The University of Cambridge has allowed pro-Palestinian students to re-join negotiations on arms divestment, on the condition they do not set up another encampment.

The working group for arms divestment, which was set up in July last year, will re-admit two student representatives to be present in negotiations following a vote at University Council last week (27/01).

This comes after the students were removed from the group following activist group Cambridge for Palestine’s (C4P) occupation of Senate House Lawn and Greenwich House last term.

Two students will be allowed to sit on the group, returning to its original structure. However, C4P alleges this figure is four fewer than students than were intended to be in the group when it was set up. This came under criticism from the group, who accused the University of “breaking their agreement” with students on arms divestment. The University denies this accusation.

The new agreement is also contingent on pro-Palestinian students not engaging in further occupations of University property. C4P declined to confirm whether they would rule out future occupations.

The working group was formed after the University agreed to review its arms investments, on the basis that pro-Palestinian students who had set up an encampment on King’s Parade dispersed.

The encampment was first set up outside King’s College by C4P in May, calling on the University to disclose its holdings in companies associated with Israel, and to subsequently divest from them.

C4P vacated the site after the University’s offer but later set up new encampments on Senate House Lawn and Greenwich House, the University’s financial centre. The group claimed to have “shut down the financial heart” of the University in their occupation of Greenwich House, and labelled the site “a new liberated zone for Palestine”.

The occupation of Senate House lawn forced the University to move postgraduate graduations to Great St Mary’s Church, in order to “minimise the risk of disruption, and to ensure the safety of all” those attending graduations.

These actions led the University to remove students from the working group, along with threatening the occupying students with legal action and suspensions from the University. Commenting on this, the University’s Principal Administrative Officer deemed the occupation “unacceptable,” adding that it “disrupts University life for our students and staff”.

C4P slammed this decision in a statement in response, claiming that the University had responded to attempts to negotiate with “intimidation and imminent punishment”.

A spokesperson for the University of Cambridge said: “Any claim that the University is trying to restrict protest is ridiculous. There are many ways protests can take place and voices can be heard, but the actions we are taking will protect the right of other members of our community to graduate and for staff to carry out their work.”