Palestine has been at the center of the international attention for decades. A people dispossessed in 1948 and again in 1967, they remain under harsh Israeli control in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, discriminated against within Israel, and the refugees deprived their right to return to their homeland. Yet, as a people, Palestinians are often vilified, or, at best, ignored or overlooked. This stems from their dehumanization. The Palestine group seeks to advance first, a better understanding of Palestinian history and demands, based on Palestinian voices, and second, to advocate for historians’ responsibility in explaining and confronting the injustice Palestinians continue to face. It will do so, among other things, by:
- Advocating within our professional organizations for Palestinians’ rights, with a focus on rights to education and research
- Advocating for academic freedom for campus groups supporting Palestinians and collaborating with organizations that are working on that (Palestine Legal, for example).
- Advocating for, and defending, faculty who face negative repercussions for supporting Palestinians’ rights.