British Museum removes the word 'Palestine' from displays following pressure by pro-Israel lawyers

The British Museum has removed the word Palestine from displays about the ancient Middle East following "concerns" by a UK-based Israeli advocacy group.

The British Museum has confirmed that it is reviewing and updating some gallery panels and labels after "Audience testing has shown that the historic use of the term Palestine … is in some circumstances no longer meaningful," UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) said in a statement on Saturday.

The group claimed there were "historically inaccurate" references to Palestine in displays covering the ancient Levant and Egypt.

It said applying a single name across thousands of years "erases historical changes and creates a false impression of continuity."

The statement said responding to the concerns, the British Museum's spokesperson confirmed it was in the process of reviewing and updating panels and labels on a case-by-case basis.

"For example, the information panels in the Levant gallery, covering the period 2000-300 BC, have all been updated to describe in some detail the history of Canaan and the Canaanites and the rise of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel using those names."

"A revised text devoted to the Phoenicians was installed in early 2025," it added.

The Telegraph reported that the "Palestinian descent" has been changed to read "Canaanite descent" in the Hyksos panel.

In the statement, a UKLFI spokesperson said they welcome the British Museum's willingness to review and amend terminology which they called "inaccurate or liable to convey an incorrect meaning today."

Last week, UKLFI issued a statement on the issue, titled "British Museum under pressure to change historically inaccurate use of 'Palestine.'"