{"id":313720,"date":"2026-03-02T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=313720"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:42:23","slug":"apas-council-meeting-human-rights-win-fear-loses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/03\/apas-council-meeting-human-rights-win-fear-loses\/","title":{"rendered":"APA\u2019s Council Meeting: Human Rights Win, Fear Loses"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong>Note: This opinion piece reflects my own personal views and not those of any group with which I am affiliated.\u00a0I was not present at the meeting I describe below.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

27 Feb 2026 – <\/em>Last weekend, the 180-member governing Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association held its annual midwinter meeting in Washington, DC. In a series of crucial votes, human rights were pitted against fear. Defying the odds, human rights remarkably won out every time. Ultimately, Council approved both a game-changing\u00a0resolution<\/a>\u00a0on antisemitism and a\u00a0statement<\/a>\u00a0reaffirming APA\u2019s commitment to human rights and freedom of expression.<\/p>\n

What transpired is a timely reminder that principled and dedicated organizing and coalition building, along with courage and persistence under fire, can carry the day. Perhaps it wasn\u2019t quite David versus Goliath. But on one side was a risk-averse and fear-driven group of powerful APA Board members and executive staff, joined by influential supporters of various Israel advocacy organizations. On the other side was a diverse assortment of much smaller voices \u2014 but together they formed a compelling chorus, crying out for the APA to\u00a0finally oppose<\/a>\u00a0the\u00a0weaponization\u00a0of antisemitism as the Palestinian people face an\u00a0ongoing<\/a>\u00a0genocidal<\/a>\u00a0assault<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The new antisemitism resolution \u2014 which was endorsed by fully 75% of Council members \u2014 updates and replaces the APA\u2019s corresponding\u00a02007\u00a0resolution<\/a>.\u00a0This 2026 version, now APA\u2019s official policy, includes language emphasizing that antisemitism is about the treatment of Jews\u00a0as Jews<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 and is\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>about criticism of Israel:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Multiple contemporary definitions of antisemitism all share the recognition that antisemitism involves hostility, prejudice, discrimination, harassment, hatred, or violence against Jews as\u00a0<\/em>Jews.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This new resolution also directly acknowledges the false claims of antisemitism from defenders of Israel and the harm that they cause:<\/p>\n

\u00a0The weaponization of antisemitism \u2014 the manipulative or bad faith invocation of accusations to silence legitimate criticism, scholarship, or activism \u2014 creates significant adverse consequences for Jews and non-Jews who oppose the state of Israel\u2019s actions and support Palestinian rights.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In addition, the APA\u2019s new resolution on antisemitism removes these two deeply problematic sentences that were part of the earlier 2007 version:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Anti-Semitism may be asserted in the context of discourse regarding the actions of the Government of Israel, thus further disguising the anti-Semitic nature of the discourse.<\/p>\n

The link between extreme anti-Israel rhetoric and deeds directed against Jewish individuals and communities has become an observable global trend and has at times unleashed demonization and dehumanization of Jews.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Finally, the APA\u2019s 2026 Resolution on Antisemitism is also entirely free of any citation of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). This represents a significant step away from relying on that Israel advocacy organization\u2019s discredited \u201cstatistics,\u201d which count anti-genocide protests as antisemitic.\u00a0At the same time, the resolution highlights the critical importance of actively\u00a0combatting the very serious threat posed by real antisemitism.<\/em><\/p>\n

In its original form, this new antisemitism resolution included the following text which, presumably due to push-back on the Council floor, does\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0appear in the final version:<\/p>\n

Scholars in the fields of Holocaust history, Jewish studies, and Middle East studies have emphasized that the following do\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>constitute antisemitic acts: support for Palestinian demands consistent with international law; support for full equality for everyone in Israel\/Palestine; evidence-based criticism of Israel\u2019s institutions, founding principles, practices, policies, and actions; and non-violent forms of political protest.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This omission is disappointing and frustrating, especially because full equality for Palestinians in Israel\/Palestine is so important \u2014 and so far from becoming a reality today. But I find some measure of consolation in knowing that APA\u2019s new policies no longer give any suggestion that calls for equality \u2014 including through support for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions tied to Israel \u2014 are antisemitic.<\/p>\n

