Georgetown University has rejected a cave to anti-Israel agitators, stating that the Washington, D.C.-based agency will not sell or terminate its partnership with Israel-linked companies.
A announcement from Georgetown University interim president Robert Groves said that after an undergraduate student body referendum seeking to arm Israel and terminate Israeli institution-university partnerships, 1,447 students were supported and 685 voted against. Groves points out that around 7,200 undergraduate students are eligible to vote.
The student referendum does not bind the university and does not determine university policies, Groves said, explaining that the referendum serves as a temperature check for students' views.
Georgetown puts pressure on a cancellation event with convicted members of PFLP terrorist group
The two anti-Israel protesters hold signs that read, “Why did Georgetown not sell?” In Washington, DC on March 23, 2025. (Andrew Thomas/Middle Eeast Images/AFP Getty Images)
“Georgetown will not conduct this referendum based on our institutional values and history, as well as the existing university resources and processes that address our investment,” Groves said in an email to the university community on Tuesday.
He cited comments from former president of Georgetown University John Degioia. He resigned last year after more than 20 years of service to focus on recovering from a stroke.
In 2013, Degioia said, “The boycott of the University of Israel undermines academic freedom, which is essential to the academy's mission.” The former university president added, “As an academic institution, it is Georgetown's responsibility to deepen engagement between scholars and society and strengthen the overall global academic community.”
Protesters waving the Palestinian flag during protests against ICE, MPD and other law enforcement agencies at the Washington, D.C. college campus on March 23, 2025. (Andrew Thomas/Middle East Images/AFP Getty Images)
Jewish college students say they're afraid to go to class and blame the university for silence on anti-Semitism
“Our university is against such boycotts,” Groves said Tuesday.
Groves cited the Socially Responsible Investment Policy (SRI Policy), adopted by the Georgetown board of directors in 2017. Some say the university is committed to “exercise ethical control” of donations “not used as a tool to promote political agenda.”
Protesters waving the Palestinian flag at Georgetown University on March 23, 2025. (Andrew Thomas/Middle Eeast Images/AFP Getty Images)
“We recognize that there is a wide range of opinions about Middle Eastern conflicts within our community,” Groves said. “There are many events that will present a variety of perspectives on conflict. We will continue to protect the rights of community members to freely express the rights of our community.”
“We are guided by our mission statement, which includes the belief that “serious and sustained discourse between people of various faiths, cultures and beliefs promotes intellectual, ethical and spiritual understanding,” Groves added. “This is the time to encourage such discourse.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
The announcement comes as anti-Israel agitators took over campus buildings and sections in the wake of the terrorist attacks on October 7, cracking down on American universities that threw anti-Semitic rhetoric.
In March, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an Indian doctoral student in Georgetown, accused of spreading Hamas propaganda.
