UC Irvine’s student body takes anti-Israel investment stance

IRVINE - The representatives of UC Irvine’s student body have urged the school to divest itself of investments in companies whose products they say support anti-Palestinian Israeli policies, it was announced today.

The Associated Students of UC Irvine voted 16-0 Tuesday night for a resolution urging the university to withdraw its investments from Caterpillar, General Electric, Hewlett Packard, Raytheon, “and other companies profiting from human rights violations in the occupied territories,” a statement said.

The targeted companies have sustained Israel’s occupation by providing materials used to build Israeli settlements on the West Bank and military checkpoints, the resolution said. GE, it said, manufactures engines for U.S.- made Apache helicopters, which the resolution said have been used in attacks that represent “war crimes” because they involved civilians.