Over the past week, pro-Palestinian student groups at Columbia University have been advocating for the school to withdraw investment funds from companies they believe are profiting from Israel's military actions in Gaza. The coalition leading this movement, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, has specifically called for divesting endowment funds from weapons manufacturers and tech companies that have ties to Israel's government.
The endowment in question is managed by a university-owned investment firm and is valued at $13.6 billion. The student groups have accused these companies of benefiting from what they describe as 'Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine,' although Israel has denied allegations of genocide.
This is not the first instance of student activism at Columbia University. The institution has a history of student-led movements, dating back to the well-known 1968 student occupation of campus buildings to protest the Vietnam War. More recently, students have engaged in hunger strikes to address concerns such as the university's expansion in Upper Manhattan.
