
'All citizens should enjoy art.' Ariel culture center
Following the publication of another letter calling on artists to boycott the soon-to-open Ariel culture center, the Shomron Settlers' Committee urged residents to boycott the signatories' performances and works.
Committee head Benny Katzover said Sunday, "The ongoing boycott of places located in the heart of the Jewish homeland is anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist."
Artists' Letter
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Among the signatories of the letter are Hanna Maron and Ohad Naharin, both Israel Prize laureates, and author David Grossman.
"Our (boycott) call is directed at Israelis who support the Land of Israel," Katzover said. "We call for the separation of politics from the arts. All citizens, regardless of where they live, are entitled to enjoy art, particularly when it is funded by tax payers' money. It appears that our call has not been heeded, and therefore we decided to act."
Also on Sunday, Knesset Member Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) said, "Those who will take part in the boycott must take into account that their budgetary wings will be clipped.
"We won't let the parasite artists who milk the public purse enjoy the best of both worlds. Those who boycott should ask (Palestinian Prime Minister) Salam Fayyad for money – not the Knesset," he said.
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