Gender Studies Endorses NWSA’s Call to End Israel’s War on Gaza.
October 29, 2023
As we conclude our Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD, we express our strong opposition to the genocidal war on Gaza and the violence and repression against Palestinians in the West Bank and within Israel.
NWSA strongly condemns the ongoing and persistent U.S. government’s support for Israel’s vengeful war on Gaza. Sponsoring violence against a caged population in the name of “self-defense” makes us complicit in crimes against humanity!
Expressing solidarity with Palestinians is not Anti Semitism, nor is it an endorsement of Hamas. We are alarmed by the criminalization of free speech and academic freedom on college campuses. We call on on university leaders to endorse AAUP’s recent statement, which states: “College and university officials are obligated to defend academic freedom; they must resist demands from politicians, trustees, donors, students and their parents, alumni, or other parties to punish faculty members for exercising that freedom. At this moment of heightened tension on college and university campuses, the AAUP calls on college and university administrations to fully protect the academic freedom of their faculties to teach, conduct research, and speak out about important issues both on and off campus.”We further plead with college administrators to extend their commitment to address antisemitism to include concern for anti-muslim and anti-Arab hate speech and violence. We affirm our support for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and other student groups expressing solidarity with Palestinians. NWSA will continue to center Palestine in our work and unequivocally support faculty, staff and students who address the war and its root causes.
We cannot remain silent in the face of a genocidal war.In Solidarity, The National Women’s Studies Association
