The Israeli lobby group claimed that the London institution had changed several displays following its complaints
The British Museum in London has denied removing the word ‘Palestine’ from several information panels and maps in its ancient Middle East galleries under pressure from the pro-Israel lobbying group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
In a statement on Saturday, UKLFI claimed that a spokesperson for the museum confirmed it was reviewing and updating panels “on a case-by-case basis,” and had already replaced references to ‘Palestinian descent’ with ‘Canaanite descent’ in the Egypt galleries. Information panels in the Levant gallery covering 2000-300 BC had supposedly also been rewritten to focus on “the rise of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.”
The UKLFI said the changes came after it sent a complaint to museum director Nicholas Cullinan earlier this month, in which the group raised “serious concerns” regarding the anachronistic use of the term ‘Palestine’ in some displays. It argued that applying the name ‘Palestine’ across thousands of years “erases the emergence and existence of Jewish kingdoms and Jewish national identity in the region,” and “creates a false impression of historical continuity.”
The group, which has a history of targeting pro-Palestinian activists through legal intimidation, and is currently under investigation for filing “vexatious and baseless” legal threats, also warned that the terminology could be considered a violation of the Equality Act, as it risks creating “a hostile or offensive environment” for Jewish and Israeli visitors.
The story was widely reported by British media and sparked backlash from some scholars.
However, director Nicholas Cullinan refuted the UKLFI’s claims on Monday. Speaking to Scottish art historian William Dalrymple, he stated that only two panels had been updated during a recent gallery refresh last year and that he was unaware of the UKLFI’s complaint.
“I hadn’t even seen that letter despite asking for it until this morning. I’m disgusted by the whole thing,” Cullinan told Dalrympe.
UKLFI has played a major role in the broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism in the UK, having previously influenced the government’s decision to label the Palestine Action group as a terrorist organization.
The designation has led to nearly 3,000 arrests, many of them senior citizens holding signs opposing genocide and supporting Palestine Action. The ban was ruled unlawful by the High Court of England and Wales last week but remains in place pending government appeal.
This story has been updated to include British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan’s denial of reports that the institution had canceled the name ‘Palestine’ in its Middle East galleries following complaints from UK Lawyers for Israel.
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