In a major victory for the Palestinian rights movement on US college campuses, students at in New York City voted of a referendum supporting divestment from companies profiting from Israel鈥檚 human rights violations, writes Nora Barrows-Friedman.
Barnard, a partner of Columbia University, is a prestigious women鈥檚 college with a Jewish student population.
Students say there were attempts to influence votes against the referendum, including multiple alleged violations of campaigning rules and smears accusing supporters of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel, of anti-Semitism.
Despite this, more than 64% of voters the referendum, whose results were announced on April 18.
The result is significant 鈥渂ecause it shows we鈥檝e actually made inroads in a campus whose climate has been naturally hostile to us鈥, Hassan El Tinay, a member of Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, told The Electronic Intifada.
鈥淚t also shows us the immense amount of support that has been growing for Palestine around campuses in the country,鈥 he said.
El Tinay added that growing student support for the BDS movement and Palestinian rights is 鈥渁lso a reaction to the Israeli state鈥檚 inability to maintain a liberal facade鈥. Israel continues to expand its illegal in the occupied West Bank and the Syrian Golan Heights, as well as its on Gaza. Top Israeli officials engage in .
Last month, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace, under the banner of , the Barnard Student Government Association to write a letter to the administration urging it to divest from , , , , , , and , Israel鈥檚 state water corporation that Palestinian resources.
After the meeting, the student government decided to hold a referendum on whether it should recommend divestment.
Though the referendum measure was approved, the student government still has to vote on whether it will write to the administration, to the Columbia Spectator.
Students are looking forward to 鈥渕aking our case about the complicity of these [companies] in Palestinian human rights violations鈥 and ways Barnard can re-invest those funds, El Tinay said.
Israel advocacy groups about the results of the referendum.
The referendum result comes in spite of recent and by the administration and Israel lobby groups to bully, intimidate and smear students and faculty supportive of Palestinian rights at Columbia University and Barnard College.
Earlier this month, Columbia against Columbia University Apartheid Divest by , a national campus organisation which is and has ties to the Israeli government.
The complaint alleged that campus speech supporting Palestinian rights violated New York criminal law, civil law and university rules, to Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
SJP notes that since 2016, Students Supporting Israel has filed 鈥渟everal complaints against professors and students for speech critical of Israeli policies鈥 but every complaint has been dismissed.
In 2014, under apparent pressure from Israel-aligned groups, Barnard administrators with the words 鈥淪tand for Justice in Palestine鈥 that had been placed by Columbia SJP.
Four years after that suppression of speech, Barnard students 鈥渉ave given our college administration an opportunity to right this wrong 鈥 to cultivate a campus culture that is diverse, socially responsible and that stands with Palestinians on the right side of history,鈥 Caroline Oliver, a Barnard member of Students for Justice in Palestine.
Meanwhile, more than 50 student groups at nearby New York University their support for BDS earlier this month.
Students say that they will participate in the boycott of Israeli products, as well as academic institutions and conferences sponsored by the Israeli government, while 鈥渃ommitting to continually recognising indigenous land and sovereignty鈥.
They also announced that they will refuse to co-sponsor events with Zionist or pro-Israel groups. They are calling on the NYU administration to divest its holdings in companies that profit from Israel鈥檚 human rights abuses.
鈥淲e are proud to be a part of this struggle for justice,鈥 the groups said.
[Reprinted from .]