Article VII of the AHA constitution states that the Association’s Council shall call a business meeting, open to all members of the Association in good standing, to convene at the time of the annual meeting. The business meeting of the 130th annual meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 9, in the Hilton Atlanta Salon C, beginning at 4:45 p.m.

Bylaw 11(4), which provides procedures to carry out the business meeting, states that any member of the Association may present resolutions or other motions that introduce new business to the agenda of the annual business meeting. Such resolutions must:

◆ Be received in the office of the executive director not later than November 1 prior to the annual meeting, to allow time for publication;

◆ Be in proper parliamentary form;

◆ Be signed by at least 100 members of the Association in good standing;

◆ Not be more than 300 words in length, including any introductory material; and

◆ Deal with a matter of concern to the Association, to the profession of history, or to the academic profession.

Resolutions submitted by the deadline, and meeting the criteria for consideration, are published in the December issue of Perspectives on History and will be added to the business meeting agenda. The following resolution, signed by 126 members of the AHA in good standing as of November 1, 2015, was submitted to the AHA executive director for consideration at the January 9, 2016, business meeting. A full list of signatories can be viewed online at historians.org/business-mtg-16. AHA members may discuss the resolution at historians.org/businessmtg.

Protecting the Right to Education in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

WHEREAS, members of the historical profession support the Right to Education, including the universal access to higher education enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

WHEREAS, the Right to Education can be exercised only when students and faculty have the freedom of movement to teach and study at institutions of their choice;

WHEREAS, Israel’s restrictions on the movement of faculty, staff and visitors in the West Bank impede instruction at Palestinian institutions of higher learning;

WHEREAS, Israel routinely refuses to allow students from Gaza to travel in order to pursue higher education abroad or at West Bank universities;

WHEREAS, the Right to Education is undermined when state authorities raid or close campuses;

WHEREAS, in summer 2014, Israel bombarded fourteen institutions of higher learning in Gaza, partially or completely destroying nine, and its military routinely invades campuses in Jerusalem and the West Bank and frequently impedes entry;

WHEREAS, the Right to Education can be exercised only with access to a broad range of ideas and a diverse faculty; and

WHEREAS, Israel restricts the right to lecture or teach at Palestinian universities by denying entry to select foreign nationals, including US citizens; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the AHA upholds the rights of Palestinian faculty and students to pursue their education and research freely; and

Resolved, That the AHA calls for the reversal of Israeli policies that restrict the freedom of movement, including denial of entry to foreign nationals; and

Resolved, That the AHA calls for the cessation of physical attacks on Palestinian educational institutions; and

Resolved, That the AHA commits itself to monitoring Israeli actions restricting the right to education in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.¹

Notes

1. For documentation, see http://historiansagainstwar.org/aha16/.

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