Key facts
- Igor Tulchinsky, sponsor of the British Museum's Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, has launched a defence tech venture capital fund in Israel called WorldQuant Genesis.
- WorldQuant Genesis is headed by former Israeli army commander Saar Tzur, who has promoted the use of remote-controlled vehicles in Gaza.
- Rights groups have linked the use of similar vehicles in Gaza to civilian harm and destruction.
- Artists for Palestine UK has called the museum's partnership with Tulchinsky 'outrageous'.
- The sponsorship deal for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition predates the launch of WorldQuant Genesis.
Igor Tulchinsky, the primary financial backer of the British Museum's highly anticipated Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, is facing scrutiny over his involvement with a new Israeli defence technology venture capital fund. Tulchinsky, founder and CEO of US-based WorldQuant, sponsored the exhibition with a reported £5 million ($6.75 million) deal.
His new fund, WorldQuant Genesis, launched in April and is based in Tel Aviv. It is headed by Saar Tzur, a recently retired Major General from the Israeli army. Tzur previously commanded military units involved in operations in Gaza and Lebanon. He also joined the advisory board of Ottopia, a tech startup that supplies the Israeli military with technology for remote-controlled vehicles.
Ottopia describes its technology as 'battle proven' and suitable for 'direct combat' and 'target engagement,' noting its use as 'force multipliers' in Gaza to reduce casualties and improve combat effectiveness. The company's founder has acknowledged supplying the Israeli military with armored personnel carriers laden with explosives for use in Gaza.
Rights groups, including Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, have linked the use of similar remote-controlled vehicles by the Israeli army in Gaza to indiscriminate attacks on civilians and the destruction of residential areas. Euro-Med Monitor documented the use of approximately 15 exploding 'robots' daily in Gaza, causing significant destruction and posing a threat to civilian lives and cultural heritage sites.
Artists for Palestine UK has labelled the British Museum's partnership with Tulchinsky as 'outrageous.' The revelations come as the museum faces other controversies, including calls for an investigation into the removal of references to Palestine from its galleries and criticism over previous sponsorship deals, such as one involving Peter Thiel, founder of Palantir, a company that supplies AI software to the Israeli military.
Discussion