DUBLIN (EJP)--More than 150 Irish artists have pledged not to perform or exhibit in Israel, or to accept any funding from institutions linked to the Israeli government.

The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), which coordinated the action, told daily newspaper Irish Times that the cultural boycott was to protest Israel’s “treatment of the Palestinian people."

It said it would continue until "Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights."

Irish composer Raymond Deane, founder of the IPSC, cited a statement from the Israeli foreign ministry in 2005 saying they considered culture a propaganda tool.

He said: "Artists who perform there are backing it (the Israeli government) whether they like it or not."

Irish singer Damien Dempsey hoped the boycott would encourage young people in Israel who disagreed with the government to "speak out."

He said that the military were running the show in Israel and that they needed the world to stand up against them.

Musician Donal Lunny said he was taking part to "express solidarity with the Palestinian people."

When asked about the boycott’s chances for success, Eoin Dillon, a performer with Irish and world music band Kila, said: "It worked in South Africa."

"Culture cannot stand aloof from politics," Raymond Deane said.

“Whether or not art is ‘above politics’, its presentation and representation in the real world can all too easily be hijacked by oppressive states. With this pledge, Irish artists have an opportunity to distance themselves from such exploitation, and to take a non-violent stand on behalf of the oppressed Palestinian people.”

An Israeli embassy spokesman in Dublin called the boycott "regrettable and ill-advised". "

"Vilifying and ostracizing Israel and promoting a lose-lose programme of boycotts is not the way to secure legitimate Palestinian rights," it said in a statement.