Members of the artists' group Aosdána will today discuss two controversial motions calling for cultural non-co-operation with the Israeli government. It will also elect 18 new members and announce the selection of a new Saoi.
The motions have been put forward for discussion at Aosdána's general assembly, which will take place at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, Dublin.
The first has been proposed by composer Raymond Deane, who is head of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which called for a tourism, sporting and academic boycott during Israel's military offensive against Lebanon last year.
His motion offers support to Israeli artists who oppose their country's practices and then calls for Irish artists to back a call made last year by Palestinian filmmakers and artists to end all co-operation with state-sponsored Israeli cultural events and institutions.
"In other words, it's a call not to boycott Israeli artists but, as has already been done by the Irish Film Institute last summer and Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, not to accept sponsorship from the Israeli state," explained Mr Deane yesterday.
In August, the Irish Film Institute cancelled the Israeli embassy's sponsorship of a film in the Dublin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The following week, the Festival of World Cultures cancelled sponsorship of €1,500 from the Israeli embassy. The grant was intended to fund travel expenses between Tel Aviv and Dublin for two Israeli musicians.
The second motion, proposed by writer Margaretta D'Arcy, "encourages Irish artists and cultural institutions to reflect deeply before engaging in co-operation with Israeli cultural institutions". She has previously said that she was sceptical of such a boycott until travelling to Israel last November and meeting academics from Tel Aviv university.
Both motions have been circulated among members in advance of the assembly, and the wording is likely to be debated before the motion is put to a vote. The second motion will be withdrawn if the first succeeds.
The proposal has been openly criticised by at least one member of Aosdána. Before the motions were circulated among members, the artist Samuel Walsh wrote that if one did come before the general assembly he would vote against it.
The move has also drawn criticism from Israeli quarters. Writing in The Irish Times earlier this month, Yoav Sivan, a member of the Meretz social democratic party, described any "cultural boycott" as an "affront to our efforts for peace. Cultural relations cannot be construed as sponsoring military action or of building support for Israeli occupation. Art is a means of dialogue." Mr Deane admits that there is likely to be opposition to the motions from some members of Aosdána.
The debate threatens to overshadow the nomination of new members to the organisation, which will bring total membership to 230.
