Proposals to force colleges and universities to boycott, divest from and sanction (BDS) Israel keep failing in the most left-wing of enclaves, such as the Modern Language Association (MLA). Nevertheless proponents of the measure keep putting forth BDS propositions with increasing stridency.
The latest last stand is George Washington University where the student senate approved a BDS proposal by 18-6 on April 24, 2018. “George Washington University President Thomas LeBlanc says he will not consider implementing a divestment resolution passed by the student government in a secret vote,” Abigail Marone reported on the Campus Reform website on April 26, 2018.
According to the GW Student Association, The Protection of Palestinian Human Rights Act is “A resolution to support the divestment of all of the investments in the George Washington University’s endowment profiting from violation of international law and human rights affecting Palestinians, but also other communities globally, specifically The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, Elbit Systems Ltd., Caterpillar Inc., CEMEX, General Electric, Northrop Grumman Corporation, The Raytheon Company, Motorola Solutions, Inc. pursuant to the University’s mission statement and core values as an institution.” That should make Career Day interesting.
Meanwhile, according to the Louis D. Brandeis Center, “April saw important victories for those working to combat increasing levels of anti-Semitism.”
“In what is being hailed as a ‘historic action,’ South Carolina’s state senate has adopted a definition of anti-Semitism for use by South Carolina public universities. Inspired by this success, other states, such as Georgia, may soon follow suit. In addition, the Brandeis Center teamed up with StandWithUs to send a message to the New York University administration following a boycott of NYU’s pro-Israel clubs. Also, several colleges saw success in the fight against anti-Semitism, such as the University of California–Santa Barbara’s student government passing a resolution condemning anti-Semitism.”
