Several political parties across the UK Parliament have called for an independent investigation into the British Museum’s removal of the terms “Palestine,” “Palestinian,” and “Israelite occupation” after a Middle East Eye report linked the museum’s decision to lobbying by pro-Israel activists.
The British Museum defended its decision to alter some displays in February, saying that “audience testing” showed the term “Palestine” to be “no longer meaningful”—a claim challenged earlier this month by disclosures made to Middle East Eye (MEE), which found that no such audience testing or visitor research relating to the term “Palestine” had been conducted.
Rather, an analysis of redacted internal emails turned over by the museum in response to a Freedom of Information request suggested that changes to historical displays, including those covering periods more than 2,000 years old, came shortly after private and public complaints from pro-Israel organizations and high-profile individuals between October and December 2024.
The timeline established between Israeli lobbying of the museum and the removal of references to Palestine appeared to contradict statements by director Nicholas Cullinan, who later defended the decision, saying it was made after curators had “thought long and hard.” In one reported case, the museum initiated a display change—apparently to address a private complaint from the Board of Deputies, a pro-Israel Jewish community group—less than five hours after the complaint was circulated internally.
One complaint from the Board of Deputies reportedly argued that the term “Israelite occupation” in the context of the Phoenicians, a Levantine people who lived more than 2,000 years ago, could “justify attacks against Jews” in the present.
Speaking to MEE, Your Party MP Jeremy Corbyn described the museum’s actions as “anti-Palestinian racism.” He added: “This assault on academic freedom represents an attempt to wipe Palestinians from history… which can only embolden Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation.”
Green Party MP Sian Berry warned that “succumbing to pressure in this way, if this is what has happened, hugely discredits the museum’s leadership and undermines its work,” and called for an urgent independent investigation “to determine if political interference has occurred.”
The British Museum has not responded to requests for comment from ARTnews regarding the investigation’s findings or allegations of political interference from Israeli lobbyists.
In February, the museum released a press statement refuting reports that it had removed the term “Palestine” from its displays, saying: “It is simply not true. We continue to use Palestine across a series of galleries, both contemporary and historic.”
Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, joined Berry’s call for an independent inquiry, telling MEE: “The British Museum must urgently answer serious questions about its unacceptable removal of references to Palestine.”
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, has also protested the removal of the term “Palestine” from British Museum displays, saying: “By removing references to Palestinian history, the British Museum is betraying its commitment to history and allowing itself to be used for political purposes.”
Zomlot added that efforts would continue to press the British Museum and the British government to restore the references. “We will continue to work and communicate with all relevant bodies to make this message loud and clear, until the original labels are restored,” he said.
The British Museum, one of the UK’s most visited cultural institutions, attracts millions of visitors annually, but Cullinan’s tenure since taking over as director in 2024 has also been marked by a series of public controversies and internal tension.
In May 2025, the museum faced backlash from its own staff for hosting an event with the Board of Deputies, an organization representing British Jews, with the Israeli embassy to mark Israel’s Independence Day. The event was attended by Israel’s then-ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, who has publicly called for the destruction of Gaza. It also drew a pro-Palestinian protest outside the museum, where demonstrators unfurled a banner reading “Colonial genocide”.
This May, the museum was also forced to postpone a lecture titled “Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum,” citing concerns that the event could be disrupted by a planned demonstration. The lecture was rescheduled for the following month, with Cullinan telling the Jewish Chronicle that the institution would not “give in to intimidation.”
