The Binghamton University Student Association passed a resolution last night that stops the organization from doing business with any companies that financially support the Israeli government.

Last night's vote, which was part of a meeting lasting over four hours and ending after midnight, saw 14 representatives vote in favor, 11 against, two abstentions, and one vote being deemed invalid.

The resolution also calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and claims that Israel's current military campaign is a genocide. This resolution does not affect individual student organizations or the University's administration.

The resolution was sponsored by a group of 19 student organizations who have created a campaign titled "Divest From Death."  The group released a statement on the campaign's Instagram account this afternoon reading in part, "We are overjoyed about our victory and thankful for those who helped support it, and yet the fight does not end here. First, the Student Association — next, the entire University." The student coalition plans to pressure Binghamton University Administration at an upcoming University Council Meeting to adopt similar policies of boycotts, divestments, and sanctions against Israel. 

In a statement sent to Fox 40, President of the Binghamton University Zionist Organization and voting member of the Student Association Congress, Saul Hakim, wrote, "The recent passage of the BDS resolution by our Student Congress has significantly aligned our campus with a movement that not only supports the October 7th attacks but also propagates harmful antisemitic and unsubstantiated rhetoric...The actions taken by the Student Association Congress last night failed not only the Jewish community but every member of our university who expects fairness, integrity, and respect from their elected representatives." The same statement expressed concern that the resolution "attempts to obstruct [Jewish students'] access to the same resources as their peers."

The resolution is the latest victory for the greater Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement which seeks to pressure Israel by straining them economically.

This comes as increased antisemitism has swept universities across the country since Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel. Numerous schools across the nation, including Harvard and Columbia University, currently face federal investigations for civil rights abuses.