Brown University has rejected demands from pro-Palestinian student activists to divest from companies that do business with Israel.
“Brown University will not divest from 10 companies described in a student-led divestment proposal as facilitating ‘the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territory,’” the Ivy League school announced on Wednesday following a vote by Brown Corporation, the custodian of the school’s $7.2 billion endowment.
In July, student activists submitted a proposal urging the university to sever financial ties with 10 companies—primarily in the aerospace and defense sectors—that they claim contribute to Israel’s “occupation of Gaza and the West Bank” and profit from the ongoing conflict in the region. As part of a deal with the university’s administrators, students agreed to dismantle their protest encampments ahead of commencement ceremonies in exchange for a formal vote on the proposal….