AhlulBayt News Agency: The British newspaper The Telegraph has reported that the British Museum in London has decided to remove the name “Palestine” from its ancient Middle East galleries, following complaints and pressure from pro-Israel organizations.
According to the report published on Sunday, the decision came in response to correspondence from the group UK Lawyers for Israel, which objected to the use of the term “Palestine” to describe historical regions along the eastern Mediterranean coast within the museum’s exhibits.
Some maps and display panels related to ancient Egypt and the Phoenicians had previously labelled the region as “Palestine,” and in certain cases, described some populations as being of “Palestinian origin.” In a letter addressed to museum director Nicholas Cullinan, the group argued that applying the term retroactively across the region over thousands of years erases historical changes and creates a misleading impression of continuity.
According to the newspaper, the British Museum concluded that the term “Palestine” does not carry an “appropriate meaning as a historical geographical term” in this context and decided to remove it from certain explanatory materials.
The changes also affected the description of the Hyksos, who originated in the Nile Delta between 1700 and 1500 BCE, where the phrase “of Palestinian origin” was replaced with “of Canaanite origin.”
The newspaper noted that the decision was also influenced by visitor feedback and surveys, in addition to concerns raised by the UK-based advocacy group.
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