Victory for Anti-Israel Boycott Movement at New York University

The anti-Israel “BDS” Movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) scored a significant victory when the 2,000-strong Graduate Student Organizing Committee, representing graduate teaching and research assistants at New York University voted to support the movement. The results left no doubt with fully two-thirds voting in favor of boycotting Israel and codifying language that emanates from the BDS committee in Ramallah administered by Palestinian leadership. In part, the resolution called for Israel to comply “with international law and end the military occupation, dismantle the wall, recognize the rights of Palestinian citizens to full equality, and respect the right of return of Palestinian refugees and exiles.” The resolution also calls on NYU to end its educational exchange program with Tel Aviv University. Passage of the measure at NYU is an embarrassment to the parent union, United Auto Workers, which acted to nullify a similar resolution at the University of California. In December of last year, the United Auto Workers International acted to overturn the resolution the UC system approved “on the grounds that it inevitably implicates the international union, hurts members and violates elements of the UAW constitution.” A spokesman for NYU tried to distance the school from the GSOC action by saying it’s “at odds with NYU’s policy on this matter [and]… at odds with the principles of academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas.”