The leading international harp competition, scheduled for December, has been shut down after only two contestants registered. It has not been specified whether the withdrawals were due to a Gaza-war boycott of Israel, or over personal safety fears.
The Jerusalem-based competition has been running since 1959, inaugurated by Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion. The harp has historic significance in Israel as the personal instrument of the psalmist King David.
This year’s organiser, ex-MP Colette Ariel, said: ‘It’s a regrettable fact that Israel, and the arts in Israel, have become international lepers. The public in Israel need to be aware ofthe price we are paying.’
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