San Francisco State University divests from companies tied to Israel amid protests
San Francisco State University has divested from companies with ties to Israel, including Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Leonardo, and Caterpillar, following pro-Palestine protests.
The university cited human rights and broader ethical considerations as factors in its decision, with anti-Israel faculty and students expressing support.
San Francisco State University will divest from three companies that have connections to Israel.
The university divested from Palantir Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Leonardo, and Caterpillar. The move follows months of pro-Palestine protests at the school, according to NBC Bay Area.
Anti-Israel students and faculty immediately praised the move.
“By standing with us, we were able to be the first university that was able to divest from major weapons manufacturers Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, Palantir and Leonardo,” said an SFSU student, according to ABC News.
”And to continue the work that was started by the liberation movements of the 60s, and to say we do not want education to be invested in the killing apparatus of the state and global imperialism,” added SFSU Professor Omar Zaza during a protest.
Jeff Jackanicz, president of the SF State Foundation, which manages the university’s investments, explained the decision in a campuswide email.
”We believe we have forged a region-neutral plan that strengthens our environmental, social, and governance investment strategy and will have broad-reaching positive impacts while continuing to provide critical support to our students,” Jackanicz wrote. “We have been lauded for being a leader in ESG investment before, and with credit to Students for Gaza, our revised policy affirms our leading role in values-driven advising,” Jackanicz wrote.
Noam Perry, the strategic research coordinator with the American Friends Service Committee, explained SFSU’s investment standards in a comment to Middle East Eye.
“It’s important to note that divestment from both Palantir and Caterpillar was not due to SFSU’s commitment to divest from weapons manufacturers, but thanks to the other parts of the university’s investment policy, which now considers internationally-recognised human rights, in addition to the university’s prior commitments to racial justice and environmental issues,” Perry said.
”There is no victory in genocide,” said SFSU student Mahmood Ali. “But it sets a precedent and sets an example for other schools that it is possible to divest and get these wins.”
Campus Reform has recently reported about similar student-led anti-Israel divestment campaigns led by groups at George Washington University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Minnesota.
Campus Reform also reported last month about a letter sent by two dozen state attorney generals to Brown University, calling for the school to reject a student-led divestment proposal.
“If adopted, the Brown Divest Now proposal will have immediate and profound legal consequences for Brown, its employees, and its student body because it may trigger the application of laws in nearly three-fourths of States prohibiting States and their instrumentalities from contracting with, investing in, or otherwise doing business with entities that discriminate against Israel, Israelis, or those who do business with either,” the letter explained.
“We therefore urge you to reject this antisemitic and unlawful proposal,” the attorney generals continued.
Campus Reform has contacted San Francisco State University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
