The University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) has voted to divest from Israel, the association announced on Friday.
This decision stems from Israel’s “illegal occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the UTFA said.
The motion, which passed by 52% of the vote, calls on the Ontario University Pension Plan (UPP) to produce a rapid timeline for complete divestment from all direct and indirect holdings in entities that support or sustain Israel’s “occupation and/or which manufacture” or distribute arms, ammunition, or munitions of war where “there are reasonable grounds to suspect they may have been used by Israel in Palestine.”
Motion equates divestment from Israel akin to policy for Russia
It added that all new investments should be screened, and that these divestment commitments should then be incorporated into the UPP’s investment exclusion policy.
The motion claimed that the divestment from Israel should occur in line with the university’s current divestment from Russia.
One of the prominent driving forces behind the motion was the UofT Faculty and Librarians for UPP Divestment group.
It announced that all people who pledged support to the motion were anonymous, due to alleged fears of a “penalty for taking a public anti-war, anti-apartheid or anti-occupation position.”
The faculty also said it was fearful of “doxxing,” particularly against “indigenous colleagues, colleagues of color, [and] junior [or] precarious colleagues.”
The Canadians for Justice and Peace and the Middle East group celebrated the divestment as a victory, adding that the vote saw a record turnout. The move makes UTFA the 20th faculty or academic association to endorse a BDS motion against Israel.
The UPP is Ontario’s largest higher education pension fund. It has controlled all of UofT’s pension funds since 2021. It encompasses faculty and staff at the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, the University of Guelph, and Trent University.
