Largest Association of Historians in the United States Condemns Israel’s ‘Scholasticism’

The American Historical Association (AHA), the largest and oldest professional association of historians in the United States, adopted a resolution Monday condemning Israel’s “scholasticism” in Gaza, denouncing “the intentional effort to systematically destroy the Palestinian education system. and June 2024.

According to the resolution, the Israeli army destroyed 80% of Gaza’s schools, leaving more than 625,000 children without access to education, as well as all 12 university campuses in the besieged enclave. The text tersely states that the Israeli army has “effectively destroyed Gaza’s education system”. The intentional nature of this annihilation, according to the organization, justifies the qualification of “scolasticide”.

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After detailing the extent of the destruction in Gaza, the resolution concludes that the AHA, “which supports the right of all people to freely teach and learn their history, condemns Israeli violence in Gaza which undermines this right.” The AHA resolution thus calls for “a permanent ceasefire to end scholasticide”, as well as the formation of “a committee to help rebuild Gaza’s educational infrastructure”.

The role of historians

Professor Barbara Weinstein, a professor of history at New York University and former president of the AHA, said Monday in an interview with the American television program Democracy Now ! : “Over the years it has become increasingly clear that we cannot adopt a narrow definition of our roles as historians. »

Weinstein described the organization as having historically been relatively moderate, even conservative, which would make this resolution significant because it would reflect a “growing willingness among its members to take positions on issues directly related to our roles as historians, educators, researchers and archivists.