An agreement has been reached with the administration at UCD to dismantle a pro-Palestine camp that was mounted on the university grounds following a tension-filled month due to the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip. This agreement was reached on the same day as the once yearly event held by the university, which usually draws a large number of people, but was cancelled due to the protests for “operational reasons”.
The details of the agreement include strengthening the oversight of investment, grant and procurement procedures in UCD, following talks with UCD Student Union and two other groups. In addition to this, there will be the establishment of eight “sanctuary scholarships” for relocated Palestinian students, and the university will back up to four scholars from Palestinian universities.
Orla Feely, the university president, announced in a weekend address to staff and students that the agreement will also dismantle protests connected to the camp, which had been set up by the main campus lake since the 11th of May.
The other entities that signed the agreement are groups known as UCD Academics for Palestine and UCD Boycott, Divest and Sanctions. The university has strongly emphasised its commitment to the principles of human rights and lawfulness, expressing its outrage over the ongoing massacre of civilians, the withholding of humanitarian aid, and the devastation occurring in Palestine at the hands of Israel.
Hailing the agreement as a “major victory”, Martha Ní Riada, the student union president, stated that activist pressure on UCD would remain constant. She expressed her immense pride in the collective who have undoubtedly left a permanent imprint on the university, and asserted their hard-earned progress.
These protesters have called for UCD to cut all academic ties with Israel, divulge all academic and financial relationships with Israeli institutions and businesses, divest from any Israeli investments, eradicate any Israeli goods from campus and terminate any arrangements with suppliers in Israel. UCD however, clarified that they currently hold no investments or affiliations with any Israeli institutions.
A newly formed working group, consisting of nominees from the student union, is part of the agreement to design an ethical investment plan within a year for endorsement by the UCD governing body. The university’s finance officer, essentially the treasurer, is tasked with providing an annual review to a committee from the governing body on the whereabouts of all the university’s investments.
The governing body will receive expanded reports from the president, including the list of research grants, each having international partners. In addition to this, the student union’s representatives will be part of a team reassessing UCD’s policy on “sustainable procurement”.
In a recent statement, it was mentioned that UCD was particularly horrified by the damage done to all universities in Gaza, and the attacks on students, faculty, and staff. In a similar situation at Trinity College Dublin that concluded in early May, the university confirmed its plan to completely divest from the three Israeli companies where it held investments as a part of its endowment funds.