Resolution 1 

RESOLUTION ON PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION IN PALESTINE-ISRAEL

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession support the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including universal access to higher education;

WHEREAS, 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;

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession believe that the free exchange of ideas is facilitated by teaching, delivering lectures, and participating in conferences;

WHEREAS, Israel arbitrarily denies entry to foreign nationals, including US 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;

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession are dedicated to the documentation of human experience through the collection and preservation of historical information; and

WHEREAS, 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 that can destroy Palestinians’ sense of historical identity as well as the historical record itself; and

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; and

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 at AHA Annual Meeting Program

Resolution 2

RESOLUTION ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM OF US CITIZENS VISITING ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession are committed to the principles of academic freedom, whose curtailment severely compromises education;

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession believe that the free exchange of ideas is facilitated by teaching, delivering lectures, and participating in conferences; and

WHEREAS, 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; therefore, be 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; and

Resolved, that the AHA demands that the US Department of State honor the academic freedom of US citizens by contesting Israel’s denials of entry of US academics who have been invited to teach, confer, or do research at Palestinian universities.

 

Please notice:

Participation in the business meeting is restricted to members only. Please confirm in advance that your AHA membership is up-to-date by visiting historians.org/renew.

 

The resolution has now been officially publicized by the AHA: Perspectives, RESOLUTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE JANUARY 2020 BUSINESS MEETING