From Israeli citizens - we stand with Venice4Palestine at the Venice Biennale and the Venice International Film Festival
September 2025
We are a group of Israeli citizens, active against Israel's policies of occupation, apartheid and GENOCIDE. We stand in solidarity with the basic demands of the Palestinian people for freedom, equality, and self-determination. In particular, we support the Palestinian civil society-led movement for BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions).
Many of us are the descendants of Holocaust survivors. The only lesson from terrible episodes in history must be NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE.
We regret that some Western governments and institutions have failed to meet the moment and apply this lesson to Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Over the past two years, the world has witnessed a livestreamed Israeli GENOCIDE in Gaza. People across the world cannot believe that genocidal apartheid Israel is being allowed to annihilate children and adults, starve them, maim them, traumatize them and destroy their entire lives and livelihoods.
The basic facts of this ongoing GENOCIDE in Gaza are irrefutable. In fact, GENOCIDE researchers across the world are in near consensus that Israeli actions meet the criteria for this crime of crimes.
We welcome more than 1,500 film professionals, including filmmakers and actors, joining Venice4Palestine, a campaign urging the Venice Film Festival to address Israel’s GENOCIDE in Gaza and other crimes against the Palestinian people, including the crime of apartheid.
In particular, we support the STOP GENOCIDE – FREE PALESTINE demonstration, held on August 30th at the Venice Lido, and the demands presented by its organizers.
While we welcome the screening of films such as The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania at the Venice International Film Festival, we call on the organizers of the Venice Biennale and the Venice International Film Festival to do more to stop this GENOCIDE.
We note that the Biennale’s official statement still deliberately omits any reference to Palestine and Israel’s ongoing GENOCIDE in Gaza. We cannot accept the omission of such a crucial truth.
Furthermore, we reject the participation of figures who publicly and actively support or deny Israel’s GENOCIDE. Such figures must be disinvited from the festival and have no place in prestigious international venues.
We also call on the organizers of the Venice Biennale and the Venice International Film Festival to sever ties with Israeli film funds.
In addition, we ask the organizers of the Venice Biennale and the Venice International Film Festival to join numerous prestigious institutions that have taken steps to make their venue officially an APARTHEID FREE ZONE, in accordance with BDS guidelines.
The world is watching!
Boycott! Supporting the Palestinian BDS Call from Within (Boycott from Within)