A Resolution Urging the University of Maryland and University of Maryland College Park Foundation to Implement Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Against Complicit Institutions in the Oppression of Palestinians
  1. WHEREAS, the Student Government Association (SGA) represents the student body at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP); and,
  2. ​WHEREAS, the SGA is committed to promoting “an environment of diversity, tolerance, and inclusion within the University community” as reflected in the duties and responsibilities of the Committee on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion [Addendum A]; and,
  3. WHEREAS, the University of Maryland’s (UMD) endowment and investments are managed by the UMCP Foundation, which claims to promote belonging and community, value representation of diverse identities and viewpoints, approach decision-making equitably, and subscribe to the University’s Non-Discrimination policy [Addendum B][Addendum C]; and,
  4. WHEREAS, Israel’s military occupation of Palestine and systemic human rights violations, including displacement, apartheid, and violence against civilians, have been documented by the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch [Addendum D] [Addendum E]; and,
  5. WHEREAS, having documented serious violations of human rights and war crimes, sixteen human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, called upon the United States government and other parties to cease the transfer or sale of arms that would likely be used in the further commission of human rights violations in Palestine [Addendum F]; and,
  6. WHEREAS, the International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel's decades long occupation of the Palestinian Territories is illegal [Addendum G], and a recent United Nations report [Addendum H] found that universities and other academic institutions have sustained the occupation's longevity and developed weapons and surveillance technology, thereby contributing to this economy of genocide; and,
  7. WHEREAS, the UN Special Rapporteur's report found that academic and financial institutions have enabled the conditions for Palestinian displacement and dispossession, with universities aiding in the promulgation of state-aligned narratives, justifying occupation practices, and serving as research and development hubs for weapons and surveillance technology "effectively tested on Palestinians.” The report concludes that these Israeli institutions are structurally dependent on such collaborations and profit from an economy operating in a genocidal mode, making academic sanctions a necessary tool to hold them accountable [Addendum H]; and, 
  8. WHEREAS, a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemned the political, economic, and military collaboration of states and foreign financial interests with the Government of Apartheid South Africa and specifically requested that all states and organizations suspend cultural, educational, sporting, and other exchanges with the apartheid regime and its institutions [Addendum I]; and,
  9. WHEREAS, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement [Addendum J], initiated by Palestinian civil society, calls for institutional divestment from companies that enable Israel’s violations of international law [Addendum D]; and,
  10. WHEREAS, UMCPFs investments may include companies such as Lockheed Martin [Addendum K], Northrop Grumman [Addendum L], BAE Systems [Addendum M], Elbit Systems [Addendum N], and RTX Corp [Addendum O], all companies that, in some form or another, supply weapons, surveillance technology, or infrastructure used in Israel’s oppression of Palestinians; and,
  11. WHEREAS, these investments contradict UMDs stated values of equity and global citizenship, while directly harming Palestinian students and their families, and affect the UMCP community directly, especially students whose families experience occupation, systematic discrimination, death, injury, and other forms of human rights violations; and,
  12. ​WHEREAS, UMD students have previously utilized grassroots campaigns to challenge USM policies that maintain investments in companies that demonstrate a lack of accountability, ethicality, and respect for the rights and dignity of others, most notably in the context of South African apartheid [Addendum P], the Sudanese Darfur Genocide [Addendum Q], and fossil fuels [Addendum R]; and,
  13. WHEREAS, a diverse array of student organizations [Addendum S] and 3,200 undergraduate students [Addendum T] have also expressed their support of divestment from companies actively involved in human rights violations in Palestine; and,
  14. WHEREAS, universities across the United States, such as Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, Northwestern University, and University of Chicago, have passed resolutions to divest from companies that profit from the violations of Palestinian human rights in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel proper [Addendum U]; and,
  15. WHEREAS, San Francisco State University has divested from weapons companies aiding and profiting from companies that profit from the abuse of Palestinian human rights in Israel and its illegal settlements and that help to facilitate the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories [Addendum V]; and,
  16. WHEREAS, political boycotts are constitutionally protected forms of expression as per NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co. that stated “while States have broad power to regulate economic activities, there is no comparable right to prohibit peaceful political activity such as that found in the boycott in this case” [Addendum W]; and, 
  17. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the SGA calls upon UMD to appoint a committee to investigate the ethical implications of institutional partnerships and academic collaborations which may be complicit in the violation of the human rights of Palestinians and all oppressed peoples; and,
