Elham Asaad Buaras
Publishers for Palestine, a worldwide coalition of more than 500 publishers from 50 countries, has released an open letter urging the Frankfurt Book Fair to cut its ties with Israel. The group is calling on the Fair—an event that draws over 200,000 visitors—to denounce Israel’s ongoing assaults on Gaza’s cultural and educational institutions, including writers, students, schools, universities, libraries, archives, and publishers. The coalition views these actions as part of a continuing genocide.
The letter, issued ahead of the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair, scheduled for October 16-20, outlines four main demands directed at one of the world’s largest and most prestigious literary events. First, it urges the Fair to condemn what the coalition describes as Israel’s “regime of genocide in Gaza” and to affirm the human rights of Palestinians. Secondly, it calls for the exclusion of Israeli publishers complicit in the state’s actions, demanding an end to their participation in the event. Additionally, the coalition urges the Fair to denounce attacks on Palestinian writers, journalists, and academics, recognising these as part of a broader effort to erase Palestinian culture. Finally, it advocates for programming that prominently features Palestinian voices, writers, and narratives.
The call to action follows an incident at the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair, where a scheduled award ceremony for Palestinian author Adania Shibli was abruptly cancelled. At the time, the Fair expressed its “complete solidarity with Israel.” This stance has not changed, as the Book Fair has maintained its pledge to increase Israeli programming for the 2024 event. This is despite recent rulings from international bodies, including the International Court of Justice’s identification of a “plausible genocide” and a UN report condemning what it refers to as Israel’s “scholasticide”—the systematic destruction of Gaza’s educational institutions.
Criticism of the Fair’s close ties with Israel and the German state, which explicitly supports Israel, has intensified, especially given the contrast with the Fair’s 2022 decision to ban Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. “Book workers have a special role to play as purveyors of the written word because the work we do cement and legitimises ideas and politics,” said one coalition member. “As an influential cultural institution, the Frankfurt Book Fair has an opportunity and responsibility to leverage its power in this cultural sphere to pressure Israel to end its genocide of Palestinians.”
The Publishers for Palestine letter also highlights what it describes as the German state’s “crackdown on Palestine solidarity,” framing this as a key factor behind its demands. In anticipation of potential protests, the organisers of the 2024 Fair have announced heightened security measures, stating, “Throughout the fair, there will be an increased number of police officers in the halls, both in plainclothes and uniform.”
Publishers for Palestine, founded shortly after the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair, is a horizontally organised coalition that opposes Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime in Palestine. The group supports awareness-raising campaigns, monitors censorship of Palestinian writers, and advocates for those in the publishing and media industries who speak out against the genocide. They also collaborate with other cultural industries that share their opposition to Israel’s actions. As the Frankfurt Book Fair approaches, the coalition’s demands are likely to fuel further debate about the role of cultural institutions in global conflicts and the ethical responsibilities they bear.
(Photo credit: Frankfurt Book Fair/WikiCC)
