The United States’ long-standing support of the apartheid state of Israel enables Israeli forces to commit genocide against Palestinians. The United States supplies Israel with billions of dollars and weapons. And while the death toll in Palestine has exceeded 33,000 since October 7, state governments like Utah and universities across our country maintain close partnerships with the colonial state of Israel.
The University of Utah’s dealings with pro-Israel companies, including 47G, directly support Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians. Divestment would reaffirm that the University of Utah does not support genocide and send a message to the United States that its aid to Israel is unacceptable. Opposing complicity saves lives.
Boycott, divestment, sanctions
BDS stands for boycott, divestment and sanctioning of pro-Israel companies and corporations. Stopping international support for Israel puts pressure on the settler colonial state and can force it to stop its attacks on the Palestinian civilian population.
People must contribute to the BDS movement in their personal lives by boycotting companies that support Israel, such as McDonalds and Chevron. Companies, including American universities, also have a responsibility to the Palestinian people and must sever their ties with Israel. However, the United States has made no move to do so.
The US commitment to Israel
The university’s engineering faculties are directly linked to defense companies that work with Israel. On October 13, a week after the start of this specific attack on Palestine, the university announced the launch of the UNICOS network, which includes companies such as Lockheed Martin, the largest weapons manufacturer in the world. Many of the companies in the UNICOS network fund Israel, either directly or through partnerships with other companies that do so.
The US partnership with the defense company 47G and the weapons manufacturer Northrop Grumman also indicates strong support for the Zionist entity. Northrop Grumman, an important member of 47G, supplies Israel with artillery ammunition and bombs for attacks on Gaza.
There are also several Starbucks branches in the U. Ever since Starbucks sued a union over its support for Palestine, Palestinian liberation advocates have been boycotting the company. This has had an impact – Starbucks lost about $11 billion between November and December 2023 alone.
Amid rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias in the U.S., the U has failed to declare its support for Palestinian students. In November, three Palestinian students were shot dead in Vermont. The U remains silent – even after six months of genocide. The U’s last statement was in October.
In this statement, University President Taylor Randall wrote: “Let us support one another as this crisis unfolds, respecting the differences of Opinion, — Oxford comma and condemn violence and acts of hatred in unison.” But he is still unable to specifically condemn the colonialism and apartheid that Israel has imposed on Palestine for many years. He refuses to exonerate the perpetrators of this violence and hatred.
All of this is an expression of the university’s corporate self-interest. It sends a message to students, especially Palestinian students, that their university is not on their side. As the state’s leading university, ranked highly among U.S. schools, the university must lead by example. It can use its financial power for good. Instead, it supports genocide.
Breaking off relations with Israel
Many universities have been divesting from pro-Israel companies since 2003. Students play a big role in this – pressure on universities can lead to them having no choice but to withdraw. Since the Zionist regime began its latest bombardment of Gaza in October, students have been putting renewed pressure on their institutions to divest from pro-Israel companies.
At Brown University, students went on hunger strike to demand that their university divest. Just recently, five Norwegian universities broke off their ties with Israel. And the student union at UC Davis announced its withdrawal from Israel in February. This shows that divestment is possible.
Many students at the university also protested the university’s ties to Israel. As time goes on, more and more precious lives are lost and divestment becomes more and more important. Students must continue to put pressure on the university. It has power with its money and influence in Utah and US divestment from pro-Zionist companies would save Palestinian lives.
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