San Francisco State University Divests from Four Companies Linked to Israel
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – San Francisco State University (SFSU) has divested from four companies involved in Israel's military operations in Gaza, marking a significant victory for pro-Palestinian activists and the divestment movement in the United States.
It is a move hailed by pro-Palestinian activists as a major win for Palestinian rights advocacy.
Students for Gaza SFSU announced that the university would sell its corporate bond positions in American aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin, Italian defense firm Leonardo, US-based data analysis company Palantir Technologies, and construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar.
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) previously described these corporations as “profiting from the Gaza genocide.”
At a press conference and rally held in SFSU's Malcolm X Plaza, students shared the news of the divestment with their peers. Activists attributed the university's decision to months of demonstrations by pro-Palestinian groups urging SFSU to divest from portfolios associated with harm to Palestinians.
Noam Perry, the strategic research coordinator with the AFSC, emphasized the significance of the university's decision, noting the "transformative process" SFSU underwent and the moral stance it adopted.
“It’s not just that the university decided to divest from these four companies,” Perry said. “The university adopted a new ethical investment policy, and when it applied this policy to its direct investments, these companies were flagged. This ensures that the university cannot directly invest in these and similar companies in the future.”
Perry also noted that this was one of the most earnest processes a US university has undertaken in response to student-led divestment demands. He highlighted that the university respected students' voices in determining how its money is invested.
Lockheed Martin, one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers, has been supplying F-16 and F-35 jets to the Israeli air force. Italian defense firm Leonardo has provided the Israeli navy with 76mm guns used in Gaza, while Palantir Technologies has been involved in developing "kill lists" for Israel. Caterpillar, known for its D9 armored bulldozers, has long been targeted by Palestinian activists for its role in demolishing Palestinian homes and infrastructure.
“These bulldozers have also been crucial for Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, accompanying combat troops and clearing roads by flattening entire residential neighborhoods,” Perry added.
Despite this success, Perry acknowledged that more work remains to be done at SFSU. He pointed out that the divestment from Palantir and Caterpillar was not solely due to SFSU's commitment to divest from weapons manufacturers, but also because of the university’s broader investment policy, which now considers internationally recognized human rights, along with prior commitments to racial justice and environmental issues.
Earlier this year, students at SFSU set up an encampment as part of a nationwide call for universities to divest from corporations seen as complicit in Israel's actions in Gaza. The encampment, organized by Students for Gaza SFSU, lasted three weeks.
Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, following a surprise retaliatory operation by Palestinian resistance groups. Alongside the military offensive, Israel has enforced a near-total siege on Gaza, severely restricting the flow of food, medicine, electricity, and water.
To date, the Israeli genocidal war has resulted in the deaths of at least 40,602 Gazans, most of whom are women, children, and adolescents, with another 93,855 Palestinians injured.