THE Royal Society of Arts (RSA) has apologised after hosting an event with an Israeli ambassador who recently rejected the suggestion of a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine.
Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s ambassador to the UK, was recently asked by Sky News whether the country would accept Palestinians having their own state.
She replied: “Absolutely no."
Rishi Sunak later said he disagreed with Hotovely and that the UK’s long-standing position was that a two-state solution was the right outcome.
On Thursday, protesters appeared outside the RSA building in central London after it was discovered that Hotovely was hosting a fundraiser for Israel inside.
An update. pic.twitter.com/IF91G0tUCQ
— The RSA (@theRSAorg) December 14, 2023
After concerns were raised about the event, the RSA issued a statement to the public.
It read: “An event was held at the RSA today by an external client who did not disclose the full event details in advance.
“The RSA neither condones nor endorses this event.
“We are an apolitical organisation and have launched an internal investigation.
“We apologise extensively to anyone affected and upset by this today and will ensure that robust measures are put in place in the future to ensure this will not happen again.”
The 45-year-old Hotovely previously sat in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, as a member of the right-wing Likud party.
Her appointment as ambassador to the UK was strongly criticised by senior members of the Jewish community in the UK because of her “ultra-right-wing” opinions.
