Student Assembly Rejects Resolution 51, Calling for Cornell to Divest from “Violence Against Civilians in Gaza”

On Thursday evening, the Student Assembly voted down Resolution 51, calling for Cornell to divest from, “systematic violence against civilians in Gaza.” The vote was 16-4 against the resolution. The resolution was brought forward as the war in Israel continues into its 118th day. 

Background

The proposed resolution comes on the heels of an earlier resolution which sought for Cornell to acknowledge Palestinian suffering under “Israeli Apartheid.” That resolution, which was heavily contested, narrowly failed passing the ⅔ requirement to be considered by the Assembly. 

In 2019, the Student Assembly rejected a similar act to Resolution 51, which called on Cornell to  divest from companies “profiting from the occupation of Palestine and human rights violations.” 

Resolution 51, titled “Calling for Cornell to Follow its Divestment Guidelines and Divest from Systemic Violence Against Civilians in Gaza,” called on the Board of Trustees to divest from companies complicit in committing “‘morally reprehensible actions.” The resolution cited plausible genocide, maintaining that there is what its authors call an “apartheid state in Occupied Palestine,” and “perpetual cruelty towards children in Palestine.”

The resolution recalled a 2016 motion by the Board of Trustees to consider divestment from companies through their “action or inaction,” partake in “morally reprehensible activities” such as “apartheid, genocide, human trafficking, slavery, and systemic cruelty to children” and perpetuate “harm so grave that it would be inconsistent with the goals and principles of the University.” The resolution cited the International Court of Justice, Amensty International, UNRWA and others as examples of reputable organizations that have found Israel acting as an apartheid state and conducting a “plausible genocide.” 

The resolution listed BAE systems, Boeing, General Dynamics, L3 Harris Technologies, and Lockheed Martin amongst other companies that should be divested from. 

The Resolution was sponsored by Representative Karys Everett, as well as Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, Cornell Young Democratic Socialists of America, Cornell Progressives, People’s Organizing Collective Cornell, Climate Justice Cornell, La Asociación Latina, MEChA, Native American and Indigenous Students at Cornell, and the Black Student Union.

The Meeting

Before the meeting began, a number of students had gathered to watch the Student Assembly as far as an hour in advance. At its peak, the meeting had over 200 audience members in attendance. 

In her opening remarks, Vice President Tang asked the audience to, “acknowledge the communities we have [here] today.” She acknowledged the bravery of the Cornellians for Mutual Liberation in expressing their beliefs so publicly in the face of harassment, intimidation and doxxing on campus. She also commended Jewish students for, “embracing their identity,” saying, “it’s not easy to be a Jew these days.” 

The meeting began with fourteen speakers who were for and against the resolution giving a timed 2 minute speech to the Student Assembly to express their views. 

Open Microphone Speakers 

Students on both sides spoke to the Student Assembly passionately, hoping to convince the Assembly to either pass or vote down the resolution. 

Among those supporting the resolution, many argued that the resolution was not targeting Israel, but rather, “companies that are overwhelmingly American defense contractors.” Pro resolution speakers strongly implored that the resolution is not a part of the BDS, or Boycott Divest and Sanction movement. They further argued that they were asking Cornell to follow the precedent it set in 2006, when it barred investments in oil companies operating in Sudan in response to the Darfur genocide. Pro-resolution speakers maintained that this precedent applied to Israel’s war in Gaza, where they maintained Israel used Gaza as, “a laboratory” to test weapons, “on Palestinian bodies.” They asserted that Cornell should not be investing in companies complicit in genocide or such blatant civilian casualties. 

Speakers against the resolution argued that the resolution was not only pointless, but would cause unnecessary harm and tension to Jewish students on campus. A number of speakers pointed out that BDS is illegal under New York State law, therefore the divestment resolution would be impossible for Cornell to implement. They also argued that in light of the current national scrutiny of Cornell, it was extremely unlikely that Pollack, who is on record for voicing opposition to the BDS movement, would sign the resolution. Speaking about the negative consequences of the resolution, one speaker noted that, “Jewish students are threatened by the hateful rhetoric of the resolution; the only thing this resolution will do is make our campus climate worse.” 

Other students argued that the resolution’s exclusive targeting of Israel was inherently anti-semitic. The last speaker spoke out strongly on this point. She asked the sponsors why they are not calling to divest from China, which she argued is conducting an active genocide against the Uyghur muslims, or against the Houthis in Yemen, who are trying to reinstitute slavery. She concluded that the presence of only Israel on the resolution illustrates the anti-semitic tendencies of the Resolution. 

Deliberations and Resolution 50

Before addressing Resolution 51, the Assembly voted 21-0 on Resolution 48, which expressed support for President Pollack and the rest of the administration at this time. 

Before voting on resolution 51, the Assembly agreed to consider Resolution 50, a compromise resolution first. Resolution 50 called for creating an ad hoc committee to draft a report on Cornell’s CSR and ESG policies related to the University’s endowment. The sponsors were Patrick Kuehl, Clyde Lederman, and Suraj Parikh.

The sponsors purported that it was a non-partisan resolution that allows divestment from, “war profiteers,” and not targeted at any one specific group. They maintained that the resolution would allow all students who are, “against death,” to have a voice. Sponsors cited companies such as General Dynamics, Johnson & Johnson and Starbucks as examples of companies that do not align with Cornellian values. 

Supporters of the compromise resolution argued that it was the best way to satisfy all parties. They also argued that it was ultimately the best way to, “take on corporate greed.” Shortly after, an amendment was introduced to clarify the language of the resolution. The amendment clarified that the, “Student Assembly shall elect chairs and a committee, committee members shall be nominated by student organizations,” and that the committee will implement the 2016 standards for divestment, including instances of genocide and apartheid. The resolution passed unanimously, 29-0. 

Resolution 51 – The Vote

After passing Resolution 50 unanimously, there was vigorous debate over whether to pass resolution 51, the original resolution. An amendment was suggested, such as removing the direct condemnation of Israel from the resolution. It was not passed due to disagreements between the resolution sponsors and the Student Assembly.Sponsors argued that the resolution is widely supported by students, with one speaker noting it has the support of “25 student groups” and that it would not be controversial. They also emphasized that the resolution does not target Israel and is more of a broad stance against contributing to “weapons of violence.”  The resolution text mentioned Israel 21 times. After a number of proposed amendments, clarifications from speakers asking to hold a private vote and deliberations, the resolution was voted on by the Student Assembly. The final vote was 16 against, and 4 for the resolution. 

The Aftermath

Almost immediately after the resolution failed, a large number of audience members got up and began to chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” among other slogans. Students gathered outside Willard Straight Hall and continued to chant in support of Palestine. Students expressed frustration with the Student Assembly, with one unidentified student shouting, “16 assembly members, we know who they are!” A rally in favor of the resolution is scheduled for Friday, February 2nd.