More than 300 museums, art and cultural organizations across the Netherlands and Belgium have declared a cultural boycott of Israeli institutions, pledging to cease all cooperation with them. This collective action was taken in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the continued occupation of the West Bank.
In a joint statement signed by 302 organizations, the signatories emphasized that all Israeli institutions and companies complicit in atrocities against the Palestinian people would be subject to the cultural boycott.
“As members of the Dutch and Belgian cultural sector, we refuse to stand by in the face of genocide against the Palestinian people,” the statement said.
The decision to impose the boycott followed persistent calls from Palestinian artists and communities. The signatories expressed their commitment to boycotting Israeli state entities, institutions and companies involved in these violations.
The statement clarified that the boycott excludes institutions that openly oppose genocide, illegal occupation and apartheid practices and are not complicit in violations of international law. It emphasized that the boycott targets those complicit in human rights abuses against Palestinians – not Jewish people or Israeli individuals indiscriminately.
Alongside the 302 museums, art and cultural institutions, 878 individual artists have also signed the declaration.
Notable participants include prominent organizations such as the Maastricht Bonnefanten Museum, Ghent Museum of Fine Arts, Dutch Film Festival, the Dutch National Opera, and the Flemish Royal Theatre. Renowned artists like Marlene Dumas, Tom Lanoye, David Van Reybrouck, Ramsey Nasr and Sinan Çankaya have also endorsed the boycott.
The statement highlights that in Gaza, churches, mosques, educational institutions, libraries and cultural heritage sites have been targeted, alongside journalists, humanitarian workers, health care professionals and artists.
It describes how life for Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem is becoming increasingly untenable, characterizing the situation as the latest phase of decadeslong systematic oppression and displacement.
The statement also recalled recent international responses to the crisis, including the decision by five countries - among them the Netherlands - to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel participated, reflecting growing global condemnation.
The boycott follows previous initiatives, such as 5,000 members of the film industry who have refused to collaborate with Israeli institutions and over 400 artists who have participated in the “No Music for Genocide” campaign, which blocks their music from Israeli platforms.
The declaration draws parallels to the cultural boycott that contributed to dismantling apartheid in South Africa, highlighting that the current decision was made with similar hopes for change.
The signatories acknowledged the difficulty in taking such a firm stance, but stressed the cultural sector’s responsibility to make the world a better place and not pretend that nothing is happening.
“This cultural boycott alone will not stop genocide and occupation,” the declaration said. “That is why we call on sports, academia, business and politics to also sever ties. Only together can we force Israel to comply with international law," the statement concluded.
