Nobel and Pulitzer winners criticize criticism of the “danger” of Israeli culture

More than 1,000 figures from the literary and entertainment industries – including several Nobel, Pulitzer Prize, and Booker prize winners – have signed an open letter against the “illegal and dangerous” cultural rackets. .

The letter was released by the non-profit organization Creative Community For Peace [CCFP]which campaigns against Israel’s cultural thugs, after more than 1,000 people in the book industry pledged to denounce Israeli cultural institutions that “participate in or remain silent observers of the repression” the Palestinian Authority”.

Among the CCFP signatories are Lee Child (creator of the Jack Reacher books), Booker winner Howard Jacobson, Pulitzer winner David Mamet, Nobel laureates Herta Müller and Elfriede Jelinek, historians Simon Schama and Simon Sebag Montefiore , and comedians Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne and Debra Messing.

The letter says: “We reject requests to boycott writers, publishers, writers, book festivals and literary organizations in Israel and Jews, as well as those who support, work with, or support it.

“We continue to be shocked and dismayed when we see members of the literary community harassing and vilifying their colleagues because they do not share a one-sided narrative in response to the largest massacre of Jews since when the Holocaust.

“Israel is fighting existential wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, terrorist groups designated by the US, the UK and the European Union. The exclusion of anyone who does not criticize Israel alone is immoral and deranged. not true.”

The signatories said history was “full of examples of sects, organizations and sects that used a short period of power to assert their view of purity, persecute, exclude, deny and to intimidate those who disagreed with them. lists of ‘bad-minded’ people who burned the books of ‘sinners’ (and sometimes ‘sinners’ people).”

They pointed to various events that had taken place in the past year, including the cancellation of a “scheduled appearance by Jewish authors from the bookstore” and the publication of “lists of ‘Zionist’ authors”. abusive” as being “directly against the principles of freedom that many writers hold sacred. . Boycotts against authors and collaborators are [sic] unwise and dangerous.”

They said they believe that writers, books and festivals “bring people together, break boundaries, expand awareness, open dialogue, and can affect positive change … more hate.”

Sally Rooney, Arundhati Roy, Rachel Kushner and Percival Everett are among the authors who this week said they would not work with any organization “guilty of violating Palestinian rights”, including working “with and discriminatory practices” or “whitewashing and justifying Israeli occupation, discrimination or genocide”.

They said: “We publish this letter as we face the gravest moral, political and cultural crisis of the 21st century”, adding that Israel has killed “at least 43,362” Palestinians in Gaza since last October, and that this followed “75 years of immigration, ethnic cleansing and apartheid”.

The signatories added that culture “has played an important role in normalizing this injustice” and that Israel’s cultural institutions, “often working directly with the state, have been important in confusing, hiding and wash away the images of deprivation and oppression of millions of Palestinians for decades”.