In a sweeping wave of student activism that is shaking the very foundations of academia, it seems no American university endowment has yet to succumb to the fierce and escalating demands of pro-Palestinian students who have been vociferously protesting on campuses nationwide. The impassioned campaign, seeking to sever financial ties with companies linked to Israel, has been fervently championed for nearly two decades, yet it faces towering legal and pragmatic barriers.

Qatar born Omar Barghouti, a notable Columbia University alumnus and a founding figure of the 2005 Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, expressed his astonishment at the lack of divestment success. Some argue that it is the controversy surrounding the figures behind the BDS movement like Barghouti which contributes to the reason why no one but the protesters are taking it seriously.

Interesting... on multiple occasions, BDS founder Omar Barghouti has denied Jews are indigenous to the Mideast.

Until today, when writing in @guardian, he attempts to deny antisemitism by legitimizing the presence of unrepresentative anti-Zionist Jews. 🤔… pic.twitter.com/fK0OacOC6l

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 5, 2024

Barghouti has expressed his support for terror in the past, and in 2019 was denied entry into the United States to speak at an anti-israel event. In 2001, Barghouti wrote a chapter for a book a book entitled "The New Intifada" that expressly supported an armed uprising and glorified the tactics such as suicide bombings and attacks on civilians that marked that bloody period in Israel's history. Yet, despite the symbolic passage of BDS resolutions by marxist and uber-liberal faculty and student bodies at over fifty US universities, the calls to stop investing in Israel have not translated into tangible financial action, with university administrations roundly rejecting any calls for divestment.

Amidst recent intense protests decrying the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, sparked by Israel's robust military responses to Hamas' provocations, Barghouti passionately declared that thousands are rallying across American, European, and Australian campuses. He claimed that they are not merely protesting; they are crafting a monumental movement for Palestinian liberation, aiming to dismantle what they perceive as Israel’s oppressive military regime and racially discriminatory policies. 

“Omar Barghouti, an alumnus of Columbia University and co-founder of the BDS movement for Palestinian rights in 2005, said he was unaware of any higher educational institutions that had sold shares, …” https://t.co/m1eVep3jsh

— Rue Mormill (@mormillrue) May 4, 2024

And yet, arrests by the New York Police Department last week at Columbia University and the City University of New York showed that nearly half of the agitators were operatives from anti-Israel organizations and not actual students. In short, it seems Barghouti is trying to use the optics of the protests to mislead the public as to who is actually behind them.

On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the protesters were in fact trained and instructed by hardline groups such as the National Students For Justice In Palestine (NSJP) and the radical Samidoun organization which is banned in Germany for their antisemitic and terror supporting stances.  This fact illustrates one of the reasons why the BDS campaign is not successful; if the protests themselves are not genuine and artificially enhanced, why should the universities harm their own endowments as well as academic relationships by divesting from Israel?  Universities gain a lot from Israeli connections. From the technological breakthroughs to the soaring stock prices of the Start Up Nation's companies, the Jewish State has benefitted academic institutions on many levels.

While some institutions like Vassar College tentatively entertain discussions on divesting from defense-related ventures, others, like Vanderbilt University, stand firm against mixing financial strategies with political stances. Daniel Diermeier, president of Vanderbilt, emphasized the university’s commitment to neutrality, warning that divestment could contravene both federal and stringent Tennessee state laws, risking significant financial repercussions.

EPIC BDS FAIL: The University of California and #Israel’s Innovation Authority sign cooperation agreement. (This is hugely significant, especially when it comes to prime #BDS hubs - such as in San Fran & Berkeley) https://t.co/0gLLAxCbXc via @UC_Newsroom https://t.co/uKYT1IHs4J pic.twitter.com/ZaF6NNKO59

— Dr. Lenny K (@LennyBoyUSA) February 10, 2020

Despite the lack of divestment, BDS maintains its focus on a select group of companies believed to be complicit in what it describes as Israeli atrocities. These include major global corporations such as Intel and Chevron, as well as arms manufacturers like the Israeli Elbit Systems and the Chinese Hikvision. This strategic approach seeks to maximize impact and spur political change, illustrating the complex interplay of activism, academia, and international politics that continues to unfold across university campuses.