The president and director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday called President Trump's threat to target Iranian cultural sites in retaliation to a possible attack "abhorrent to the collective values of our society."
Why it matters: Targeting cultural sites is a war crime under a 1954 Hague treaty. The UN Security Council also unanimously passed a resolution in 2017 condemning the destruction of heritage sites in response to attacks by the Islamic State. Nonetheless, President Trump doubled down on his stance Sunday night.
- "They’re allowed to kill our people," Trump told reporters. "They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way."
What they're saying:
“The targeting of sites of global cultural heritage is abhorrent to the collective values of our society. Our world knows precisely what is gained from protecting cultural sites, and, tragically, what is lost when destruction and chaos prevail.
At this challenging time, we must remind ourselves of the global importance of protecting cultural sites—the objects and places by which individuals, communities, and nations connect to their history and heritage.
Today’s leaders and citizens have many profound responsibilities—protecting lives, and also protecting the precious legacy of generations before us, as it is from these shared places of cultural heritage that we gain the wisdom to secure safe and better futures.”
Met president and CEO Daniel H. Weiss and Met director Max Hollein
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