{"id":2190292,"date":"2024-03-01T13:58:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T18:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-virginia-students-vote-to-divest-from-israel-condemn-its-war-against-hamas\/"},"modified":"2024-03-01T14:01:33","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T19:01:33","slug":"university-of-virginia-students-vote-to-divest-from-israel-condemn-its-war-against-hamas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-virginia-students-vote-to-divest-from-israel-condemn-its-war-against-hamas\/","title":{"rendered":"UVA Students Vote to Divest from Israel, Condemn Hamas War"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Funiversity-of-virginia-students-vote-to-divest-from-israel-condemn-its-war-against-hamas%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2190292&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>University of Virginia\u200b Students Overwhelmingly Vote in Favor of Divesting from Israel<\/h2>\n<p>Students at the\u2064 University \u200cof Virginia made a powerful statement on Wednesday by voting in favor of their university divesting \u2064from the\u200b state of Israel. The campus-wide \u2062referendum,\u200b sponsored by seven student groups, passed with\u200b an impressive margin of 67\u2062 percent\u200b to 32 percent, with a significant 30 percent of the student body participating.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The referendum calls for \u2064the university\u2019s administration to undergo an audit to\u2064 determine \u200dif endowment funds are used to \u200binvest in companies \u201cengaging in \u2064or profiting from the State of Israel\u2019s apartheid \u2064regime.\u201d It\u2064 demands the school divest any funds identified.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In addition to the divestment demand, the referendum also\u2062 condemns the UVA administration for its \u2064failure to address the Israeli \u200cgovernment&#8217;s actions \u200din its statement that condemned Hamas. The referendum argues that the statement failed\u2063 to \u200cacknowledge the ongoing\u2064 ethnic\u2062 cleansing of the Palestinian people and\u200d neglected to use the words &#8220;Palestine&#8221; or &#8220;Gaza,&#8221; leaving entire student\u2062 populations feeling &#8220;unseen and otherized.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Support for Divestment<\/h3>\n<p>One of the groups behind the referendum, UVA&#8217;s\u2064 Students for Justice in Palestine, posted\u2063 a powerful photo on Instagram depicting a \u2063bulldozer\u200d destroying the fence between Gaza and Israel during Hamas&#8217; attack. The \u2064caption encouraged peers to attend a demonstration \u2063and learn how to &#8220;be in solidarity with\u2063 Palestinians \u2064resisting occupation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_704095\" style=\"width: 376px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-704095\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UVA\u2019s SJP group posted a \u200cphoto from Hamas\u2019s October 7 attack encouraging peers to learn\u200d how to \u200cbe \u201cin solidarity with Palestinians\u2064 resisting occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The referendum was also supported by other student\u200c groups, including the Asian \u2063Students\u200c Union, \u200cDissenters at UVA, DivestUVA,\u200b Minority \u200cRights Coalition, Muslim Students\u2062 Association, and Muslims United.<\/p>\n<h3>Concerns and Accusations<\/h3>\n<p>However, the referendum&#8217;s passage has \u200dsparked concerns and accusations from UVA&#8217;s\u2064 Hillel, a Jewish student \u2063organization. They <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/airport-worker-dead-after-being-ingested-into-jet-engine-on-tarmac-in-texas\/\" title=\"Airport worker killed after being sucked into jet engine on Texas tarmac.\">expressed deep sadness<\/a> over the referendum, stating that \u200bit levels inaccurate and delegitimizing accusations about Israel, such as &#8220;apartheid&#8221; and &#8220;settler colonialism.&#8221; The Hillel board emphasized that these accusations harm Jewish students, making them feel unwelcome and \u200costracized on campus.<\/p>\n<p>Jewish students have also reported multiple anti-Semitic incidents, including physical assault and verbal slurs. The school\u2064 administration has \u2064been criticized for not taking meaningful \u2063actions \u2063to address these incidents.<\/p>\n<h3>Response and Task Force<\/h3>\n<p>In response to the concerns raised, the school \u200dhas created a religious diversity task force. However, some members of this task force have also \u200dsigned an open faculty letter\u2064 expressing alarm over the lack of context in the \u2063school&#8217;s statement regarding the October 7 attack.<\/p>\n<p>UVA is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department\u2062 of Education for national origin discrimination involving religion. The school clarified that\u200c it does not take positions\u2062 on student referenda, as it upholds a tradition of student self-governance.