For the fourth time in a row, the American Historical Association (AHA) rejected anti-Israel resolutions at its annual meeting on Sunday, January 5.
The Algemeiner reported,
Two resolutions targeting Israel failed to pass at the American Historical Association’s annual meeting in New York on Sunday, amid a years-long campaign encouraging the organization to take a stance in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…The measures — which were introduced by academics affiliated with the group Historians for Peace and Democracy (H-PAD), and supported by 104 signatories — were among a total of three items submitted by AHA members that were voted on during the business meeting, and the only ones focused on a foreign country.
We have covered the AHA before; since 2015, factions within the organization have persistently introduced resolutions that single out Israel for the supposed suppression of Palestinian academic freedom.
You can peruse some of our previous coverage in:
In an article in Commentary Magazine, writer Jonathan Marks summed up the anti-Israel movement’s multiple failures at AHA:
In 2014, a group of scholar-activists, Historians Against the War (HAW), endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. The following year, HAW rolled out two resolutions on Israeli’s alleged crimes against academic freedom. They asked the American Historical Association (AHA), the “largest organization of professional historians in the world,” to lend its prestige to the proposition that Israel, whose record on academic freedom compares favorably to many, should be condemned, alone among nations, over that record.Because they submitted the resolutions late, HAW needed a two-thirds vote to be considered at AHA’s annual business meeting. They barely cleared one-quarter.In 2016, the organization mashed the two resolutions into one and, having submitted it in a timely manner, needed to win only a majority of votes. They lost, just clearing 30 percent.In 2017, they tried a different strategy, petitioning the AHA Council, the organization’s main governing body, to “investigate the charges that academic freedom is widely violated in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” The Council declined to get into detective work.Today, HAW has a new name, Historians for Peace and Democracy (HPAD). Retooled for our time, they vow to “join the organized resistance to Donald Trump’s regime.” Evidently, they also favor recycling. The two anti-Israel resolutions HPAD sponsored for consideration at this year’s business meeting, which took place in New York City on Sunday, don’t much differ from the resolutions of 2015. They lost again, by a vote of 80-41 on one and, as the voting crowd thinned, 61-36 on the other.
The Algemeiner added:
Opposition to this year’s iterations was spearheaded by the Alliance for Academic Freedom (AAF), a coalition of self-described “progressive scholars and academics who reject the notion that one has to be either pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian.” The group distributed informational flyers ahead of the vote, which criticized the resolutions as “part of a larger politically motivated campaign … across the scholarly associations to target Israel alone.”
Here is the full text of both resolutions:
Resolutions on Right to Education and Academic Freedom in Palestine-Israel
RESOLUTION on PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION in PALESTINE-ISRAELWHEREAS members of the historical profession support the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including universal access to higher education; andWHEREAS Israel violates its obligation to these principles by refusing to allow students from Gaza to travel in order to pursue higher education abroad, and even at West Bank universities; andWHEREAS members of the historical profession believe that the free exchange of ideas is facilitated by teaching, delivering lectures and participating in conferences; andWHEREAS Israel arbitrarily denies entry to foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, who seek to lecture, teach and attend conferences at Palestinian universities, denying both faculty and students the rich experience enjoyed by their peers at other universities worldwide; andWHEREAS, members of the historical profession are dedicated to the documentation of human experience through the collection and preservation of historical information; andWHEREAS, the Israeli Defense Forces bombed the Islamic University in Gaza which houses the Oral History Center on August 2, 2014;THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED that the AHA condemns the acts of violence and intimidation by the State of Israel against Palestinian researchers and their archival collections, acts which can destroy Palestinians’ sense of historical identity as well as the historical record itself; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the AHA calls for an immediate halt to Israel’s policy of denying entry to foreign nationals seeking to promote educational development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the AHA calls on Israel to provide free access for Palestinian faculty and students alike to pursue their education wherever they choose.
