Hospital removes Gaza art following complaints

Artwork by Palestinian children at Chelsea and Westminster hospital has been removed after UK Lawyers for Israel raised concerns that it made Jewish patients feel “vulnerable, harassed and victimised”, writes Lee Harpin.

UKLFI wrote to the chief executive of the London hospital’s trust, saying it had been contacted by patients o ended by the display.

The hospital confirmed that the work, a collaboration between children in Gaza and the hospital’s own school, had “o ended some communities”.

It had been displayed at children’s outpatients and included plates showing the Dome of the Rock, with a Palestinian flag. Another showed Palestinian fisherman, with text suggesting a national coastline ran from Gaza’s border with Egypt to Israel’s border with Lebanon, contrary to Israel’s 1948 borders.

UKLFI said: “We asked for [it] to be removed because of the propaganda, not because it was by children from Gaza.”

Protecting and securing the Jewish community in the UK against antisemitism is what we do. From the streets of London in the 1950s through to the hate-filled internet chatrooms of today, CST will leave no stone unturned in the fight against those who wish to do us harm. This is not something that we can do without your ongoing and long-term support.

A legacy to CST will ensure that our community is not only protected against the continuous threat of antisemitism but is also given the security necessary to flourish in the future. Contact us on 020 8457 3700 or email legacy@cst.org.uk.