UCLA Student Council Narrowly Defeats Israeli Divestment Effort
WESTWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Student leaders at UCLA early Wednesday morning narrowly rejected a resolution urging University of California officials to divest from any companies that profit from what they call the Israeli "occupation" of Gaza and the West Bank, according to reports.
The Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) voted 7-5 against the resolution (PDF), which claimed companies including Caterpillar, General Electric, and Hewlett-Packard "have violated the universal right 'to life, liberty, and security of person'" and other allegations, according to the Daily Bruin.
Over 500 people attended the meeting, which began at 7 p.m. Tuesday and lasted until 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, The Bruin reported.
Even if the vote had gained enough support, the resolution from Students for Justice in Palestine would only have served as a recommendation to the Board of Regents, which has traditionally opposed Israeli-related divestment efforts, according to The Bruin.
Tammy Rubin, president of Hillel at UCLA, told the Jewish Journal despite the outcome, the vote was not a clear-cut victory.
"I think for our community it's not necessarily a win – it wasn't a loss for us, and that was what was most important," Rubin told The Journal.
