[[{"content_id":366226,"content_number":0,"portal_id":2,"lang_id":"en","content_title":"Major academic organization backs BDS vote in blow to Israel","content_rtitr":"","content_short_title":null,"content_summary":"The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) has voted in favour of a resolution condemning Israel for its 'systematic violations' against Palestinians and calling for boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israeli institutions.","content_summary_fill":1,"content_body":"The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) voted last week in favour of a resolution supporting&nbsp;Palestinian calls for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions&nbsp;(BDS) against Israel, reported by The New Arab.\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe resolution -&nbsp;&nbsp;supported by 80 percent of MESA&#39;s participating members - called for an &quot;academic boycott of Israeli institutions for their complicity in&nbsp;Israeli&rsquo;s violations of human rights&quot;, such as providing assistance to the Israeli military and intelligence establishments.&nbsp;\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe US non-profit academic society said in a statement following the vote that&nbsp;BDS&nbsp;was a &quot;way to hold the [Israeli] government accountable for ongoing human rights violations&quot;.&nbsp;\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&quot;Our members have cast a clear vote to answer the call for solidarity from Palestinian scholars and students experiencing violations of their right to education and other human rights,&quot; said MESA President Eve Troutt Powell.&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMESA&#39;s one-page resolution acknowledged Israel&#39;s &quot;systematic violations&quot; against Palestinian - which both&nbsp;Amnesty International&nbsp;and&nbsp;Human Rights Watch&nbsp;have said amount to the &quot;crime of apartheid&quot; - and criticised the US for &quot;shield[ing] successive Israeli governments&quot;.&nbsp;\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&quot;Systematic violations include restricting freedom of movement for Palestinians; isolating, undermining, or otherwise attacking Palestinian educational institutions; harassing Palestinian professors, teachers, and students,&quot; the resolution read.&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nMESA, which describes itself as &quot;committed to supporting struggles against racism&quot;, has more than 2,800 members.&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDuring a 50-day voting period from 31 January to 22 March, all 2022 members were asked to cast their vote electronically for the resolution. 768 voted in favour and 167 against.&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe movement urges states, companies and communities to withdraw their support of &quot;Israel&rsquo;s apartheid regime&quot;, divest from &quot;the State of Israel and all Israeli companies&quot;,&nbsp;and asks international governments to place sanctions on the Israeli government.&nbsp;","content_html":"<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) voted last week in favour of a resolution supporting&nbsp;Palestinian calls for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions&nbsp;(BDS) against Israel, reported by The New Arab.<\/span><br \/>\r\n&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">The resolution -&nbsp;&nbsp;supported by 80 percent of MESA&#39;s participating members - called for an &quot;academic boycott of Israeli institutions for their complicity in&nbsp;Israeli&rsquo;s violations of human rights&quot;, such as providing assistance to the Israeli military and intelligence establishments.&nbsp;<\/span><br \/>\r\n&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">The US non-profit academic society said in a statement following the vote that&nbsp;BDS&nbsp;was a &quot;way to hold the [Israeli] government accountable for ongoing human rights violations&quot;.&nbsp;<\/span><br \/>\r\n&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">&quot;Our members have cast a clear vote to answer the call for solidarity from Palestinian scholars and students experiencing violations of their right to education and other human rights,&quot; said MESA President Eve Troutt Powell.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">MESA&#39;s one-page resolution acknowledged Israel&#39;s &quot;systematic violations&quot; against Palestinian - which both&nbsp;Amnesty International&nbsp;and&nbsp;Human Rights Watch&nbsp;have said amount to the &quot;crime of apartheid&quot; - and criticised the US for &quot;shield[ing] successive Israeli governments&quot;.&nbsp;<\/span><br \/>\r\n&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">&quot;Systematic violations include restricting freedom of movement for Palestinians; isolating, undermining, or otherwise attacking Palestinian educational institutions; harassing Palestinian professors, teachers, and students,&quot; the resolution read.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">MESA, which describes itself as &quot;committed to supporting struggles against racism&quot;, has more than 2,800 members.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">During a 50-day voting period from 31 January to 22 March, all 2022 members were asked to cast their vote electronically for the resolution. 768 voted in favour and 167 against.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">The movement urges states, companies and communities to withdraw their support of &quot;Israel&rsquo;s apartheid regime&quot;, divest from &quot;the State of Israel and all Israeli companies&quot;,&nbsp;and asks international governments to place sanctions on the Israeli government.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>","content_source":"","content_url":"","content_date_start":"2022-04-04 09:22:20","content_date_event":"2022-04-04 09:22:20","content_date_event_start":null,"content_date_event_end":null,"content_show_title_slider":1,"content_date_last_edit":"2022-04-04 09:27:10","content_date_register":"2022-04-04 09:27:04","content_columns":0,"content_show_img":1,"content_show_details":0,"content_show_related_img":0,"content_show_slider":1,"content_comment":1,"content_score":0,"tag_id":0,"score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"uid":44,"eid":44,"attach_title":"Major academic organization backs BDS vote in blow to Israel\r\n 2","attaches":[{"sizes":{"150":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202204\/501652_2970968336_150_84.webp","300":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202204\/501652_2970968336_300_169.webp","400":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202204\/501652_2970968336_400_225.webp","600":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202204\/501652_2970968336_600_338.webp","900":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202204\/501652_2970968336_900_506.webp","1200":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202204\/501652_2970968336_1155_650.jpg"},"ext":"jpg","file_media":1,"token":2970968336,"files":{"original":{"url":".\/file\/2\/attach\/202204\/501652_2970968336.jpg","width":1155,"height":650,"size":0}}}]}]]