AHA executive council blocks member-approved Gaza resolutions

The executive council of the American Historical Association vetoed two resolutions criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza that had been approved by members over the weekend at the group’s annual conference in Chicago, saying the measures were outside the association’s mission and posed institutional risk.

One resolution accused Israel of intentional “scholasticide” in Gaza, saying most of the educational system, including all 12 universities, had been damaged or destroyed; the other condemned attacks on academic freedom at American universities, including the silencing of protest against “the U.S.-sponsored genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.” Both resolutions passed among conference voters — the scholasticide measure by 282 to 76 with two abstentions, and the academic-freedom resolution by 245 to 62 with one abstention — amounting to nearly 80 percent support from the almost 500 members who attended the Saturday vote.

On Sunday, the 16 voting members of the executive council voted not to forward them to the full membership of roughly 14,000 for final consideration.

Key Topics

Culture, American Historical Association, Gaza, Chicago, Scholasticide, Academic Freedom