  18. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the SGA calls upon UMD to boycott all corporations, institutions, and academic entities—domestic or international—that directly or indirectly support or profit from entities violating human rights. This includes refraining from entering into new contracts or partnerships with these entities; terminating existing academic collaborations, study abroad programs, or research agreements with Israeli institutions; and
  19. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the SGA calls upon the UMCPF to disclose its investments and to establish a formal process for student oversight over university investments, with the goal of ensuring that the campus foundation is not complicit in violations of international law and human rights, including those perpetrated against the Palestinian people; and,
  20. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the SGA calls upon UMCPF to sever financial investments with any entity complicit in Israel’s system of occupation, apartheid, or ethnic cleansing, including but not limited to those listed in Addendum B. UMCPF should divest and dissociate itself from companies and financial investments that participate in or profit from human rights violations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel proper; and,
  21. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the SGA calls upon UMD and UMCPF to publicly commit to the principles of the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, until these entities end their involvement in violations of Palestinian human rights; and,
  22. THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we, the undergraduate student body of the University of Maryland, call upon our university and foundation to fully dissociate from all corporations, institutions, and academic entities—domestic or international—that directly or indirectly support or profit from Israel’s regime of apartheid and occupation. This includes: boycotting goods, services, and academic partnerships linked to complicit institutions; divesting financial assets from companies involved in oppression or militarization; and sanctioning academic relationships with individuals and institutions not fulfilling their obligation to end support for Israeli apartheid as a matter of moral responsibility and alignment with international solidarity against apartheid and systemic oppression.


    Action Plan:
  • Demand transparency regarding UMCPFs investments and their ties to corporations complicit in the oppression of Palestinians.
  • Demand that the UMCPF establish a formal process for student oversight over university investments, institutional partnerships, and academic collaborations, with the goal of ensuring that the University is not complicit in violations of international law and human rights, including those perpetrated against the Palestinian people.
  • Demand that UMD appoint a committee to investigate the ethical and moral implications of institutional partnerships and academic collaborations that are involved in human rights violations against the Palestinian people, according to international law.
  • Urge UMD to cease relationships with all partnerships profiting from or enabling Israeli apartheid, occupation, and human rights abuses.
  • Demand full transparency from the University of Maryland regarding its contractual partnerships and academic collaborations, especially those with corporations and institutions complicit in the occupation and oppression of Palestinians.
  • Divest from all companies that supply weapons, surveillance technologies, or infrastructure supporting Israeli occupation, apartheid, and settler-colonialism;
  • Boycott products, services, and programs that profit from or normalize Israel’s regime of oppression;
  • Impose educational sanctions, including the termination of:
    • Academic partnerships with Israeli universities that collaborate with the Israeli military or state;
    • Study abroad programs in Israel;
    • Research initiatives funded by or serving institutions complicit in Israeli apartheid.

Addenda:
  • Addendum A - Bylaws of the SGA
  • Addendum B - UMCP Board of Trustees Mission
  • Addendum C - What is the University System of Maryland Foundation? How does it differ from the University System of Maryland?
  • Addendum D - Human Rights Violations in Occupied Palestine
  • Addendum E - Human Rights in Palestine
  • Addendum F - Human Rights Organizations call to stop arms transfers
  • Addendum G - ICJ advisory opinion stating the occupation of Palestine is illegal 
  • Addendum H - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied since 1967
  • Addendum I - UN Resolution calling for BDS on South African Apartheid 
  • Addendum J - What is BDS?
  • Addendum K - Lockheed Martin contribution to war crimes and militarization
  • Addendum L - Northrop Grumman contribution to war crimes, militarization, and mass surveillance
  • Addendum M - BAE Systems contribution to war crimes and chemical weaponry 
  • Addendum N - Elbit Systems contribution to war crimes, mass surveillance, and border militarization
  • Addendum O - RTX Corp (Raytheon) contribution to war crimes, mass surveillance, cruel weaponry, and internationally outlawed weapons transfers. 
  • Addendum P - Washington Post article on UMDs divestment from apartheid South Africa
  • Addendum Q - University System of Maryland divestment from Sudan 
  • Addendum R - Fossil Fuels Sustainable Investing at the University System of Maryland Foundation
  • Addendum S - Student groups expressing support for divestment
  • Addendum T - Undergraduate Vote on Divestment Referendum 
  • Addendum U - Universities Across the United States Calling for Divestment  
  • Addendum V - San Francisco State University Divestment
  • Addendum W - NAACP v Claiborne Hardware Co Ruling