‘This case best illustrates how influence operations against Israel are carried out in the cultural sphere by states with significant resources,’ alleged David Saranga of the Israeli Foreign Ministry
January 14, 2026 15:41
South Africa's Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has accused Qatar of covertly influencing the country's representation at the world's largest art festival in order to spread pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli rhetoric.
The Venice Biennale exhibits collections from countries around the world and, this year, the art from South Africa was heavily focused on Gaza.
The piece by artist Gabrielle Goliath, linked atrocities in Africa, such as the massacre of women in Namibia by colonial forces, with what curators called "the killing of tens of thousands of women and children in Gaza since October 2023".
Qatar was not an official sponsor of the exhibition, but, according to McKenzie, had committed to buy Goliath's art after the event. He claims that this was part of the plan to influence the messaging of the art by acting as a financial incentive to spread its narrative.
In a government statement, McKenzie said: "It was brought to my attention that a foreign country allegedly undertook to fund South Africa’s exhibition... this foreign country had actually undertaken to purchase the artworks concerned following the conclusion of the Biennale."
According to Israeli news outlet YNet, diplomatic sources in South Africa confirm that the "foreign country" in question was Qatar.
McKenzie continued: "It was being alleged that South Africa’s platform was being used as a proxy by a foreign power to endorse a geopolitical message about the actions of Israel in Gaza.
"This foreign country has its own resources, so why not rent its own space and fund its own message to convey its feelings about Israel and Gaza?
"South Africa’s position on Israel and Gaza is clear. Maybe this country’s position should also be stated clearly – by them, and not indirectly through another country’s platforms."
McKenzie announced that South Africa would be pulling out of the Biennale, despite having already paid for its slot.
David Saranga, head of the Digital Diplomacy Division at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, said of McKenzie’s comments: "This case best illustrates how influence operations against Israel are carried out in the cultural sphere by states with significant resources.
"If the culture minister were not a friend of ours, it could have been dismissed as yet another ‘organic’ anti-Israel initiative by South Africa’s cultural community."
Goliath said she was "shocked" at McKenzie's decision to pull out, according to art news outlet Artnet, and added that she "refused the cancellation" of her work.
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