Brian Eno and 200+ Artists Urge British Museum to "Stop Erasing Palestine"

"Over 200 artists and cultural groups are urging the British Museum to "stop erasing Palestine" after the institution altered some wall texts in its Middle East Galleries in the wake of pressure from a pro-Israel group. A letter addressed to the museum's board of trustees and signed by musician and visual artist Brian Eno, among others, also criticizes the museum's previous connections to the Israeli embassy and the oil company British Petroleum (BP)."

"While the London museum has denied reports that it removed "Palestine" from its galleries, the group UK Lawyers for Israel publicly claimed that their advocacy led the institution to alter display texts. In one such instance, the group said, the museum replaced "Palestinian descent" with "Canaanite descent" in its Egypt galleries after the organization requested a review of terms related to Israel."

"The open letter, first reported by , described the alleged label change as part of a "broader erasure of Palestine as a term, a place, a people and a historical reality" and accuses the museum of complicity in genocide. Artists and Culture Workers London, Jewish Artists for Palestine, and Archaeologists Against Apartheid are among the group signatories."

More than 200 artists and cultural organizations, including musician Brian Eno, have issued an open letter to the British Museum's board of trustees protesting alleged alterations to Middle East gallery displays. The letter claims the museum changed wall texts following pressure from UK Lawyers for Israel, including replacing "Palestinian descent" with "Canaanite descent" in Egypt galleries. The signatories criticize the museum's past connections to the Israeli embassy and BP, accusing the institution of complicity in genocide through systematic erasure of Palestine as a term, place, people, and historical reality. The British Museum has denied removing "Palestine" from galleries, though the pro-Israel group publicly claimed credit for the alterations. Signatory organizations include Artists and Culture Workers London, Jewish Artists for Palestine, and Archaeologists Against Apartheid.

Read at Hyperallergic