“Rebels Resisting Apartheid” began with the introduction of Resolution 09-05 in the Associated Student Body (ASB) Senate at Ole Miss.  The Campus Antiwar Network at Ole Miss authored the statement, though the campaign is part of an international effort. This resolution called for the divestment of university funds from nine corporations that willfully supply arms to the Israeli military.  The legislation cited several authoritative declarations of the Israeli military’s violations of human rights laws, especially those enumerated in the Geneva Convention (Protocol I). 

On March 9th, 2009, two weeks after the initial introduction of the resolution to the Senate, 09-05 was defeated by a vote of 19-11, with seven senators abstaining from the vote.  The proposal to divest was the subject of a passionate debate that lasted nearly two hours.  Despite its defeat, this monumental Senate meeting marked the launch of a campus-wide divestment campaign.  Speakers at the meeting included Hampshire SJP’s Andrew Stachiw, ISM volunteer Ceylon Mooney, and Ole Miss English professor Griffith Brownlee, a former marine. 

ASB Senator Dan Blazo introduced an amended version of the resolution, 09-08, to the Senate floor on March 30th, 2009.  This resolution was backed with an endorsement speech by English professor Peter Wirth of Ole Miss.  This legislation received substantial attention from campus media and earned Blazo the title "Senator of the Year," despite its inability to gain a majority of votes in the Senate. The campaign began in a new direction after this legislation, focused on educating students about the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the role of the U.S. government.

The first meeting of the 2009/2010 year will be held in the Union Lobby on Monday, August 31st at 7 P.M.