Columbia affiliate endorses divestment from ‘companies profiting from the war in Palestine’

The Union Theological Seminary (UTS), an affiliate college to Columbia University, announced that its board of trustees endorsed a policy of divestment from "companies substantially and intractably benefiting from the war in Palestine".

The institution becomes of the first in the US to announce a plan to divest its endowment from companies linked to Israel's war in Gaza.

UTS houses Columbia's constituent faculty of theology, but has a separate endowment from the university. A spokesperson told Columbia Spectator that UTS's endowment is worth $110 million.

“Our investment policies will continue to adapt, guided by our values, to strengthen the resolve that undergirds our decision today,” the statement reads.

“We do not take this step lightly, and we do so with all humility, recognising that our work on the global stage is far from finished. Although our investments in the war in Palestine are small because our previous, strong anti-armament screens are robust, we hope that our action today will bring needed pressure to bear to stop the killing and find a peaceful future for all.”