New York, New York, April 7, 2026 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and the Academic Engagement Network (AEN) expressed deep concern at developments during the recent Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), held March 17-21.
Multiple sessions organized by “Geographers for Justice in Palestine” promoted efforts to boycott Israeli academia and featured presentations that were overwhelmingly one-sided. Sessions such as “BDS and the AAG,” “Mapping and Counter-Mapping Genocide,” and “No Geographic Technology for Apartheid” raised particular concern. These sessions did not appear to encourage balanced discussion or meaningful debate, and in some cases exhibited a marked erosion of scholarly standards.
Shira Goodman, ADL Vice President of Advocacy, and Miriam F. Elman, AEN Executive Director, issued the following statement:
“Academic conferences should be spaces that foster rigorous inquiry, respectful debate, and the exchange of diverse perspectives. While critical discourse - including criticism of government policies - is a legitimate and essential component of academic life, we are concerned that these standards were not upheld at the recent AAG Annual Meeting, where some sessions lacked factual accuracy, intellectual openness, and a commitment to civil engagement.
“We are especially troubled that these issues have persisted despite concerns raised following last year’s Annual Meeting. At that time, we urged AAG leadership to review its session selection and vetting processes. The apparent lack of progress on these matters raises serious questions about the association’s commitment to maintaining academic integrity and ensuring that its convenings reflect the highest standards of scholarship and discourse.
“A continued pattern of programming that lacks civility, disregards factual complexity, and promotes exclusionary academic practices risks causing reputational harm to the association and to the broader academic community it represents, while also contributing to the marginalization and alienation of many of its Jewish members.
“We call on AAG leadership to take these concerns seriously and implement meaningful reforms to ensure that future meetings uphold the principles of academic rigor, viewpoint inclusivity, and respectful dialogue.
ADL and AEN remain committed to supporting academic environments that are open, diverse, and grounded in factual accuracy and intellectual pluralism, and we urge the AAG to uphold these same standards."
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913 to protect the Jewish people, ADL works to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. In the face of rising antisemitism and extremism, we protect, advocate, and educate, through a mix of programs and services using the latest innovations and technology, and seek to create a world without hate. More at www.adl.org.
AEN mobilizes networks of university faculty and administrators to counter antisemitism, oppose the denigration of Jewish and Zionist identities, promote academic freedom, and advance education about Israel. More at https://academicengagement.org/.