WASHINGTON — Today the Board of Directors of the National Education Association renewed NEA’s original call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas when it adopted a call to action that underscored the need for the release of the hostages abducted by Hamas from Israel on October 7, immediate and full humanitarian aid to affected people of Gaza, among other actions. This call to action is grounded in the policies our members have developed and approved at various annual meetings and reflects the organization’s fervent hope for peace.
Following the heinous October 7 attack by Hamas against Israelis, NEA and its more than 3 million members have been raising awareness about the dangerous rise in anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim bigotry and violence in the U.S. and around the world, as well as calling for an end to violence against innocent civilians and the return of hostages who have been ripped from their families and communities. This call to action furthers NEA’s work by broadening our activism to have partners and Congress join us and the growing chorus of voices calling for a peaceful end to the conflict.
“All people, no matter their religion, the language they speak, or their place of birth, have a fundamental right to live free of violence and war,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “As educators, we believe strongly in our professional and moral responsibility to teach and model inclusion and respect for differences, and we must speak out against injustices and violence towards innocent people, especially children. Many educators feel a deep connection to the children in Israel and Palestine. We know that our children are watching, hurting, and in need of a lasting peace.
The call to action reads as follows:
The Board of Directors of the National Education Association reaffirms NEA’s calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the release of hostages, as well as immediate and full humanitarian aid to Gaza. Further, we believe NEA must expand its efforts to influence U.S. officials and international leaders to join us in our call by convening and working with other U.S. international labor leaders, as well as civil rights, faith and progressive organizations, and Jewish and Arab leaders, to draw upon our greater collective power and help influence an end to this conflict and humanitarian crisis. NEA shall encourage members to take action at NEA’s Action Center to lobby elected officials in Congress and advocate our support for a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, provide increased U.S. and international aid that effectively meets the scale of the humanitarian crisis for those in Gaza and those displaced from Gaza as a result of this war, a release of Israeli, American, and other hostages, and diplomacy measures that support a two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians can each have safe places to call home. Finally, NEA shall also continue to work with and through Education International as we advocate for short and long-range solutions that could bring lasting peace, secure homelands, and quality education to the children of Palestine and Israel.
More information and resources can be found at www.nea.org/international
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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.
