Cambridge City Council Divests $24 Million From Israel-Linked Firms

The Cambridge City Council voted 5-4 on Wednesday to divest approximately $24 million in pension and retirement funds from Israel Bonds and five specific companies: Palantir Technologies Inc., Elbit Systems, Lockheed Martin, GE Aerospace, and Boeing. The council identified these firms as profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and its assault on the Gaza Strip.

The final measure, an amended proposal by Councilors Ayah Al-Zubi and Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, was shaped by Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem. Azeem's amendments explicitly named the five firms and included language stating the order does not endorse the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement while affirming the city's opposition to antisemitism. Councilor Marc McGovern further expanded the order to note the companies' alleged complicity in human rights abuses in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as their contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Opponents, including Councilor Timothy R. Flaherty and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, argued that singling out Israel targets Jewish people and fuels local tensions. The council also rejected two separate proposals: one requesting a legal review of the city's ability to boycott companies and another that would have barred the city from contracting with firms complicit in Israel's military actions.