<?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[Students for Justice in Palestine rally for divestment from Israel | NYU&#8217;s Daily Student&nbsp;Newspaper]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p class="published">by <span class="ajaxlink byline">Amy Zhang | </span>Published April 6, 2011 | NYUNews</p>
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<p><strong>Students for Justice in Palestine called for divestment from  Israel in a rally on West Fourth Street on Tuesday. But their voices  didn&#8217;t go unopposed: Gesher: Israel club at NYU and Violets for Israel  set up their campaign right across the street. </strong></p>
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<p>The issue of contention was the ongoing Isreali-Palestinian  conflict, which pits mainstream Palestinians, who demand a state in the  West Bank and Gaza strip, against right-wing Israelis, who claim that a  creation of a state would destabilize a peaceful Israel.</p>
<p>Shouting  war cries while battling the wind and rain, both sides caught the  attention of passers-by strolling through the middle of their skirmish.</p>
<p>&#8220;Hey Israel, just face it. Apartheid is racist,&#8221; shouted members of the SJP. &#8220;Resistance is justified when people are occupied!&#8221;</p>
<p>The  SJP&#8217;s main target for their campaign is the TIAA-CREF, a financial  service corporation employed by NYU to manage the retirement savings of  faculty and staff. TIAA-CREF places NYU retirement funds into dozens of  corporations that are profiting from the occupation in Israel.</p>
<p>Corporations  such as Motorola, Veolia and Caterpillar, which receive investment  money from TIAA-CREF, provide services such as surveillance, equipment,  armored bulldozers and helicopters for Israel&#8217;s military. Members of SJP  urged the community to sign an online <a href="http://nyusjp.wordpress.com/campaign">petition</a>. SJP has collected over 70 faculty signatures since their first public launch.</p>
<p>Ava  Houshmand, a Gallatin senior and a board member of SJP, said the group  focuses on TIAA-CREF because the corporation is tied to NYU.</p>
<p>&#8220;I  know there are many other problems and conflicts in need of help,&#8221;  Houshmand said, &#8220;but since the fund is directly connected to NYU, this  is where we believe we can have the greatest influence.&#8221;</p>
<p>In  response, Gesher: Israel club at NYU and Violets for Israel set up their  campaign directly across the street, shouting cries such as &#8220;Israel  wants Peace&#8221; and &#8220;Invest in Israel.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re opposed to the BDS  [Boycott, Divestment and Sanction] movement because it imposes an  impediment to the peace process by creating sharp division between both  sides,&#8221; president of Gesher and CAS junior Sara Wellerstein said. &#8220;The  fact that students on campus think any action that targets an innocent  civilian population can be justified is deeply disturbing to us.&#8221;</p>
<p>Some professors were present to voice their support.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s  an ongoing effort,&#8221; said Jeff Goodwin, a professor of sociology at NYU  who had signed SJP&#8217;s online petition. &#8220;We&#8217;re definitely out here hoping  to get as much support as we can.&#8221;</p>
<p>Passersby were impressed that the protest had generated so much passion, despite the wet weather.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s  a crazy thing that its raining and all these students are still out  here, you know, waving signs and chanting. You gotta acknowledge them,&#8221;  CAS junior Jessica Staten said.</p>
<p class="articlefooter">A version of this article appeared in the  Wednesday, April 6 print edition. Amy Zhang is a deputy campus editor.  Email her at campus@nyunews.com.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.nyunews.com/news/2011/04/06/06protest/">Source</a></p>
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