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ASSOCIATED STUDENTS
University of California, Santa Barbara
Senate Resolution
Subject: A Resolution to Divest From Companies that Profit From Human Rights Violations in Palestine/Israel
Author: Xin Ma Second: Steven Kwok
Number:
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Bill Type:
Vote Required for Passage:
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
recommends to the A.S. Legislative Council that the following action be taken:
Pass As Written:
Pass With Amendments:
Do Not Pass:
Refer To Committee:
Recommended by a Vote Of:
Chairperson's initials:
STUDENT -SPONSORED LEGISLATION
Student Sponsor: Anumita Kaur Student Co-Sponsor: Unique Vance
The Student-Sponsored Resolution Liaison Anumita Kaur has insured that this Student-Sponsored
Resolution is correct in its form and adherence to the ASUCSB Legal Code.
Pass As Written:
Pass With Amendments:
Do Not Pass:
Refer To Ad-Hoc Committee:
FISCAL IMPACT
Amount:
$
Account:
A Resolution
To
WHEREAS: the Mission Statement of UCSB states, “Our commitment to public service
is manifested through the creation and distribution of knowledge that advances the wellbeing of our state, nation, and world[i];” and,
WHEREAS: it is the University of California, Santa Barbara’s duty to maintain the
values of intellectual curiosity, integrity, commitments, and empathy, which includes the
promotion of human rights, equality, and dignity for all people; and,
WHEREAS: students have a legacy of standing against oppression and injustice at
University of California, Santa Barbara and across the U.S.; and,
WHEREAS: a top tier research institution should actively dismantle systems of racism,
patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, imperialism, colonization, environmental
degradation; rather than, contributing to any of the aforementioned; and,
WHEREAS: the role of student activists in exposing South Africa’s apartheid system
and supporting equality, freedom, and dignity sets an example for us to follow as
students of global conscience; and,
WHEREAS: as the example of South Africa shows, it is imperative for students to stand
unequivocally against all forms of racism and bigotry globally and on campus, including
but not limited to Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, racism, and settler colonialism; and,
WHEREAS: as the example of UCSB’s divestment from fossil fuels shows our
commitment to socially responsible investment as well as the empowerment of students
to make a difference that will positively affect future generations[ii]; and,
WHEREAS: The University of California, Santa Barbara’s divestment from the Prison
Industrial Complex demonstrates a commitment to equality and dismantling structures
of racism and enslavement;
WHEREAS: the occupied Palestinian Territory is not only militarily, but also
economically controlled by the Israeli government; and,
WHEREAS: the University of California, Santa Barbara is built on Chumash indigenous
land, so has Israel been built on indigenous Palestinian land; and,
WHEREAS: certain companies have promoted and been complicit in human rights
violations by the Israeli government, as detailed below and documented by human
rights organizations including, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’tselem,
Al-Haq, Defense for Children International, Addameer, Adalah, Badil, and the Israeli
Coalition Against House Demolitions; and,
WHEREAS: there have been numerous peace efforts through diplomatic efforts
throughout the past 65 years, only crippling the Palestinians further and reinforcing
Apartheid and ethno-racial supremacist policies; and,
WHEREAS: The African National Congress, the ruling party of South Africa has made
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions a part of its official policy, due to the Apartheid
policies currently taking place in Israel
WHEREAS: Universities have endorsed Boycotts and Divestments including, but not
limited to: UC San Diego, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz (rescinded), UC
Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC Davis, The University of Johannesburg, Loyola
University, Stanford University, Northeastern University, and Arizona State University
WHEREAS: The University California Student Association, an organization that strives
to be the collective voice of all UC students through advocacy and direct action, has
endorsed divestment from corporations that violate Palestinian rights
WHEREAS: Divestment and the BDS movement have been supported by various
Jewish and Israeli organizations worldwide, including Jewish Voice for Peace, Young
Jewish and Proud, Jewish Voice for Peace at UCSB, Divest from Within, Breaking the
Silence, Rabbis for Human Rights, Black Laundry, Women in Black, Jews for the
Palestinian Right of Return, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Jews Say No,
True Torah Jews, Jews Against the Occupation, and Anarchists Against the Wall,
demonstrating that not all Jews unconditionally support Israel and that critiques of the
nation state and its policies are not anti-Semitic or an attack on the Jewish people
WHEREAS: Israeli Human Rights violations have led to a growing endorsement of
academic boycotts against Israeli institutions, including Asian American Studies, The
Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, and the American Studies
Association.
