NEW YORK – Amb. Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, issued the following statement about Museo Reina Sofía’s cultural initiative “From the River to the Sea,” launched in response to the Israel-Hamas war, particularly as it affects the Gaza Strip:

“As a longtime patron of the arts, I fully understand that exhibitions and other related initiatives are sometimes meant to challenge – and even upend – widely held beliefs.

“However, the phrase ‘From the River to the Sea’ is not merely provocative, as Museo Reina Sofia administrators would like to believe. The political slogan, used by the Hamas terror group and others, specifically refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean and represents a call for the annihilation of the Jewish state.

“It is reprehensible that Museo Reina Sofia, an otherwise respected institution, convened such an initiative at this time. Hamas still holds 132 innocent individuals it brutally captured on Oct. 7 in Israel, and the people of Gaza now face a humanitarian crisis.

“Toxic calls for the destruction of the Jewish state – even under the guise of a cultural initiative – do not advance the cause of peace. Fostering understanding, rather than inciting violence, is essential at this most challenging moment.”