On December 6, 2017 President Trump declared that the United States recognizes occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This announcement represents a significant violation of fundamental principles of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention that protects any peoples under military occupation.
We, the undersigned faculty members at the American University of Beirut, strongly condemn President Trump’s policy statement on Jerusalem, which not only represents an egregious violation of fundamental principles of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention but, also, continues long-standing and unquestioned US support for Israel’s settler-colonial ideology and practices, including in Jerusalem. We stand in steadfast solidarity with our sisters and brothers who, in Palestine and across the world, have denounced President Trump’s intervention as reckless, illegitimate, and immoral. We call for a just solution to the question of Palestine, one that resolutely realizes the Palestinian people’s internationally-recognized rights of self-determination, of return, and all Palestinian collective and human rights wherever they may be, including in Jerusalem.
The situation is simple: Israel militarily occupied East Jerusalem in June 1967, and then illegally expanded its municipal boundaries by appropriating land from 28 West Bank villages before “annexing" it in 1980. Israel has since embarked on an aggressive state policy of Jewish colonization and a violent campaign of expulsion of its Palestinian residents to alter the city’s demographics; an imposition of apartheid practices throughout the occupied territories; and a brutal crackdown on all those who resist the “realities” of which Trump spoke. The law, to say nothing of basic morality, is also quite simple: the acquisition of Palestinian land, including Jerusalem, by force is expressly prohibited and universally condemned. As is richly documented and internationally recognized, both the UN General Assembly and Security Council have, over the past five decades, repeatedly declared Israel’s unilateral policies in Jerusalem illegal, and consider the measures Israel has undertaken to alter Jerusalem’s character and status null and void.
Putting President Trump’s pronouncement in the larger context of US policy, we see that it is merely another manifestation of the US’s long-lasting commitment to settler-colonialism and the belief that “might makes right.” It does not. It is also a candid reminder of how US interventions in the Arab region continually fail to consider the rights and aspirations of local Arab populations. Therefore, as scholars and academics in and of the region, we affirm that the "reality" of Jerusalem evoked by Trump is wholly biased, willfully ignorant, and dangerously self-deceptive.
Signatures (alphabetical order):
