UC-Irvine student gov passes 'shameful' new anti-Israel resolution

The University of California-Irvine’s student government passed a resolution requesting that the school system stop investing in all companies that work with Israel.

In a vote of 19-3, the body called upon the University of California to “recognize the human rights violations committed by Israel against Palestinians” and “divest from all corporations contributing to the human rights violations of Palestinians.”

Among these corporations are Lockheed Martin, Boeing, G.E., HP, Caterpillar, Ford, Hyundai, Raytheon, 3M, Northrop Grumman, and BlackRock.

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The resolution alleges that “Israel is an apartheid state based on this definition and its similarities to the South African apartheid.” It also notes that UC Irvine “is the only UC, besides UCSB, of the nine UC campuses that offer both undergraduate and graduate education… that does not have a legislation for divestment from apartheid.”

According to the students, the millions “spent on apartheid” should be “redirected to students who do not have their basic needs addressed.”

UC Irvine senior communications director Tom Vasich referred Campus Reform to the university’s statement opposing the legislation.

“The resolution passed last night by an independent student government group, which cites the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and calls for the elimination of certain investments, has no impact on UCI’s operations, does not reflect the university’s views, and is not aligned with the investment policies of the University of California,” the school stated. “UCI’s leadership assures its students and the community that it is committed to providing a welcoming environment for its Jewish students, as well as those of all faiths, and expects discourse that is respectful to all members of our community.”

StandWithUS — an organization dedicated to educating and fighting against anti-Semitism — referred Campus Reform to a statement it issued in response to the UC-Irvine resolution.

“It is shameful that the Senate passed a resolution with such hateful and misleading language,” said StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein. “As the Middle East and the rest of the world move towards viable solutions to a more peaceful future, this does nothing to help Israelis or Palestinians, and will only deepen divisions and hostility against Jewish students on campus.”

A Students Supporting Israel spokesperson told Campus Reform that “the body of the bill contains a litany of lies, double standards, and modern-day blood libels” which could “only be motivated by mendacious malice or colossal ignorance.”

Campus Reform has reported on several instances of anti-Semitism at American universities. In recent years, university students defaced a poster of Ben Shapiro — an orthodox Jew — with the words “BUG B GON,” commented “f*ck Zionists” during a student government meeting, and promoted “Israel Apartheid Week” programming.

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In 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at combating anti-Semitism on campus.

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“I want to be very clear [that] my administration vigorously condemns the BDS campaign against Israel. But sadly, BDS has also made disturbing headway on American college campuses,” commented the forty-fifth president days after he signed the action.

Campus Reform reached out to the UC-Irvine student government for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft