British Museum Removes Palestine from Ancient Exhibit Labels

The British Museum in London has begun removing references to the term "Palestine" from information panels, labels, and maps in its ancient Middle East galleries, following complaints from the advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel. The changes, confirmed by the museum earlier this month, affect displays covering periods from around 2000 BC to 300 BC and are being implemented on a case-by-case basis to ensure historical accuracy for modern audiences.

The alterations stem from a letter UK Lawyers for Israel sent to museum director Nicholas Cullinan on February 7, raising concerns that using "Palestine" for ancient eras was anachronistic. The group argued that the term, which originated later in history, obscures the distinct political and cultural identities of the time, including the kingdoms of Canaan, Judah, Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia. It also contended that such labeling could distort the historical record and potentially violate the Equality Act 2010 by creating an offensive environment related to race, religion, or belief. In specific examples, a panel in the Egypt galleries describing figures of possible Palestinian descent has been revised to reference Canaanite...