WHEREAS: according to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), “the construction by
Israel of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its associated regime are
contrary to international law[iii];” and,
WHEREAS: according to the same ICJ decision, the establishment and expansion of
settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is also illegal, under international law;
and,
WHEREAS: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 13 states, “everyone
has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of
each…everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to
his country[iv]”; and,
WHEREAS: Palestinians movement has been restricted through checkpoints,
roadblocks and the illegal apartheid wall; and,
WHEREAS: Palestinians that sought refuge throughout the world, according to the
UNRWA over 4 million Palestinian Refugees, are refused citizenship in Palestine/Israel
in direct violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and UN Resolution
194(resolution declaring right to return),
WHEREAS: according to the UN General Assembly’s application of the Fourth Geneva
Convention to occupied Palestinian territory, the establishment and expansion of
settlements in “….in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, especially settlement activities…remain contrary to international law and
cannot be recognized, irrespective of the passage of time[v]”; and,
WHEREAS: these violations of human rights and international law have been
recognized and resulted in the condemnation of the state of Israel by the international
community in the UN Security Council, Human Rights Council Fact-Finding mission in
Gaza, and the above mentioned governmental bodies and organizations, which
consequently resulted in dozens of resolutions, condemning Israel’s treatment of
Palestinians; and,
WHEREAS: our university invests in companies which have an active role in the human
rights abuses against the Palestinian people; thereby making it a complicit third-party;
and,
WHEREAS: Motorola has manufactured and provided MotoEagle Surveillance, a
system installed in 20-27 Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, that include
radars and cameras to detect human movement outside the settlements and is used on
the Separation Wall complex[vi]; and,
WHEREAS: the MotoEagle Surveillance system has been used to restrict the
movement of Palestinians and used in the illegal occupation of Palestinian Territories;
and,
WHEREAS: Caterpillar manufactures and provides bulldozers and civil engineering
tools to expand illegal settlements and the construction of the Wall and checkpoints,
and the D9 bulldozer is used for the systematic and ongoing destruction of Palestinian
houses, neighborhoods, and agriculture[vii]; and,
WHEREAS: General Electric is an American manufacturer of engines for military
vehicles and the company produces the TT700-701 engines for the Boeing A64 Apache
helicopter; and,
WHEREAS: These Boeing A64 Apache helicopters are extensively used by the Israeli
military in attacks against Palestinian civilians in both the West Bank and Gaza[viii];
and,
WHEREAS: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for Boeing to
suspend their sales of the Apache AH-64 helicopters that have been used to attack
residential areas of Al-Khalil and invade the refugee camps of Deheishe and Aida; and,
WHEREAS: Hewlett Packard Company has supported the restricted freedom of
movement, as cited in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, through providing
biometric identification systems used in the Israeli military checkpoints; and,
WHEREAS: Hewlett-Packard Company has provided services and technologies to the
Israeli army, among which is the administration of the Israeli navy’s IT infrastructure[ix];
and,
WHEREAS: The Israeli navy has enforced a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip since
2007; and,
WHEREAS: Raytheon is the largest producer of missile weapons in the world, and sells
small and large guided missiles to Israel, including: AGM 65 Maverick, AIM 7 Sparrow,
AIM 9 Sidewinder, and AIM 120B ARAAM[x]; and,
WHEREAS: These missiles have been used in the attacks in Lebanon (2006) and Gaza
(December 2008-2009); and,
WHEREAS: During Israel’s attack on Gaza from December 2008 to January 2009 some
1,400 Palestinians were killed, the majority civilians. 308 of those killed were under the
age of 18. More than 5000 were wounded, 3,540 housing units were completely
destroyed and more than 20,000 were left homeless, and damage to infrastructure
amounted to an estimated $10 million; and,
WHEREAS: In June 2005 the Advisory Council on Ethics for the Norwegian
Government Petroleum Fund recommended “to exclude Raytheon from investment
because of Raytheon’s involvement in the production of cluster bomb munitions and
missiles[xi]”; and,
WHEREAS: Northrop Grumman is an American designer, systems integrator, and
manufacturer of military aircraft, defense electronics, precision weapons, and
commercial and military aerostructures and, specifically, produces radar and Apache
