Melbourne Uni student union passes new Israel boycott motion months after pulling previous resolution

The student council of the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) in Australia passed a motion on Monday supporting Palestine and backing boycott actions against Israel.

The motion was carried with 16 votes in favour, three against and one abstention, and was subject to public debate, UMSU said in a statement.

A previous motion backing boycott and divestment efforts against Israel was adopted in April but pulled in May following a legal threat.

The Monday motion declared that "UMSU stands against the Israeli occupation of Palestine and condemns the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians".

It proclaimed that the union backs the academic boycott of Israeli institutions according to the guidelines set out by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.

"UMSU calls on the university [of Melbourne] to participate in an academic boycott and cut ties with Israeli institutions, researchers, and academics to be in harmony with the Palestinian call for boycott," the motion added.

It urged the university to "divest from corporations complicit in and profit[ting] from" Israeli apartheid and which "operate on illegally occupied Palestinian land".

The motion also resolved to "direct the President and POC [people of colour] Officers to write and publish a joint statement announcing UMSU's decision to adopt BDS and its support for Palestinian rights".

It said this should be published on all of the union's social media profiles.

The motion said it "condemns any and all forms of antisemitism" and that "Israel's crimes are its responsibility alone and not that of Jewish people worldwide".

Yuh-Line Niou, a US congressional candidate in New York City, has said that she supports #BDS, a rare move for a politician running for public office ⬇

https://t.co/hHxNaCrDts

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) July 12, 2022

UMSU said it believes the motion passed on Monday is "robust, was supported by appropriate consultation and was passed with due diligence by Students' Council."

It added that a consultation with relevant stakeholders, such as pro-Palestine and Jewish groups at the university, was concluded on 1 August.

The consultation was facilitated by an independent organisation, UMSU said.

"UMSU continues to encourage respectful debate of international affairs on campus and deplores and denounces bigotry and hate speech in all its forms," it added.

"Following research, consultation and engagement, UMSU does not believe that supporting the Palestinian cause and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement is anti-Semitic."