Academic boycott of Israel should open dialogue
The vote by the American Studies Association to boycott Israeli academic institutions is a protest that should be heard at the highest levels of the US government.
![SPAIN/ Balloons painted with the phrase "Boycott to Israel" are seen during a Euroleague basketball game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Barcelona in Barcelona February 5, 2009. The game was earlier disrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino (SPAIN) - RTXB9QH](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2013/12/RTXB9QH.jpg/RTXB9QH.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=ZYbk89vw)
On Dec. 15, the members of the American Studies Association (ASA) voted 66% in favor of endorsing the ASA National Council resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions in protest of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
The council applied standards predicated on evidence of institutional discrimination and made a gesture of solidarity with scholars and students deprived of their academic freedom in the hopes of expanding this kind freedom for all, including Palestinians.