Academic Council for Israel: Mission and Program
Mission
We are academics -– university faculty members, administrators, researchers, librarians and other staff -- who support the Jewish and democratic State of Israel and favor a negotiated solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Arabs. We hold a wide range of political views -- left, right, and center. We want to bring to our colleagues and our students a better understanding of the complex realities of the Middle East with special focus on Israel. We also want to advise, mentor and support student groups on our campuses who share our goals and perspectives.
Knowledge about Israel on American campuses is often shaped by misleading campus advocacy and flawed news coverage. The academic community should have a more accurate, nuanced, and contextual understanding of Israel and its situation.
To this end, we have established a faculty and academic staff member organization. Its program and priorities will be determined by its members, because academics know best how to work successfully on their own campuses and in the academic community generally. Wherever appropriate, we shall work with other organizations that share our mission and perspectives.
We oppose attempts to boycott, divest from, or sanction the State of Israel on our campuses and in our professional organizations, because such efforts reflect an unequal and biased application of principle, diminish academic freedom, and undercut the pursuit of knowledge which is the very purpose of the university. We will also fight against antisemitism on our campuses, which endangers serious academic discourse and, as a manifestation of bigotry, is unacceptable.
Our activities are guided by the academic principles of accuracy in scholarship, balance in analysis, and respect for opposing views. Other than supporting direct negotiations, we take no particular stand as an organization on what Israel’s position should be regarding its relationships with the Palestinian Arabs and its other neighbors. Our members can be found on virtually all sides of that issue. We all agree, however, that everyone’s humanity must be respected, that delegitimization is both morally wrong and practically harmful, and that controversies should be resolved peacefully through civil discourse.
Program Agenda
1. Promote rational, thoughtful, and civil discussion on the Middle East and Israel that is in accord with the highest academic standards.
2. Encourage and support scholarly, positive, balanced, accurate teaching and research on Israel and the Middle East.
3. Promote joint research with Israeli, Palestinian, and other institutions.
4. Provide an intellectual resource bank of scholarly experts for campuses, national professional organizations, the media, and governmental agencies in the United States and internationally.
5. Act as advisors, mentors, and supporters of undergraduate and graduate students and student groups that share our goals and perspectives.
6. Encourage academics to get first-hand knowledge of and experience in the region by supporting faculty trips to Israel.
7. Expand the network of academics and graduate students who receive our materials and join our activities. (The Council is beginning its operation with 150 members on 145 campuses, and the list is growing.)
8. Organize scholarly conferences and workshops.
9. Bring active academics together to share knowledge gained from their experiences and to learn about ongoing issues from leading authorities.
10. Create an online journal for refereed papers, research, and book reviews,.
11. Facilitate programs with visiting Israeli academics and graduate students on American campuses.
12. Establish an office in Israel to support academic visits, sabbaticals, conferences, and meetings with Israeli academics, and briefings by governmental officials and other leaders in education, cultural affairs, technology, and the economy.
We are academics -– university faculty members, administrators, researchers, librarians and other staff -- who support the Jewish and democratic State of Israel and favor a negotiated solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Arabs. We hold a wide range of political views -- left, right, and center. We want to bring to our colleagues and our students a better understanding of the complex realities of the Middle East with special focus on Israel. We also want to advise, mentor and support student groups on our campuses who share our goals and perspectives.
Knowledge about Israel on American campuses is often shaped by misleading campus advocacy and flawed news coverage. The academic community should have a more accurate, nuanced, and contextual understanding of Israel and its situation.
To this end, we have established a faculty and academic staff member organization. Its program and priorities will be determined by its members, because academics know best how to work successfully on their own campuses and in the academic community generally. Wherever appropriate, we shall work with other organizations that share our mission and perspectives.
We oppose attempts to boycott, divest from, or sanction the State of Israel on our campuses and in our professional organizations, because such efforts reflect an unequal and biased application of principle, diminish academic freedom, and undercut the pursuit of knowledge which is the very purpose of the university. We will also fight against antisemitism on our campuses, which endangers serious academic discourse and, as a manifestation of bigotry, is unacceptable.
Our activities are guided by the academic principles of accuracy in scholarship, balance in analysis, and respect for opposing views. Other than supporting direct negotiations, we take no particular stand as an organization on what Israel’s position should be regarding its relationships with the Palestinian Arabs and its other neighbors. Our members can be found on virtually all sides of that issue. We all agree, however, that everyone’s humanity must be respected, that delegitimization is both morally wrong and practically harmful, and that controversies should be resolved peacefully through civil discourse.
Program Agenda
1. Promote rational, thoughtful, and civil discussion on the Middle East and Israel that is in accord with the highest academic standards.
2. Encourage and support scholarly, positive, balanced, accurate teaching and research on Israel and the Middle East.
3. Promote joint research with Israeli, Palestinian, and other institutions.
4. Provide an intellectual resource bank of scholarly experts for campuses, national professional organizations, the media, and governmental agencies in the United States and internationally.
5. Act as advisors, mentors, and supporters of undergraduate and graduate students and student groups that share our goals and perspectives.
6. Encourage academics to get first-hand knowledge of and experience in the region by supporting faculty trips to Israel.
7. Expand the network of academics and graduate students who receive our materials and join our activities. (The Council is beginning its operation with 150 members on 145 campuses, and the list is growing.)
8. Organize scholarly conferences and workshops.
9. Bring active academics together to share knowledge gained from their experiences and to learn about ongoing issues from leading authorities.
10. Create an online journal for refereed papers, research, and book reviews,.
11. Facilitate programs with visiting Israeli academics and graduate students on American campuses.
12. Establish an office in Israel to support academic visits, sabbaticals, conferences, and meetings with Israeli academics, and briefings by governmental officials and other leaders in education, cultural affairs, technology, and the economy.
