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Is there a reason I should care what the teachers union in Los Angeles thinks about Israel and the Palestinians?
That was my reaction the other day when teachers at area meetings of United Teachers Los Angeles passed a resolution condemning the recent Israeli bombing of Gaza. The resolution also called for an end to the displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. And it called on President Biden to cut off U.S. aid to Israel. The union’s top leadership is now expected to vote on the resolution at its September meeting.
Los Angeles teachers union to vote on resolution endorsing BDS movement
It is the second-largest teachers union in the nation.
UTLA march in Los Angeles. Credit: John Doukas/Shutterstock.
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(June 9, 2021 / JNS) The leadership of the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) is scheduled to vote in September on a proposed resolution that urges the U.S. government to end aid to Israel and endorses the BDS movement “against apartheid in Israel,” reported
“As public-school educators in the United States, we have a special responsibility to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people because of the $3.8 billion annually that the U.S. government gives to Israel, thus directly using our tax dollars to fund apartheid and war crimes,” the resolution said.
When UTLA Educators Decided to Go After a Foreign Country, Guess Which One They Picked?
One can’t help but wonder why, given the myriad challenges facing public school education in Los Angeles, the teachers’ union is spending social capital and time addressing international issues that are far beyond its purview or expertise.
My father is a retired surgeon. Whenever he would hear about a fellow doctor opening a restaurant or other non health-care related business, he’d offer up these words of caution: “Son,” he’d tell me, “it’s important in life to ‘stay in your lane,’ to focus on your area of expertise and experience.”