After 62 Palestinians were killed May 14 during demonstrations in Gaza along the Israel-Gaza border, students at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem decided to protest in their own way. The students, mostly Israeli Arabs, hung black posters in the school’s corridors recording the names of the Palestinians killed. The exhibit also included signs with Gaza's shape that read, “Not Your Toy,” part of a refrain from the song by this year’s Eurovision winner, Israeli Netta Barzilai.
Science Minister Ofir Akunis of Likud banned the students from participating in an international science conference scheduled for the end of the month in Jerusalem. His decision was obviously entirely political. When asked by Al-Monitor whether all Bezalel students would be prevented from exhibiting at the conference, Akunis answered, “Yes.”
