The American Anthropological Association (AAA) has passed a resolution to support BDS by a vote of 1,040 to 136. An official decision to take action and boycott Israeli academic institutions will take place in 2016.

This makes the AAA the largest US academic organization to support boycotting Israel. BDS supporters say that they have been pushing for the decision for three years.

The resolution would forbid the AAA from having “formal collaborations or other relationships with Israeli academic institutions,” including preventing Israeli institutions from accessing the AAA’s database.

The Forward has pointed out that there are no collaborations between the association and Israeli institutions.

Supports claim that individual Israelis will not be affected, though: “Israeli scholars will still be welcome to participate in AAA meetings, use funds from their institutions to attend the meetings, publish in AAA journals and take part in other AAA activities in their individual capacities. The boycott does not preclude communication and collaboration with individual Israeli scholars.”

The AAA has released a statement, reading: “The resolution enjoins the AAA not to enter into any formal collaboration with Israeli academic institutions. Individual Israeli scholars may continue to participate in AAA conferences and publications, and individual members will remain free to determine for themselves whether and how to apply the boycott in their own professional practice.”

Similar motions have previously been accepted, often with overwhelming support, by the American Studies Association, and the Asian American Studies Association.