Student Spring leads some universities to open talks on Israel divestments

Anti-war demonstrations ceased this week at a small number of US universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestine protesters, fending off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies.

The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,400-plus arrests on 46 campuses across the nation since April 17.

Tent encampments, building takeovers and police crackdown have disrupted classes at some schools, including Columbia and UCLA in massive "Student Spring" protests.

Deals included commitments by universities to review their investments in Israel or hear calls to stop doing business with the longtime US ally. Many protester demands have zeroed in on links to the Israeli military as Tel Aviv's "genocidal" war grinds on in Gaza.

The agreements to even discuss divestment mark a major step on an issue that has been controversial for years, with opponents of a long-running campaign to boycott Israel saying it veers into anti- Semitism.

But while the colleges have made concessions around amnesty for protesters and funding for Middle Eastern studies, they have made no promises about changing their investments.

Heartened by the progress

"I think for some universities, it might be just a delaying tactic to diffuse the protests," said Ralph Young, a history professor who studies American dissent at Temple University in Philadelphia.

"The end of the semester is happening now. And maybe by the time the next semester begins, there is a cease fire in Gaza."

Young said dialogue is a better tactic than arrests, which can inflame protesters.

Talking "at least gives the protesters the feeling that they’re getting somewhere," he said. "Whether they are getting somewhere or not is another question."

Israel has falsely claimed the protests are "anti-Semitic," while majority of students, including Jewish protesters, say Tel Aviv uses those allegations to silence opposition.

The University of Minnesota reopened on Thursday after administrators said they reached an agreement to end an encampment in the heart of the Minneapolis campus.

Interim President Jeff Ettinger said demonstrators agreed not to disrupt final exams or commencements. In return, student organisations can address the university’s board at a meeting next week, where protesters are expected to demand divestment from Israel.

"While there is more work to do, and conversations are still planned with other student groups affected by the painful situation in Palestine, I am heartened by today’s progress," Ettinger said in a statement.

Demonstrators at Rutgers University — where finals were paused due to the protests on its New Brunswick campus — similarly packed up their tents on Thursday afternoon. The state university agreed to establish an Arab Cultural Center and to not retaliate against any students involved in the protest camp.

In a statement, Chancellor Francine Conway noted protesters' request for divestment from companies doing business with Israel and for Rutgers to cut ties with Tel Aviv University. She said the the request is under review, but "such decisions fall outside of our administrative scope."

'Stop investing in Israel'

Protesters at Brown University in Rhode Island have also agreed to dismantle their pro-Palestinian encampment. School officials said students could present arguments to divest Brown’s endowment from companies contributing to and profiting from the war in Gaza.

In addition, Brown President Christina Paxson will ask an advisory committee to make a recommendation on divestment by September 30, which will be put before the school’s governing corporation for a vote in October.

Northwestern's Deering Meadow in suburban Chicago also fell silent after an agreement. The deal curbed protest activity in return for the reestablishment of an advisory committee on university investments and other commitments.

Faculty at Pomona College in California voted in favor of the school divesting from companies they said are funding Israel’s war in Gaza, a group of faculty and students said Friday.

The vote on Thursday is not binding on the liberal arts school of nearly 1,800 students east of Los Angeles. But supporters said they hope it would encourage the board to stop investing in these companies and start disclosing where it makes its investments.

"This nonbinding faculty statement does not represent any official position of Pomona College," the school said in a statement Friday. "We will continue to encourage further dialogue within our community, including consideration of counterarguments."