Michigan activists demand MEDC cut ties with Israel business accelerator amid Gaza genocide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2026

Media Contact Matt Clark | 517-648-2413 | mattMI Money Out of MIBA Coalition
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Protesters Demand MEDC End $650,000 Contract with Michigan Israel Business Accelerator

Protestors from the “MI Money Out of MIBA” campaign attended the Tuesday, May 12 meeting at MEDC in Lansing, MI / Photo cred: MI Money Out of MIBA campaign

LANSING, Mich. — Dozens of Michiganders attended a Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) meeting on Tuesday, May 12, demanding the agency terminate its $650,000 contract with the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator (MIBA). Following sustained public pressure during the meeting’s public comment period, MEDC Executive Committee Chair Christina Grossi stated that the MIBA contract would be referred to the MEDC finance committee for further review.

The demonstration was organized as part of the growing “MI Money Out of MIBA” campaign, a statewide coalition effort led by Michigan Divest, Engineers Against Apartheid, Jewish Voice for Peace–Detroit, and US Palestinian Community Network–Detroit. Campaign organizers are calling on the MEDC to immediately terminate MIBA’s current grant contract and reject any future funding requests from the organization.

The coalition says its demands come amid growing international scrutiny over Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, which human rights organizations, legal scholars, United Nations experts, and millions of people worldwide have described as genocide. Organizers pointed to mounting civilian death tolls, the destruction of hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and critical infrastructure, as well as widespread famine and displacement enabled through continued U.S. political, military, and economic support for Israel.

Campaign organizers also referenced the International Court of Justice’s 2024 ruling finding it plausible that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, as well as the court’s determination that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories constitutes apartheid and violates international law.

“Michigan taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize economic relationships tied to a government carrying out mass atrocities,” Zena Ozeir of USPCN said. “At a moment when Palestinians are facing catastrophic violence and displacement, public institutions have a moral responsibility to withdraw support from entities facilitating those systems.”

MIBA is a nonprofit organization that facilitates business, investment, and trade relations between Michigan and Israel. According to campaign organizers, MIBA has received more than $6 million in Michigan public funding since 2018 through MEDC-administered grants and programs.

During public comments, speakers condemned MIBA’s relationships with Israeli military and surveillance companies including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, and Capture Systems, which organizers say are complicit in human rights abuses and violations of international law. Campaign materials presented at the launch of the MI Money Out of MIBA campaign alleged that MIBA has actively supported Israeli weapons manufacturers seeking to establish operations and partnerships in Michigan.

Organizers also raised concerns over conflicts of interest and institutional overlap between MEDC and MIBA leadership. According to campaign research, MEDC CEO Quentin Messer Jr. and MEDC Director of International Trade Alyssa Tracey both serve on MIBA’s board while also overseeing or participating in public funding decisions connected to the organization.

“The MEDC is a public institution. Its mandate is to serve the people of Michigan — not to subsidize companies complicit in apartheid and war crimes,” said Matt Clark of Michigan Divest. “We are calling on the MEDC board to act in the public interest: terminate MIBA’s current grant and reject any future funding requests.”

Campaign organizers connected their efforts to historical anti-apartheid divestment movements that pressured universities, municipalities, pension funds, and governments to withdraw investments from apartheid South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. Organizers say those campaigns demonstrated the role economic pressure can play in challenging systems of racial segregation, military occupation, and state violence.

“The movement to divest from apartheid South Africa showed that public pressure and economic accountability matter,” organizers said. “People across the world refused to allow their institutions and tax dollars to normalize racial oppression and crimes against humanity. We believe the same moral obligation exists today.”