(July 20, 2026 \/ JNS)\n <\/p>\n
Delegates at the American Federation of Teachers\u2019 89th national convention approved resolutions on July 17 opposing U.S. and Israeli military operations in Iran and Lebanon, while also adopting a measure that blames Israel for a salary crisis affecting teachers in Palestinian-controlled areas.<\/p>\n
The union, led by Randi Weingarten, who was re-elected to a 10th two-year term during the convention, adopted the measures as part of its 2026 policy resolutions.<\/p>\n
One resolution<\/a> calls for \u201can immediate end to the war with Iran,\u201d urging the United States and Israel to cease military operations against the Islamic Republic and its blockade of Iranian ports, while calling on Tehran to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. It further states that any negotiated settlement must include verifiable guarantees that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n The same measure also demands \u201can end to Israel\u2019s bombing and invasion of Lebanon, and to the forced evacuation of Shia Muslims from southern Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n Delegates also approved a separate resolution<\/a> asserting that Israel\u2019s withholding of tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority has disrupted public-sector salaries, including those of teachers in Palestinian-controlled territories. It also accuses Israel of violating the International Labour Organization\u2019s mandate on wage protection.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Palestinian territories, because of Israel\u2019s withholding of tax revenues, public sector workers, including teachers, receive only a portion of their salaries, leading to major disruptions affecting more than 50,000 teachers and hundreds of thousands of students,\u201d the resolution states.<\/p>\n The measure calls on Education International, a global federation representing education unions, to submit a 2025 report<\/a> titled \u201cTeacher Compensation in Crisis Contexts: Challenges in the Occupied Palestinian Territories\u201d to the International Labour Organization. According to the report, the salary crisis stems from \u201cIsraeli occupation policies,\u201d as well as the Palestinian economy\u2019s dependence on foreign aid, an increase in the number of teachers, and the Palestinian Authority\u2019s broader economic and political challenges.<\/p>\n The AFT, which represents about 1.9 million members, frequently takes positions on domestic and international political issues in addition to education and labor policy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe teachers union is a political organization that has nothing to do with education,\u201d Corey DeAngelis, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and author of The Parent Revolution, stated<\/a> that 99.89% of the AFT\u2019s campaign contributions in the 2024 election cycle went to Democratic candidates.<\/p>\n