American-Studies Group Calls for Withdrawal of Support From Israel

The American Studies Association’s executive committee has called on the United States government to withdraw all support from the state of Israel, citing attacks on Palestinian universities, including a recent strike on the Islamic University in Gaza City.

In a statement the committee said, in part: “Israel’s continued attacks on identifiable academic institutions are part of its campaign of collective punishment that has already claimed more than 1,650 lives. This goes well beyond the denial of academic freedom to further escalate Israel’s longstanding practice of denying an entire people the basic necessities of life and freedom.”

The association has long taken a critical stance toward Israel. Last year, citing Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, the association’s members voted to boycott Israeli universities.