What does UC money do in Israel? Much of the UC's $40 billion of investments in Israel goes directly to arming the Israeli military. The UC has 40 billon dollar endowment, at least 3.4% or $1.4 billion of which is invested in technological and military companies contributing to Israeli apartheid. (1) Other sources put U.C. investment in Israel at $6.2 billion. (2) The UC feeds money into companies like General Dynamics Corp., General Electric Capital Corp., Honeywell Corp., Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and United Tech Corp., each of which provide Israel with helicopters, jet engines, F-16 fighters, M1-A2 tanks, avionics control systems, rocket launchers, aircraft missiles, launch systems, other missiles and more. (3) Specifically, teamed up with General Electric (4) who provides the turbines, United Tech. puts the infamous UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters into the hands of Israeli aggressors. (5) Raytheon (owner of Chrysler Technologies' tank business, Texas Instrument's Military Electronics Unit and Hughes Helicopter -formerly of General Motors) supplies Israeli terrorists with Firefinder counter battery radars, AN/TSQ-73 Hawk anti-aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, missile launchers, Phalanx close-in weapons systems, TOW-2A/B antitank missiles and Patriot Missiles. (6) Lockheed Martin contributes to Israeli terrorism with Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) tactical rocket pods and related support, Hellfire II anti-tank missiles and Martin Marietta Walleye missile tubes. (7) Israel also guarantees that other companies like Intel Corp., Citigroup Inc., Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems enjoy storm trooper-enforced Apartheid hiring practices that discriminate against Palestinians and other non-Israelis. This includes things like different work permits for Israelis, Arabs and foreigners that limit the employment options of non-Israelis to day-labor and other exploitative jobs. Due to the Israeli occupation "Palestinian laborers still have nowhere else to turn to but to Israel's low-paying jobs...many of those eager workers are well educated. But it's the pressing need for survival alone that forces a Palestinian engineer, a chemist or a psychologist to clean Tel Aviv's streets, or scrub dirty dishes in an Alafolah restaurant." (8) This is a brain drain of sorts, where Palestinians who could be contributing to the scientific and cultural development of their nation are prevented from doing so. As in any occupied nation, the creativity of the Palestinian national bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie is stifled. These would-be professionals and intellectuals must attend the pressing need for survival instead, and rely on Israeli and other foreign sources for their basic needs (like flour) and national infrastructure (like roads). Noam Chomsky notes that in the occupied territories "Israeli policy...has clearly been designed to remove [Palestinian elites] either by direct expulsion ("moderates" have been a particular target) or by eliminating the possibility of meaningful employment." (9) "For the greater bulk of Palestinian workers, Israel is the only alternative available for their families to be fed...'The humiliating journey' is how many Palestinians perceive their daily quest for work in Israel. Many of those who succeed in obtaining permits to cross "the safe passage" to Israel, gather before dawn near Israeli military check-points, and wait for an Israeli ..."boss" to come, looking for a few cheap Palestinian laborers, for a day or two of work. Day-to-day jobs are how many Palestinian workers spend their lives. And with this kind of work, as one may expect, there is no security, no health insurance, and clearly no dignity." (8) Petition the UC to stop its support of the Israeli apartheid state! We call on the University of California to investigate the companies it invests in and does business with for ties to the Israeli apartheid state. It should divest from those companies with large investments in Israel - especially those involved with the Israeli military. This divestment should continue at least as long as Israel refuses to withdraw from the territory it occupied in 1967 (Gaza Strip, West Bank). For petitions make sure to attend one of our upcoming events or go to: http://www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext/cal/DivestIsrael.htm MIM & RAIL hold regular meetings around UC campuses. To organize an event, co-sponsor or to find out more you can reach us at slala12@mim.org. UC Divest from Israel! No UC Support for Israeli Apartheid! UC Stake in Companies Providing Services and Doing Business with Israeli Apartheid GE Capital Corp $48,982,500 General Electric $555,021,387 General Dynamics $1,097,839 Lockheed Martin $41,784,100 Raytheon $19,970,640 Citygroup Inc. $243,136,611 United Tech. Corp. $8,564,040 Honeywell Intl. $45,093,795 Sun Microsystems Inc. $55,464,390 Hewlett-Packard $189,272,875 Intel Corp. $173,245,470 Total Endowment to Israel: $1,381,633,647 Notes: 1. Source: UC Office of the Treasurer, http://www.ucop.edu/treasurer/ 2. Students for Justice in Palestine Pamphlet. July 2001 3. http://www.motherjones.com/arms 4. http://www.motherjones.com/arms/ge.html 5. http://www.motherjones.com/arms/utc.html 6. http://www.motherjones.com/arms/raytheon.html 7. http://www.motherjones.com/arms/lockheed.html 8. http://www.palestinechronicle.com/old/linked%20pages/ Editorial%20Archives/laborers.html 9. Chomsky, Noam. The Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians. Updated Edition. South End Press. Cambridge, 1999. p. 135.