The American Studies Association (ASA) recently called for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions as a result of perceived oppression of Arab and Palestinian students. In turn, New York State Senator Jeff Klein (D) sponsored a bill freezing state university funds to activities of the ASA. "I will not allow the enemies of Israel or the Jewish people gain an inch in New York," Klein's office said. Klein's bill passed 56-4, but has yet to be signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo (D).
ASA president-elect Lisa Duggan said the actions of the New York legislature restrict academic freedom and condone human rights violations. This struggle comes on the heels of a major annual AIPAC conference last week in Washington, D.C., and remains highly controversial: The New York Times reports that 80 percent of U.S. universities denounced the call for boycott and five universities withdrew from ASA membership altogether. Regardless of the effectiveness of the boycott or legislators' rhetoric, this situation is only the latest in a decades-long tug-of-war between pro-Israel activists and Palestinian supporters that has bitterly divided the United States as well as the international community.
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Posted by Colin Wescott
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