Organization of American Historians votes to condemn Israeli 'scholasticide' in Gaza
The largest professional society for the teaching and study of American history has overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning Israel's "scholasticide" in Gaza.
The prestigious Organization of American Historians (OAH), which publishes the Journal of American History, passed the resolution on Saturday 8 April at an OAH business meeting in Chicago.
A decisive majority of 104 members voted for the motion - with only 25 opposing it.
The Israeli military has bombed and mostly destroyed all 12 universities in Gaza and hundreds of primary and secondary schools.
More than 200 heritage sites, including mosques, churches and libraries, have been destroyed.
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In October, the Ministry of Education in Gaza reported that 400 teachers and other educational professionals had been killed, alongside more than 10,000 students.
The resolution, submitted by Historians for Peace and Democracy, argues that Israel's "scholasticide in Gaza has made it impossible to practice history and eradicated its practitioners".
It further "condemns the Israeli violence in Gaza that has resulted in the scholasticide," urges a permanent ceasefire and commits the OAH to forming a "volunteer committee to work with other organizations in rebuilding Gaza's educational infrastructure".
'The Trump administration hates them'
Maragret Power, a retired professor at Illinois Institute of Technology and co-chair of Historians for Peace and Democracy, said that "opposing the ruthless genocide Israel has waged, and the US government has financed, against the people of Gaza is a moral imperative".
"The OAH is the organisation of historians that study US history," she told Middle East Eye on Sunday.
"It and the American Historical Association (AHA) are the two most important organisations of historians in the US. Their members include the most important historians in the US as well as some globally.
"Let's just say the Trump administration hates them both."
In January, the AHA also passed a resolution condemning Israel's "scholasticide" in Gaza.
But the resolution was later vetoed by the group's executive council, which said it "lies outside the scope of the association’s mission and purpose".
The OAH vote comes amid an unprecedented crackdown on displays of support for the Palestinians in American universities.
The State Department has cancelled visas for hundreds of people connected to campus pro-Palestine protests.
In an announcement on 10 March, the Department of Education published a list of 60 universities that are “presently under investigation for Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination”.
In March, Columbia University became the first university to lose some federal funding when the Trump administration slashed $400m in federal funds.
'Fear and compliance'
On 1 April, the Trump administration suspended several dozen research grants totaling $210m to Princeton University as part of an ongoing investigation into antisemitism on campus.
Princeton president Christopher Eisgruber said in a message on 1 April to the university community, “The full rationale for this action is not yet clear.”
Meanwhile, on 31 March, the government told Harvard University it would review nearly $9bn in multi-year grant commitments to the university as part of an investigation over "antisemitism".
'Fear and compliance have become the order of the day in many of our colleges and universities'
- Professor Margaret Power
The review will include more than $255.6m in current contracts and $8.7bn in grants spread over multiple years.
Harvard University has also been given a set of conditions that it must meet - including a mask ban and removal of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes - to receive federal money.
Human rights advocates and academic experts have condemned the moves as an assault on freedom of speech and academic freedom.
"Fear and compliance have become the order of the day in many of our colleges and universities," said Power.
"Hoping to appease the unappeasable, administrators have failed their students and faculty and their mission to defend free speech and free thought. Many have practiced anticipatory obedience, a strategy that is doomed to fail.
Power added: "This resolution offers an alternative path, one that affirms our commitment to Palestinian educators and students, and their right to learn, teach, and research, as well as ours."
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