American Historical Assoc. Vetoes Controversial Anti-Israel Resolution
“The measure was, according to numerous groups which commented on it, intemperate and needlessly political”
The members voted for this so it’s probably safe to assume this institution has been captured by the left.
Algemeiner reports:
American Historical Association Vetoes Defaming Anti-Israel Resolution
The American Historical Association (AHA) has vetoed a controversial resolution, passed by its members earlier this month, which falsely accused Israel of sabotaging the higher education system in Gaza during its war to eradicate the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the resolution — titled, “Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza” — cited damages sustained by education institutions and loss of life, but rather than describing those misfortunes as inevitable consequences of a protracted war that Hamas started by launching a surprise massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, it argued that Israel’s aim was to murder educators and erase Palestinian history and culture.
The measure was, according to numerous groups which commented on it, intemperate and needlessly political, reducing the AHA to a manufacturer of political conformity. On Thursday, the AHA Council, the primary governing body of the organization, addressed that concern in a statement which announced its vetoing of the resolution and stressed the limits of its institutional mission.
“The Council considers the [resolution] … to contravene the Association’s Constitution because it lies outside the scope of the association’s mission and purpose, defined in its Constitution as ‘the promotion of historical studies through the encouragement of research teaching and publication; the collection and preservation of historical documents and artifacts; the dissemination of historical records and information; the broadening of historical knowledge among the general public; and the pursuit of kindred activities in the interest of history,’” the statement said.
It continued, “After careful deliberation and consideration, the AHA Council vetoes the resolution.”
AHA was subject to a flurry of criticism after the resolution passed, with organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) calling on it to reverse course and protect its reputation as a “respected source for evidence-based, nonpartisan historical perspectives for more than a century.” Meanwhile, the National Association of Scholars (NAS), a higher education nonprofit which promotes intellectual freedom and the restoration of academic standards, argued that the resolution was “disgraceful for its unwillingness to state forthrightly Hamas’s culpability for the indeed lamentable destruction of Gaza’s educational infrastructure.”
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Slowly grind the gears of truth but quickly run the footsteps ofclies.
“it’s probably safe to assume this institution has been captured by the left.”
Not news. The AHA continued staunchly to defend the awarding of a Bancroft Prize to academic fraud Michael Bellesiles, even as non-credentialed historians were irresistibly disassembling his misrepresentations, falsified data, and historical inversions in real time.
“The external report on Bellesiles concluded that “every aspect of his work in the probate records is deeply flawed” and called his statements in self-defense “prolix, confusing, evasive, and occasionally contradictory.” It concluded that “his scholarly integrity is seriously in question” and that he was in violation of the American Historical Association’s standards of scholarly integrity… In 2012 Bellesiles was working as a bartender while continuing to write history.” (WIkipedia)
Thank you Donald Trump
Just curious if, upon reading the political language of the resolution, the council had an A Ha moment that things had gone too far?