We are asking the University of Maine system to divest from companies who are complicit in Israel’s war crimes. We feel that the universities within this system should take the steps to keep apartheid off campuses and divest from companies that help sustain Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land as well as Israel’s apartheid regime.

The UMaine system currently holds around $20,550,000 worth of shares in BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities which has investments in companies such as Lockheed Martin, who supplies Israel with F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, which Israel has been using extensively to bomb Gaza for the specific purpose of demolishing Palestinian homes, factories, agricultural land and civilian infrastructure in illegally occupied territory. Israel also uses the company's C-130 Hercules transport planes to support their ground invasion. There are several occurrences of violations of international law by Israel and the UMaine system is complicit in this by holding investments in BlackRock. BlackRock has billions of dollars worth of investments in similar companies including Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics that make the weapons Israel uses to continue its war on Palestinians.

As students, we cannot sit by silently as our tuition fees are used to support oppression and the infringement of basic human rights, upon which all 12 of Gaza's universities have been indiscriminately targeted and destroyed. To attack education is to attack society's greatest tool for progress, opportunity, and freedom. While we currently have the privilege of participating in higher education, Gaza's students had that stolen from them. We do not want our tuition dollars aiding and abetting war crimes. Please join us in voicing our concerns and advocating for a change that reflects our commitment to knowledge, peace, justice, and inclusivity.