- RESOLUTION on ACADEMIC FREEDOM of U.S. CITIZENS VISITING ISRAEL and PALESTINE
WHEREAS members of the historical profession are committed to the principles of academic freedom, whose curtailment severely compromises education; andWHEREAS members of the historical profession believe that the free exchange of ideas is facilitated by teaching, delivering lectures and participating in conferences; andWHEREAS Israel arbitrarily limits the entry of foreign nationals who seek to lecture, teach and attend conferences at Palestinian universities, denying both faculty and students the rich experience enjoyed by their peers at Israeli universities and other universities around the world;THEREFOREBE IT RESOLVED that the AHA calls for an immediate halt to Israel’s policy of denying entry to foreign nationals seeking to promote educational development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the AHA demands that the U.S. Department of State honor the academic freedom of U.S. citizens by contesting Israel’s denials of entry of U.S. academics who have been invited to teach, confer, or do research at Palestinian universities.
This year’s resolutions showed H-PAD’s repeated use of a strategy we’ve described before:
Unlike resolutions at the American Studies Association in 2013 (which passed) and currently at the American Anthropological Association (pending a membership vote), the AHA resolution does not explicitly call on the AHA to adopt the academic boycott of Israel pushed by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.Rather, the AHA resolution is similar to the resolution which previously failed to pass a membership vote at the Modern Language Association in 2014, denouncing Israel for allegedly violating the academic freedom of Palestinians.But the AHA resolution is just as much a part of the BDS agenda, and would set the stage in later years for a full BDS resolution at AHA. Where BDS supporters think they can pass a full academic boycott they do; where they think they can’t, they try interim steps.
To date, the American Studies Association (ASA) is the only major academic association to adopt an Israel-boycott measure. Legal Insurrection was at the forefront of covering ASA’s December 2013 vote and the reaction, including the rejection of the boycott by over 250 university presidents and numerous major university organizations.
For background and previous Legal Insurrection coverage of the ASA’s and other academic associations’ brushes with BDS, see this sample of posts:
American Studies Association
Modern Language Association
American Anthropological Association
AHA member resolution signatories are listed on the AHA website; a quick look at the list shows that it’s composed of a motley crew of anti-Israel faculty from around North America and even the United Kingdom, including:
Professor Abdel Razzaq Takriti of the University of Houston, who has also supported BDS resolutions within the Middle East Studies Association; Professor Joel Beinin of Stanford, who notoriously announced on a 2008 television program that, “The American empire is going down” and that Jews traumatized by the Holocaust now inflict the same trauma on others via Israel; Professor Joshua Schreier of Vassar College, who led a 2016 Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace event on campus promoting BDS in response to the prospect of a Bret Stephens lecture there; and Professor Ussama Makdisi of Rice University, who is the nephew of the late Edward Said and has been described as “a partisan advocate who teaches students that Israel is an illegitimate, colonial, racist, apartheid state, and who calls into question Israel’s right to exist.”
This is the full list of faculty signatories:
Amber Abbas, Saint Joseph’s University, PennsylvaniaKevan Antonio Aguilar, University of California, San DiegoFaiz Ahmed, Brown UniversitySeth Anziska, University College, LondonSilvia Arrom, Brandeis UniversityJoshua Avina, University of Illinois, SpringfieldLaila Ballout, Wichita State UniversityMarc Becker, Truman State UniversityJoel Beinin, Stanford UniversityNorman R. Bennett, Independant ScholarIris Berger, State University of New York, AlbanyAllison Blakely, Boston UniversityHoward Brick, University of Michigan, Ann ArborRenate Bridenthal, Brooklyn College, CUNYJeffrey Byrne, University of British ColumbiaMichelle Campos, University of FloridaClayborne Carson, Stanford UniversityErin D. Chapman, George Washington UniversityLucy Chester, University of Colorado, BoulderRobert