The Association for Asian American Studies voted in favor of boycotting Israeli academic institutions.
The academic nonprofit passed the vote two weeks ago during its annual conference in Seattle, according to the online news source Inside Higher Ed. The resolution calling for a boycott passed unanimously and accused Israeli universities of being complicit in violations of international law by the Israeli government. In addition to other claims, the resolution also accused Israeli universities of discriminating against Palestinian students and academics.
Former AAAS president Rajini Srikanth said the boycott applies only to Israeli institutions, not individuals.
“We are very aware that there are Israeli scholars who understand the difficulties that Palestinian academics and students have, and speak up in support of Palestinian rights,” Srikanth told Insider Higher Ed. “So we would absolutely be working with them.”
Founded in 1979, AAAS says it aims to promote closer ties between various fields of Asian American studies. Ten percent of the association’s membership attended the conference in Seattle where the vote was held. — jta