Anthropologists for the Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions has submitted a boycott resolution to the American Anthropological Association (AAA) for consideration at the upcoming Annual Meeting in Denver.
The resolution endorses the Palestinian civil society call to boycott Israeli academic institutions until they take concrete steps to end their complicity with Israel’s systematic abuses of Palestinian rights. This includes refraining from any formal collaborations with Israeli universities or academic associations.
The academic boycott is an act of protest against Israel’s violations and an act of solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues. It is also a rejection of the support that the U.S. government provides Israel, which enables it to act with impunity. Israel’s dependence on the U.S. makes it vulnerable to popular pressure, such as boycotts, from U.S. organizations.
Earlier this month, the Task Force on AAA Engagement with Israel/Palestine released an exhaustive study unanimously concluding that “there is a strong case for the Association to take action” on the situation in Israel/Palestine and that a statement merely censuring Israel would be an “insufficient course of action.” The Task Force correctly recognized Israel’s abuses of the Palestinian people as part of a settler colonial regime built on systematic discrimination and dispossession. An academic boycott is the most effective means available to the AAA to take a strong stand against such colonial practices.
The resolution does not apply to individual Israeli scholars, who will continue to be free to attend AAA meetings and publish in its journals. The resolution also leaves individual AAA members free to determine whether and how they will apply the boycott in their own professional practice.
The resolution will be debated at the AAA business meeting on Friday, November 20, 6:15-7:30pmin the Colorado Convention Center, Mile High Ballroom 2&3. If the resolution is approved by a majority of members present, it will be forwarded to the entire AAA membership — approximately 10,000 people — for a final vote in the spring.
Please share this resolution with friends and colleagues. For additional materials on the boycott, see our Resources page or our page responding to frequently asked questions about the boycott.
The full text of the resolution is available here: https://anthroboycott.wordpress.com/the-resolution/
A .pdf version of the resolution with supplemental endnotes is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2nQQqlomJpQZnVaZ3psTzI4UVU/view?usp=sharing