The Graduate and Professional Senate passed a resolution, 35-6 with four abstentions, on Tuesday calling for UNC to divest from companies that invest in or provide funds to the Israeli government or military.
Katie Heath, the graduate and professional student body president-elect, led and moderated the debate and public comments about the resolution. At the meeting, senators also voted to pass legislation drafted by the Travel Awards, External Appointees, Town Hall and Appropriations Committees.
Here's what you should know.
The Gaza Ceasefire and Israel Divestment Resolution, which is the resolution the students were discussing, called for the University to condemn war crimes committed in Gaza and to divest from companies and assets that financially support Israel — as well as a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution also called for President Joe Biden and congress members to suspend military funding to Israel, and it condemned Islamophobia and antisemitism, as well as anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab hatred.
Senators Wynne Ebner and Hashem Amireh, representing students studying health behavior and economics, respectively, co-authored the bill. Senator Nyssa Tucker, who represents toxicology Ph.D. students, was it co-sponsor.
"We can disagree on whether Israel is committing genocide or note — I think it would be very hard to argue that Israel is not committing war crimes, and if a country is committing those crimes at a very large scale, there needs to be maximum pressure to stop those war crimes," Amireh said.
During public comment on the bill, members of UNC’s Jewish community expressed differing opinions on the resolution.
"Since Oct. 7, the majority of Jewish students have not felt safe," former GPSG Senator Mitchell Pinsky said. "This resolution over here makes zero mention of the atrocities that Hamas perpetuated on Oct. 7."