Statement: BDS Resolution Defeated at UBC

March 30, 2015

A BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) resolution at UBC, that unfairly and inaccurately targeted Israel, has been defeated.
 
We applaud the dedicated students and student leaders who worked so hard to achieve this important result. We also praise our partners who worked together with us to support them, in particular UBC Hillel, The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee Student Fellows. We appreciate the sensitivity shown by both the Alma Mater Society and the UBC administration in their handling of this issue on campus.
 
More than 2,200 students voted against the resolution. Considering that there are approximately 1,200 Jewish students on campus, this shows substantial breadth of support. We believe this is the greatest number of no votes ever cast against a BSD resolution on campus in Canada, and possibly in North America. 
 
UBC students have demonstrated that they value dialogue over hate.  We are pleased that UBC will continue to be a space where open discourse can take place.