Turning to the statement on reaffirming the APA\u2019s commitment to human rights and freedom of expression, it was endorsed by a stunning 95% of Council. The statement includes this key section:<\/p>\n

APA rejects\u2026the claim that criticism of any government\u2019s policies or actions is intrinsically\u00a0racist, xenophobic, antisemitic, transphobic, anti-Muslim, misogynistic, ableist, or prejudiced\u2026We thereforeoppose efforts aimed at silencing or punishing non-violent\u00a0advocacy directed towards safeguarding human life and\u00a0upholding human dignity and human rights. We call\u00a0for APA to\u00a0safeguard psychologists\u2019\u00a0rights to engage in non-violent political speech without professional retaliation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This section does more than reinforce the legitimacy of criticizing Israel and raising concerns about the profound suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people. It also directs the APA to actively support, protect, and defend the rights of those within our community who choose to speak out against these horrors. Hopefully, this is a step toward the APA more fully recognizing and addressing Palestinian and SWANA pain and trauma.[1]<\/sup><\/p>\n

Significant hurdles had to be overcome during the Council meeting to achieve these historic outcomes. Indeed, as noted above, certain significant text passages were regrettably revised or removed as part of the process of debate and deliberation. But consider that\u00a0APA\u2019s Board of Directors tried to postpone \u2014 at least for months, and perhaps\u00a0forever\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 any consideration by Council of this new antisemitism resolution. The Board instead wanted the proposed resolution to be reviewed \u2014 and perhaps dramatically reshaped or even discarded \u2014 by the \u201cCollaborative of Jewish Psychologists\u201d (CJP), a group that they themselves had recently created.<\/p>\n

The CJP was supposed to be\u00a0\u201ca diversity of voices representing the breadth of Jewish identity,\u201d\u00a0selected through a\u00a0\u201ctransparent and inclusive\u201d\u00a0process.\u00a0But that did not happen<\/em>. For example, it\u00a0appears that three-quarters of CJP appointees have either condemned criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights as antisemitic or are active in groups whose leaders have done so. In fact, almost half of CJP\u2019s members belong to an\u00a0organization<\/a>\u00a0that criticized the APA for opposing the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians and spoke against a 2024 APA resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. In addition, before the CJP was even formed, a half-dozen members who were appointed to the group were already on record as having attacked the original text of the new antisemitism resolution as \u201cantisemitic.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an\u00a0essay<\/a>\u00a0I wrote last month expressing my serious concerns about the CJP, I included a link to a document on the APA\u2019s own website that listed the names of the CJP\u2019s twenty members. My doing so was apparently met with outrage from some CJP members, who evidently believed that the group was entitled to anonymity \u2014 for their own safety. APA quickly obliged by removing all information about them. Nevertheless, APA\u2019s Board of Directors continued to insist that Council members should completely defer to the CJP and give that group sole responsibility for evaluating the antisemitism resolution \u2014 without Council even knowing the names of these individuals! Thankfully, Council rejected this plan and then proceeded to adopt the 2026 Resolution on Antisemitism.<\/p>\n

In similar ways, the statement reaffirming APA\u2019s commitment to human rights and freedom of expression almost never reached the Council for consideration. Ironically, APA senior staff had argued that the statement could\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0be adopted because it purportedly would contradict APA\u2019s 2007 antisemitism resolution in place at the time. But by overwhelming numbers, Council members insisted that it be added to the agenda anyway. And by the time the statement was brought forward and approved by Council, that 2007 resolution had already been archived and replaced by the new antisemitism resolution.<\/p>\n

