Brian Eno and Over 200 Artists Advocate for the British Museum to Acknowledge Palestinian History

An open letter has sparked controversy, urging the British Museum to cease alleged alterations of its Middle East gallery displays under pressure from a pro-Israel group. The letter, signed by over 200 artists and cultural groups, including musician Brian Eno, accuses the museum of “erasing Palestine” by altering wall texts. Allegedly, terms like “Palestinian descent” were switched to “Canaanite descent” in response to advocacy by UK Lawyers for Israel. While the British Museum denies the removal of “Palestine,” they admit to updates reflecting ancient cultural regions, claiming relevance to the southern Levant in the second millennium BCE.

The letter also criticizes the museum’s ties to the Israeli embassy and British Petroleum, implicated in profiting from alleged Israeli human rights violations. The Palestinian Forum in Britain highlighted these concerns with an Instagram image of museum texts omitting “Palestine.” The open letter condemns these actions as a part of broader erasure and a reflection of colonial legacies, urging that the museum review related labels, apologize for past events hosting the Israeli embassy, and discontinue support viewed as complicit in alleged genocide.

Eno, a prominent pro-Palestine advocate, supports this cause, participating in an art auction benefiting Palestinian aid. His work, along with others’, will be part of a Hope 93 Gallery exhibition in London. The museum has yet to comment on these demands.