Iran Israel Conflict: Pitzer College President declines full divestment from Israeli Universities

After California's Pitzer College ended its study abroad programme in partnership with Israel’s Haifa University, now the President declined the call for full divestment from Israeli Universities.

Amid the ongoing war between Iran and Israel, California's Pitzer College President Strom Thacker rejected an amended resolution put forth by faculty, staff and students. The resolution wanted a complete severance of ties between Pitzer College and Israeli universities which the President has denied.

Pitzer College Council voted 71% for a full institutional boycott of Israeli universities. The college has become the first US higher education institution whose highest governance body voted by an overwhelming majority for a full academic boycott of all complicit Israeli universities. However, the president has voted against the majority. His decision underscores a fundamental clash between academic freedom principles and advocacy-driven initiatives within academic institutions.

The university has recently dropped its study abroad program at the University of Haifa in Israel from its list of pre-approved programs. The reasons provided by the officials for dropping the program are low enrollment and others. The officials have also maintained that the course was not removed due to any political reasons. However, student activists interpreted it as a victory for the boycott movement, as reported by the University Herald.

The Student Senate voted in February for Pitzer to cut ties with Israeli universities. The faculty also voted to end the program in 2018, and the College Council made up of professors, staff and students, followed suit in 2019. The whole movement is vetoed by the then-president, Melvin Oliver. 

Iran Israel Conflict Details

Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel has marked a new tension in the Middle East conflict. Iran warned Israel and the United States on April 14 of a “much larger response” if there is any retaliation for its mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory overnight. Iran has said that it attacked Israel in response to an alleged airstrike done by Israel at its consular offices in Syria in which two generals with its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were killed on April 1.

As per reports, Israel's war cabinet has met to discuss its response to Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack but has not revealed what decision they reached so far.

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