Madam, - Oliver Donohoe (April 2nd) expresses delight that my "attempt to get backing for [ an] anti-Israel motion at the general assembly of Aosdána" failed.
It pains me to disappoint him, but both motions on Israel/Palestine proposed at the general assembly were jointly the work of Margaretta D'Arcy and myself, and the original versions of both were written by myself. Margaretta seconded my motion, and I seconded hers.
Mr Donohoe asks why Margaretta and myself didn't in effect include every dictatorship in the world in our motion calling for "deep reflection" before engagement with their cultural institutions. Here are some answers: none of these repulsive regimes claims to be "a beacon of Western culture", none of them receives $15 million daily from the US taxpayer to facilitate its crimes, and none of them is in a position to abuse culture as an instrument of state propaganda. Nissim Ben-Sheetrit of the Israeli foreign ministry has asserted that "We are seeing culture as a propaganda tool of the first rank, and I do not differentiate between propaganda and culture."
Finally, it is a bit rich to quote Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern's claim "to be inclusive and to engage both Palestinians and Israelis" at a time when the Irish Government has joined its EU colleagues in boycotting the Palestinian Authority. Perhaps Mr Donohoe should "reflect deeply" before writing further letters on this subject. - Yours, etc,
RAYMOND DEANE, (Composer, member of Aosdána), Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.