In a full section membership vote, the Middle East Section of the AAA endorsed the following Statement on Gaza on November 26, 2012:
The membership of the Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association condemns the Israeli military assault on the Palestinian population of Gaza that escalated on Nov 11, 2012. As anthropologists working in the region, we call the attention of our colleagues to the overwhelmingly unequal military and political power in this context, to the fact that Israel is an occupying power responsible for protecting the civilian population in Gaza, to the ever-growing number of Palestinian civilian casualties, and to the lack of attention in the US media to those civilian casualties. We also express our concern for the Palestinian cultural heritage of Gaza, which is directly endangered during this military assault, in violation of the 1954 Hague convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. Anthropologists have traditionally taken a stand when communities with which we work are under assault. This situation demands the same attention and response. We call on our colleagues who work in other regions to join us in condemning the attack on Gaza.
UPDATE: This statement has also been endorsed by the AAA’s Committee for Human Rights and the AAA’s Culture and Agriculture Section.