Pro-BDS Motion Fails at Columbia U Due to Technicality
Tazpit News Agency
Jewish Press
Tue Mar 12 2019
A request presented to the Columbia College Student Council asking Columbia students to divest from companies that do business in Israel failed to pass a vote by the body, a move perceived by pro-Israel students as a victory.
After a four-hour heated debate among the student council members on Sunday night which attracted a crowd of over 150 people, the council decided to vote in a secret ballot. A majority of 20 members voted in favor of the motion to boycott Israel, while 17 voted against.
However, since the council requires a two-thirds majority to pass controversial resolutions, the anti-Israel motion failed.
Ofir Dayan, President of Students Supporting Israel (SSI) Columbia, stated that “this is truly a historic moment for us and for Columbia University.”
She noted that this was the first time that SSI was present during an official Student Government meeting when an anti-Israel boycott resolution was submitted....
