UK universities hold $610 million in Israel-linked investments, report finds

UK universities collectively hold around £460 million ($610 million) in investments tied to companies with links to Israel, according to research by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). The findings are based on freedom of information requests submitted to universities across the country, with 87 institutions responding.

The PSC report highlights university investments in companies such as BAE Systems, Siemens, and Barclays. It also identifies financial connections to firms like HSBC, Alphabet, and Booking.com, which have faced criticism for their operations in or links to Israel.

The PSC, which supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement launched by Palestinian civil society in 2005, has published a database detailing the financial ties. The organization defines complicity as including military, financial, and technological support to Israel.

Swansea University, for instance, pledged to pull £5 million from Barclays, while the University of Portsmouth recently divested £800,000 from Caterpillar. Trinity College, Cambridge also voted to divest from arms companies last year.

The PSC says growing student activism has prompted divestment negotiations at several institutions, calling for continued efforts to end university investments in companies linked to the Israeli military.