California student association endorses Israel divestment

The University of California Student Association (USCA) voted Tuesday in favour of divestment from companies “engaged in the systematic violation of Palestinian rights in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.”

The motion was adopted 9-1, with 6 abstentions. The UCSA is the official voice of the student body of the University of California, representing hundreds of thousands of undergraduate and graduate students across the UC system.

Nearly 90 student organisations across California joined the call for the UCSA to endorse divestment. Organisers described the “landmark vote” as the first time that a “multi-campus student association” has voted in favour of divestment.

Since 2012, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, UC Los Angeles, and UC Davis have passed pro-divestment resolutions through their campus undergraduate student governments. Recently, the union representing teaching assistants, tutors, and readers (UAW 2865) held a statewide membership vote which resulted in nearly two thirds support for divestment.