The Harvard Divinity School Student Association passed a resolution Friday morning calling on the university to withdraw from organizations involved in “violations of international law and human rights against the Palestinian people.”
The resolution was passed by a two-thirds majority following an 8 a.m. vote. The vote comes just a week after the Harvard Law School Student Government passed a similar resolution that drew praise from pro-Palestinian activists but led to the resignation of two members of the HLS Student Government. Ta.
The HDSSA resolution calls on Harvard Management Company, which manages Harvard University's $50.7 billion endowment, to “comply with weapons manufacturers, corporations, and academic programs that support the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine and the genocide of the Palestinian people.” “Companies and all other institutions” are required to withdraw from the organization.
The International Court of Justice is considering a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, but the court is unlikely to rule on the case for years. More than 30,000 people have died in Gaza so far, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
Israel strongly denies the genocide charges, saying its military operations target Hamas and taking steps to minimize civilian casualties. Still, international calls for greater protection of civilians, including the United States, one of Israel's closest allies, are on the rise, especially after Monday's airstrike killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers. pressure is increasing.
In response to a request for comment, university spokesperson Jason A. Newton cited a statement issued in response to the HLS Student Government sale motion.
“Harvard University leadership has made clear that it opposes calls for a policy to boycott Israel and its academic institutions,” he wrote at the time.
After HDSSA's vote Friday, copies of the resolution were emailed to Harvard School of Divinity administrators, students, faculty, and staff.
Two student government resolutions by HDSSA and HLS Student Government add a new wave of momentum behind calls by student activists for Harvard to divest from companies and organizations they say are complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine. This shows that something is happening. This call goes back several decades and continues. He was repeatedly reprimanded by university administrators.
It is unclear whether other student organizations are prepared to request a sale. The Harvard Graduate School Council, the organization representing students from all 12 graduate schools at Harvard, is not discussing divestment at its general meeting this semester.
Meanwhile, divestment activists at Harvard University have faced harsh criticism and harassment. After the HLS Student Government Association passed a divestment resolution, members faced attacks that revealed their personal information, including a billboard truck bearing the name of the group's co-president driving around Harvard Square on Tuesday.
Three pro-Palestinian campus organizations, Harvard University Palestine Solidarity Committee, Harvard Graduate Students 4 Palestine, and Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, praised the HDSSA resolution in an Instagram post on Friday, and Rutgers University professor and activist Noura Erakat also shared this resolution. National Organization Palestine Justice Students and Free Palestine Law Students.
“Harvard Management Company, I'm reporting you,” the post read.
—Staff writer Tilly R. Robinson can be reached at tilly.robinson@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @Tilly Robin.