2 days ago
Queen's University Belfast divests from Israeli interests in protest over Gaza conflict
Queen's University
Belfast
has confirmed it has divested from
Israeli
companies and universities.
A representative for the university told The Irish Times on Friday that 'the final research partnership with an Israeli institution came to an end this week'.
The university confirmed it has 'no student exchange programmes with Israel' and 'no direct investment in any Israeli companies'.
In June 2024 Queen's announced it would divest from companies blacklisted by the
United Nations
Human Rights Council, which identifies firms operating in settlements in occupied
Palestinian
territories that it considers illegal under international law.
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While the university did not hold any direct investments in Israeli companies on the UN blacklist, it held a number of indirect investments through managed fund products.
In May 2024, pro-Palestine student protesters occupied the main building at Queen's University, calling on the university to 'review all ties' with Israeli institutions and universities.
Four months later, four men were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Queen's during a protest at the visit of former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Kieran Minto, president of university's students' union, told The Irish Times that they welcome the confirmation that the university has fully divested from Israeli companies.
They said the decision was a 'direct result of sustained student organising and advocacy' and they will 'continue to work with Queen's to ensure it upholds its commitments to support scholars and students at risk from the devastation in Gaza'.
In a statement on Instagram, the 'Decolonise, Demilitarise and Democratise Group' led by students at Queen's rejected 'any narrative suggesting the decision was simply a reaction to actions taken at other universities'.
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They said the decision to divest was 'the result of more than a year of positioning, manoeuvring and sustained negotiation with the university'.
The board of Trinity College Dublin voted to cut all ties with Israeli universities and institutions on Wednesday.
The decision followed a series of meetings of a taskforce set up between staff and student representatives.
These meetings were arranged as part of an agreement to end a five-day encampment that was set up on the university's campus in May 2024.
Jenny Maguire, outgoing president of Trinity College Dublin Students' Union, called the decision a 'historic win' which 'must be a catalyst for action across this island'.
