King's College Cambridge to divest from firms supplying arms to Israel

A University of Cambridge college says it has decided to divest from companies supplying arms to Israel and those complicit in the occupation of the Palestinian territories, following months of pro-Palestine student protest rallies against the regime’s ongoing genocidal war and blockade of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

King’s College Cambridge, one of the University of Cambridge’s largest colleges, announced on Tuesday that its governing body has agreed to “adopt a new responsible investment policy” to align with the values of its community, adding that the decision comes after pro-Palestine protesters staged demonstrations and set up encampments against the war in Gaza at the university last year.

The college went on to say that under the new policy, its financial investments will exclude companies that “are involved in activities generally recognized as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation.”

Its investments will also exclude companies that “produce military and nuclear weapons, weapons restricted by international treaty, or companies that produce key or dedicated components of such weapons.”

King’s College said the next steps will be to implement the changes across the college’s investment portfolio by the end of the calendar year.

It also noted that the new policy “builds on wide-ranging discussions within the college about its investments and its values, prompted by the occupation of Palestinian territories.”

Following the announcement, student group King’s Cambridge 4 Palestine welcomed the college’s decision to commit to divestment.

“KC4P implore the university and other colleges to follow the example set by King’s, although the decision comes far too late for the thousands of Palestinians who have been starved, tortured and killed at the hands of” the Israeli regime, the student group said.  

Stella Swain, youth and student officer at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, also said, “This is a massive victory, and speaks to the incredible power and commitment of student campaigning, at King’s College and across the country.”

“If King’s College, at the heart of Cambridge, can finally listen to its students and divest from the arms industry and companies complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine, then every university can act to ensure they are on the right side of history.”

As of March 2023, King’s College indirectly invested £2.2m ($2.94m) in arms companies, including Lockheed Martin, Korea Aerospace, and BAE Systems.

The institution has become the first Cambridge college to take such measures, following months of protests by students at the college.