USACBI congratulates the membership of the American Anthropological Association for adopting a boycott of Israeli universities by a decisive margin, with 71% of voting members approving the boycott.  This AAA vote accepts and embraces the call from Palestinian civil society organizations for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) in support of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and equality.

The AAA boycott campaign was led by the AnthroBoycott collective.  USACBI salutes the collective for its extraordinary organizing work and knows that the collective’s success in the AAA will be an inspiration and model for future BDS campaigns in other academic, scientific, and cultural associations.  

In the wake of this important BDS victory, the USACBI Organizing Committee asks all academics and cultural workers to join with USACBI and follow the lead of the AnthroBoycott collective to campaign for a boycott resolution in your own learned, scientific, or cultural association.  The Organizing Committee also calls on faculty to join with USACBI on campaigns at their own college or university to cease study abroad programs at Israeli universities. 

In both cases, please reach out to the USACBI organizing committee (usacbi@usacbi.org) to discuss what campaigns you can participate in in order for us to build collectively on the recent BDS victories in the AAA and, shortly before that, in the Middle East Studies Association.  The USACBI organizing committee believes that this moment presents us all with the opportunity and responsibility to accelerate BDS solidarity campaigns for Palestinian freedom.