Hundreds Of Dutch-Belgium Cultural Institutions Announce Boycotts To Israel

JAKARTA - More than 300 museums, arts, and cultural organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium have announced cultural boycotts of Israel.

They said they would cut ties with Israeli institutions over the war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank.

The declaration signed by 302 institutions and 878 individual artists stated that the cultural sector could no longer remain silent in the face of "war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide recognized by all competent authorities."

"As members of the Dutch and Belgian cultural sectors, we refuse to remain silent in the face of genocide against the Palestinian people," the statement said.

They stressed the boycott was aimed at Israeli state agencies and companies involved in human rights abuses, not Jewish individuals or Israeli citizens in general.

The move follows calls that have long been voiced by Palestinian artists and civil society. The declaration adds that institutions that openly oppose the practice of genocide, occupation, and apartheid will be excluded.

The boycott includes major institutions such as the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, Museum of Fine Arts at Ghent, Festival Film Netherlands, Holland Opera, and Royal Theater Flemish.

Famous figures including painterdumas Dumas, writer Tom Lanoye, historian David Van Reybrouck, author Ramsey Nasr, andsociologist Sinan Cankaya also signed the cultural boycott statement.

The declaration condemns Israel's attacks on religious sites, schools, libraries, and cultural heritage in Gaza, by declaring journalists, aid workers, medical staff, and artists also targeted.

The declaration states Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem face "increasingly impossible" conditions under decades of oppression and eviction.

The statement reiterated the cultural boycott of contributing to the end of apartheid in South Africa, recording more than 5,000 film professionals and 400 musicians recently taking similar steps against Israeli institutions.

"This cultural boycott alone will not stop genocide and occupation. That is why we call on the world of sports, academics, businesses and politics to also cut ties. Only together can we force Israel to comply with international law," the statement read.