AAG’s Response to the Member Petition on Israel–Palestine

Riportiamo il testo dell’American Association of Geographers (AAG) in risposta alla petizione sulla crisi Israele-Palestina, adottando all’unanimità quattro misure: un quadro di investimenti etici (ESG), protocolli di due diligence per le partnership internazionali, un fondo per studiosi sfollati (inclusi quelli di Gaza) e una dichiarazione a sostegno dei diritti educativi palestinesi. Pur confermando l’assenza attuale di investimenti o legami con istituzioni israeliane, queste azioni mirano a istituzionalizzare la tutela dei diritti umani e della libertà accademica. L’approccio scelto traduce i valori etici in pratica istituzionale, proteggendo al contempo la libertà di ricerca individuale senza imporre sanzioni ai singoli membri.

 

AAG’s Response to the Member Petition on Israel–Palestine

In April 2025, the American Association of Geographers (AAG) received a petition, signed by more than 10% of our membership, calling for a response to the crisis in Israel–Palestine. The petition called for AAG to: (1) boycott Israeli institutions and (2) divest from any holdings that support Israel and the conflict. The petition raised legitimate concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the destruction of educational infrastructure, and the displacement of scholars.

As the governing body of the AAG, Council took this petition very seriously, understanding that it reflects our members’ deep commitment to human rights, academic freedom, educational access, and international justice. As a scholarly association, the AAG is committed to defending the fundamental rights of academic and professional geographers from all backgrounds and nationalities. These rights include the ability to pursue research and teaching free from political pressure, discrimination, or government interference, to ensure scholars can debate these issues without fear of professional retaliation, and can collaborate across differences without censorship, intimidation, or bias based on nationality, religion, political views, or institutional affiliations.

This final response to the petition reflects months of member consultation, discussion, and deliberation. For example, over the summer and fall of 2025, the AAG prepared and released a draft background report for member review and comment, and Council hosted two dedicated listening sessions, where we heard moving testimony and diverse perspectives from across our discipline. We are grateful to every member who contributed to this process; your feedback directly shaped the steps we are announcing today. The testimonies of our members show a strong shared belief that education is a fundamental human right and that academic freedom must be protected for everyone.

Council sought solutions that put the petition’s intent into practice through governance policies and direct action, while protecting geographers’ ability to do their work free from political interference or discrimination. After many months of deliberation, including a dedicated Council meeting and two months of member input, the Council voted unanimously to adopt each of the four responses described below. Each response is meant to support geographers, protect academic freedom, and promote equitable access to education. Importantly, these measures turn current practice into policy and provide clear standards for responding to human rights concerns. That said, we recognize that these measures may not reflect the range of actions individual AAG members may advocate, including academic boycott campaigns carried out in their personal and collective capacities; instead, they define the steps AAG will take as an institution.

 

The Four Responses:

ESG Investment Framework and Implementation Policy

This policy establishes a framework for integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles to guide AAG’s endowment investments, with ongoing monitoring and accountability. Our review of the AAG endowment confirmed that AAG currently holds no investments (after adding a military weapons screen) in companies listed on the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) or UN human rights lists. This policy is meant to keep our investments aligned with our values over time. This policy requires AAG to compare its financial holdings to external benchmarks to ensure that the ESG screens are working as intended while achieving reasonable investment returns. The policy was created in consultation with the AAG Finance Committee and our professional investment manager, and the AAG’s primary fiduciary obligation to sustain the endowment in support of our mission remains unchanged. We are answering the call for divestment by confirming that we are not invested in the targeted companies and by adopting a policy to screen against them in the future.

 

International Partnership Framework and Due Diligence Policy

This policy establishes a framework for new international partnerships with organizations based in countries where there are significant human rights or academic freedom concerns. This policy concerns institutional or organizational partnerships (such as formal MOUs, joint programs, or co-sponsored events). It does not apply to individual scholarly collaborations, research visits, conference participation, or academic publications. As part of our work on the petition, we reviewed AAG’s institutional history. We confirmed that AAG has not had a partnership with any Israeli organization or institution since 2005. This policy sets clear guardrails for future partnerships. It is intended to prevent AAG from partnering with institutions or organizations that may be complicit in human rights abuses by triggering an additional level of due diligence or scrutiny for organizations in countries with documented concerns, while also allowing us to work with actors pursuing positive change in those same nations. This policy is grounded in universal human rights and academic freedom, including the right of scholars to work without political vetting, ideological tests, or retaliation for legitimate criticism of any government. It also means we will not enter partnerships that contribute to discrimination against scholars, suppression of research, or unequal access to higher education based on identity or viewpoint. A working group will continue to develop the details of this policy over the next year.

