Here is a preview of an Emergency Resolution on Iran and Gaza which I am bringing forward at the American Library Association conference in Philadelphia this weekend, in the
Social Responsibilities Round Table meeting .
If you are a member of ALA and/or SRRT, I would appreciate your support.
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Emergency Resolution: Opposing War on Iran and U.S. Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza
Submitted to: SRRT Action Council /Membership
Submitted by: Mark C. Rosenzweig, Member, SRRT Action Counci (to be seconded from the floor)
Emergency Resolution: Opposing War on Iran and U.S. Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza
Whereas, the American Library Association (ALA) has long upheld the values of human rights, social responsibility, peace, and the defense of intellectual freedom, as affirmed in the Library Bill of Rights and the Code of Ethics of the ALA; and
Whereas, librarianship is a profession rooted in the defense of life, memory, cultural heritage, and access to knowledge, all of which are threatened in conditions of war, occupation, and large-scale atrocity; and
Whereas, since October 2023, the State of Israel has conducted a sustained military assault on the people of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 56,000 Palestinians, the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure including schools, libraries, universities, hospitals, and residential areas, and the deliberate use of starvation and displacement as weapons of war; and
Whereas, these acts have been condemned by international legal bodies and human rights organizations as constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity, and have raised serious concern under the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court; and
Whereas, the United States government provides direct financial, military, and diplomatic support to Israel's actions, making it complicit in this campaign of annihilation; and
Whereas, the United States has recently supported or carried out attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and continues to escalate tensions with Iran, increasing the likelihood of a broader war in the Middle East that will result in immense civilian suffering and the further destruction of culture and life; and
Whereas, professional organizations including the American Anthropological Association, Middle East Studies Association, and numerous faculty unions and academic bodies have issued formal declarations opposing the atrocities in Gaza and calling for an end to U.S. complicity; and
Whereas, silence and neutrality in the face of mass atrocity and aggressive war are forms of complicity that undermine the ethical commitments of our profession;
Therefore, be it resolved that:
• The Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of the ALA declares its unequivocal opposition to the United States' continued military and diplomatic support for the State of Israel's war on Gaza, and recognizes these actions as part of an ongoing campaign of exterminationist violence and forced displacement.
• SRRT calls upon the ALA to adopt an official position opposing the ongoing mass destruction in Gaza and to advocate for an immediate end to U.S. military funding and support to the State of Israel.
• SRRT condemns the escalation toward war with Iran and calls on the U.S. government to pursue diplomacy, not war, in resolving regional tensions.
• SRRT calls upon all divisions, round tables, state associations, and member bodies of the ALA to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Iran, and to reject the use of war, collective punishment, and the erasure of entire communities as instruments of foreign policy.
• SRRT urges librarians across the country to educate, organize, and speak out within their institutions and communities in defense of life, dignity, and international solidarity, and against silence in the face of atrocity.