Latest news with #ZadieSmith
Middle East Eye
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Middle East Eye
'Hypocrisy': Zadie Smith faces backlash after signing letter calling for Gaza ceasefire
On Wednesday, a total of 380 writers and organisations signed a letter condemning the Israeli government's actions in Gaza as 'genocidal' and urged for an immediate ceasefire. Among the signers were Zadie Smith, Ian McEwan, Russell T Davies, Hanif Kureishi, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and George Monbiot. The letter states that describing the situation in Gaza as "genocide" or involving "acts of genocide" is no longer a matter of debate among international legal experts or human rights groups. It was also signed by notable authors and figures such as William Dalrymple, Jeanette Winterson, Brian Eno, Kate Mosse, Irvine Welsh, and Elif Shafak. This letter coincided with another letter published on Thursday to the UK government by 300 British artists, doctors, activists and academics, who urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to end UK complicity in Gaza war crimes and help broker an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Brian Cox, Toby Jones, Andrea Riseborough, and broadcaster Gary Lineker are among the signatories of this letter. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Some of the letter's signatories, like Lineker and Cox, for instance, have been vocal about the war for months, but many others have remained silent. While many on social media cheered on these letters and supported the calls for a ceasefire by such prominent names, many said the letter was a little too late. We reject these letters. The time has passed for these letters to have any legitimacy. These letters are now used to whitewash the silence and worse whitewash the active complicity of authors like @ZadieSmith in the genocide of the Palestinian people. — Danya (@dandoon_danya) May 28, 2025 Specifically regarding the letter signed by Smith and other authors, many social media users expressed anger due to her previous comments about Israel and Palestine in a 4 May 2024 New Yorker article. In this article, while talking about Israel's war on Gaza and the crackdown on pro-Palestinian students on western campuses, Smith wrote, 'In the case of Israel/Palestine, language and rhetoric are and always have been weapons of mass destruction.' At the time, many on social media harshly criticised these statements, saying that Smith compared the language of the students protesting in support of Palestine to weapons of mass destruction. Today, when the letter by Smith and other prominent authors came out, the same anger resurfaced, with many showing their resentment towards the author. Zadie Smith signed an open letter calling Israel's actions in Gaza genocide. When tens of thousands of Palestinians had already been killed, she was calling for "nuance." Now, she's trying to save her reputation. I threw all her books in the bin and will never buy another. — Carlos Azevedo (@cprazevedo) May 28, 2025 Many suggested that Smith helped 'manufacture consent for criminalising Palestine solidarity campus protests' with that New Yorker article, but now is only trying to 'save her career'. Zadie Smith helped manufacture consent for criminalizing Palestine solidarity campus protests by calling protest slogans "weapons of mass destruction," and now she wants to subscribe to the letter calling it a genocide. Girl, fuck all the way off — Anita Zsurzsan 🇵🇸 🕎 (@iamjourjean) May 28, 2025 Many social media users said that Smith is only 'trying to rewrite her culpability' because of the discourse she used in the New Yorker article, criminalising students and having a reductive stance on Israel's war on Gaza. God give me the strength to handle repulsive pro-genocide people trying to rewrite their culpability. The day started with Zadie "I know I said protesting genocide is evil but now it wins Pulitzers so I changed my mind" Smith and now this absurdity. — Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) May 28, 2025 In the face of such letters, many social media users also referred to what they termed as 'hypocrisy' and 'two-siding' Israel's war on Gaza, which until now has killed over 54,000 people since October 2023. Worth revisiting this Radar now that Zadie Smith has come around a year later. I'm glad she's signed the pro-Palestine letter. I just wish it didn't take over year and a half of obvious genocide for her to stop both sidesing the issue. — Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) May 29, 2025 Since Israel's war on Gaza started, many prominent artists have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and a stop to the war on the enclave. These letters are the latest examples of such calls, and they have garnered more reaction and support because they include prominent figures from the film and literary worlds. Artists have also faced censorship and criticism from pro-Israeli supporters due to their advocacy for Palestine. One example of this was when over 750 artists signed a letter criticising the Royal Academy of Arts for 'anti-Palestinian censorship' after it removed two artworks about Israel's war on Gaza from its Young Artists' Summer Show.
