HAW at the AHA
New York City, January 2-5, 2015

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; and

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; and

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 denies entry to foreign nationals, including U.S. 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; and

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 which can destroy Palestinians’ sense of historical identity as well as the historical record itself; and

BE IT FURTHER 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

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the AHA calls on Israel to provide free access for Palestinian faculty and students alike to pursue their education wherever they choose.