movement against companies doing business in South Africa during apartheid in the 1980s. Columbia University, among other colleges, voted to sell stock in South Africa-connected companies, leading to the eventual end of apartheid policies in the early 1990s. However, divesting from companies tied to Israel in the current global economy may pose challenges. Nicholas Dirks, former chancellor of UC Berkeley, believes it would be difficult for universities to fully disentangle from companies with ties to countries like Israel and the US due to global economic interconnections.
Fully divesting from major American companies like Alphabet and Microsoft, which have ties to Israel, may present additional challenges. Many Americans’ retirement accounts are invested in these companies, making divestment a complex issue. While some schools are open to dialogue with protesters on divestment, others, like Columbia and the University of California, have made clear statements opposing calls for boycotts and divestment from Israel. The issue of divestment from companies connected to Israel remains a contentious topic on college campuses, with diverging opinions on its effectiveness and feasibility in the modern global economy.