1. Hassan Abbas, Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship
2. Reem Abdallah, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
3. Abdel-Fattah Abdel-Rahman, Department of Geology
4. Sawsan Abdulrahim, Department of Health Promotion and Community Health
5. Mohamad G. Abiad, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences
6. Nour Alayan, Hariri School of Nursing
7. Mahmoud Al-Batal, Department of Arabic & Near East Languages
8. Anaheed Al-Hardan, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
9. Howayda Al-Harithy, Department of Architecture and Design
10. Mahmoud Al-Hindi, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
11. Anies Al-Hroub, Department of Education
12. Aghiad Al-Kutoubi, Department of Diagnostic Radiology
13. Nadia Bou Ali, Department of Civilization Studies Program
14. Elie Akl, Department of Internal Medicine
15. Tariq Mehmood Ali, Department of English
16. George Araj, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
17. Victor Araman, Olayan School of Business
18. Thalia Arawi, Department of Internal Medicine
19. Sahar Assaf, Department of Fine Arts and Art History
20. Mia Malda Mohamad Atoui, Department of Psychology
21. George Ayoub, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
22. May Awaida, Department of Psychology
23. Ghassan Awar, Department of Internal Medicine
24. Marco Bardus, Department of Health Promotion and Community Health
25. Munir Bashshur, Department of Education
26. Bana Bashour, Department of Philosophy
27. Julien Besle, Department of Psychology
28. Rana A. Bilbeisi, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
29. Ray Brassier, Department of Philosophy
30. Tania Bosqui, Department of Psychology
31. Kamal Bouhadir, Department of Chemistry
32. Hayat Bualuan, Department of Civilization Studies Program
33. Greg Burris, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Media Studies
34. Josh Carney, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
35. Jad Chaaban, Department of Agriculture
36. Lama Charafeddine, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
37. Ali Chalak, Department of Agriculture
38. Mona Chebaro, Department of Psychiatry
39. Ali Chehab, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
40. Nadim Cortas, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
41. David Currell, Department of English
42. Samira Istfan Dabbous, Department of Education
43. Mayssa Dabaghi, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
44. Nabil Dajani, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
45. Salma Samar Damluji, Department of Architecture and Design
46. Nadine Darwish, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
47. Zaher Dawy, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
48. Jocelyn DeJong, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health
49. Omar Dewachi, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health
50. Riad Dimechkie, Olayan School of Business
51. Joanna Doummar, Department of Geology
52. Beata Dreksler, Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management
53. Mounib Eid, Department of Physics
54. Martine El Bejjani, Department of Internal Medicine
55. Nader El-Bizri, Civilization Studies Program, and Department of Philosophy.
56. Said Elfakhani, Olayan School of Business
57. Imad Elhajj, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
58. Dima El-Halabi, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences
59. Wassim El Hajj, Department of Computer Science
60. Karma El Hassan, Department of Education
61. Tima El Jamil, Department of Psychology
62. Fadi El-Jardali, Department of Health Management and Policy
63. Hounaida El Jurdi, Olayan School of Business
64. Faysal El Kak, Department of Health Promotion and Community Health
65. Sabine El Khoury, Department of Mathematics 66. Houssam El-Rassy, Department of Chemistry
67. Ahmed El-Yazbi, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
68. Farah El Zein, Department of Education
69. Octavian Esanu, Department of Fine Arts and Art History
70. May Farah, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
71. Laila Farhood, Hariri School of Nursing
72. Mohamad Talal Farran, Department of Agriculture
73. Mona Fawaz, Department of Architecture and Design
74. Carmen Geha, Department of Political Studies and Public Administration
75. Lina Ghaibeh, Department of Architecture and Design
76. Nesreen Ghaddar, Department of Mechanical Engineering
77. Nada Ghandour-Demiri, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
78. Ahmad Gharbieh, Department of Architecture and Design
79. Hala Ghattas, Center for Research on Population and Health
80. Kassem Ghorayeb, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
81. Mazen Ghoul, Department of Chemistry
82. Dahlia Gubara, Civilization Studies Program
83. Rima Habib, Department of Environmental Health
84. Rana Haddad, Department of Architecture and Design
85. Mustapha Haidar, Department of Agriculture
86. Ali Hajj, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
87. Lara Halaoui, Department of Chemistry
88. Ghassan Hamadeh, Department of Family Medicine
89. Lama Hamandi, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
90. Rola Hamam, Department of Ophthalmology
91. Joseph Hammond, Department of Fine Arts and Art History
92. Sari Hanafi, Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Media Studies
93. Charles Harb, Department of Psychology
94. Mohammad Harb, Department of Mechanical Engineering
95. Mona Harb, Department of Architecture and Design
96. Sirene Harb, Department of English
97. Angela Harutyunyan, Department of Fine Arts and Art History
