The university has so far rejected recommendations to divest. Israel defenders say the calls are unfair to a country under threat of attack and anti-Semitic because they target the world's only Jewish-majority state. ing. This is a long-standing rebuke of the “boycott, divestment and sanctions” movement targeting the country.
But pro-Palestinian activists, many of whom are Jewish, say divestment is a clear and viable way to force universities to act on the issue, an important symbolic victory, and an important symbolic victory that will raise awareness of their concerns. I think it is something that can be improved. They point to the successes of past efforts, such as how students in the 1980s lobbied universities to divest from companies and fossil fuel companies operating in apartheid South Africa.
“First and foremost, we want that impact to be for Columbia, because that's what we have the power to do,” said the student-led organization said Ray Guerrero, organizer of Columbia University Apartheid Divest. movement. “But we hope this scales up so these companies understand the impact.”
South Africa is a precedent.
Universities facing these demands have large endowments, in the billions of dollars, invested across the financial markets, including stocks, real estate and large investment funds.
Divestment simply means selling your holdings, often undesirable holdings.
One oft-cited example was the 1980s targeting of companies doing business with apartheid-controlled South Africa. Columbia University made headlines when it sold $39 million in holdings in companies including Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Co. and Mobil Oil, following weeks of student sit-ins on campus.
Other schools followed suit. In total, more than 150 universities have withdrawn from companies operating in South Africa, as part of a tapestry of fines being levied against the country.
