We unequivocally state our support for a FREE PALESTINE and for the artists around the world working in solidarity towards this goal. The ongoing genocide in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, perpetrated by an apartheid regime and bolstered by broader geopolitical interests, including US imperialism, call for our sustained attention.
At ACRE we believe that our greatest resource is each other. The connections we create and the web of support we nurture—with women, queer, trans, Indigenous, Black, diasporic, and disabled lives and experiences at the center—are crucial to our collective capacity to build a more just and liberated world. We stand with the people of Gaza and the occupied West Bank struggling for their safety, dignity, and freedom. In doing so, our commitment extends beyond vocal support to actionable steps and sustained organizing that empower artist leadership and reflect our shared values.
Responding to a Call for Action:
Responding to Palestinian civil society’s call for non-violent protest against the apartheid policies of the Israeli government, and propelled by a self-organized petition from our alumni and staff volunteers, ACRE’s board voted on April 22 to adopt the guidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and affirms the reasoning behind them. This vote represents an operational commitment from the board and full-time staff to PACBI as a Palestinian-led call to action. We additionally affirm that this is a boycott of Israeli cultural institutions, not Israeli individuals. BDS targets complicity, not identity.
PALESTINIAN CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL (PACBI):
We pledge not to collaborate or accept support from Israeli state-sponsored entities until Israel meets the following demands:
- End Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem
- Give full rights to the Palestinian citizens of Israel
- Allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes as per UN Resolution 194. This is not about ostracizing Israeli artists or individuals but about opposing the government’s apartheid policies and the occupation.
From BDS: “The cultural boycott of Israel is institutional and conforms to the definition of freedom of expression as stipulated in the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). BDS rejects censorship and upholds the universal right to freedom of expression. The BDS movement, including PACBI, is anchored in precepts of international law and universal human rights. It rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, or religion) or opinion. Mere affiliation of Israeli cultural workers to an Israeli cultural institution is therefore not grounds for applying the boycott.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:
The Board of Directors and the full-time staff have moved forward with this endorsement at the administrative level. We remain dedicated to ensuring that this decision evolves from being purely top-down to becoming a collectively held commitment.
The process we undertake to actualize this call within our organization offers an opportunity to seek alignment, demonstrate our values, and strategically develop a collective practice for the future tactical support of liberatory movement work.
Our goal is not merely to ratify a decision but to foster a deep understanding, collective ownership, and shared responsibility for this commitment across ACRE. This involves dialogue and education about the PACBI guidelines to ensure community members are informed and questions are addressed effectively—this is one of the ways that PACBI indicates taking action in alignment with the movement’s mission.
To achieve this goal, we are asking our alumni volunteer staff and incoming residents to fill out an anonymous optional questionnaire and attend a facilitated Town Hall. The questionnaire asks members about their knowledge of BDS, their desire or need for more information, their concerns about the organization's capacity, their desire or need for support regarding adopting the boycott, as well as their personal capacity and desire for getting involved in organizing in the future. You can view our initial call to action here.
TAKE ACTION
We urge all arts organizations, artists, cultural workers, and artists to take action. Educate yourself on the history of Palestinian resistance and familiarize yourself with BDS and its history. There are organizations who have a wealth of knowledge and resources that do this work regularly, and we encourage you to engage with their work actively:
Organizations:
Writers Against the War on Gaza
Students for Justice in Palestine
Learning Resources:
Israeli Apartheid for Beginners, Let’s Talk Palestine (podcast, Instagram), sources
Wendy’s Subway Learning from Palestine Free Download
The Dig Podcast - Interviews with Scholars and Activists on Palestine