1. This from a country waging a war halfway around the world that has killed more than 100,000 civilians 2. Why aren't they boycotting egypt that allows African refugees to be murdered and raped in Sinai? Jordan and Lebanon that keep Palestinians cooped up in refugee camps as non-citizens?

Concentrate on your acting instead of matters that don't concern you. Israel's got enough to deal with from your rubbish government already, they don't need your help

Gotta love 'em. They seem to 'forget' a few of Britain's historical and well-recorded horrible actions as an occupier of a few places...

Getting to be like old chewing gumAnti semitsim from the artsy crowd has been in vogue for so long we have grown numb to it. We hear it daily on NPR, Lourdes Garci-Navarro works hard at weaving tales that show her spite. We are Israel and we are Jews and we are Arabs. We create art, we shall take our place, and we shall continue to do so. Anti Semitism and anti Israeli has never slowed us before, lets roll.

Habima is violating international law by performing in the Occupied Territories. To invite Habima to the Shakespeare Festival would be undermining all those Israeli theatre groups, actors, directors and play wrights, who are refusing to perform in the illegal colonies in the Occupied Territories and as such actually respect international law. Therefore I wholly support the exclusion of Habima. It should know that there are consequences to violating international law.

"Some of our plays criticize Israeli society". Instead of telling those British hypocrites to do what they are supposed to do "to act and keep their noses out of politics based on half truth & lies, they start their usual halfbaked excuses. By this discusting heel-licking, you 'invite this behaviour from people who think of themselves as superior and who, if they want to do something against 'injustice, would tell their prince William to come back from helping the occuppation of the Falklands. A bit more self honour of the Israeli Habima would be to their credit & the people of Israel. Disdain for yourself only invites contempt from others.

Congratulations to Israel's Prime Minister and government who obstinately refuse to proclaim the IRREVOCABLE RIGHTS of their own country regarding the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, including the Golan Heights, a right voted by the League of Nations in 1922, a right that became INTERNATIONAL LAW, valid to this day and reaffirmed by Article 8O of the Charter of the UNITED NATIONS. As said British journalist, Melanie Phillips: Israeli PR ? A joke !

Oh Dear! This means I will have to add Emma Thomson to my ever growing list of people whose work I will no longer watch. What a shame - but boycotts have consequences. For the convenience of readers, here is the full list of signatories to the letter. You can make your own choices........ David Aukin producer. Poppy Burton-Morgan artistic director, Metta Theatre. Leo Butler playwright. Niall Buggy actor. David Calder actor. Jonathan Chadwick director. Caryl Churchill playwright. Michael Darlow writer, director. John Graham Davies actor, writer. Trevor Griffiths playwright. Annie Firbank actor. Paul Freeman actor. Matyelok Gibbs actor. Tony Graham director. Janet Henfrey actor. James Ivens artistic director, Flood Theatre. Andrew Jarvis actor, director, teacher. Neville Jason actor. Ursula Jones actor. Professor Adah Kay academic, playwright. Mike Leigh film-maker, dramatist. Sonja Linden playwright, iceandfire theatre. Roger Lloyd Pack actor. Cherie Lunghi actor. Miriam Margolyes actor. Kika Markham actor. Jonathan Miller director, author and broadcaster. Frances Rifkin director. Mark Rylance actor. Alexei Sayle comedian, writer. Farhana Sheikh writer. Emma Thompson actor, screenwriter. Andy de la Tour actor, director. Harriet Walter actor. Hilary Westlake director. Richard Wilson actor, director. Susan Wooldridge actor, writer.

that says that theater companies are not allowed to perform in the West Bank? What law is that?

Good, I've already started boycotting the UK

A bunch of sanctimonious far left Brits who feel worldly but really know nothing about global realities are preventing an Israeli theatre from performing Shakespeare's infamous antisemitic play, The Merchant of Venice!

Emma Thompson : I am British and ashamed. Ashamed of you. You have stamped your name on this nonsense and it turns you into a nonsense. Try learning about the truth behind the issues Emma - learn the history of Judea and Samaria. It is more rightfully Jewish land than the Flaklands is British - by a long long way. Stand up in tomorrows papers and declare that Britain should relinquish the Flaklands ( and see how long your career lasts after that ) Israel bashing is easy of course - but you might now find work hard to come by State Side ! I for one am boycotting your films just like I did Mel Gibson's. ( nice company you're in !)

Wouldn't it be easy for Israel just leave the West Bank instead of fighting everybody. You Israelis built a nice country, full of creativity and talent. You created a new identity by gathering Jews around the world. But because of 500.000 people that represents the most backwarded in your society you are being excluded from the world. Does it worth? Why just dont leave the WB and live in peace with respect and dignity. There is not a single day one opens the news and dont see hostility towards Israel. In the end, you will have to give up the WB, Everybody knows is just a question of time. Why prolong this suffering. Just do it now and live decently as a brillant people that you are.

Emma Thompson - I've heard of Mike Leigh, David Calder, Trevor Griffiths and Miriam Margolyes <- who the hell are they?

an israli entity would have the sense to say: lo rotzim, lo tzarih. by going they simply provide another stage for protests and by staying back they provide more room for all those peace-loving humanist groups from the PA, egypt, iran, saudi arabia... all wonderful theater-loving nations.

recognised borders does not make it Arab. Neither does their failed genocidal war or their ongoing bterror and evasion of negotiations

THey burry their heads in the sand when it does not suit their political prejudices or criticise their beloved proletariat and their murderous ways arouind the globe. Wonder what is their real problem?

but for a different reason As for the British twits, they too (like the Habima) have never learned international law. The land is ours by international law. Please see San Remo Conference.

Two things I don't understand: 1) Why did the signatories put the phrase halls of culture in quotation marks? 2) Exactly which law are actors breaking when they perform in Judea and Samaria?

For boycotting the Habima theater. All those who boycotted the Ariel center are getting paid back. they tought the world would love them for boycotting their own people. The rest of the world hates you it is not going to change , get over it and support your own people instead, enough traitory and hate against one and other

This is pure non sense and another one of the anti semitic propaganda.

who feel using code words ( from the pals, the 'invented people') that are lies, is somehow okay. Actors should stick to acting, if they can. Leave the important matters to those qualified, not these sorry assed far leftist Jew haters. Hasn't Britain enough troubles with their newest nomadic imported population, any arab? Hope they enjoy the mud slinging that is ruining them and their nation. " As England fades into the sunset broke, out of work and plagued with non natives that live on the working class bones that will eventually kill them." Brilliant. may they enjoy each others dismal future

And, so has Israel, India, etc. who stand head and shoulders above british "actors' who couldn't 'act' their way out of the can and are reduced to, like others, stand in the unemployment line, making them a part of the problem, unemployed anti semitic losers who join in marches and parades that will get them as loved as Jane Fonda. ( pig that she is.) Ah, aren't you glad these 'actors' are taking themselves away from the land of democracy for the support of a violent, terroristic, non people, invented to try and destroy Israel? They can't but, like the mentally insane that they are, keep trying. Doe anyone honestly give a shit about these losers? NO! Best that Israel puts all their names on a no entry' list into Israel or, better yet, issue warrants for their arrests if they even attempt to enter Israel. Actors are not a necessity to life, they 'play' roles others have written and lived. I've known a few... Totally unimportant.