The British Museum has removed the word \u2018Palestine\u2019 and\n\u2018Palestinians\u2019 from its exhibition materials after persistent pressure\nfrom pro-Israel activists. Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot\nreacted strongly, warning that \u2018erasing history is the first step\ntowards erasing the future\u2019.<\/p>\n
According to Middle East Eye, the museum also removed the term\n\u2018Israeli occupation\u2019 from its materials. The move is believed to be a\ndirect response to months of lobbying by pro-Israel activists and\nsupporters throughout 2024. The report emerged after The Telegraph\nearlier this year detailed how UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), a\npro-Israel campaign group, had successfully lobbied for the removal of\nthe word \u2018Palestine\u2019 from the museum\u2019s displays.<\/p>\n
The British Museum has denied the accusations, although it previously\nclaimed it had conducted \u2018visitor testing\u2019 which showed the term\n\u2018Palestine\u2019 was \u2018no longer meaningful\u2019. However, a Middle East Eye\ninvestigation confirmed that no such testing or visitor research\nregarding the term \u2018Palestine\u2019 was ever conducted by the museum. The\nmuseum\u2019s varied and contradictory responses appear to obscure the true\nscope of the changes made.<\/p>\n
In fact, according to MEE, the changes to exhibition materials\ncovering a historical period of more than 2,000 years were made\nfollowing complaints, both private and public, from various prominent\npro-Israel organisations and figures between October and December 2024.\nThis was revealed through internal museum emails, which MEE analysed by\ncross-referencing two heavily redacted sets of internal correspondence\nwith online complaints to identify the activists and public figures who\nlobbied the museum. Those who lodged complaints included a former Daily\nMail editor, a prominent historian, and the Board of Deputies of British\nJews, a pro-Israel Jewish community organisation that recently partnered\nwith the British Museum for a Jewish Culture Month commemoration event.\nThe complaints were made, and the changes agreed by the museum, over a\nperiod of 14 months before the widely publicised intervention by UKLFI\nearlier this year.<\/p>\n
The British Museum told MEE that the assumption it had removed the\nword \u2018Palestine\u2019 from its materials was \u2018entirely untrue\u2019. However, the\nmuseum declined to provide substantive answers regarding MEE\u2019s latest\nfindings or to respond to detailed statements submitted. It also\nreferred back to a press statement released last February. \u2018There are\nreports stating that the British Museum has removed the term Palestine\nfrom exhibition materials. That is entirely untrue. We continue to use\nthe term Palestine in a number of galleries, displaying both\ncontemporary and historical collections,\u2019 a British Museum spokesperson\ntold MEE.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Zomlot condemned the British Museum, calling the removal\nof references to Palestine a matter \u2018very crucial to our existence\u2019. He\ndeemed the museum\u2019s denials \u2018untenable\u2019. \u2018I can no longer give the\nbenefit of the doubt after we conducted our own investigation and found\nthe removal of references to Palestine, both ancient and modern, despite\nofficial recognition from the British government,\u2019 he said. \u2018Erasing\nhistory is the first step to erasing the future. This concerns our\nexistence, especially in light of the ongoing genocide,\u2019 Zomlot warned.\nHe has written to the museum and the British government demanding the\nremoval be reversed. \u2018By erasing the mention of Palestinian history, the\nBritish Museum betrays its commitment to history and allows itself to be\nexploited for political purposes,\u2019 he stressed.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/british-museum-removes-palestine-after-pro-israel-activist-pressure-1783068821", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }