Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem has attacked the Metropolitan Museum of Art for its decision not to display an archaeological exhibit from Israel because, according to the Met, some of the artifacts are from the West Bank and would therefore pose a security risk to the museum.
Kollek cited the museum’s contention that the show relied heavily on objects from the West Bank as “erroneous” and said that more than 85 percent of the artifacts are from Israel. The artifacts, he noted, “originated in a biblical land having no relation to 20th century demarcation lines, “he stated. The mayor added: “The ignoble act of the museum’s submitting to political pressures diminishes the essential quality of art as a unifier of mankind.”
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