From: PMW Bulletin To: [email protected] Subject: Union threatened Palestinian artists with expulsion if they engaged in "normalization" with Israel Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2017 13:12:22 +0000 Bulletin Oct. 17, 2017 Palestinians reject "normalization" with Israel: Palestinian artists warned they would be "expelled" from union if they participated in Israeli cultural festival in Jerusalem • "The union rejects the participation of any Palestinian artist in the rally, and it will expel any artist who is proven to have participated in any ceremony or festival whose goal is to create normalization with the occupation" Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik Click to read on our website In accordance with the Palestinian Authority's policy of rejecting any joint event or peace building activity with Israel - referred to as "normalization" - the General Union of Palestinian Expressionist Artists demanded that Palestinian artists not participate in the Mekudeshet Festival in Jerusalem last month. Before the festival, the union of Palestinian artists announced that it would "expel" any Palestinian artist who participated in the festival: "The General Union of Palestinian Expressionist Artists has demanded that all artists not participate in the festival as it is a normalization festival that serves the Israeli agendas. Secretary of the Artists' Union Musa Al-Hafez said to [the independent Palestinian news agency] Wattan that 'The union rejects the participation of any Palestinian artist in the rally, and it will expel any artist who is proven to have participated in any ceremony or festival whose goal is to create normalization with the occupation.'" [Wattan, independent Palestinian news agency, Sept. 7, 2017] Palestinian Media Watch has previously documented similar examples of the PA's rejection of joint events between Palestinians and Israelis. After the Gaza War in 2014, Palestinian boys met with Israeli boys to play football. This bridge bu