The file photo shows a session of the Organization of American Historians (OAH) in Chicago.
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.”
“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,” Power was quoted as saying.
“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.”
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.
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.
In October 2024, the Ministry of Education in Gaza reported that 400 teachers and other educational professionals had been killed, alongside more than 10,000 students.
