Uproar in UK over JK Rowling’s condemnation of anti-Israel boycott

The creator of Harry Potter last week joined 150 British artists in signing an open letter to The Guardian that condemned the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BSD) campaign against Israel and espousing the value of cultural engagement with the Jewish state over a cultural boycott.
More than 340 British academics fought back by pledging not to cooperate with Israeli academic institutions. JK Rowling answered critics by saying “Israel needs cultural bridges not boycotts” and stating that she had “never heard of a cultural boycott ending a bloody and prolonged conflict.”