THE GUARDIAN
Helen Mirren criticises Israel boycotters
by Associated Press
June 24, 2016

The Oscar-winning actor Helen Mirren said that she was a “believer” in Israel and that she rejected efforts to boycott the country. Mirren showered Israeli artists with praise and said she opposed efforts by pro-Palestinian groups to boycott them and the decision of some international artists to shun Israel. “I think that art is an incredibly important way of communication,” she said at a press event in Jerusalem on Wednesday. “The artists of the country are the people you need to communicate with and make a relationship with and learn from and build upon. So I absolutely don’t believe in the boycott, and here I am.”…Mirren, who is not Jewish, has visited Israel several times and has been a vocal critic of pro-Palestinian activists who have called for a cultural boycott of Israel. READ MORE