University of Copenhagen divests from firms operating in occupied Palestine

The University of Copenhagen in Denmark has announced that it will be withdrawing investments from three companies that operate in occupied Palestinian territories.

Officials posted a statement on X on Tuesday, saying that investments worth one million Danish krone ($145,000) will be divested from Airbnb, Booking.com, and eDreams ODIGEO.

The university said the companies featured on a UN list of businesses operating in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“The decision to withdraw from the investments in question is in line with the board’s strategy for financial risk management and ethical investment policy,” the university said.

For weeks, students have been camping on the university’s grounds demanding that it withdraw investments from companies involved in Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.

The decision to divest marks another milestone in a global student campaign, which is demanding that educational institutions cut ties with Israel in light of its devastating war on Gaza.

Earlier in May, Ireland’s Trinity College Dublin also pulled investments from Israeli companies operating in the West Bank.

Other student encampments have been violently put down at universities across the US and Europe.

Police were used to evict students from Columbia University in New York and campuses in France and the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, human rights groups have filed a criminal complaint against the hotel broker site Booking.com for possible war crimes, alleging it benefitted from listings in Israeli settlements within occupied Palestinian territories.

Booking.com has denied the claims and said there are no laws prohibiting listings in Israeli settlements, adding that various US state laws would prohibit divesting from the region.