Update, Friday, October 4th
Frankfurt Book Fair omits Palestine genocide from programming, celebrates awarding of German Peace Prize to writer who called Palestinian media ‘a legitimate target’ for military attacks
Publishers for Palestine continues to call upon the Frankfurt Book Fair to end its relationship with the Israeli state and complicit publishers, affirm Palestinian human rights, denounce the targeting of Palestinian writers and journalists, and program Palestinian writers and narratives at FBM 2024. As of today, less than two weeks from FBM’s start on October 16th, the Fair has remained silent on these Publishers for Palestine calls, despite prominent media coverage throughout the international book industry.
In late June, the Fair welcomed the awarding of the 2024 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade to Anne Applebaum. In a 2002 article entitled “Kill the Messenger,”Applebaum celebrated the bombing of Palestinian news outlets, and described Palestinian media infrastructure as “a legitimate target.” Applebaum will receive the award during the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 20, with a ceremony to be broadcast live on German public-service broadcaster ARD. Applebaum is also set to appear as part of FBM 2024 programming.
FBM director Jurgen Boos has described the Fair as focussed on “the advancement of culture, civilization, and democracy itself,” and FBM claims that this year’s fair will “put a spotlight on current topics in the world of international publishing and on today’s socio-political issues.” However, programming has thus far entirely omitted what is arguably the most pressing socio-political issue of our time, the genocide of Palestinians.Only two events thus far mention Palestine; both exclude the reality of genocide entirely.
In the description of one event, which features Palestinian former culture minister Atef Abu Saif, Israel’s widespread destruction of Gaza and the West Bank is characterized as “tolerated and supported by the far-right government under Benjamin Netanyahu.” This focus on Netanyahu isolates culpability to the current government, and thereby fails to acknowledge many generations of occupation and apartheid backed by the US and other Western powers. The event listing further describes unfolding events as, “the current conflict between Israel and Hamas,” failing to acknowledge that a genocide is being waged against the Palestinian people by the state of Israel with the military and diplomatic support of other nations, including strong support from Germany.
In 2022, FBM denounced and banned Russia from the Fair due to its invasion of Ukraine, yet Israel has faced no censure or restrictions whatsoever.
These, among other unbalanced decisions, rife with mischaracterizations, omissions, and minimizations, flout the assertions of top international human rights authorities and the world’s highest courts–The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court–that Israel is an apartheid state that is committing genocide. The Frankfurt Book Fair leadership has a responsibility to address this reality, and we ask them again to take up our four calls.
Publishers for Palestine 