The Associated Students Senate will vote Wednesday on a resolution to divest from companies that profit from alleged human rights violations by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people.

Typically, pro-divestment students put up an “Apartheid” wall at the Arbor, but that did not happen this year. Nexus file photo

The resolution calls on UC Santa Barbara, the UCSB Associated Students Investment Advisory Committee, the University of California Treasury and the UC Regents to withdraw investments from companies “that provide military support to the occupation of Palestinian territories.”

The resolution was authored by Off-Campus Senator Brandon Mora and On-Campus Senator Vanessa Maldonado. Fourth-year anthropology major Naia Al-Anbar and fourth-year history of public policy, global studies and black studies triple major Edan Tessema sponsored the resolution as students.

The UC is invested in companies that “do not meet the standards of either the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment or UC Santa Barbara’s Mission Statement,” the resolution states.

The resolution cites several companies as violating human rights, including Cemex, CNH Industrial, United Technologies Corporation, Valero Energy, L-3 Technologies, General Dynamics, General Electric, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

A similar resolution on divestment was proposed last May and failed to pass following a ten-hour discussion. This was the fourth time that a resolution relating to divestment failed to pass within the UCSB A.S. Senate in five years.

UCSB is the only undergraduate UC campus that has not passed a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolution. The resolution reflects principles of the BDS movement, which seeks to encourage global boycotts and divestments of Israel.

Wednesday’s Senate meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Corwin Pavilion.

Updated 6:38 p.m.

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Simren Verma
Simren Verma currently serves as the University News Editor. She also enjoys school and the presence of her news team.