1,000 authors, academics ask Germany to cancel Netanyahu visit
The letter, signed by over 1,000 authors, professors and academics, asked Germany to cancel the Israeli prime minister's visit due to his government's policies.
About 1,000 Israeli writers, academics and authors have penned a letter to the German and British ambassadors in Israel, calling on them to rescind the invitations issued to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by their respective countries.
Among the signatories are professors and academics from various Israeli institutions, including the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.
“The State of Israel is now in the most acute crisis, the worst in its history, in an accelerated and dangerous process of turning [itself] from a prosperous democracy into a theocratic dictatorship,” read the letter shared on Twitter by Israeli author Ilan Sheinfeld.
The future of artistic freedom in Israel
“The destructive move is led by the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust; who, in order to escape the threat of judgment, conspired – together with anti-Zionist, fundamentalist and Christian elements who promote racist, homophobic and anti-democratic agendas, and with Jewish terrorists convicted – against the State of Israel and against all its citizens, both those in Israel and those around the world.”
14.3.23הודעה לעיתונותכאלף סופרים.ות, אנשי.ות אקדמיה ורוח בולטים פנו הבוקר לשגרירי גרמניה ובריטניה בישראל בקריאה – בטלו לאלתר את הביקורים המדיניים של רה"מ בנימין נתניהו בארצותיכם!
— אילן שיינפלד. אָב, סוֹפֵר. אֵם כּוֹתֶבֶת. (@ilanshpr) March 14, 2023
The letter continued, criticizing the judicial reform legislation currently being passed in Knesset, and alleging that “advancing the override clause, changing the status of the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom... will also lead to a fatal violation of civil and individual rights in Israel, including the right to freedom of literary and artistic expression, and the elimination of the freedom of Israeli writers and artists.
“Germany and Great Britain have proven during all the years of Israel’s existence their support for Israel and its position as a democratic home for Jews, and their voice in these moments is needed by us, today more than ever,” the letter said.
“Therefore, in view of Benjamin Netanyahu’s dangerous and destructive leadership, and in light of the opposition of many Israeli citizens to the legislative moves and the dismantling of state institutions in his hands, we ask Germany and the United Kingdom to inform the accused Netanyahu of the immediate cancellation of his planned political visits to you.”
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