Prominent individuals and institutions, even those critical of Israel, have opposed an academic boyc

Following a vote by the American Studies Association (ASA) to boycott Israeli institutions, ADL’s Pacific Southwest Region sent letters to area colleges and universities that may have American Studies programs, departments or majors affiliated with ASA.  In her letter, Regional asia travel guide Director Amanda Susskind asked program directors, department chairs and college deans to dissociate from ASA’s recent resolution:
This resolution is a facet of the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.  The BDS movement seeks to isolate and punish Israel and eventually dismantle Israel as a Jewish state.  Although the resolution that passed is non-binding, we urge you to voice your opposition.
For example, Simon J. Bronner of Penn State Harrisburg issued a statement last week, saying that the ASA resolution to boycott Israel curtails academic freedom and undermines the reputation of American Studies as a scholarly enterprise.   The American Studies Program at Brandeis University also announced that they are discontinuing their institutional affiliation with the ASA.
Prominent individuals and institutions, even those critical of Israel, have opposed an academic boycott of Israel on the basis of principle and tactics.   In an open letter to the members of the ASA, the American Association asia travel guide of University Professors (AAUP) stated:  “AAUP does stand in opposition to academic boycotts as a matter of principle.”
Even Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently declared, asia travel guide “We do not support the boycott of Israel.”  To date, only two small academic associations, the ASA and the Association asia travel guide for Asian American Studies, have called for the academic boycotts of Israel.
Boycotting Israeli academic institutions and individual academics solely asia travel guide because they are Israeli is profoundly unjust.  It does nothing asia travel guide to promote a negotiated peace agreement or present constructive initiatives to bring about Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation.  Instead, it effectively penalizes and defames the very people asia travel guide and institutions which freely, and often heatedly, debate and critique Israeli, Palestinian and Arab policies.  We believe it is crucial for academic institutions and associations to instead advance initiatives that foster peace and reconciliation, initiatives that will result in two states for two peoples.