The cultural boycott is the most insidious part of the BDS strategy against Israel. There is no pretense of economic or political pressure. The only aim of a cultural boycott is to proclaim that Israel has no place among the nations.

And increasingly, British culture figures are having none of it.

First, Harry Potter author JK Rowling lent her prestige to an open letter rejecting the boycott and seeking to “encourage dialogue about Israel and the Palestinians in the wider cultural and creative community.”

The letter was signed by 150 prominent UK culture figures. It came in response to an earlier letter promoting boycott signed by BDS advocates such as the musician Roger Waters and others.

Those who signed the new letter said they were moved to correct the impression that UK artists support boycotting Israel. “We do not believe cultural boycotts are acceptable or that the letter you published accurately represents opinion in the cultural world in the UK,” they wrote.

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Next, acclaimed actress Helen Mirren proclaimed that “the people who are the most inspiring in Israel tend to be from the cultural community.” To cut them off, she said, “is the craziest idea, I don’t agree with it at all.”

It’s refreshing to see cultural figures, particularly those from a BDS hotbed like the UK, articulate opposition to the idea of cultural boycott. In the case of Rowling, the belief in the power of culture to bring people together transcends her strong opposition to the policies of the current Israeli government.

In recent months, cultural boycotts have targeted American artists like Matisyahu because of his Jewish identity and Israeli filmmakers such as Roy Zafrani, whose documentary on children with disabilities was rejected from a festival in Oslo because it did not promote the Palestinians.

Boycotting people based on their national origin is pure discrimination. It’s about time the artistic community spoke out against the exploitation of culture for destructive political ends.

Featured image: CC BY-NC-ND Exchanges Photos via flickr

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