“reflect deeply before engaging in co-operation with Israeli cultural institutions”

A DIPLOMATIC row erupted last night after the Israeli Embassy accused
members of the Irish artists’ body Aosdana of singling the country out for attack.

The embassy was quick to react after the government-funded group passed a controversial motion encouraging Irish artists to reflect deeply before co-operating with Israeli-funded cultural institutions.

In a strong statment last night, Israeli ambassador Zion Evrony said the
embassy regretted Aosdana’s decision to “single out” the country.

“We strongly believe that this decision is fundamentally wrong, unjust,
biased and based on misunderstanding and misinformation of current events in the Middle East,” Mr Evrony said.

“It appears that a small number of Aosdana members, holding extremely biased views against Israel, have misled others and imposed their views on the whole organisation.”

The lengthy debate over two controversial motions at Aosdana’s general assembly in Dublin’s Royal Hospital in Kilmainham overshadowed the election of a new saoi and 15 members.

The meeting of the elite of Ireland’s cultural life passed a motion proposed by writer Margaretta D’Arcy.

It encouraged Irish artists and cultural institutions “to reflect deeply
before engaging in co-operation with Israeli cultural institutions”
following last year’s call from Palestinian filmmakers and artists to end
all co-operation with state-sponsored Israeli cultural events.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “Minister Dermot Ahern has worked with both Israelis and Palestinians to bring a lasting settlement to the conflict. The way forward is to be inclusive and to engage both Palestinians and Israelis.”

He added that the decision by Aosdana was “a matter for themselves”.

As a cultural organisation, the Israeli Embassy said, Aosdana should be
working to promote culture and dialogue rather than stifling it.

The ambassador branded the decision counter-productive in efforts to promote peace and reconciliation and said the decision was in direct opposition to the efforts of the international community at a critical time.

The first motion before the gathering came from composer Raymond Deane, an Aosdana member and head of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and proposed to offer support to Israeli artists who oppose their country’s practices. It was defeated after a lengthy debate.

The passing of the motion put forward by Ms D’Arcy follows a call by 61
Irish academics last September for a boycott of Israeli academic
institutions.

Last August, the Irish Film Institute cancelled the Israeli embassy’s
sponsorship of a festival film, while the Dun Laoghaire Festival of World
Cultures also cancelled sponsorship.