Livnat. No loyalty - no funding
Photo: Gil Yohanan
New prize to encourage 'Zionist art'
Following controversial artists' letter calling for boycott of Ariel cultural hall, Culture Minister Limor Livnat announces new award aimed at fighting 'de-legitimization,' says all state-funded culture institutions will be forced to perform all over Israel
Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat announced Monday that she plans to force all state-funded culture institutions to perform all over Israel
as a condition for continuing their funding.
She spoke during a Knesset's Education and Culture Committee session on the backdrop of the second artists' letter calling for a boycott against the Ariel culture hall, which is located beyond the Green Line.
The minister plans to extend an amendment to the criteria determining the budgeting of all cultural institutions. A theater which refuses to sign a commitment to perform anywhere across Israel will be deprived of funding.
Livnat also declared her plan to grant a special annual award aimed at encouraging "Zionist art" as a counter measure against what she referred to "the left-wing campaign" against artists' performances in the new Ariel cultural hall.
"The prize will be given in all fields of culture – performing arts, plastic art, and cinema – in a bid to make it clear that we are against boycotts and in favor of Zionist culture," the minister said.
"This move is a response to the recent de-legitimization attempts in terms of the Ariel cultural hall. We are a democratic state, and artists have the right to protest, but they have no right to boycott the State of Israel's citizens and we will work to force cultural institutions to perform across the country."
Tomer Velmer, Roni Sofer and Merav Yudilovitch contributed to this report
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