Open letter accuses University of St Andrews of ‘redirection and delay’ in Israel divestment

Students at the University of St Andrews have written an open letter calling on the institution to divest in companies linked to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

In the open letter addressed to the principal and vice chancellor, Students for Justice for Palestine (SJP) accused the university of “redirection and delay” of divestment from “the infrastructure of a plausible genocide.”

According to the open letter, the university holds £10.2 million in Alphabet Inc. (Google) and Microsoft Corporation, companies involved in supplying infrastructure to the Israeli military.

The letter refutes claims made by the university that delay in divestment was the fault of the student delegation who had failed to respond to a request for meeting dates.

The SJP argued that correspondence about dates occurred during the university examination period, which it claimed to be “a substantively identical scheduling difficulty” to one that happened in 2025.

It accused the university of “constructing a loop in which months elapse, examinations intervene, student representatives graduate and momentum is quietly exhausted.”

A spokesperson for St Andrews rejected the claims of “redirection and delay,” and said the university offered two dates (3rd and 4th June), on which “fund managers could travel to St Andrews and meet SJP,” along with members of the institution’s Investment and Treasury Assurance Group (ITAG).

In the open letter, the SJP also accused the university of “inconsistency” between its “procedural caution” when dealing with Israeli divestment, and its immediate divestment from Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The SJP alleged that, in a meeting with the principal, Professor Sally Mapstone said she “may never visit Russia again” but also cautioned against treating Israel as a “monolith.”

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A University of St Andrews spokesperson said: “The university has consistently and repeatedly encouraged SJP to present their arguments for divestment to our Investment and Treasury Assurance Group, and our fund managers who are entrusted with the day-to-day stewardship of St Andrews’ endowment funds.

“Endowment funds are monies that have been donated to St Andrews by former students, donors, and supporters. The university has a duty to steward these funds carefully, and according to a set of socially and ethically responsible criteria.

“In some cases, the funds have been given to St Andrews for specific purposes, eg, scholarships and student bursaries; in others, the money is given to go to areas of greatest need. This includes helping students financially, paying for specialist staff appointments in key areas of research or study which donors wish to support, help with cost of living initiatives, or accommodation support.

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“The university’s funds are invested in a very broad socially and ethically responsible portfolio, looked after by fund managers.

“Decisions about investments are not, as SJP claims, made by the Principal’s Office. They are made by our fund managers with oversight of ITAG, membership of which includes our chief financial officer and a senior member of university court.

“Members of ITAG and our fund managers have made it clear they are very happy to meet with SJP. Our fund managers were prepared to travel to St Andrews from London to meet students. SJP are aware of this.

“SJP were offered two dates – 3rd and 4th June – on which our fund managers could travel to St Andrews and meet SJP along with members of ITAG.

“It is a fact that no response was made to this invitation when it was made by email to SJP by the former president of union affairs who led an initiative to set up a regular forum at which students can ask questions about the university’s investments.

“The university cannot be held responsible for a failure to respond to an invitation made openly and in good faith.

“We understand that a rearranged meeting has been offered to SJP by ITAG in mid-July, and we strongly encourage the group to take up this opportunity, if they are serious about presenting their arguments for divestment.

“As a matter of policy and courtesy, the university does not respond to the language of demands. We completely reject SJP’s claims of redirection and delay. Any delay is due entirely to SJP.

“On a point of fact, SJP’s claim that the university is legally obliged to divest is without foundation, and they are aware of this, having received a detailed response on this matter from the university’s chief legal officer several months ago.

“St Andrews takes student views and arguments every seriously. The offer from ITAG and our fund managers is made warmly, genuinely, and without any prior judgment. An opportunity exists for SJP to make their arguments, but the ball is in their court, and has been for some considerable time.”

Microsoft, Google, Professor Sally Mapstone and the Israeli Embassy in London have been contacted for comment.

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