Pleasure As Doc Edge Abandons Israeli Embassy Sponsorship For 2023 Festival

The Doc Edge Film Festival as abandoned Israeli Embassy sponsorship this year after a furore caused by such sponsorship last year.

“We are very pleased to chalk this up as a success”, says John Minto, National Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa. “This is a win for the international BDS campaign against apartheid Israel” (BDS – boycott, divestment and sanctions – against Israel has been a Palestinian-led campaign since 2005)

Earlier this year PSNA wrote to all the Doc Edge festival sponsors urging them to ensure the 2023 festival was an “apartheid-free zone”. We told them it would be highly provocative for the festival to receive money from the Israeli Embassy particularly given the strident anti-Palestinian policies of the new far-right Israeli leadership.

“It seems Doc Edge is following the policy of the Sydney Festival which was thrown into turmoil in January last year over its sponsorship by the Israeli Embassy” says John Minto. Sydney has since abandoned foreign sponsorship and Doc Edge has done the same this year.

Doc Edge claimed last year that it was “apolitical” but is untrue. Festival organisers tweeted in support of the people of Ukraine under Russian invasion and occupation but has never tweeted in support of Palestinians living under Israel’s military occupation.

“Just as this country campaigned to help end apartheid in South Africa through boycotts, we are doing the same to help end Israel’s apartheid policies. We will remain vigilant”

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