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Irish Times
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Almost 400 Irish writers sign statement calling for immediate ceasefire in Israel-Palestine conflict
Almost 400 writers in Ireland have signed an Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict , the release of all hostages and the protection of the lives and human rights of writers, journalists and all innocent people affected by the ongoing conflict. Since October 7th, 2023, at least 181 journalists, 120 academics and 23 writers have been killed. According to PEN International, this has now been the deadliest war for writers since the second World War. Signatories include well-known figures such as Roddy Doyle , Marian Keyes , Colum McCann , Donal Ryan , Lisa McInerney , Kevin Barry , Mary Costello , Paul Lynch , Sinéad Gleeson , Jan Carson, Glenn Patterson, Paula Meehan, Carlo Gébler, Theo Dorgan and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin among a total of 388 writers. More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict. READ MORE Arundhati Roy stated in last year's PEN Pinter Prize speech: 'Not all the power and money, not all the weapons and propaganda on earth, can any longer hide the wound that is Palestine. The wound through which the whole world, including Israel, bleeds.' The PEN community has repeatedly called for an 'immediate end of all hostilities, the protection of civilians, and a just resolution to the conflict', and urged the United Nations and its member states 'to take all necessary steps to broker an immediate ceasefire'. 'Together with colleagues from across the globe,' the letter went on, 'Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the protection of lives and human rights of writers, journalists, and all innocent people affected by the ongoing conflict in Palestine.' It quotes Amnesty International , which has stated: 'Israel must immediately end its devastating siege on the occupied Gaza Strip which constitutes a genocidal act, a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment, and the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.' The letter pledged that alongside amplifying the voices of writers of Palestine , 'we must also do all we can to help bring an end to the unimaginably difficult situation they are facing on the ground daily'. [ 'So much gratitude in West Bank for Irish solidarity': How Nobel Prize-winners are raising Palestinians' plight Opens in new window ] 'As in the PEN Charter, literature knows no frontiers and must remain common currency among people in spite of political or international upheavals; PEN stands for the principle of unhampered transmission of thought within each nation and between all nations, and members pledge themselves to oppose any form of suppression of freedom of expression, condemning any racist, antisemitic, or Islamophobic commentary that has been used in relation to the conflict. 'We stand in solidarity with Palestinian, Jewish, and Israeli people who are opposing the genocide perpetuated by the current Israeli government. 'We ask that the international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, be respected at all times. And we ask all nations to join our call for the immediate distribution of food and medical aid in Gaza by the UN and an immediate ceasefire guaranteeing safety for all Palestinians, Israeli hostages, and Palestinians arbitrarily held in Israeli jails.'
Arab News
4 days ago
- General
- Arab News
‘No safe place': Writer's group PEN International calls for arms embargo on Israel
LONDON: Writer's group PEN International on Monday urged the international community to impose an arms embargo on all parties involved in the war in Gaza, calling specifically for a ban on weapons used by Israel in attacks that have targeted Palestinian civilians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In an open letter, the London-based association expressed outrage at what it described as the global community's failure to hold Israel accountable for the 'ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.' The letter condemned the daily killing of civilians and the prolonged blockade, calling for immediate action to halt the assault. 'PEN International has documented harrowing testimonies of Palestinian writers across the OPT, all of whom have reported and corroborated the growing body of evidence demonstrating concerted and systematic efforts by Israel to erase the Palestinian people and their cultural heritage, particularly in Gaza,' the open letter said. The group said it shared the view of other international organizations that 'genocide is being perpetrated against Palestinians in Gaza through various means,' and reported that at least 23 writers — excluding artists and other cultural workers — have been killed in Israeli bombardments since Oct. 7, 2023. Describing the current period as 'the deadliest for writers since the Second World War,' PEN International said the assault on Palestinian culture — through the destruction of heritage sites, cultural spaces, and the targeting of writers and journalists — was 'a deliberate strategy to silence and erase the Palestinian people.' A post shared by PEN International (@peninternational) The NGO joins a growing number of organizations, experts and legal scholars that have concluded Israel's conduct in Gaza meets the threshold of genocide. The International Court of Justice ruled last year that Palestinians face a 'plausible risk of genocide,' and UN experts, aid agencies, and hundreds of legal specialists and genocide scholars have echoed that assessment. Even former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, writing in Haaretz, recently described the offensive as a 'war of extermination,' though he stopped short of using the term 'genocide.' PEN International's letter also detailed the 'irreversible loss of much of Gaza's tangible and intangible cultural heritage,' including independent cultural institutions, personal libraries and literary work, many of which were created under extreme restrictions and later destroyed in the war. As of the end of May, UNESCO confirmed damage to 110 cultural sites in Gaza since the war began, including religious landmarks, historic buildings, museums and archaeological sites. Testimonies gathered by PEN International also described the conditions faced by Palestinian writers amid the persistent threat to their lives. 'The relentless Israeli military operations, the indiscriminate bombardment of so-called 'safe zones' with high explosives, unexploded ordnance, sniper attacks targeting civilians, and the ongoing arbitrary restrictions and ban on humanitarian aid — are a grim, daily reality,' the letter read. 'All writers who spoke to PEN International have consistently stressed that: 'There is no place safe in Gaza'.' Founded in London in 1921, PEN International has grown into a global cultural institution. It has not remained untouched by the rippling political effects of the Gaza war. In September 2024, the group passed a resolution condemning the rise in targeted killings, arbitrary detentions, and restrictions on access to information in both Palestine and Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks. The resolution placed primary responsibility for these violations on Israeli authorities. In April 2025, PEN America, the group's US branch, was forced to cancel its annual literary awards after several authors boycotted the event over what they viewed as the organization's failure to take a clear stance against Israel's war on Gaza. The decision followed an open letter signed by dozens of authors and translators who withdrew their work from the awards in protest.
