About 100 students met in a Haines Hall classroom Monday to fine-tune the language of a divestment resolution the undergraduate student government will vote on next week.
Students for Justice in Palestine members are drafting the resolution, which may call for the University of California to divest from several companies that some students say profit from the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. The purpose of the town hall was to gather community input about the resolution before bringing it to the Undergraduate Students Association Council, said sociology graduate student Rahim Kurwa, who led the town hall.
The resolution presented at the town hall also included comments students posted on an online comment form, said Jacob Manheim, president of Jewish Voice for Peace at UCLA and a fourth-year geology student.
Many students at the meeting said they liked parts of the resolution that humanized the issue.
Some suggested that public commenters tell personal stories about how the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank has affected them or their families.
A final draft of the resolution will be brought to USAC at their Tuesday meeting where councilmembers are expected to vote on it.
Bruins for Israel will also lead a town hall meeting for students against the divestment resolution on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Hillel at UCLA, said Eytan Davidovits, a fourth-year economics student and president of Bruins for Israel.
Contributing reports by Jeong Park and Sam Hoff, Bruin senior staff.
Time for the Hillel and its affiliates to play “victim”. Its like promising a cake (Palestine) to someone while your’e busy eating it (settlements). The dishonesty of the Hillel and its affiliates. Sheeesh.