Thursday, September 19, 2024

MIT divests from Israeli arms firm funded program

academia student activism Palestine Solidarity MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology divestment victory Lockheed Martin Israel military arms technology genocide occupation


The divestment marks the first American-Israeli arms manufacturer partnership to end at an American university since "Israel" began its ongoing genocide in Gaza on October 7.

The MISTI-"Israel" Lockheed Martin fund has been shut down after continuous pressure from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) staff and faculty, the MIT Coalition for Palestine announced on Friday, marking a major divestment win for the university's Scientists Against Genocide (SAGE) movement.

"Under pressure from students and scientists of conscience at this Institute, the MIT administration has discontinued MISTI-Israel's Lockheed Martin Seed Fund and will not renew its contract," the organization said in a statement.

"This was a major target of our divestment action. The program ends after months of protest against it last fall, including letter deliveries, sit-ins, and public information campaigns," it highlighted.

The Lockheed Martin Seed Fund was a program established in 2019, managed by the MIT International Science and Technology Initiative Israel (MISTI-"Israel") to connect students and researchers to Israeli offices at Lockheed Martin, a weapons manufacturer firm.

The divestment marks the first American-Israeli arms manufacturer partnership to end at an American university since the genocide began on October 7.  (more...)




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