We, as students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members, are deeply troubled by our university’s ties to the state of Israel, an apartheid regime that is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.

Since October 7th, 2023 (following the Hamas attack), Israel has indiscriminately bombarded the Gaza Strip, and has since expanded its siege to the West Bank and Lebanon. Israel has killed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, blocked humanitarian aid from entering the strip, committed scholasticide, targeted and killed reporters, and destroyed much of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel’s genocidal onslaught. Furthermore, the Lancet, a leading medical journal, has estimated that at least 186,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died due to conditions wrought by Israeli military operations, the blocking of humanitarian aid, and destruction of healthcare systems.

The United Nations and the International Court of Justice have both declared that the Israeli military’s operations in Gaza and illegal occupation of the West Bank fall within the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Though this current genocide started on October 7th, Israel’s occupation and oppression of Palestinians has existed since its inception. The 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the illegal military occupation of the West Bank, and the sustained demolition of Palestinian homes to create illegal settlements are just a some of many examples of Israel’s settler-colonial violence.

As Americans, our tax dollars are going towards armingand funding these atrocities. WPI as an institution possesses another layer of complicity in Israeli apartheid and genocide. WPI has institutional ties with defense contractors, including but not limited to RTX (formerly known as Raytheon Technologies), Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, General Dynamics, and General Electric. These weapons manufacturers arm Israel and facilitate the genocide of Palestinians. Additionally, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on these companies, as well as the United States, to cease arms transfers to Israel. Whether it be through specialized graduate programs partnerships (RTX, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, General Dynamics), or their overwhelming presence at career fairs, WPI enables, educates, and recruits for companies who profit off war and genocide. Most egregiously, WPI’s Board of Trustees contains former and sitting executives at companies like RTX and General Electric (including GE Aviation).

Furthermore, WPI has undertaken measures to stifle pro-Palestinian speech on campus. The university has added the following measure to the Student Code of Conduct (Section IV, subsection V) for the 2024-25 academic year:

This prohibition of “unauthorized events”, with the explicit mention of encampments, is meant to stifle any protest activity against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. This comes as a response to the nationwide student uprisings during the Spring of 2024. Instead of addressing its complicity in apartheid and genocide, WPI administration would rather repress student liberties.

WPI cannot maintain institutional neutrality as it is actively complicit in genocide. WPI must divest from Israeli apartheid and the genocidal defense industry.

We, the undersigned students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members call upon WPI to do the following:

1. Implement an ethical investment policy that requires the university to divest from any companies that profit from or support genocide, apartheid, or other crimes against humanity. This especially refers to arms manufacturers including but not limited to RTX, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Boeing, General Electric, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics.

2. Disclose WPI’s endowment in a manner that is digestible and made widely available to the WPI community.

3. End all institutional ties with aforementioned companies complicit in and responsible for militarism and genocide in Palestine.

4. Enforce a boycott of and divestment from companies aiding in the occupation of Palestinian land, as listed by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement.

5. Close the Israel Project Center and sever/prevent further institutional ties with Israeli universities and institutions.

6. Eliminate the new, repressive Student Code of Conduct policies meant to restrict expressions of protest, dissent, and pro-Palestinian speech.