Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom Husam Zomlot has formally protested to the British government over the removal of the word “Palestine” from displays at the British Museum, describing the move as a “deliberate historical erasure” of the Palestinian narrative.
According to The Guardian, the museum removed references to “Palestine” from explanatory panels related to the geography of the Levant and ancient Egypt, replacing them with terms such as “Gaza” and “West Bank”. The words “Palestine” and “Palestinian” were also reportedly removed from descriptions in the museum’s Ancient Near East and Egypt galleries.
The changes came despite United Kingdom recognition of the State of Palestine in September 2025, prompting criticism over what Zomlot described as a contradiction between Britain’s official political position and cultural representation.
Zomlot called for the restoration of the removed terminology and demanded serious discussions with museum officials, arguing that the changes distort the historical record.
He linked the issue to broader developments affecting Palestinians, referencing reports by human rights organisations and a UN commission describing events in Gaza as genocide. He also cited the removal of artefacts from occupied Palestinian territories and the bombing of Gaza’s largest antiquities storage facility.
The ambassador said he had previously met museum director Nicholas Cullinan and several curators, but that discussions produced no commitment to reverse the changes. According to Zomlot, the museum instead offered him a tour of the institution, which he declined.
In a letter dated 9 April, Zomlot said he could not participate in any engagement that might be interpreted as acceptance of the current displays, while expressing willingness to resume dialogue if “fundamental errors” were corrected.
