The Modern Language Association was unable to pass a resolution criticizing Israel for denying academics entry to the West Bank.

The numbers of those who voted in favor of the measure fell short of the minimum 10 percent of the full MLA membership of 23,900 whose support was needed in order for it to pass.

There were 1,560 votes in favor of ratification of the resolution and 1,063 votes against, meaning that the vote fell short by 830 votes, the MLA announced last week. The full membership was voting on a resolution passed in January by the MLA’s delegate assembly, which called on the State Department to “contest Israel’s denials of entry to the West Bank by U.S. academics who have been invited to teach, confer, or do research at Palestinian universities.”

In December, the membership of the American Studies Association endorsed its national council’s call for a boycott of Israeli universities. — jta