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 The
organizers of the Edinburgh International Film Festival have
cancelled an official Israeli Embassy sponsorship of their programme
and returned the Israeli cheque following a huge public outcry over
Israeli Embassy involvement.
Shane Danielsen, the
Artistic Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival wrote
to all those who complained that he had "almost had my bottom teeth
knocked out with the butt" of an Israeli rifle recently in Occupied
Palestine, and that he was eager to assist those Israeli filmmakers
who stood "above all the gunfire, and the shouting of thuggish
soldiers."
Writers, actors and
members of the public inundated the organizers with mail and phone
calls demanding the financial support from the Israeli Embassy be
ended and warning that they would boycott Edinburgh's flagship event
if this were not done.
The Edinburgh
Branches of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop
the War Coalition had planned to picket all major Film Festival
events and shame the organizers if the link with the Israeli Embassy
had been maintained.
The Film Festival
website carries the following: "this funding was secured some three
months ago, well before the commencement of current hostilities in
Lebanon. Of course we acknowledge that the situation has altered
dramatically since then, and with this in mind, took the decision
early yesterday to decline any funding from the Israelis."
Scottish PSC
welcomes this late conversion of the EIFF organizers to opposition
to human rights violations: it is regrettable, however, that the
EIFF allowed the link t o be made in the first place. It is simply
not good enough to respond to the most recent massacres in Qana.
Israel, after all, has been violating Palestinian human rights for
decades. Israeli killing in Palestine, and Lebanon, continued
yesterday.
The Edinburgh StWC and SPSC never at any time called for the banning
of the Israeli film or film-maker in question. We will engage
artistically and politically with all film-makers who deal with the
issues of Israel's past and ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine
and invasion of neighboring countries.
For further information and interviews, contact
John Wight, Press
Officer, Edinburgh Stop the War Coalition
07738 528 145 jscotlive@aol.com
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