‘Flawed … And Illegal’: Major University Claps Back At Student Gov Demanding Boycott Of Israel

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) is calling on its student government to pass a resolution demanding an “illegal” boycott of Israel.

The student resolution passed Wednesday asserts that UW investments in companies that do business with Israel violate the state’s anti-discrimination law because of “Israel’s apartheid, genocide and militarized violence.” In its “disappointed” critique of the resolution, the university chastised the students for making “a number of erroneous, unrelated and illegal requests.”

“UW-Madison recognizes the value and importance of shared governance and, when operating effectively, student input can build consensus that can influence university policymaking,” the university’s statement said. “While we recognize the diversity of views within our community on investment policy and disclosure, resolutions that call for actions that would violate the law do not warrant further engagement.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters hold a rally on the Ohio State University campus on May 1, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Andrew Spear/Getty Images)

University lawyers met with the student government before the resolution was passed and informed them that state law prohibits government agencies, including universities, from adopting any policy that includes “a boycott of Israel,” but said those guidelines went unheeded.

“Despite the fact that ASM leadership was advised by university attorneys on the clear illegality of this specific portion of the resolution, the ASM Student Council nevertheless voted to adopt it,” the university wrote.

Students accuse UW investments of funding “human rights violations,” saying the Israeli government engages in “discriminatory practices such as apartheid, genocide and militarized violence.” Because these actions “disproportionately affect people at the intersections of race, gender, religion, disability, and socioeconomic status,” the resolution states, the students accuse the university of violating state law prohibiting institutions from funding discriminatory causes. (RELATED: Leftists Tell Conservative Students to Kill Theirself and Use Kirk Assassination Footage to Threaten Event)

The university’s statement accused the student government of trying to limit the number of Jewish and pro-Israel students allowed to speak at the meeting discussing the bill. An online chat involving members of the student government allegedly “used an anti-Semitic term” to refer to these students.

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