82 Universities in the U.K. have investments in Israeli military-industrial complex

05/07/2024 / By Richard Brown

The International Center of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), headquartered in London, has issued a stark admonition to 82 universities throughout the United Kingdom, shedding light on potential legal ramifications linked to their investment portfolios.

The advisory, directed at university authorities, underscored the possibility of criminal culpability arising from financial ties to entities involved in the supply of arms to Israel and operating within disputed settlements.

The ICJP’s cautionary notice pointed to specific companies, including Elbit Systems, Caterpillar and BAE Systems, known for their association with supplying equipment used in Israel’s military actions, particularly concerning Gaza.

Dania Abul Haj, the senior legal officer at ICJP, emphasized the ethical quandaries surrounding investments in such entities, especially in the context of ongoing human rights violations against Palestinians.

Abul Haj condemned these investments as morally indefensible, particularly given the staggering toll of casualties, with over 34,500 Palestinians confirmed dead, a majority of whom were women and children, and an additional 10,000 believed to have perished with their bodies still buried under the debris of demolished structures.

In light of these concerns, the ICJP raised the specter of potential legal repercussions, highlighting the possibility of university officers facing criminal charges if their institutions were found to have profited from investments linked to these contentious companies. (Related: If Israel proceeds with Rafah genocide, U.K. could restrict arms sales to Jewish state.)

Moreover, the ICJP offered to furnish universities with additional evidence, including eyewitness testimonies, to strengthen the case against such investments, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

This warning comes amid a groundswell of pro-Palestinian activism on university campuses globally, with British institutions like University College London, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Warwick emerging as focal points for demonstrations and campaigns.

More and more protesting for universities, companies to divest from Israeli arms industry

The university protests have amplified demands for divestment from companies implicated in the Israeli arms industry, reflecting a broader push for ethical investment practices aligned with human rights principles and international law.

Meanwhile, the cluster of 12 tents nestled in a damp garden at the core of Bristol University’s campus may appear diminutive compared to the expansive Palestine solidarity encampments sweeping across the United States.

However, the fervor among this new cohort of student activists, who perceive educational institutions as complicit in Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, is just as impassioned.

Similar encampments have materialized at seven British universities in the past week, including Warwick, Newcastle, Sheffield, and a sprawling “village” in Manchester boasting over 50 tents. Their collective demand: for universities to sever ties with companies accused of arming Israel.

These campus demonstrations follow a series of building occupations, with Goldsmiths, University of London senior management recently acceding to offering scholarships to Palestinian students and initiating a review of the university’s ethical investment policy following a five-week occupation by students.

The atmosphere on British campuses stands in stark contrast to their American counterparts, where law enforcement has dismantled protest camps and arrested over 2,000 activists. At the University of Bristol, although the encampment faces the university’s security services office, security presence is minimal.

Nonetheless, comments from political figures like Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt and Prime Minister’s Official Spokesperson Max Blain suggesting support for crackdowns on disorder or harassment, have raised concerns among Bristol University staff supporting the encampment.

Professor Colin Davis, who visited the camp to show solidarity with the students, warned against exacerbating tensions. “[Mordaunt] called on universities to respond to these protests severely. This could lead to the kinds of scenes we’ve seen in [the United States] replicated here, which is just appalling.”

Bristol University’s longstanding connections with BAE Systems, a defense contractor with four sites in Bristol, have come under scrutiny. A report by the Campaign Against Arms Trade alleges BAE Systems’ involvement in the partial manufacturing of F35 fighter planes, which have reportedly been deployed by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Watch this clip of activist Anas Al-Tikriti describing how the U.K. is “absolutely complicit” in Israel’s war crimes.

The UK is complicit in Israel war crimes, watch this report.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.