Seven hundred prominent artists have pledged to accept no professional invitations to Israel or funding from institutions linked to the Israeli government "until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights."
Writers, filmmakers, composers and actors say
their cultural boycott is a "non-violent gesture of
support for those Palestinians trapped in Gaza."
"I often feel in despair when I think of the suffering of the
Palestinian people living and dying under an apartheid state that
disregards international law and universal principles of human
rights," Alexei Sayle, an English stand-up comedian, author
and actor, said.
According to one of the leading British filmmakers, Ken Loach,
the cause of the Palestinians is "the great cause of our
time."
"Their oppression by the State of Israel breaks international
law and the Geneva Convention. The US finances and supports those
crimes, along with Britain and the European Union. In those
circumstances, civil society must act," he stated. The
boycott of cultural projects sponsored by the Israeli State is
the least we can do. Many of us think the boycott should be more
extensive!"
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters stated that he is supporting
"all those courageous Israelis and Palestinians who are
trying to make peace for themselves and for their
neighbors."
"Join us on the barricades. The air above the parapet is
clean," Waters wrote.
The group of artists said that since summer of 2014, which saw an estimated 2,100 deaths in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians have enjoyed "no respite from Israel’s unrelenting attack on their land, their livelihood, their right to political existence."
READ MORE: ‘Mostly civilians’: Probe into Gaza homes strikes finds 60% of deaths non-militants
An investigation carried out by AP has recently showed that 508
of 844 victims in air strikes on residential buildings during
Israel’s Operation Protective Edge that unfolded in Gaza the
previous summer were women, children and the elderly.
The agency studied 247 attacks that targeted residential
buildings only – out of about 5,000 strikes conducted by the
Israeli forces. Under the rules of war, civilian homes cannot be
used as targets for air strikes. The probe concluded that only
about 10 percent of those killed in the strikes were confirmed or
suspected militants.
Preliminary UN figures have demonstrated that the total death
toll from the 50-day conflict – the third and most tense between
Israel and Hamas since 2008 – was 2,205 people. 66 percent of the
toll were Palestinian civilians – 1,483 people. On the Israeli
side, 66 soldiers and six civilians were killed.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has asked the International
Criminal Court to look into the conflict.
Israeli government withheld crucial tax funds in response to the
Palestinian move to file “war crime” charges against it with the
ICC. The EU's foreign policy chief called Israel’s move to freeze
the transfer of Palestinian tax revenues a violation of the Oslo
Accords.
“This is a dangerous issue. Israel is withholding our money
and this means that the State of Palestine will face a
crisis," Abbas said on Friday, calling on the international
community to exert pressure on Israel to release the funds.
Otherwise, he warned “I will be forced to take harsh
steps.”
Palestinian leader also said that continued settlement
construction would prevent the resumption of peace talks with
Israel.
"We, the Palestinians, believe that the only way to achieve peace is through negotiations," Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted him as saying. "When we approach any state with a request to recognize the State of Palestine or support us in the UN Security Council, it is not requested to antagonize Israel, but to support the Palestinians’ right to statehood."