Longbow systems for the Israeli military[xii]; and,
WHEREAS: The Obama administration has blocked the sale of Apache helicopter
Longbow systems to the Israeli military after the 2008 attack on Gaza due to the
systems Hellfire missiles, which have proved to be especially lethal to civilians due to its
maneuverability in urban areas[xiii][xiv]; and,
WHEREAS: the most recent UC Annual Endowment Report shows University of
California, Santa Barbara holding in Caterpillar, General Electric, Northrop Grumman,
Hewlett Packard, and Raytheon, whose military technology is used by the Israeli
Defense Forces to maintain Israel’s military occupation and siege of the Palestinian
territories[xv]; and,
WHEREAS: many of these companies, such as Motorola, have been previously
engaged by various solidarity campaigns and concerned investors about their complicit
involvement in the previously mentioned human rights violations against Palestinians, to
no avail; and,
WHEREAS: the University of California Student Association (UCSA), a body that
represents all UC student governments, passed a resolution “recognizing the legitimacy
of boycotts and divestments as important social movement tools, and encouraged all
institutions of higher learning to cleanse their investments portfolios of investment
companies, supporting or profiting from violations of international human rights law, as
unethical, without making special exemptions for any one country[xvi]”; and,
WHEREAS: our investments are not fostering the “well-being of our state, nation, and
world”; and,
WHEREAS: the current investments demonstrate complicity in the occupation of
Palestinian Territories without consent of the student body; therefore,
THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED THAT THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS IN THE
SENATE ASSEMBLED: that ASUCSB will examine its assets and UC assets for
investments in companies that a) provide military support for, or weaponry to support,
the occupation of the Palestinian Territories, or b) facilitate the building or maintenance
of the Separation Wall or the demolition of Palestinian homes, or c) facilitate in the
building, maintenance, or economic development of Israeli settlements on annexed
Palestinian territories; and,
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that we direct the UCSB Associated Students
Investment Advisory Committee to divest all investments in Hewlett Packard,
determined by fund fiduciaries, within their discretion; and,
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that we direct our university, the University of
California Treasury, the UC Regents, and the UCSB Foundation to divest their holding
from each of these aforementioned companies, as determined by fund fiduciaries, within
their discretion; and,
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that we, the students, direct the UCSB Foundation
to explore its investments and to invest in socially responsible corporations, with the
goal of restricting the use of companies that profit from human rights violations; and,
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that we demand more transparency in UC
investments and accountability in investment practices, through the involvement of
students in the UCSB Foundation; and,
LET IT FINALLY BE RESOLVED that we, the students, call upon our university to
dissociate itself from companies that promote systematic discrimination, inequality, and
human rights violations, where this system targets people based on religion, gender,
race, or orientation, by divesting from companies that participate in or profit from human
rights violations.
[i] http://www.ucsb.edu/campus/mission.shtml
[ii] http://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2013/03/fossil-fuel-divestment-resolution-passed
[iii] http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2164676-at-64-israel-celebrates-but-with-fewerfriends-than-before/
[iv] http://www.david-morrison.org.uk/palestine/wall-illegal-adop-sum.htm
[v] http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a13
[vi] http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/E29F7195C53CDDA905256729005035E4
[vii] http://www.whoprofits.org/company/motorola-solutions
[viii] http://www.investmentscreen.org/company-detail/3
[ ix] http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/israel050602.html.
[x] http://www.whoprofits.org/company/hewlett-packard-hp
[xi] http://www.mediamonitors.net/joshruebner3.html
[xii] http://www.mediamonitors.net/joshruebner3.html.
[xiii] http://www.investmentscreen.org/company-detail/175
[xiv] http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/ss_israel0424_05_27
[xv] http://www.ucop.edu/treasurer/_files/invpol/GEP_Holdings_12-31-11.pdf
[xvi] http://www.ucop.edu/treasurer/_files/invpol/UCRP_Holdings_12-31-11.pd
[xvii] http://ucsa.org/document/view/236
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-admits-ethiopian-women-were-given-birthcontrol-shots.premium-1.496519
CC:
Marisela Marquez
[email protected]
Angela Lau
[email protected]