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Earlier this year, PSC research uncovered that UK universities continue to hold investments worth over £450million in companies who either, supply the Israeli military with weapons and technology used to oppress the civilian population, are active in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, or provide the infrastructure for Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian land. This is despite the majority institutions holding ethical investment and procurement policies.

Research has also discovered numerous UK universities with partnerships and study abroad programmes with Israeli higher education institutions that are heavily linked to the Israeli military, or are partially based in Israel’s illegal settlements.

As the body ensuring students’ interests and views are heard within the sector, the Office for Students needs to ensure PSCs research is acted upon by UK universities.

No UK university should be invested in, or have institutional links with a company or institution complicit in human rights abuses.

OfS CEO Nicola Dandridge

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Today, across the UK, students are taking action to demand their university divests from companies complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people, as part of Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s student day of action.
I share their demand that UK universities should divest from, and end institutional ties, with any company complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses. The Office for Students, as the body ensuring students’ interests and views are heard within the sector, must ensure the demands of the day of action are heeded by UK universities.
Earlier this year, <a href="https://bit.ly/UniComplicity">PSC research</a> uncovered that UK universities continue to hold investments worth over £450million in companies who either, supply the Israeli military with weapons and technology used to oppress the civilian population, are active in illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, or provide the infrastructure for Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian land. This is despite the majority institutions holding ethical investment and procurement policies. 
PSC also discovered numerous UK universities with partnerships and study abroad programmes with Israeli higher education institutions that are heavily linked to the Israeli military, or are partially based in Israel’s illegal settlements, on stolen Palestinian land.
The research found dozens of UK universities invest in companies included in the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session43/Documents/A_HRC_43_71.docx">UN Human Rights Office’s list of business enterprises active in Israel’s illegal settlement economy.</a> Israeli settlements are built on stolen Palestinian land. They are illegal land grabs that form an integral part of Israel’s occupation infrastructure pushing indigenous Palestinian families off their land, robbing Palestinians of natural resources and denying Palestinians their right of movement. As the UK government has repeatedly affirmed, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law.
The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-palestinian-territories/overseas-business-risk-the-occupied-palestinian-territories">Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s overseas business risk guidance</a> states there are “clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity.” Investment in enterprises active in Israel’s settlements therefore carries financial risk. UK universities must act to remove holdings from companies active in illegal settlements to discharge their fiduciary, as well as moral and ethical, duties.
Furthermore, PSC found investments in companies that supply the Israeli military with weapons and technology used against the civilian Palestinian population, including BAE Systems. <a href="https://investigate.afsc.org/company/bae-systems">F-16 fighter jets, made with components produced by BAE Systems, have been used to attack the Palestinian population in Gaza.</a> This includes in Israel’s 2014 ground invasion and aerial bombardment of Gaza, which killed over 2,200 Palestinians, nearly a quarter of them children.  A<a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIGazaConflict/Pages/CommissionOfInquiry.aspx#:~:text=Arabic%20%7C%20Hebrew-,The%20United%20Nations%20Independent%20Commission%20of%20Inquiry%20on%20the%202014,Palestinian%20territory%2C%20including%20East%20Jerusalem%2C"> UN Commission of Inquiry into the attack</a> found credible allegations Israel had committed war crimes through the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.
The investments outlined above indicate that UK universities are not implementing adequate policies to ensure they do not have direct or indirect holdings in companies complicit in grave violations of international law.
Students are mobilising on campuses to call for an end to UK universities investments and ties to unethical companies and institutions.
The Office for Students, as the body ensuring students’ interests and views are heard within the sector, must ensure PSCs research is acted upon by UK universities.
No UK university should be invested in, or have institutional links with, a company or institution complicit in human rights abuses.

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Support students taking action today by e-mailing the Office for Students