In the movement for human rights, we are often discouraged by how many atrocities exist in the world, and how distant many of them are. One nation, which many of us make a conscious effort to avoid dealing with, is Israel.
I won't go into why Palestinians are being oppressed, or how the Israeli occupation is illegal. However I do believe there is hope for peace and, through the efforts of students and activists around the world, we can make a difference.
A somewhat new strategy towards peace has been through divestment. Here at UW-Madison, there are groups working to divest university money from corporations assisting in the demolitions of Palestinian homes. Caterpillar's involvement has been one of the worst.
Home demolition is a practice used by Israeli government. Families are forced to leave their homes while watching bulldozers demolish them. The Israeli government carries out demolitions as punishment for the actions of extended family members. However, rather than deterring terrorism, it helps perpetuate it. Besides that, it is against international law.
Caterpillar is a construction company that builds bulldozers. To expand its enterprise, Caterpillar designed a \military"" D-9 bulldozer solely used to destroy homes and farmland as part of the Israeli strategy to take revenge on Palestinian families. They are also used to destroy olive groves and trees, making it impossible for Palestinians to sustain a decent living environment.
Many compare the situation in Israel to apartheid in South Africa. The fact is, Israel has been far more destructive and ""successful"" in oppressing the Palestinians. There is a system of racism embedded in its legal system where Palestinians are denied welfare benefits, access to many jobs and the leasing of homes and land controlled by government. Students responded to South African apartheid by building a divestment movement to fight the oppression.
The UW System played a big role in divestment. Today, initiatives exist at UW-Madison due to students dedicated to human rights. A few weeks ago, the UW System Board of Regents had their annual forum for students to present cases for divestment under the Social Responsibility Clause in Regent Policy.
The clause states that the Board of Regents ""acknowledges the importance of maintaining an awareness of public concerns about corporate policies or practices that are discriminatory or cause substantial social injury."" Substantial social injury refers to actions that ""violate, subvert or frustrate the enforcement of rules of domestic or international law."" The clause proves that there is a strong case to divest from corporations involved with Israeli military actions.
The student organization Al-Awda (Palestine Right to Return Coalition), has spearheaded this campaign to pressure the university to pull out investments with Caterpillar. The UW System has approximately $175,000 invested in Caterpillar. For them to divest would mean a first step in pulling out all divestments from Israel and would set an example for universities around the country.
The fight for human rights is far from over, and although it is frustrating at times, I encourage students to take more of a stand for the rest of the world. The Board of Regents also need to understand its responsibility in ensuring that the UW System's investments are socially responsible.
