Madrid Forum Yields Declaration for Palestinian Cultural Protection

A thirty-nation forum in Madrid concluded with a symbolic 'Declaration for the Protection of the Cultural Sector in Palestine,' signed on July 16, 2026. Organized by the Spanish and Palestinian culture ministries, the event included an inter-ministerial conference and a civil society 'Agora' at major Madrid cultural institutions. Signatories—including France, Egypt, Algeria, Greece, Austria, UNESCO, and the Arab League—called for a 'pact for the resilience of Palestinian culture' without concrete commitments. Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun framed the initiative as a response to 'a deliberate attempt to erase the millennial splendor of Palestinian culture.' The forum featured Palestinian writer Karim Kattan and Mohammad Rabah, director of the Birzeit Palestinian Circus School, who stressed culture as a beacon of hope amid political deadlock with Israel's far-right government. Spain has allocated €200,000 to UNESCO's Gaza reconstruction fund and €100,000 annually to the Teja network, which organizes residencies for threatened cultural workers. Kattan contrasted Spain's engagement favorably with France's, but noted the need for a pan-European approach.