Cultural Boycott of Israel by Ruth Tenne

August 9, 2009 (Pal Telegraph)- Boycott in all its forms - be it arms embargo, economic and trade sanctions , financial divestment, and academic and cultural bans and protests - is a nonviolent act of resistance by the Palestinian civil society and its supporters It intends to serve as a wake -up call for the international community, says Ruth Tenne.*



The challenge ahead



The anticipated guidelines for international cultural boycott of the State of Israel have been issued recently (20 July 2009) by the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). The guidelines spell out clearly the different criteria to be applied for exercising a cultural boycott, stating "The general principle is that an event or project carried out under the sponsorship/aegis of or in affiliation with an official Israeli body constitutes complicity and therefore is deserving of boycott." This may pose a great challenge for peace campaigners who are committed to face up to the powerful pro-Israel lobby which intends to defeat any attempt of protest against Israel's occupation and dominance over the Palestinian land and people.

Such a challenge has recently came about when, in an unprecedented action , University College London apologized to the Zionist Federation for cancelling a celebration for Israel Independence day at the Bloomsbury Theatre in April this year . (re Jewish chronicle 14 July- http://www.thejc.com/articles/university-apologises-zf-cancelled-event). The Bloomsbury Theatre, which is owned by UCL, had decided earlier to cancel the scheduled event (28 April) since the central performance was to be performed by an IDF band whose members were featured in the ZF's ad in military uniform.

As an Israeli peace activist, I was one of the hundreds of people and groups who requested the Bloomsbury Theatre to cancel the IDF performances (advertised as a family event). I challenged the Bloomsbury Theatre's early decision to host the event, saying that "I fail to understand how a university theatre (UCL) which claims to be "a core community resource" and aims to "enrich teaching and learning", with "commitment to focusing on a diverse education programme", is prepared to host an entertaining band of an army which only few months ago mounted a brutal onslaught on the defenceless 1.5 million residents of Gaza, killing more than 1300 people(400 of them are young people and children), and destroying homes, hospitals, schools universities, mosques ,community centres and medical facilities - leaving thousands of people desolate and desperate". The letter was ended by arguing that Bloomsbury Theatre's decision to host an IDF band will have some severe implications for the Theatre's position in the community and for its patron -University College of London