While the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s student government approved a bill on Wednesday calling for the university’s divestment from Israel, Paul Kenney, chair of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, ruled out any actions on the measure.
“While the University of Nebraska respects student governance and our students’ right to voice their perspectives, the members of the NU Board of Regents do not have plans to act on the divestiture resolution,” Kenney stated on Thursday.
The motion, backed by Students for Justice in Palestine and titled the Divest for Humanity Act, passed by a 22-10 vote after several hours of debate on Wednesday night. It called on the university’s student association to explore divestment from weapons manufacturers, sought to encourage the university’s Board of Regents to amend investment policies and cited a “moral imperative” to oppose Israel, with added references to “apartheid” and “genocide.”
While the resolution mentioned other global conflicts, it only called for action against Israel.
SJP, which has been banned on multiple campuses across the United States due to its use of violence, harassment and other conduct violations, claims that the University of Nebraska’s system invests $9 million into defense contractors, including Boeing and General Dynamics, which do business with Israel.
Leo Terrell, chair of the U.S. Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, wrote ahead of the vote that SJP is “a group that has celebrated attacks by terrorist organizations and is now targeting American companies through its BDS campaign.”
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) wrote that the boycott and divestment movement against Israel and SJP “are fueling antisemitism on college campuses. Endorsing this movement would make UNL less safe for Jewish students.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) stated that Israeli boycotts are “fueled by antisemitic hate.”
“The BDS movement seeks to isolate and defeat Israel, the only democracy in the region,” the congressman wrote. “Israel is our best ally in the region as well.”
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, stated that “Antisemitism can have no place or platform at Nebraska’s flagship university.”
