The British Museum is facing internal backlash after permitting the Israeli Embassy in London to host a celebratory event on its premises commemorating the 77th anniversary of Israel’s founding, according to The Art Newspaper.
Several staff members, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed anger over the museum’s decision and have circulated an internal petition addressed to Director Nicholas Cullinan and the board of trustees. The petition, which has reportedly garnered 250 signatures, urges the institution to sever ties with Israeli cultural organizations.
Signatories voiced concern that the perceived political alignment could jeopardize the museum’s collaborative efforts with international institutions. Some staff argued that the event violated the museum’s official stance of impartiality.
In a statement to ARTnews, a museum spokesperson clarified that the gathering was a private, commercial rental and not an initiative of the institution itself. “All decisions about commercial events are taken on a non-political basis and the Museum, as an arm’s-length body, cannot deviate from or undermine the UK government’s foreign policy,” the spokesperson said. The museum also acknowledged the strong emotions the event provoked, adding, “We can all agree that the loss of life on all sides is desperately sad.”
The event was held on May 13 and featured a number of high-profile figures, including Tzipi Hotovely, Israeli Ambassador to the UK; Angela Eagle, UK Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry; Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch; Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage; and comedian Jimmy Carr, who hosted the event.
According to Middle East Eye, which reported on the gathering days later, the event had not been publicly advertised, and staff were instructed to vacate the premises early.
In her speech, Minister Eagle highlighted the UK’s support for Israel, referencing the Royal Air Force’s surveillance flights in the Eastern Mediterranean and interception of missiles during Iran’s recent coordinated attack. “It’s been hard over the last couple of years to see Israel going through some of the most difficult times in its history,” she said.
The timing of the celebration coincided with Nakba Day, observed by many Palestinians as a day of mourning to mark the displacement of around 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The juxtaposition added to the controversy, drawing protests from both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups, including Energy Embargo for Palestine, Stop the Hate, and Our Fight UK.
Former British Museum curator of Islamic and Middle Eastern art, Venetia Porter, condemned the institution’s leadership for allowing the event. “It is not possible that neither the director nor the chair of the board of trustees were aware of this event, nor is it possible that they did not fully understand the implications of it,” she told The Art Newspaper. “To host such a partisan event when we know that there is an ongoing genocide seems to be anathema to what I always treasured about the British Museum.”