 

Displaced Scholars Support Program and Fund

A new AAG program to support displaced scholars globally, including scholars from Gaza and other conflict-affected regions. The program, and endowed fund, provides selected displaced scholars with: (1) free AAG membership, (2) waived registration for AAG annual meetings, (3) eligibility to apply for relocation or travel funds, and (4) connections to aid organizations (e.g., IIE Scholar Rescue Fund, Scholars at Risk). A working group will develop the program details over the next year. This program is one way we can provide direct support to geographers who have been displaced. It affirms that displaced scholars, including those from Gaza and other conflict-affected regions, have the same rights to academic freedom and unbiased participation in our community as any other member of our community. We currently have three displaced scholars participating in a pilot program, and four internationally recognized experts advising its development.

 

Statement on Palestine and Higher Education

An AAG statement affirming commitments to Palestinian educational rights, human rights, academic freedom, and self-determination. This statement allows the AAG to speak publicly as an institution. It affirms that Palestinian and Israeli scholars, and all members of our community, have the right to pursue higher education and research free from violence, harassment, or discrimination. The statement addresses the destruction of higher-education infrastructure in Gaza, barriers to Palestinian scholars’ mobility and access to education, and threats to campus safety and academic freedom affecting both Palestinian and Israeli scholars. The statement also affirms that criticism of state policy must be clearly distinguished from antisemitism, Islamophobia, or other forms of racism. This statement applies the AAG’s long-standing values of universal human rights and academic freedom to Palestine and higher education. It is part of AAG’s broader voice in the scholarly community and is in continuity with our previous statements on higher education and human rights. It also speaks directly to members’ concerns about Palestinian rights and to the organization’s moral responsibility to address threats to education and academic freedom.

 

Why these four measures?

Our background research confirmed that AAG is already acting in line with the petition’s goals: we have no partnerships with Israeli institutions and no investments in BDS-listed companies after adding a military weapons screen. These four measures ensure adherence to ethical standards in AAG’s governance. Taken together, these measures put our core values—universal human rights, academic freedom, and rejection of all forms of racism—into practice through concrete policies and programs, not just statements.

1. Direct solidarity: The program provides immediate, ongoing support with permanent funding.
2. Institutional values: The ESG framework keeps our investments aligned with our principles, using benchmarks to ensure performance and uphold institutional commitments.
3. International partnerships: A due diligence policy grounded in universal human rights and academic freedom to avoid complicity in abuses.
4. Public voice: A public statement makes our commitments explicit.

Each measure draws on established best practices and legal standards in the nonprofit and higher education sectors and is designed to apply globally, not just in one region or country. This holistic approach reduces legal risk for the AAG and ensures our values are applied consistently. Together, these policies and programs strengthen the conditions under which AAG members can conduct research, teaching, and professional engagement without coercion, political interference, or discrimination, regardless of their views on Israel–Palestine or any other conflict. Implementing these policies will not involve evaluating or sanctioning individual members or their collaborators.

 

The AAG is responsible for how it manages its operations, including its partnerships and investments. Members can reasonably expect the organization’s policies in these areas to reflect the membership’s values. Taken as a whole, these four responses address the petition’s concerns about complicity by establishing clear safeguards to ensure that AAG does not invest in or partner with institutions or organizations linked to serious human rights abuses or the suppression of academic freedom, while preserving the ability to work with partners committed to positive change. They also renew AAG’s commitment to protect the scholarly freedom of all geographers to study, teach, organize, and debate contested issues without fear of institutional reprisal or bias. Council’s unanimous votes on all four measures show strong support for this direction within the AAG’s elected leadership.