Cliver, Humboldt State UniversityBruce Cohen, Worcester UniversityAlon Confino, University of Massachusetts, AmherstSandi E. Cooper, College of Staten Island, CUNYEmilye Crosby, State University of New York, College at GeneseoKenneth M. Cuno, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignDaniel Czitrom, Mount Holyoke CollegeLeena Dallasheh, Humboldt State UniversityNatalie Zemon Davis, University of TorontoDennis Deslippe, Franklin & Marshall CollegeSandra McGee Deutsch, University of Texas, El PasoArie M. Dubnov, George Washington UniversityCarolyn Eisenberg, Hofstra UniversityGeoff Eley, University of Michigan, Ann ArborEsmat Elhalaby, NYU Abu DhabiMarjorie N. Feld, Babson CollegeEileen J. Findlay, American UniversityTami J. Friedman, Brock UniversityJairan Gahan, University of TorontoNate George, Rice UniversityLinda Gordon, New York UniversityVan Gosse, Franklin & Marshall CollegeBill Hagen, University of California, DavisMartin Halpern, Henderson State UniversityRick Halpern, University of Toronto, ScarboroughBenjamin H. Johnson, Loyola University, ChicagoJuan Cole, University of Michigan, Ann ArborHilary F. Kalisman, University of Colorado, BoulderTemma Kaplan, Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyRebecca Karl, New York UniversityOsamah Khalil, Syracuse UniversityPeter N. Kirstein, Saint Xavier UniversityCraig Koslofsky, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignMaurice Jr. Labelle, University of SaskatchewanScott Laderman, University of Minnesota, DuluthZachary Lockman, New York UniversityHenry Maar, University of California, Santa BarbaraUssama S. Makdisi, Rice UniversityPatrick Manning, University of PittsburghJosé Juan Pérez Meléndez, University of California, DavisKaren Miller, La Guardia Community College, CUNYPamela Murray, University of Alabama, BirminghamPremilla Nadasen, Barnard College, Columbia UniversityMaha Nassar, University of ArizonaMary Nolan, New York UniversityOghenetoja Okoh, University of AkronRoger Peace, Tallahassee Community CollegeSamuel Pearson, Southern Illinois University, EdwardsvilleCharles Post, Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeMargaret Power, Illinois Institute of TechnologyCarol Quirke, State University of New York, College at Old WestburyShira N. Robinson, George Washington UniversityLaura C. Robson, Portland State UniversityLouise Rolingher, University of AlbertaSonya Rose, University of Michigan, Ann ArborKarin A. Rosemblatt, University of Maryland, College ParkEllen Ross, Ramapo CollegeE. Natalie Rothman, University of Toronto, ScarboroughAdam A. Sabra, University of California, Santa BarbaraMichal Schatz, University of PennsylvaniaEllen Schrecker, Yeshiva UniversityJoshua Schreier, Vassar CollegeKirsten Schultz, Seton Hall UniversityJoan W. Scott, Institute for Advanced StudySherene Seikaly, University of California, Santa BarbaraJulia Shatz, California State University, FresnoTodd Shepard, Johns Hopkins UniversityLewis H. Siegelbaum, Michigan State UniversityRobyn Spencer, Lehman College, CUNYPaul Spickard, University of California, Santa BarbaraLior Sternfeld, Pennsylvania State UniversityThomas Stevens, University of PennsylvaniaCamille Suarez, Valparaiso UniversityDennis Sweeney, University of AlbertaCarol Symes, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignLaura Tabili, University of ArizonaAbdel Razzaq Takriti, University of HoustonJudith E. Tucker, Georgetown UniversityFrank Warren, Queens College, CUNYBeatrice Wayne, Harvard UniversityBarbara Weinstein, New York UniversityJames A. Young, Montgomery County Community CollegeKevin A. Young, University of Massachusetts, AmherstAndrew Zimmerman, George Washington UniversityKenneth R. Zimmerman, History Business
The AHA rejection of the 2020 H-PAD resolutions represents yet another stunning defeat for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign against Israel; though many of the resolution signatories have shown their aggressive pro-BDS leanings in other contexts, their resolutions showed a more cautious approach by avoiding the suggestion of a full Israel-boycott and seeking to introduce anti-Israel condemnations incrementally. Thankfully, it seems that most AHA faculty can see through this tactic and have so far refused to allow it to hijack their slice of the academy.
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Samantha Mandeles is Senior Researcher and Outreach Director at the Legal Insurrection Foundation.
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