The National
6 days ago
- General
- The National
Zadie Smith and Hanif Kureishi among 380 writers calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Zadie Smith, Elif Shafak and Hanif Kureishi are among the 380 writers and organisations from the UK and Ireland that have signed an open letter denouncing Israel's war in Gaza as genocidal and urging an immediate ceasefire. The letter begins with A Star Said Yesterday, a poem by the late Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in October 2023. The poem, imagining a cosmic sanctuary, is a poignant yearning for refuge and safety amidst devastation. 'The government of Israel has renewed its assault on Gaza with unrestrained brutality,' the letter reads. 'The use of the words 'genocide' or 'acts of genocide' to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organizations. " Amnesty International, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council and many other specialists and historians have clearly identified genocide or acts of genocide in Gaza, enacted by the Israel Defence Force and directed by the government of Israel.' Besides an immediate ceasefire, the letter calls for the unrestricted distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages and the liberation of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. It also urges the imposition of sanctions on Israel should these demands not be met. 'Palestinians are not the abstract victims of an abstract war,' reads the letter, which was also signed by Ian McEwan, Brian Eno, Ben Okri, Kate Mosse and Irvine Welsh. 'Too often, words have been used to justify the unjustifiable, deny the undeniable, defend the indefensible. Too often, too, the right words – the ones that mattered – have been eradicated, along with those who might have written them.' 'The term 'genocide' is not a slogan. It carries legal, political and moral responsibilities.' Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 54,084 Palestinians and injured 123,308 since October 7, 2023, the enclave's Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Israel resumed military operations in the territory on March 18 ending a two-month ceasefire. Since then, 3,924 people have been killed.
Middle East Eye
7 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Ian McEwan and Zadie Smith among hundreds of cultural figures denouncing Gaza 'genocide'
Hundreds of writers and cultural organisations have signed a letter calling Israel's war on Gaza genocidal and urging an immediate ceasefire. The letter's 380 signatories include writers Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, William Dalrymple, Elif Shafak, Irvine Welsh and Kate Moss. "The use of the words 'genocide' or 'acts of genocide' to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organizations," the letter reads, adding that the UN Human Rights Council has "clearly identified" acts of genocide enacted by the Israeli military. The letter was organised by writers Horatio Clare, Kapka Kassabova and Monique Roffey. The signatories say: "This is not only about our common humanity and all human rights; this is about our moral fitness as the writers of our time, which diminishes with every day we refuse to speak out and denounce this crime." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters They add: "Too often, words have been used to justify the unjustifiable, deny the undeniable, defend the indefensible. "Too often, too, the right words – the ones that mattered – have been eradicated, along with those who might have written them." Demanding sanctions on Israel The letter quotes a poem by Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed in an Israeli strike a year and seven months ago: "And if one day, O Light / All the galaxies / Of the entire universe / Had no more room for us / You would say: 'Enter my heart, / There you will finally be safe." The letter demands sanctions on Israel if the Israeli government does not implement a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the "immediate unrestricted distribution of food and medical aid throughout Gaza by the UN". 'Shut up and fall in line': Israel, Palestine and the dawn of a new censorship in western art Read More » "We stand in solidarity with the resistance of Palestinian, Jewish, and Israeli people to the genocidal policies of the current Israeli government," the signatories say. It comes a day after more than 800 lawyers, academics and retired senior judges signed a letter calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to sanction the Israeli government and take steps at the UN Security Council to expel Israel as a UN member state. A slow trickle of cultural figures speaking out against Israel after its military campaign in Gaza began in October 2023 has gradually gained more mainstream momentum. The development comes as the UN and humanitarian bodies warn of the risk of mass starvation as Israel blocks off aid deliveries into the besieged enclave. Israel already faces charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice, and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for crimes against humanity and the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Writers denounce Israel's 'genocidal' actions in Gaza and call for ceasefire
