Israel’s NN Aman Gallery was forced to give up its plans to participate in Russia’s largest contemporary art fair Art Moscow due to political reasons, Art Moscow reported on Saturday.
The fair organizers say the reason for this is Russia’s support for the Palestinian National Authority’s initiative to ask the UN to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
“Because Russia supports this decision, the Israeli government banned Israeli companies from participating in all international projects, all the more so Russian ones,” a statement from the Art Moscow organizers said.
However, they said they hope cooperation will continue later.
In March, the PNA voiced its plans to ask the UN in September to recognize a sovereign Palestinian state. The Palestinians hope Israel will withdraw troops from the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, occupied since the 1967 war.