A Palestinian cartoonist previously accused of creating antisemitic images is being flown to the UK on taxpayers’ money to curate an art exhibition, the JC can reveal.

Mohammad Sabaaneh, whose past works include a Jew nailing Christ to the cross and Israel as a tentacled monster controlling the world, is due to oversee a show at The Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF), which he has said he will use to “dismantle Israeli propaganda”.

The JC can also disclose that when concerns about Sabaaneh were raised with senior members of the British Council – the exhibition’s principal backer – they responded that there were “strong personal feelings about Gaza and Israel” within the organisation.

One of the British Council officials, chief executive Scott McDonald, said that while the organisation was undergoing “an internal programme of antisemitism training”, he admitted uncertainty over the effectiveness of these sessions.

Despite the controversy, the British Council remains committed to funding Sabaaneh’s trip to the UK for this year’s show, Enter the Mulberry Tree and Fly Free, which will also display works by 11 other Palestinian artists and is due to take place in Cumbria from September 26 to 30.

The council has put £15,000 into a two-year project showcasing comics from the Arab world, of which this year’s Palestinian show is the second part.

Titled 'hostilities towards Jerusalem’s churches', this February 2023 cartoon published al-Quds al-Arabi depicts a Jew crucifying a Palestinian Jesus

The Community Security Trust (CST) said: “It is incredibly disappointing that the British Council is using UK taxpayers’ money to fund Mohammad Sabaaneh’s trip to the UK for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, despite concerns being raised of his antisemitic cartoons.

“Sabaaneh has a record of creating artwork with antisemitic tropes and the LICAF and British Council should vet their projects properly before granting funding to someone with that track record.”

Sabaaneh’s drawing titled 'the American veto in Israel’s favour' (September, 2022) features a Jewish hand controlling the US which, in turn, controls the UN through its UNSC

Whistleblower Peter Kessler, the former chair of the LICAF board and its only Jewish member, suggested Sabaaneh’s past trope-filled cartoons be addressed during the festival – but organisers shut down his proposal and he felt compelled to resign from the board.

The long-time board member raised initial concerns about Sabaaneh’s past artworks in June. Realising it was too late to cancel the show, and being staunchly “anti-cancel culture”, he proposed Sabaaneh be questioned about the works on stage at the festival, having been notified of the questions in advance. “I did not try and cancel Sabaaneh. All I had the temerity to do was request that as part of his interview, he be asked a question addressing his more controversial work. I suggested that the question should be agreed with Sabaaneh before so that he did not feel wrongfooted,” he said.

“Far from closing down free speech, this solution opens it up. I do not want a public interrogation.

“I want to hear him speak, I want to see his work. I have read his books [about his time in an Israeli prison], and I think they are powerful testimonies,” Kessler told the JC from his home in Oxford this week.

“Part of freedom of speech is challenging racism when it raises its head. And Sabaaneh, in addition to all his other work, has created many racist images,” Kessler, who helped to found Eden Primary School in Muswell Hill, claimed.

Another cartoon in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, official PA daily, from 2019

The festival’s director and founder, Julie Tait, disagreed with his proposal, and suggested it would put Sabaaneh on “trial” for “expressing freedom of speech”.

In an email exchange with Kessler seen by the JC, Tait argued that the cartoons depicted Israeli soldiers rather than Jews. “The characters you draw attention to do not wear Khippahs [sic] they wear helmets, their faces are typical Middle-Eastern faces with generalised characteristics,” she said.

Tait insisted this “does not make him antisemitic”, noting that the artist frequently addresses this in interviews, “where he bemoans the fact that speaking out against... the Israeli government’s actions attracts this accusation all too easily”.

Peter Kessler in the Lake District with his spaniel, Scrumpy

The festival director said no other institution had raised concerns about Sabaaneh’s work. “Mohammad has never had the accusation of being a racist levelled against him by any of the eminent institutions and events which have hosted him in the past,” said Tait.

Born in the West Bank and imprisoned in Israel without charge in 2013, about which he has written a book, Sabaaneh said he wanted to LICAF to be an opportunity to “dismantle the Israeli discourse, the way they describe the Palestinian people as human animals”. None of his controversial works will appear at the Cumbria festival.

In emails seen by the JC, the chair of the British Council, Paul Thompson, admitted that some of Sabaaneh’s works demonstrated “extremely distasteful tropes”, while chief executive McDonald told Kessler that several of the works were “antisemitic”.

It is understood that while that no formal antisemitism training is in place at the British Council, it is piloting sessions on both antisemitism and Islamophobia, which are under evaluation.

Lakes International Comic Art Festival in 2017 (LICAF)

Defending its decision to fund Sabaaneh’s UK trip, the British Council said: “We are aware of concerns that have been raised regarding a selection of political cartoons previously produced by one of the curators. These cartoons do not form part of the exhibition at LICAF, which aims to highlight the unique creativity of Palestinian comic art.”

Scott McDonald, Chief Executive

A spokesperson added: “As the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations, we work to support peace and prosperity between the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and English language teaching.

“We have supported this year’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF) by helping to fund an exhibition of work by 12 Palestinian comic artists.”

Julie Tait, director of Lakes International Comic Festival, next to Lake Windermere in 2022

Tait told the JC: “LICAF takes a strong stance against all forms of racism, including antisemitism.

“It’s important to note that [Sabaaneh] will be featuring in a Freedom of Expression event during LICAF, where the audience will be encouraged to robustly debate the work of the artists, both current and past. The specific works that may be considered controversial are not part of our exhibition, and the decision to include Sabaaneh was made after careful consideration of his overall contribution to the art world. We felt it was important to engage in dialogue rather than outright rejection. We understand the concerns raised, and while respecting differing views, the festival operates under policies that uphold safeguarding and equality for all participants. The suggestion of publicly interrogating Sabaaneh on stage was considered inappropriate and contrary to our principles of constructive dialogue. It was felt that such questioning would place him on trial rather than fostering meaningful discussion.

“We feel that many of Peter Kessler’s allegations are incorrect. The British Council has been supportive of our position, reiterating the importance of artistic freedom within the bounds of law and respect. At no point was our festival’s funding threatened in connection to this matter.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism expressed shock that “the whole ordeal is being funded by the British taxpayer” and said it would write to the sponsors of the festival. “Some of the cartoons attributed to Mohammad Sabaaneh include appalling caricatures,” it said. “The fact that the festival is welcoming him with open arms and has reportedly shut down concerns by a longtime Jewish board member, who felt the need to resign, is a disgrace.” Sabaaneh was approached for comment.