FACT CHECK: Did University of California, Riverside Agree To Fully Divest From Israel?
A viral video shared on X purports the University of California, Riverside has agreed to fully divest from Israel.
🚨 University of California Riverside agrees to fully divest from Israel, ending its study abroad programs.#California #USC #UCLA #Gaza #UCLAProtest #Palestine pic.twitter.com/9jKlm6FDiy
— The Pakistan Frontier (@PakFrontier) May 5, 2024
Verdict: False
The claim is false. According to CBS News, the university’s School of Business has “discontinued Global Programs” in multiple locations, including Israel, but has not agreed to fully divest from Israel. The university has also agreed to share public information about its investments online.
Fact Check:
A student from the University of California, Riverside is currently “on interim suspension” after police discovered an assault rifle, magazines, and drawings of violent images in his on-campus apartment, according to the Los Angeles Times. Police said the incident is “unrelated to other campus events,” the outlet reported.
“University of California, Riverside agrees to fully divest from Israel, ending its study abroad programs,” the viral X video’s caption purports. The video, viewed over 14,000 times as of writing, features a man addressing a crowd at the university and praising the community for reaching the purported agreement in a peaceful manner.
The claim is false. According to CBS News, although a pro-Palestine encampment was peacefully cleared from the university recently, the university has not agreed to fully divest from Israel. The specific terms of the agreement do mention that the university’s School of Business has “discontinued Global Programs” in multiple locations, including Israel, however, the outlet reported.
In addition, the university has agreed to share public information about its investments on its website and to set up a task force “to explore the removal of UCR’s endowment from the management of the UC Investments Office,” the outlet also indicated. (RELATED: Was Photo Of Swastikas At Columbia University Taken Recently?)
A PDF version of the agreement is available online and has been signed by university administrators, including Chancellor Kim Wilcox.
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the X video’s claim that the university has fully divested from Israel. Actually, the opposite is true. Misbar also reported the university did not fully divest from Israel, citing the same CBS News article, on May 8.
Check Your Fact has contacted the University of California, Riverside for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.