A civil rights group in Alabama has reversed its decision to honour Angela Davis after Jewish groups objected to the black human rights activist’s support of a boycott of Israel.
Ms Davis, 74, an iconic figure on the American left, is the latest individual to become embroiled in the growing controversy over the country’s response to the Palestinian issue.
Underpinning the dispute is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, which has been growing in influence in North America.
The movement calls for a boycott of Israel until the country agrees to withdraw from occupied Palestinian land, grant Palestinian refugees the right of return and confer full equality to Arabs living within its borders.
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Ms Davis, an academic and writer, was due to receive the Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award at a gala in her home town of Birmingham, Alabama, next month.
However, the award was abruptly rescinded and the gala cancelled by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute last week following protests from Jewish groups in the city and beyond.
“In late December, supporters and other concerned individuals and organisations, both inside and outside of our local community, began to make requests that we reconsider our decision,” the Institute said in a statement.
“Upon closer examination of Ms Davis’ statements and public record, we concluded that she, unfortunately, does not meet all of the criteria on which the award is based,” the statement continued.
“While we recognise Ms Davis’ stature as a scholar and prominent figure in civil rights history, we believe this decision is consistent with the ideals of the award’s namesake, Rev. Shuttlesworth.”
Writing on Facebook, Ms Davis said she was “stunned” by the decision.
“I support Palestinian political prisoners just as I support current political prisoners in the Basque Country, in Catalunya, in India, and in other parts of the world,” she said.
“I have indeed expressed opposition to policies and practices of the state of Israel, as I express similar opposition to US support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine and to other discriminatory US policies.”
Randall Woodfin, Birmingham’s mayor, voiced his regret at the decision to rescind the award.
“I am dismayed because this controversy is playing out in a way that harks backward, rather than forward — that portrays us as the same Birmingham we always have been, rather than the one we want to be.
“I am dismayed because I believe that we should be able to expect better, from ourselves and from one another.”
He voiced the hope that Israel’s supporters and opponents would engage in dialogue rather than “retreating to their respective corners”.
But this seems unlikely given the polarisation over the issue.
In October, Lucy Petersen, a teaching assistant at the University of Michigan, refused to provide a letter of recommendation for a student planning to study at Tel Aviv University.
She wrote: “Along with numerous other academics in the US and elsewhere, I have pledged myself to a boycott of Israeli institutions as a way of showing solidarity with Palestine.”
The US Women’s March has also been engulfed in the controversy, losing a human rights award from the German Social Democratic Party which accused some march organisers who supported the boycott movement of “hardcore antisemitism.”
Allegations of anti-semitism have been denied by Bud Hengsen, a member of the Committee for Peace and Justice for Israel and Palestine.
He told the Washington Post: “The bottom line that people everywhere are beginning to recognise is that there can be no lasting peace for Israel without social justice for Palestinians.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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