<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[UBC students to fund boat to&nbsp;Gaza]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<div class="postinfo" style="text-align:right;"><em> By Macleans.ca  <span class="dot"> | </span>February 1st, 2011 | 6:57 pm</em></div>
<div id="related-ubc-students-to-fund-boat-to-gaza" class="related" style="display:none;"></div>
<div id="filed-ubc-students-to-fund-boat-to-gaza" class="related" style="display:none;">
<div class="postinfo2">Filed Under: <a title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag" href="http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/category/campus-news-2/">News</a></div>
<div class="tags">Tags: <a rel="tag" href="http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/tag/gaza/">Gaza</a></div>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="dek">
<p><strong>$13,000 spent on legal fees surrounding controversy over $700 donation</strong></p>
</div>
<p>Following several months of controversy, UBC’s students’ union has finally <a href="http://ubyssey.ca/news/700-gaza-donation-officially-approved/" target="_blank">approved </a>a $700 donation towards the <a href="http://canadaboatgaza.org/cms/sites/cbg/en/statements.aspx" target="_blank">Canada Boat to Gaza</a>,  scheduled to sail at the end of March. The donation will be officially  made by student group Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR)  which receives its funding from a semi-autonomous students’ union  resource centre.</p>
<p>After students complained about the donation in November, the  students’ union had put a hold on the funds when the vice-president  finance reasoned the donation should be brought to student council.  Council <a href="http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2010/12/03/are-ubc-students-financing-terrorism/" target="_blank">later approved</a> the donation, but a stipulation was included mandating the union investigate possible ties to terrorism.</p>
<p>An email to the VP finance, from Fintrac, an organization that  investigates terrorist funding, has now quieted any lingering suspicions  about terrorist links. “Fintrac does not maintain a list of  organizations, charities or  non-profit groups that are in good  standing. It will not verify or  evaluate groups about which you  requested information,” the email read.</p>
<p>The Ubyssey reports that $13,000 has been spent on legal fees related to the $700 donation.</p>
<p><a href="http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/02/01/ubc-students-to-fund-boat-to-gaza/comment-page-1/">UBC students to fund boat to Gaza – &#8211; Macleans OnCampus</a>.</p>
]]></html></oembed>