Aggies Say "NO" to BDS

Student leaders at Texas A&M University in College Station approved a resolution late Wednesday that condemns boycotts of Israel and commits to welcoming Jewish and Israeli peers.

The legislation was introduced during the Student Senate’s open session and adopted with a vote of 38 in favor, six against, and 12 abstentions.

“Israel has been and continues to be one of America’s strongest allies,” read the measure, which pointed to bilateral trade ties between the Jewish state and Texas that “faculty and students continue to benefit from.”

Acknowledging the uptick in antisemitic incidents recorded by the Anti-Defamation League in the US in 2017, the resolution came out strongly against the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel, calling it “anti-Semitic in its effect, if not in its intent.”

After embracing “Jewish and Israeli students as a valued member of the Aggie family,” the legislation said the Student Senate would “not facilitate, promote, or participate in any activities that promote BDS or any other form of anti-Semitism.”

It also recommended that no campus group “support, contribute to, or receive contributions from BDS,” while expressing respect for the free speech rights of students.

Photo Credit Wikimedia

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