Ex-education minister speaks out against Queen's University Belfast's divestment from Israeli firms

Peter Weir was speaking after it was reported that the university's process of divesting from a blacklist of businesses had been completed.

The university had agreed last June to drop all investments in firms listed by a body called the UN Human Rights Council.

There are 97 firms named on its blacklist, all of which are said to be doing business with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and east Jerusalem.

However, Lord Weir questioned the credibility of the council that drew it up, given that it includes some of the world's most abusive regimes.

The university had said last June that "although Queen’s does not hold any direct investments in Israel or companies on the UN blacklist, there are a number of indirect investments made through managed fund products", adding the total amount of money involved in the divestment was £800,000.

Then last week Queen's announced: "In June last year Queen’s announced it was progressing its divestment from companies blacklisted by the UN Human Rights Council. We can confirm the University has no direct investment in any Israeli companies.

"From an academic standpoint, we currently have no institutional research Memoranda of Understanding with Israeli-based partners, there are no direct research partnerships with Queen’s and any institution in Israel, and we have no student exchange programmes with Israel.”

This has been interpreted as meaning that the divestment process is now at an end.

The Irish Times also quoted the university as saying that its "final research partnership with an Israeli institution came to an end this week".

DUP peer Lord Weir, a former student of Queen's, said he was "disappointed and concerned by Queen's' approach".

He told the News Letter: "I think that the UN council would hold more weight if it weren't for the fact it contains itself many states who have an appalling human rights objective…

"It does seem there are many companies and regimes throughout the world that are going untouched by this."

At the time the decision to introduce the blacklist was taken in 2016, members of the UN Human Rights Council which voted in favour of it included China, Russia, Venezuela, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.

They all remain on the council today, alongside other members including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, the UAE, Qatar, and Sudan, whose erstwhile president is currently facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The blacklisted companies include Motorola, AirBnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Opodo, Expedia, and JCB, as well as a raft of Israeli banks and enterprises.

Lord Weir added: "It is hard to see this as anything other than Queen's bowing to the level of pressure that has come from a small cadre of students and lecturers.

"I think they've been clearly pushed hard, and have taken the line of least resistance in relation to this."