New School inks deal with anti-Israel protesters to vote on divestment

Student activists and their allies protest in front of the New School in support of an encampment for pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters on April 21, 2024 in New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images/AFP)
Student activists and their allies protest in front of the New School in support of an encampment for pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters on April 21, 2024 in New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images/AFP)

The New School in New York says it has reached a deal with anti-Israel protesters to hold a vote on divestment, in exchange for a Gaza solidarity encampment being dismantled.

According to a statement from the school, an investment board will hold a vote on June 14 to end any investments in companies in line with calls made by anti-Israel student protesters and a slew of faculty members who launched their own demonstrations following a police crackdown.

“They call for complete divestment from industries implicated in military and police violence in Gaza and the West Bank, and all global militarized conflict such as companies or subsidiaries involved in weapons manufacturing, military supplies and equipment, military communication, and public surveillance technology,” the statement reads.

The agreement also gives those involved in protests amnesty.

The statement coincides with one by the school announcing that Joel Towers will take over as school president.

Towers previously headed the Parsons School of Design, whose faculty has been involved in the anti-Israel protests.

“We will continue to strengthen our commitment to academic excellence and freedom, and foster openness and mutual respect,” he says in a statement.

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