Amherst College Divestment from the Israeli Occupation

Call for Divestment from the Israeli Occupation of Palestine

Authored By: Amherst Students for Justice in Palestine

Twice in its history, Amherst College has used divestment to protest the policies of foreign governments whose actions violated the Colleges moral and ethical values. First against Apartheid in South Africa, and again against the Sudanese governments genocide in Darfur, Amherst withdrew all of its holdings in companies known to support or profit from those abhorrent practices in any way.[1] In keeping with these admirable precedents, we call on Amherst College to divest from all companies complicit in the Israeli governments ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories. This occupation, Israel's construction of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and its blockade of the Gaza Strip, have all repeatedly been deemed in violation of international law and human rights norms, providing ample grounds for a divestment initiative.[2]

All prior forms of international intervention and diplomatic pressure have thus far failed to convince Israel to comply with international law, to respect fundamental human rights, and to end its oppression of the Palestinian people. In 2005, a coalition of Palestinian political parties and civil society organizations called for people of conscience in the international community to oppose the oppression of the Palestinian people through a non-violent campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions.[3] In the spirit of this movement, we call on Amherst College to abstain from investing in any company that provides products or services that: 1. Contribute to the maintenance of the Israeli military occupation and/or blockade of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem; 2. Engage in the maintenance, expansion, or economic development of the Israeli settlements on occupied territory including the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem; 3. Engage in the construction or maintenance of the separation Wall; or 4. Contribute to violent acts targeting either Palestinian or Israeli civilians.

Amherst College is currently invested in two companies in violation of the above criteria. Amherst directly invests in Cemex, whose Israeli subsidiary Readymix Industries maintains production plants and a quarry in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights and supplies materials for the construction of military checkpoints and the separation Wall.[4] Amherst is also invested in General Motors (GM), whose subsidiary AM General supplies military vehicles used by the Israeli army in the West Bank and at military checkpoints,[5] and whose subsidiary Chevrolet provides vans used as baggage scanners at Israeli Checkpoints.[6]

We call on the Board of Trustees of Amherst College to divest the College of all of its holdings in Cemex and GM, and to enact policies against any future investment in any company violating the criteria listed above. This divestment policy should remain in place until such time as Israel: 1. Ends its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantles the Wall; 2. Recognizes the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and 3. Respects, protects and promotes the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.[7]

We wish to emphasize that divestment measures do not constitute a wholesale condemnation of the Israeli people, and do not question the legitimacy or existence of the state of Israel. Rather, divestment is a targeted protest against current illegal Israeli policies and is aimed at bringing about Israels compliance with the precepts of international law and human rights.


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NOTES
[1] https://www.amherst.edu/offices/treasurer/investments/sudan_divestment
[2] UN Security Council Resolution 242 called on Israel to vacate the occupied territories; UN Security Council Resolution 446 condemned the settlements as a direct violation of Article 49, Paragraph 6 of the Geneva Convention, and thus an obstacle to peace; UN Security Council Resolution 476 condemns Israel's illegal annexation of Jerusalem; and UN General Assembly Resolution 3236 reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination without external interference and to national independence and sovereignty. Various international human rights organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, and Human Rights Watch have also condemned the occupation of the West Bank and the ongoing blockade of Gaza. Specifically, in June 2010, the ICRC released a statement saying, The whole of Gaza's civilian population is being punished for acts for which they bear no responsibility. The closure therefore constitutes a collective punishment imposed in clear violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law.
[3] Palestinian Civil Society Call for BDS. http://www.bdsmovement.net/call
[4] WhoProfits.org Redymix Industries. http://www.whoprofits.org/Company\%20Info.php?id=645
[5] WhoProfits.org AM General. http://www.whoprofits.org/Company\%20Info.php?id=807
[6] WhoProfits.org Chevrolet. http://www.whoprofits.org/Company\%20Info.php?id=616
[7] These same conditions are stipulated in the Palestinian Civil Society Call for BDS.