A sign that universities are feeling the heat came as 聽it 鈥渄oes not gave a partnership鈥 with Israel鈥檚 largest weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems 鈥渙r any of its subsidiaries, including Elbit Systems of Australia鈥.
Elbit Systems develops, tests and provides weapons and drones to the Israeli Defense Force.
Activists from Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Australia celebrated RMIT鈥檚 announcement on October 19.
鈥淭his is a significant victory for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in Australia,鈥 said Hilmi Dabbagh, from BDS Australia, which partnered with Free Palestine Melbourne throughout the campaign.
鈥淎ustralian universities have been put on notice that they will be targeted if they partner with any Israeli company or institution complicit in human rights abuses and attacks on Palestinians.鈥
The victory comes a year after BDS activists began a campaign to stop (CoE) to develop AI systems.
Last year, Palestine鈥檚 largest academic and tertiary union (PFUUPE), representing more than 6000 academics and staff, suspend all collaboration with Elbit Systems. Staff and students held on-campus protests and speak-outs.
RMIT did not respond to them or to an online petition calling for an end to any partnerships with Elbit Systems, with more than 2000 signatures.
This year, Shane McCartin and Mark Bradbeer have picketed each week outside RMIT and distributed information about Elbit technologies鈥 war crimes against Palestinian civilians and calling for an end to RMIT鈥檚 complicity.
They have been joined by Free Palestine Melbourne and Students for Palestine (Victoria).
many students and staff knew nothing about Elbit Systems or its relationship with RMIT. 鈥淚t was slow work but our support grew steadily as people learned of the partnership.鈥
Journalist and author Antony Loewenstein denounced the RMIT-Elbit partnership in July saying: 鈥淚f you partner, as a state or a university, with a company like Elbit, you have blood on your hands because the record of Elbit in Israel-Palestine, on the US-Mexican border and elsewhere is so damned clear鈥.
On October 19, Students for Palestine (Victoria) marched on the RMIT campus, denouncing management for its complicity in Israel鈥檚 war in the Gaza Strip.
then released its 鈥淚srael-Gaza conflict鈥 statement, in which it states its聽partnership with Elbit is over.
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