British Museum removes the word ‘Palestine’ from displays following pressure by pro-Israel lawyers

The British Museum has removed the word Palestine from displays about the ancient Middle East following “concerns” by a UK-based Israeli advocacy group, Anadolu reports.

The British Museum has confirmed that it is reviewing and updating some gallery panels and labels after “Audience testing has shown that the historic use of the term Palestine … is in some circumstances no longer meaningful,” UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) said in a statement on Saturday.

The group claimed there were “historically inaccurate” references to Palestine in displays covering the ancient Levant and Egypt.

It said applying a single name across thousands of years “erases historical changes and creates a false impression of continuity.”

The statement said responding to the concerns, the British Museum’s spokesperson confirmed it was in the process of reviewing and updating panels and labels on a case-by-case basis.

“For example, the information panels in the Levant gallery, covering the period 2000-300 BC, have all been updated to describe in some detail the history of Canaan and the Canaanites and the rise of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel using those names.”

Full story in middleeastmonitor.com