OAH Votes to Condemn ’Israel’s’ ‘Scholasticide’ In Gaza

By Staff, Agencies

The Organization of American Historians [OAH] has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution that condemns "Israel" for its “scholasticide” in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The prestigious organization passed the resolution on April 8 at an OAH business meeting in Chicago; 104 members voted for the motion - with only 25 opposing it.

The resolution argues that "Israel’s" “scholasticide in Gaza has made it impossible to practice history and eradicated its practitioners.”

Urging a permanent ceasefire, the resolution commits the OAH to forming a “volunteer committee to work with other organizations in rebuilding Gaza's educational infrastructure.”

Maragret Power, a retired reputed professor and co-chair of Historians for Peace and Democracy, said “opposing the ruthless genocide 'Israel' has waged, and the US government has financed, against the people of Gaza is a moral imperative.”

Power was quoted as saying, “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," adding, “Fear and compliance have become the order of the day in many of our colleges and universities.”

“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,” she went on saying.

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 pro-Palestine protests on university campuses.

In an announcement on March 10, 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."

The Columbia University became the first university to lose some federal funding in March, when the Trump administration slashed $400 million in federal funds.

Human rights advocates and academic experts have condemned the moves as an assault on freedom of speech and academic freedom.