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Academic Association’s ‘Emergency Motion’ on Pro-Palestinian Speech Draws Rebuke from Leading Academic Nonprofit
Pro-Hamas students rallying at Harvard University. Photo: Reuters/Brian Snyder
The Academic Engagement Network (AEN), a higher education nonprofit, on Monday issued a searing letter denouncing that Modern Language Association’s (MLA) passing of an “emergency motion” that endorsed pro-Palestinian speech on college campuses, arguing that its neglecting to mention pro-Israel speech is indicative of anti-Israeli bias.
“The motion that the [MLA] has now endorsed fails to preserve campuses as welcoming learning environments where academic freedom and free expression are guaranteed for all,” AEN’s letter said. “The motion also establishes a virulently anti-Israel orthodoxy, despite the fact that disagreements and debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have a long history in English and foreign language departments.”
Founded in 1883, the MLA is a professional association of linguistics and literature scholars comprising, according to self-reported figures, 25,000 members across the world. Voting for the motion discussed in AEN’s letter took place at the organization’s annual convention earlier this month. 140 present members (out of 279) of the Delegate Assembly, who are elected to their positions, could have voted in favor of another motion affirming the right of free speech for all, AEN noted, one that regarded both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict equally, but chose the latter instead and voted against the former by a “wide margin,” according to reporting by Inside Higher Ed.
In addition to favoring pro-Palestinian speech, the motion specifically endorsed the notion that anti-Zionism is not antisemitic, contrary to the beliefs of the majority of the Jewish community, as well as condemnations of US support for Israel and Israel’s military response to Hamas’ atrocities, which included some 1,200 murders, mostly of civilians, rapes of Israeli women, and the taking of 240 hostages, many of which were children or elderly. The alternative motion called for defending from “threats, harassment, and violence all faculty members, students and staff regardless of their position on the conflict in the Middle East,” even though much “pro-Palestinian” speech has been pro-Hamas, defending and rationalizing Hamas’ crimes.
“But politics and policy were not only at stake in the choice,” AEN’s letter continued. “The identities of Jewish and Palestinian students, faculty, and staff, along with their allies, were on the table for judgement. In endorsing a divisive and exclusionary motion, the DA found one identity worthy of the MLA’s action and the other lacking. Such a denigration of the beliefs and experiences of a core MLA constituency is intolerable.”
MLA has in the past avoided endorsing extreme anti-Zionist measures, such as in 2017, when it rejected a motion to adopt the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS), which would have required its members to, among other things, commit to denying letters of recommendation to students who seek to study in Israel and and terminating any and all projects with Israeli institutions of higher education. However, that was six years ago, before two wars between Israel and Hamas titled opinion in higher education strongly against Israel and triggered a wave of antisemitism on the campus unlike any seen in the West since the 1930s.
MLA’s endorsement of a resolution affirming only the rights of Palestinians and pro-Palestinians could be a harbinger of its politicization and embrace of anti-Israel advocacy guided by political rather than scholarly goals, AEN executive director Miriam Elman told The Algemeiner in a statement on Tuesday. MLA’s “emergency motion” function, she explained, is new, allowing the Delegate Assembly to exclude the general membership from participating in important votes. Now, once it votes to endorse a motion, that measure is fast-tracked to MLA’s Executive Council, where it is all but guaranteed to be formally adopted by the organization.
The arrangement gives outsized power to the Delegate Assembly’s “radical caucus,” whose influence is growing and stands to shape the future of MLA in the coming years.
“The MLA can be proud of having of having members from over 100 countries,” AEN executive director Miriam Elman told The Algemeiner in a statement on Tuesday. “All are respected, except for Israelis. Basically, the MLA Delegate Assembly has just told them that they are no longer welcome.”
US college campuses have experienced an alarming spike in antisemitic incidents — including demonstrations calling for Israel’s destruction and the intimidation and harassment of Jewish students — since Oct. 7. In a two month span after that day, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded 470 antisemitic incidents on college campuses alone. During that same period, antisemitic incidents across the US skyrocketed by 323 percent compared to the prior year.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Academic Association’s ‘Emergency Motion’ on Pro-Palestinian Speech Draws Rebuke from Leading Academic Nonprofit first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
The post Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Melbourne Police Investigate Wave of Antisemitic Attacks, Including Synagogue Arson
Illustrative. Vandals defaced the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia on June 22, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – A wave of antisemitic incidents across Melbourne is under urgent investigation by Victoria Police, after a synagogue was set alight, a Jewish-owned restaurant targeted by protesters, and a third attack saw multiple cars torched at a business in the city’s northeast.
The third incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. Saturday at a business on Para Road in Greensborough. Offenders set fire to three vehicles and sprayed graffiti on both the cars and a nearby building wall. One car was destroyed, and two others sustained moderate damage.
“There were references of antisemitism in the graffiti,” Dunstan confirmed, adding that the business had previously been linked to pro-Palestinian activism.
While police say no direct link between the three incidents has been established yet, they are not ruling out the possibility of coordination.
The attacks began Friday night, when a man was seen pouring a flammable liquid on the entrance of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and setting it alight around 8 p.m., while around 20 people were inside for Shabbat services. Worshipers quickly evacuated through the back, and the fire was contained to the front of the building. No injuries were reported.
Police have released an image of a suspect believed to be in his 30s, of Caucasian appearance, with a beard and long hair.
Just hours after the synagogue arson, a protest of around 70 people moved through Swanston Street before a smaller group gathered outside Miznon, a popular Jewish-owned restaurant in the CBD, chanting offensive slogans. One man was arrested and later released on summons for hindering police.
In response to the series of attacks, federal agencies including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) have joined the investigation.
“This is disgraceful behavior by a pack of cowards,” said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. “Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate. Any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism. There should be no hesitation in calling this what it is.”
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Trump Says Iran Has Not Agreed to Inspections, Give Up Enrichment
US President Donald Trump speaks at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday.
“I would say it’s set back permanently,” Trump said as he traveled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House. “I would think they’d have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.”
Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel.
The U.S. and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.
Iran’s parliament has passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg (880 pounds) enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
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