'We have heard your concerns': McMaster University board takes in presentation on divesting from Israel

McMaster University's board of governors heard a presentation this week advocating that the Hamilton institution divest from companies with ties to Israel.

The board did not take any immediate action, but chair Jane Allen said they had learned from the presenters, who spoke on behalf of the McMaster chapter of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR).

"We have heard your concerns," Allen said. 

The board hearing the presentation was a condition for the dismantling of a student-led pro-Palestinian protest encampment that had been in place for 2½ weeks in May.

Four students with SPHR didn't share their names either at the presentation or to CBC Hamilton, and declined an on-the-record interview, citing safety concerns related to people sharing advocates' personal information online. 

Board members did not make any new motions during the meeting, which went into closed session after SPHR's presentation, McMaster University spokesperson Wade Hemsworth said in an email Thursday.

"As the board chair said at the beginning of the board meeting, the goal of the presentations today was not to seek immediate answers, but a chance to deepen understanding of the various viewpoints," he said.

McMaster is among many universities in North America with students advocating for a boycott, divest and sanctions (BDS) strategy in response to Israel's military actions in Gaza during its conflict with Hamas.

Health officials in Gaza say Israel's campaign has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians. It does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but more than half of the dead are believed to be women and children.

Israel launched the campaign in October 2023 after an attack led by the militant group killed about 1,200 people and led to about 250 being taken hostage.

Critics have denounced Israel's actions as genocide — a charge the government denies.

SPHR is a recognized student group at McMaster that advocates for Palestinian rights. In this week's presentation, students compared today's BDS movement to student protests against apartheid in South Africa, saying universities distanced themselves from students at the time, but history has proven them wrong. 

The presentation made several arguments in favour of McMaster divesting from Israel and ending official partnerships with that country's academic institutions. One argument was the university has committed to environmental sustainability, and war is ecologically harmful. They also said that, according to Palestinian officials, all 12 of Gaza's higher-education institutions have been destroyed in the war.

The students were joined by Michael Lynk, a Western University law professor who was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied between 1967 and 2016.