98. Najah Hawwa, Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Languages
99. Bashshar Haydar, Department of Philosophy 100. Alaa Hijazi, Department of psychology
101. Coralie Pison Hindawi, Department of Political Studies and Public Administration
102. Khalil Hindi, Olayan School of Business
103. Evelyn Hitti, Department of Emergency Medecine
104. David A. Hoffman, Department of Psychology
105. Ernst Huijer, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
106. Zahra Hussain, Department of Psychology
107. Ruba Ismail, Faculty of Health Sciences
108. Hadi Jaafar, Department of Agriculture
109. Diana Jaalouk, Department of Biology
110. Maher Jarrar, Civilization Studies Program
111. Ryan Johnson, Department of English
112. Humam Kadara, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
113. Ghassan Kanazi, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management
114. Charlotte Karam, Olayan School of Business
115. Dima Karam, Children’s Cancer Institute
116. Rima Karami, Department of Education
117. Ayman Kayssi, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
118. Tarif Khalidi, Center for Arab & Middle Eastern Studies
119. Vivian Khamis, Department of Education
120. Hiba Khodor, Department of Political Studies and Public Administration
121. Rami Khouri, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
122. Khouzama Knio, Department of Biology
123. Firas Kobaissy, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
124. Nikolas Kosmatopoulos, Department of Political Studies and Public Administration
125. Sahar Koubar, Department of Internal Medicine
126. Patrick McGreevy, Department of History and Archeology
127. Mounir Mabsout, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
128. Rima Majed, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
129. Karim Makdisi, Department of Political Studies and Public Administration
130. Samir Makdisi, Institute of Financial Economics
131. Jihad Makhoul, Department of Health Promotion and Community Health
132. Giuliano Martiniello, Rural Community Development
133. Kathryn Maude, Department of English
134. Nada Melhem, Medical Laboratory Sciences
135. John Meloy, Department of History and Archaeology
136. Jad Merhi, Department of Public Health Practice
137. Rami Mhanna, Biomedical Engineering Program
138. Sara Mourad, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
139. Hans Muller, Department of Philosophy
140. Mona Nabulsi, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
141. Mona Nasrallah, Department of Internal Medicine
142. Lara Nasreddine, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences
143. Nabil Nassif, Department of Mathematics
144. Waddah Nasr, Department of Philosophy
145. Georges Nemer, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
146. Paul Newson, Department of History and Archaeology
147. Jennifer Nish, Department of English
148. Samar Noureddine, Hariri School of Nursing
149. Heather M. O’Brien, Department of Fine Arts and Art History
150. Sylvain Perdigon, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
151. Danyel Reiche, Department of Political Studies and Public Administration
152. Roland Riachi, Department of Political Studies and Public Administration
153. Reem Saab, Department of Psychology
154. George Saad, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
155. Rayana Saad, Department of Education
156. Riyad Sadek, Department of Biology
157. Salah Sadek, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
158. Walid Sadek, Department of Fine Arts and Art History
159. Helen Sader, Department of History and Archeology
160. Aliya Saidi, Center of Arab and Middle Eastern Studies
161. Mohamed Salah, Department of Geology
162. Elizabeth Saleh, Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship
163. Najat Saliba, Department of Chemistry
164. Robert Saliba, Department of Architecture and Design
165. Ibrahim Salti, Department of Internal Medicine
166. Nisreen Salti, Department of Economics
167. Diana Sarieddine-Department of Education
168. Nadya Sbaiti, Center of Arab and Middle Eastern Studies
169. Kirsten Scheid, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies
170. Helga Seeden, Department of History & Archaeology
171. Ken E. Seigneurie, Edward Said Chair in American Studies
172. Yasser Shaib, Department of Internal Medicine
173. Wael Shamseddeen, Department of Psychiatry
174. Elie Shammas, Department of Mechanical Engineering
175. Peter Shebaya, Department of Civilization Studies Program
176. Mutasem Shehadeh, Department of Mechanical Engineering
177. Rabih Sultan, Department of Chemistry & Economics
178. Rabih Talhouk, Department of Biology
179. Tariq Tell, Department of Political Studies and Public Administration
180. Arafat Tfayli, Department of Internal Medicine
181. Hala Tfayli, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
182. Jihad Touma, Department of Physics
183. Angelos Tsoukalas, Olayan School of Business
184. George Turkiyyah, Department of Computer Science
185. Karam Wahab, Department of Philosophy
186. Adam John Waterman, Department of English
187. Alexis Norman Wick, Department of History
188. Nuhad Yazbik-Dumit, Hariri School of Nursing
189. Aram Yeretzian, Department of Architecture and Design
190. Bassem Youssef, Radiation Oncology
191. Fadi Zaraket, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
192. Salah Zeineldine, Department of Internal Medicine
193. Amy Zenger, Department of English
194. Huda Zurayk, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health
195. Rami Zurayk, Department of Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management