Malaysia pulls out of Frankfurt book fair over organisers' pro-Israel stance
Literary association Litpromt has announced that Palestinian author Adania Shibli would not awarded the LiBeraturpreis prize at the fair as planned originally.
Adania Shibli was due to receive the honour for her book "A Minor Detail," a work based on the real events of a 1949 rape and murder by Israeli soldiers.
Malaysia's education ministry has withdrawn from participating in this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, accusing the organisers of taking a pro-Israel stance, amid growing global divisions over the ongoing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian Hamas.
The move by Malaysia to pull out of what is considered the world's largest trade fair for books came after literary association Litprom said it would postpone an award ceremony for a novel by a Palestinian author at the event following the October 7 attack by the Hamas in Israel.
It was announced that Palestinian author Adania Shibli would not be honoured with the LiBeraturpreis, a German award, at the fair, as had been originally planned.
"The ministry will not compromise with Israel’s violence in Palestine, which clearly violates international laws and human rights," Malaysia's education ministry said in a statement late on Monday.
"The decision (to withdraw) is in line with the government’s stand to be in solidarity and offer full support for Palestine."
Muslim-majority Malaysia has long supported the Palestinian cause, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim saying this week that he did not agree with Western pressure to condemn Hamas.
Anwar on Tuesday called for an immediate end to bombardment in Gaza and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, following a phone conversation with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Arab pull-out
Some Arab publishing industry groups also announced at the weekend they were pulling out of the fair.
These included the Sharjah Book Authority, in the United Arab Emirates, which said in a statement that "we champion the role of culture and books to encourage dialogue and understanding between people.
"We believe that this role is more important than ever."
The Emirates Publishers Association released a similar statement, while the UAE-based National newspaper reported the Arab Publishers' Association in Egypt had also pulled out.
While declining to comment on the decisions of individual exhibitors, Boos insisted the fair was "open to authors, publishers, translators and literature fans from all over the world."
It is a "platform for both Israeli and Palestinian voices," he said.
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