Wording of leaflet handed to Ian McEwan in Jersalem:
Ian McEwan: Don't just criticise the Occupation
Ian McEwan did not need to receive the Jerusalem Prize in order to come to Israel/Palestine and express his views. Distinguished scholars, such as Judith Butler and Naomi Klein have visited Sheikh Jarah and other parts of Israel's backyard, without legitimizing those responsible for the crimes of apartheid and occupation committed there. By accepting the Jerusalem Prize, McEwan has allowed the perpetrators of these crimes, such as Nir Barkat, to exploit the occasion, and disseminate the blatant lie "we promote tolerance here in Jerusalem, an open city". When families in east Jerusalem are expelled from their homes to make way for Kahanist settlers, and when 9 year old children in Silwan are abducted from their beds by the Israeli police in the middle of the night, this city is neither tolerant nor open. Furthermore, McEwan's compliments to Israeli "democracy" are vacuous in view of these facts. McEwan has assisted the Israeli establishment in conveying a false message of "business as usual". He should return the prize, and atone for shaking the hands of apartheid and occupation.
McEwan and Grossman at Sheikh Jarrah
Israeli activists from the Boycott From Within and Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity movements disrupted an event with British author Ian McEwan last night in Jerusalem. McEwan, the recipient of this year’s Jerusalem Prize for Literature, was asked by Israeli and Palestinian activists to boycott the prize and not ‘whitewash’ Israeli violations of international law in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Ignoring the boycott call, McEwan accepted the prize and gave a strong speech denouncing Israeli actions towards the Palestinians. McEwan also visited the weekly protest against settlement activity in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah with Israeli writer David Grossman.
Activists held a banner in front of McEwan at a large literary event connected to the book festival in Jerusalem. The banner, “Ian McEwan Shaking Hands with Apartheid”, was a reference to McEwen’s photo opportunities with Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat and Israeli president Shimon Peres as part of his prize recognition. Fittingly, one of the activists who held the banner is the great grandson of Nobel prize wining Israeli author S.Y. Agnon. Activists also handed out fliers about BDS in the auditorium hall
The action was part of a growing number of protests aimed at Jerusalem’s international appeal. Mayor Nir Barkat has announced major changes to Jerusalem branding from simply a holy place to an international cultural capital. Events such as the Jerusalem book festival, next months first ever Jerusalem Marathon and other cultural events in the city are part of Barkat’s master plan to rebrand the city. Israeli activists have been successful in disrupting these events in order to bring light to the aggressive policies of ethnic cleansing that are taking place in East Jerusalem.
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