Anti-Israel activist attacks Pro-Israel activist in Oakland March 13, 2013. Photo: Youtube

JNS.org – A divestment from Israel resolution was defeated Tuesday at the University of California, Santa Cruz with 19 votes against, 17 votes in favor, and three abstentions. The defeat followed a 45-minute student senate debate.

“We are pleased that a divestment resolution was once again defeated, this time at UC Santa Cruz. We applaud UCSC’s student senate for recognizing the complexity of the conflict and the bigotry in this resolution… Hopefully, next year, students who are obsessed with condemning Israel while they cover up the terrorism of Palestinian groups like Hamas, will consider more constructive actions and resolutions,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of the pro-Israel education group StandWithUs.

The student senators “understood the magnitude of hastily passing a slanderous bill with only days remaining in the school year,” leading to a relatively short debate on the issue, Don Waintraub, StandWithUs Northern California Campus Coordinator, told JNS.org.

“It was amusing to see the debate happen near the international section of campus, which contained… Qaddafi’s [Libyan] flag, which is no longer relevant. I remember… not believing they could have that dictator’s flag there, and seriously be considering divesting from the only country in the Near East where the Christian community is flourishing,” Waintraub added.

In May, a divestment from Israel resolution was also defeated at the University of California, Davis.