<\/p>\n<h3>Continuing the Conversation<\/h3>\n<p>The referendum also calls for \u200dthe school to act on its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by\u2063 acknowledging the pain\u2063 and existence of \u2062Palestinian students\u2062 and community members. \u200cHowever, concerns have been raised\u2064 about the referendum&#8217;s\u2064 violation of election rules and the alleged pushing of\u2063 the campaign in classrooms \u2064and through university channels.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the controversy, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uc-berkeley-uses-dei-point-system-on-all-new-faculty-hires\/\" title=\"UC Berkeley implements DEI point system for new faculty recruitment.\">student organizations supporting<\/a> the referendum are proud of \u2064their passionate and principled campaign,\u2064 encouraging their\u200d peers to vote against what they \u2063see as a flawed\u200d and biased referendum.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How do supporters argue that divestment \u200dcan push for change and why is it \u200cconsidered a powerful\u2063 nonviolent tool?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200c On,\u2064 and the Black Studen\u2063t Alliance. These groups\u2064 all believe that divestment is a necessary step in holding \u200cIsrael accountable for its actions \u2064against the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters argue that divestment \u2063is a powerful nonviolent tool that can push for change. By\u200d withdrawing the university&#8217;s financial support from companies that are involved in the Israeli occupation and apartheid regime, the \u2064hope is that\u2064 these companies will be pressured to change their actions and practices.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, supporters \u200dalso highlight\u2064 the importance of aligning the university&#8217;s values with\u200b its investments. They argue that investing in companies that profit from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/saudi-court-jails-womens-rights-activist-posing-challenge-for-biden\/\" title=\"Saudi court jails women\u2019s rights activist, posing challenge for Biden\">human rights violations<\/a>\u2064 goes against the moral compass \u200bof the university and undermines its commitment to justice\u2064 and\u2063 equality.<\/p>\n<p>Critics of the referendum argue \u200bthat divestment from Israel is unfairly\u200c singling out one country \u2064and failing to consider the complex dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They believe that divestment will only further polarize the issue and \u200dhinder any \u200cprospects for peace.<\/p>\n<p>Opponents also argue that divestment may have negative\u2064 consequences for the university and its \u200bstudents. They claim that divestment may result\u200c in a loss of funding for important programs and initiatives, as well\u200c as damage the \u200duniversity&#8217;s reputation and relationships with potential donors.<\/p>\n<p>The university administration has \u200dyet to respond\u200b to the referendum&#8217;s results. \u2062It \u200bremains to be seen whether they will comply with the students&#8217;\u200d demands and undergo an audit to assess the \u2063investments\u200c in question.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the passing of the \u2062referendum reflects the growing awareness and concern among University of Virginia students regarding \u200bthe Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It highlights the students&#8217; desire to take action and hold their university accountable for its investments. While the outcome of \u200cthe referendum may be controversial, it serves as an important reminder of the power of student \u2064activism and the need for dialogue and engagement on this complex issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students at the University of Virginia voted overwhelmingly for their university to divest from Israel in a campus-wide referendum. The vote, sponsored by seven student groups, passed with 67% in favor and 32% against. This decision comes amidst allegations of anti-Semitic discrimination against Jewish students at the school<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":597,"featured_media":2190293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2019\/11\/GettyImages-1078177540.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2190292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2019\/11\/GettyImages-1078177540.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2190292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/597"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2190292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2190292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2190293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2190292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2190292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2190292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}