Did 'Institut du Monde Arabe' Join the Normalization Train?
PACBI calls for thwarting normalization attempts and withdrawing from the "Arabofolies" festival organized by the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.
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Neta Elkayam the Israeli Singer (Source: Social Media)
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of "Israel" (PACBI) called for the thwarting of the normalization projects organized by the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, and the withdrawal from the Arabofolies festival held by the institute with the participation of an Israeli band.
The campaign said in a statement issued today, November 23, that the boycott call aims to pressure the organizers to cancel the participation of the Israeli band, but if the organizers refuse to do so, calls will be issued to boycott the festival.
The campaign added: "But if normalization becomes a norm in the institute's activities, or if the institute concludes agreements with the occupying state or with its institutions that are complicit in its crimes against the Palestinian and Arab peoples, the institute may become subject to boycott."
The campaign directed its call to all Arab, Palestinian and international artists to cancel their participation in the festival. The festival will take place between 3 and 12 of the coming December, in which the Adonis Band (Lebanon), Amir Amiri (Iran), and Jumana Manna (Palestine) will participate. Rami Khalifa (Lebanon), Farida Muhammad Ali (Iraq), and Farhat Boualaki (Tunisia) will participate as well.
The boycott campaign recalled the cultural boycott of the occupation and its anti-normalization standards. It said that “participation in activities aimed, either directly or indirectly, to bring together Arabs and Israelis (who do not recognize the basic rights of the Palestinian people under international law), including those activities that claim “neutrality,” for political goals “or art for art’s sake, without condemning the occupation and persecution and not working to end it, is a violation of those standards.”
The campaign also stressed that it did not call for a boycott of the "Institut du Monde Arabe" in France, but it reminded the position of the director of the institute, which "celebrates the Moroccan regime's betrayal of the Palestinian cause," a possible indication of the institute's start to adopt an approach to normalization.
PACBI stressed the need to raise the levels of caution and to meticulously investigate the participants in any international festival and the sponsoring entities, to avoid falling into normalization.
In this context, Palestinian comedian Alaa Abu Diab announced his intention to boycott the festival responding to the campaign's call. He decided to withdraw from the "Stand Up Comedy" show that was scheduled to be held at the Arab World Institute on the coming December 18.
