University of California at Berkeley The Daily Californian and J Weekly are reporting that the University of California at Berkeley student senate passed a resolution this morning calling for divestment from Israel. The debate had reportedly been “heated” and lasted over ten hours, with the final vote taken just before 5:30 a.m. this morning. Supporters reportedly reacted to the news with “cheering, stomping and cries of joy”: The nonbinding resolution, authored by ASUC senator George Kadifa, calls for the divestment of reportedly more than $14 million in ASUC and U.C. funds from three companies that provide support to Israel’s military in the Palestinian territories or contribute to the building, maintenance or economic development of Israeli settlements in the territories. The language of the resolution, according to the Daily Cal, calls the U.C. system a “complicit third party” in Israel’s “illegal occupation and ensuing human rights abuses.” The newspaper reported the resolution names the three companies: Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Cement Roadstone Holdings. Berkeley’s student senate had previously passed a similar measure which was later vetoed by the senate president. In 2010, a BDS measure very similar to this year’s resolution sparked heated debates, drawing hundreds of people to senate meetings, and garnering international attention. The senate passed that resolution 16-4, but it was later vetoed by then-president Will Smelko, and a vote to overturn the veto fell one vote shy of the necessary two-thirds majority. In response, Rabbi Adam Naftalin-Kelman of the Berkeley Hillel issued a statement entitled, “We Should all be Proud of the Jewish Student Leadership at Cal.” Rabbi Naftalin-Kelman’s statement stresses that the student senate’s vote “has no practical effect whatsoever.” It is unfortunate that the ASUC has voted in favor of SB160 to support the divestment of three companies. Let us put this in perspective: After eleven hours of debate, lasting to the early morning, it passed with a vote of 11 in favor and 9 against; there were more student senators who voted against this bill than in previous years. The passage this year was closer than ever before. This measure has no practical effect whatsoever. The UC administration has consistently stated that this measure is dead on arrival and will not result in divestment from companies doing business with Israel. We believe that this vote represents only the narrow, individual opinions of the ASUC leadership and is not reflective of the majority of the students they were elected to represent. Let us be clear: This divestment bill did not originate on this campus but is part of an international effort to sow discord on college campuses and unfairly tarnishes Israel. On the contrary, we believe that Berkeley students, faculty and administrators – the people who live, work and study on this campus — are united in their support for a diversity of opinions, backgrounds, beliefs and sexual identities. This vote does not represent the Cal community we know and love. A group of dedicated, talented Cal Jewish student leaders took the lead in educating our campus about this measure and their efforts were extraordinary. It was truly inspiring to see Jewish students supportive of Israel with diverging views of this conflict, to come together, to fight divestment. Students, and for the first time over 35 faculty, from all political views were united tonight. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many Berkeley students who worked tirelessly to defeat this bill…. The question now is whether the senate president will once again veto the boycott resolution.