U of Illinois student government passes resolution supporting Israel boycott

The student government at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign voted to adopt a resolution that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

The 20-9 vote in favor follows a five-hour meeting of the US university’s Student Government, the Illini Hillel at the Cohen Center for Jewish Life says in a Facebook post. There were seven abstentions.

The resolution, which had 22 sponsors, calls on the university to divest from “companies that profit from human-rights violations in Palestine and other communities globally.” It names three companies that do business in Israel: Raytheon, Elbit Systems Ltd. and Northrup Grumman.

An amendment removing references to Israel loses in a 22-11 vote with six abstentions.

The university releases a statement following the vote noting that the resolution is nonbinding and that it has no plans to act on it.

“We are committed to dialogue and to supporting students as they navigate challenging conversations about diversity and inclusion,” the statement says, “and we will continue to plan programming designed to build understanding of different perspectives on complex and divisive issues.”

More than 30 students spoke out against the bill in public comments.

— JTA