I think it’s important to highlight the political context in which APA\u2019s Council of Representatives held their recent meeting, just blocks from Capitol Hill. Since late last year, the APA has been under\u00a0investigation<\/a>\u00a0by the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce, for alleged rampant antisemitism. Not surprisingly, these unwarranted accusations came from zealous Israel defenders within the psychology community, and they were amplified by Israel advocacy groups like the ADL. APA\u2019s leadership was seemingly very quick to accommodate the Committee\u2019s request for all documents, listserv posts, and other materials \u201cfrom October 7, 2023 to the present\u00a0referring or relating to \u2018antisemitism,\u2019 \u2018Jews,\u2019 \u2018Judaism,\u2019 \u2018Israel,\u2019 \u2018Israeli,\u2019 \u2018Palestine,\u2019 or \u2018Palestinian.\u2019\u201d Whether or not names were redacted from those documents is information the APA has chosen not to share in its member\u00a0updates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0anticipatory obedience<\/a>\u00a0is disturbing in its own right. But even more so when one considers the dim prospect of somehow satisfying the Trump Administration\u2019s appetite for vengeance without abandoning APA\u2019s mission to \u201cbenefit society and improve lives.\u201d Consider who is overseeing the current investigation. House\u00a0Committee chair Tim Walberg (R-MI), a religious-right zealot, told his constituents,\u00a0\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid\u201d for\u00a0Gaza and \u201cIt should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick.\u201d Virginia Foxx (R-NC) has equated criticism of Israel with antisemitism based on her paraphrased biblical injunction,\u00a0\u201cIf you bless the Jewish people, you will be blessed. If you curse the Jewish people, you will be cursed.\u201d Elise Stefanik (R-NY) affirmed her belief that\u00a0\u201cIsrael has a biblical right to the entire West Bank\u201d\u00a0during her confirmation hearing for the position of ambassador to the United Nations.\u00a0Mark Harris (R-NC), a former evangelical pastor, has claimed that Islam is \u201cdangerous\u201d and \u201ccounterfeit,\u201d and that peace in the Middle East will require Muslims and Jews to convert to Christianity. Mary Miller (R-IL) quoted Adolph Hitler approvingly in a speech at a rally in Washington, DC, the day before Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.\u00a0And Randy Fine (R-FL) is on record with these comments:\u00a0\u201c\u2018Palestinian\u2019 is just another word for demon\u201d and Palestinians in desperate need of humanitarian aid should just \u201cstarve away.\u201d<\/p>\n

To conclude, through their historic votes, APA Council members lifted their commitments to ethics and human rights beyond the reach of those pushing instead for expediency, compliance, and the preservation of a misguided and destructive status quo. These members of Council were undoubtedly heartened and fortified by the many impassioned messages of support from colleagues who\u2019ve witnessed and experienced first-hand the brunt of APA\u2019s past failures to meet the moment when difficult choices must be made. But this progress is fragile, because angry and disingenuous attacks from groups that oppose APA\u2019s new policies on antisemitism, human rights, and freedom of expression seem almost inevitable. And this means we must \u2014 collectively and in broad and broadening coalition \u2014continue to defend these fundamental principles and those who advocate for them.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/sup>\u00a0SWANA is\u00a0a decolonial and geographical term that represents the various communities located in Southwest Asia and North Africa<\/em>.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Roy Eidelson is a member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network<\/em><\/a> and was a member of the American Psychological Association for over 25 years, prior to his resignation. He is a clinical psychologist and the president of <\/em>Eidelson Consulting<\/em><\/a>, where he studies, writes about, and consults on the role of psychological issues in political, organizational, and group conflict settings. He is a past president of <\/em>Psychologists for Social Responsibility<\/em><\/a>, former executive director of the University of Pennsylvania\u2019s Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, and a member of the <\/em>Coalition for an Ethical Psychology<\/em><\/a>. Roy is the author of <\/em>Political Mind Games: How the 1% Manipulate Our Understanding of What\u2019s Happening, What\u2019s Right, and What\u2019s Possible<\/a> and can be reached at <\/em>reidelson@eidelsonconsulting.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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