This post was updated Dec. 28 at 8:20 p.m.

GW is one of at least 30 universities that have rejected the American Studies Association’s boycott of academic partnerships with Israeli institutions.

The ASA, one of the largest academic organizations in the country, announced the boycott last week to protest Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Since then, some universities have withdrawn their membership from the organization, while others have just rejected the boycott.

“The university has multiple academic, research and programmatic relationships with Israeli institutions and plans to continue these relationships as well as explore new ones,” the University posted on its public relations website GW Today on Friday. “We continue to believe that academic exchanges and conversations lead to better understanding between nations and people of differing views.”

Although GW’s American studies department is a member of the ASA, “we leave decisions about membership in scholarly societies to faculty members,” the University’s statement read.

Melani McAllister, chair of GW’s American studies department, did not return a request for comment.

The boycott does not deter individual professors from working with Israeli faculty or institutions, and has sparked controversy across higher education. The Association of American Universities, a prestigious group of research universities, has also opposed the boycott.