The American Historical Association (AHA) council has rejected a resolution passed earlier this month that condemned Israel for committing “scholasticide” in Gaza.
The resolution, which received significant support at the AHA’s annual conference with a vote of 428-88, accused Israel of deliberately targeting Gaza’s education system during its 15-month aggression on the enclave. However, the resolution required final approval from the AHA council.
Last Friday, the council announced its decision to veto the measure, stating that it “contravenes the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws, because it lies outside the scope of the Association’s mission and purpose.”
“This is a shocking decision,” said the Steering Committee of Historians for Peace and Democracy, the group behind the resolution. “It overturns an unprecedented landslide vote at the January 5 Business Meeting, where 82 percent of the 520 members present voted for our resolution.”
Scholasticide is defined as the deliberate destruction of an education system.
The AHA Council justified its veto by stating that the resolution fell “outside the scope of the Association’s mission and purpose,” emphasising that the organisation does not issue public political statements. Critics, however, argued this rationale was inconsistent with the AHA’s past actions.
Mary Nolan, professor emerita of history at New York University and a member of the steering committee that proposed the resolution, pointed to the AHA’s 2007 condemnation of the Iraq War and its recent critique of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The Council’s actions are undemocratic and suggest a ‘Palestine exception’ to free speech,” Nolan told Haaretz.
Christy Thornton, associate professor of history at Johns Hopkins University, described the veto as “not just disappointing but incredibly short-sighted.” She warned the decision could alienate members and weaken the organisation. “The decision to not even let the entire membership vote will alienate generations of historians from the organisation at a time when the defence of the profession needs more energy, not less,” Thornton said, adding that she would not be surprised if “hundreds of historians refuse to renew their memberships.”
According to UN experts, as of April 2024 over 80 per cent of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed by the Israeli assault on the enclave. Students have now been out of school for two academic years as a result of the occupation state’s actions and thousands have killed and injured.