Zack Polanski urges investigation into Israeli settlement-linked sponsor of Bayeux Tapestry exhibition

What Happened

Green Party leader Zack Polanski urged the UK government on Thursday to investigate the British Museum’s Bayeux Tapestry exhibition sponsorship by Igor Tulchinsky, after Middle East Eye reported that Tulchinsky—a Belarus-born billionaire and exhibition sponsor in a deal estimated at £5m ($6.75m)—unveiled a “therapy yurt” in November 2025 in Efrat, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank under UK sanctions. Tulchinsky was identified as the primary sponsor of the yurt, part of a community resilience centre serving the Gush Etzion settlement bloc 12km southeast of Jerusalem; he unveiled it with Efrat mayor Dovi Shefler and reportedly dedicated it to 'Israel's brave warriors and their families'. Polanski said the Labour government must investigate whether the sponsorship breaches sanctions it announced this week. MEE said Downing Street referred questions to the Foreign Office, which did not respond; the British Museum has not responded to requests for comment, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the museum operates independently of government.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The dispute tests whether newly announced UK sanctions on Israeli settlements will extend to cultural institutions and private sponsors. Ed Miliband promised action against individuals who finance settlement expansion, and the British Museum’s acceptance of Tulchinsky’s money follows a private view given to Peter Thiel, whose company Palantir supplies the Israeli military. The affair could signal whether the UK government will enforce its declared shift on the occupied West Bank or allow public institutions to continue relationships with settlement-linked donors.

Watch For

Monitor whether the UK government opens an investigation into Tulchinsky’s sponsorship under the sanctions framework announced by Ed Miliband, and whether the British Museum trustees review or suspend the donation. Also watch for parliamentary questions or statements from Labour MP Kim Johnson and Green leader Zack Polanski, and any Foreign Office or DCMS response to MEE’s queries.