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Pro-Palestine students claim victory after Israeli weapons manufacturer leaves MIT program

Elbit Systems said the decision was "made solely by our company and was not influenced by any other organization."

Members of BDS Boston (Boycott, Divest, Sanctions), a pro-Palestinian group, protest outside the offices of Elbit Systems in June 2024. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)

By Molly Farrar

May 1, 2025

2 minutes to read

Pro-Palestinian organizers rallied and celebrated after, they said, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology program cut ties with a top Israeli weapons manufacturer.

“Today, the MIT Coalition for Palestine and BDS Boston are proud to announce that we have prevailed,” a protester said outside the MIT Museum last week. “The MIT Industrial Liaison program has ended its ties with Elbit Systems after sustained pressure.”

MIT’s Industrial Liaison Program is a fee-based membership program for organizations with more than $500 million in annual revenue. “Discussions with MIT faculty and researchers are the most highly valued service the ILP provides,” its website says.

Elbit Systems of America said they decided not to renew their membership of the ILP this year, a decision “made solely by our company and was not influenced by any other organization.”

In a statement, MIT said “the executive director of the ILP can confirm they have not requested any members to change their status with the program.”

“Such changes are voluntary,” an MIT spokesperson said.

Richard Solomon, a PhD student in political science, called Elbit the “merchants of death” in a statement.

Elbit is headquartered in Israel and is a primary provider for the Israel Defense Force’s weapons, providing up to 85 percent of its land-based equipment and about 85 percent of its drones, according to the Database of Israeli and Military Security Export, an online database run by an anti-militarist Israeli group. Israel and Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are accused of multiple war crimes, including depriving Palestinians of food, water, and items like medicine and medical supplies, according to the International Criminal Court.

Last year, after weekly protests, Elbit Systems of America confirmed that it ended its office lease in Central Square in Cambridge, Cambridge Day reported. Protesters claimed it as a victory, while Elbit said it “regularly makes real estate decisions that best serve our company and our employees.”

Activists affiliated with BDS Boston and the MIT Coalition for Palestine shared screenshots with Boston.com, showing an MIT official saying that “Elbit was dropped in 2024.” Solomon said that “MIT will doubtlessly try to spin a narrative around this and deny it had anything to do with the genocide in Gaza, the same way they try to deny and obfuscate their own complicity.”

“This is not the end but only the beginning,” Solomon said. “Most times when an institution divests, they deny it was because of mass pressure … We know it was the steadfastness of protest that achieved this victory.”