Hampshire College in Amherest, MA was the first educational institution to divest from Apartheid South Africa. And now, thirty-five years later Hampshire has become the first educational institution to divest from Apartheid Israel. Activists at Hampshire College have been pushing for divestment for two years and their efforts are sure to kick off a wave of divestment movements across the world.

In a press release issued today by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the student group behind the divestment push, explain that their actions targeted six specific corporations who profit directly from the Israeli occupation:

"Our group pressured Hampshire College’s Board of Trustees to divest from six specific companies due to human rights concerns in occupied Palestine. Over 800 students, professors, and alumni have signed SJP’s "institutional statement" calling for the divestment.The six corporations, all of which provide the Israeli military with equipment and services in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza are: Caterpillar, United Technologies, General Electric, ITT Corporation, Motorola, and Terex. Furthermore, our policy prevents the reinvestment in any company involved in the illegal occupation."

More information about the divestment campaign at Hampshire College can be found in the SJP Press Release and SJP Press Kit.

Hampshire was first, who will be next? Is this the start of a nationwide divestment surge?

Update: Hampshire College administration is contradicting the reports of SJP. While Hampshire admits to divesting from the above mentioned six companies, they are claiming that this was not directly focused on Israel. The Boston Globe is carrying the administration's perspective (link). The whole story is likely to emerge in coming days.

Update #2: The response from SJP is posted below in the comments.

Micah M. White is a Contributing Editor at Adbusters Magazine and an independent activist. Micah is currently writing a book of philosophical meanderings into the future of activism. He lives in Binghamton, NY with his wife and two cats. www.micahmwhite.com

The massacre in Gaza has prompted many people to actively boycott Israeli products. The effects of the consumer boycott are already being felt by Israeli farmers who are now complaining that their produce is rotting in warehouses because of canceled orders. And in London, The Swarthmore Campaign, the first divestment campaign to be formed after the invasion of Gaza. Within three days we have already gathered over 60 signatures with more coming in every hour. The positive response demonstrates that the moment is ripe for divestment campaigns to sweep universities across the world. As we saw with the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, divestment is an effective tool to bringing about peace.

Two aspects make The Swarthmore Campaign different from previous divestment campaigns. First, we are an alumni organization which makes our structure durable and less susceptible to pressure from the school's administration. And second, signatories to The Swarthmore Campaign open letter are not just asking our alma mater to divest -- we are threatening to withhold donations until divestment occurs. For in the midst of an economic collapse, most educational institutions are in desperate need of donations from their alumni, which provides activists with a bargaining tool for peace.

Organizers of The Swarthmore Campaign hope that divestment campaigns will spread to campuses across the world bringing an end to the Israeli apartheid.

Update on January 21: This blog post was edited to more clearly state that my wife and I aided in the foundation of The Swarthmore Campaign and continue to publicly support its efforts.

Micah M. White is a Contributing Editor at Adbusters Magazine and an independent activist. Micah is currently writing a book of philosophical meanderings into the future of activism. He lives in Binghamton, NY with his wife and two cats. www.micahmwhite.com

In a recent editorial in the Guardian UK, Naomi Klein called for a widespread Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel. She wrote that, "It's time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa... Every day that Israel pounds Gaza brings more converts to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions cause - even among Israeli Jews. In the midst of the assault roughly 500 Israelis, dozens of them well-known artists and scholars, sent a letter to foreign ambassadors in Israel. It calls for "the adoption of immediate restrictive measures and sanctions" and draws a clear parallel with the anti-apartheid struggle. 'The boycott on South Africa was effective, but Israel is handled with kid gloves ... This international backing must stop.'"

Naomi Klein's assessment resonates with many people who are terribly upset by the injustice they see happening in Gaza. Now is the time that we should collectively act to simultaneously reject consumerism and the war in Gaza. Getting involved is easy:

First, visit the Boycott Israeli Goods website and begin actively refusing to buy any product made in Israel. You can also download a comprehensive guide of Israeli products.

And, if you have a website, you can promote this campaign by adding a small "Boycott Israel" banner to the top left of your website. To do so, put the following code anywhere on your webpage. For an example of how this looks, visit why-war.com

Do you think a boycott of Israel can end the occupation of Palestine? How can we spread this Boycott campaign more widely?

Update: The following websites have joined the Boycott Israel campaign. We will keep updating this list as more sites join!

• http://pasembur.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/boycott-israeli-goods/
• http://www.keyvan.net/
• http://www.antiwar.co.uk/
• http://www.why-war.com/
• http://www.incidentalmedia.com/navidah/
• http://silonius.blogspot.com/
• http://mypixelarts.com/blog/

Micah M. White is a Contributing Editor at Adbusters Magazine and an independent activist. Micah is currently writing a book of philosophical meanderings into the future of activism. He lives in Binghamton, NY with his wife and two cats. www.micahmwhite.com