ARTISTS FOR PALESTINE called on five leading British theatres to end partnerships with Bloomberg Philanthropies over its ties to Israel today.

Playwrights Caryl Churchill, Sabrina Mahfouz and Hannah Khalil, and actors Alex Lawther and Billy Howle were among 261 artists who backed the call in an open letter.

It says that the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court, the Young Vic, and the Almeida are “actively undermining” their own ethical commitments by partnering with the arts funder.

Bloomberg Philanthropies funding is used to train officials governing illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank at the Bloomberg-Sagol Centre for City Leadership at Tel Aviv University, says the letter.

It asks the theatres “to set an example for the whole sector, by coming together to find alternatives to the sources of funding and support that currently compromise your institutions and our workspaces… [and] to stand up for international law and against dispossession, apartheid, genocide and mass violence,” saying: “The decisions you take now will define your moral leadership and integrity for years to come.”

A spokesperson for Artists for Palestine UK said: “We know from our contact with UK theatres that there is disquiet about what Bloomberg Philanthropies is doing in Israel. 

“Some are looking again at Bloomberg as part of their due diligence procedures. 

“Others say that their connection is no longer current, even though Bloomberg Philanthropies claims them as ‘participating organisations.’

“But from the five theatres named in the open letter we have heard little to indicate that they share in this disquiet. They should look at the evidence, end their silence, and take an ethical stand.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies and the theatres were contacted for comment.