‘All violence is unacceptable to me on any side of a conflict and I’ve spent much of my life helping refugees, albeit climate migrants, and Gaza is unfortunately now one of the worst situations in terms of displacement,’ Lari wrote [GETTY]
Pakistan’s first female architect has rejected an international award over its ties to Israel, the latest act of protest by British creatives to the war on Gaza.
Yasmeen Lari, known for her sustainable and socially conscious buildings, rejected the Wolf Prize from the Israel-based Wolf Foundation shortly after the award was announced last week.
Lari thanked the foundation for the award but declined to accept it and the $100,000 prize money over “the unfortunate continuing genocide in Gaza”.
“I am not able to accept the award and the prize money even from an organisation that is independent from the government,” Lari wrote.
“All violence is unacceptable to me on any side of a conflict and I’ve spent much of my life helping refugees, albeit climate migrants, and Gaza is unfortunately now one of the worst situations in terms of displacement.”
Sources told Haaretz that in her first conversation with the foundation’s CEO, Reut Inon Berman, Lari said it would be hard for her to come to Israel to accept the prize.
She also declined to receive the award in a different country after consulting with her family.
The publication also says the Wolf Foundation removed Laris’s name from the jury’s list of winners at her request, citing “personal reasons”.
Chinese Architect Xu Tiantian is now the only recipient of the award in the architecture category.
The Wolf Prize awards scientists and artists “for their achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations amongst peoples”.
Its leadership includes Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who has been accused of inciting genocide in Gaza.
Over 61,700 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, including the 14,000 missing or trapped underneath the rubble that the Gaza health ministry presumed dead.
A probe by Amnesty International found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, while a panel of experts backed by the United Nations has accused Israel of genocide and sexual violence in the Gaza Strip.