Writers including Zadie Smith, Ian McEwan and Russell T Davies have put their names to an open letter - signed by 380 authors and organisations - calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The letter, also signed by Jeanette Winterson, Irvine Welsh, Kate Mosse and Elif Shafak, describes Israel's military campaign in the territory as "genocidal". The writers urge people to join them in "ending our collective silence and inaction in the face of horror". Israel says it is working to destroy the Palestinian armed group Hamas and get back hostages the group has taken. It has strongly denied allegations of genocide, claims which are also being examined by the International Court of Justice. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,056 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 3,901 over the past 10 weeks, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Half a million people face starvation in the coming months, according to an assessment by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). Responding to the accusation of genocide made by rights group Amnesty International in December, Israel's foreign ministry described the group's 295-page report as "entirely false and based on lies", while the Israeli military said the claims were "entirely baseless and fail to account for the operational realities" it faces. The authors' letter is entitled Writers Demand Immediate Gaza Ceasefire and organised by writers Horatio Clare, Kapka Kassabova and Monique Roffey. It notes that Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, as well as independent experts appointed by the United Nations human rights council, have, it says, "clearly identified genocide or acts of genocide in Gaza, enacted by the Israel Defence Force and directed by the government of Israel". The authors call for the "immediate unrestricted distribution of food and medical aid in Gaza by the UN", and a ceasefire "which guarantees safety and justice for all Palestinians, the release of all Israeli hostages, and the release of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners arbitrarily held in Israeli jails". Sanctions should be imposed, the letter argues, if the Israeli government does not take action. While taking this stand, the authors also used the letter to "assert without reservation our absolute opposition to and loathing of antisemitism, of anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli prejudice". The letter continued: "We reject and abhor attacks, hate and violence – in writing, speech and action – against Palestinian, Israeli, and Jewish people in all and any form. We stand in solidarity with the resistance of Palestinian, Jewish, and Israeli people to the genocidal policies of the current Israeli government." The authors' letter begins by quoting the poem A Star Said Yesterday by the Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in 2023. It goes on to say that Palestinians "are not the abstract victims of an abstract war". It continues: "Too often, words have been used to justify the unjustifiable, deny the undeniable, defend the indefensible. Too often, too, the right words - the ones that mattered - have been eradicated, along with those who might have written them." The term genocide "is not a slogan", it states. "It carries legal, political, and moral responsibilities." The 1948 Genocide Convention, enacted following the mass murder of Jews in the Nazi Holocaust, defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group". Crowds overrun US-backed group's new aid distribution site in Gaza Hopes of motherhood crushed after IVF embryos destroyed in Israel's Gaza offensive Controversial US-backed group says it has begun aid distribution in Gaza 'Situation is dire' - BBC returns to Gaza baby left hungry by Israeli blockade Head of controversial Israel-backed Gaza aid group resigns
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Writers including Zadie Smith sign open letter calling for Gaza ceasefire
Writers including Zadie Smith, Ian McEwan and Russell T Davies have put their names to an open letter - signed by 380 authors and organisations - calling for an immediate ceasefire in letter, also signed by Jeanette Winterson, Irvine Welsh, Kate Mosse and Elif Shafak, describes Israel's military campaign in the territory as "genocidal".The writers urge people to join them in "ending our collective silence and inaction in the face of horror".Israel says it is working to destroy the Palestinian armed group Hamas and get back hostages the group has taken. It has strongly denied allegations of genocide, claims which are also being examined by the International Court of Justice. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 54,056 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 3,901 over the past 10 weeks, according to the territory's Hamas-run health a million people face starvation in the coming months, according to an assessment by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).Responding to the accusation of genocide made by rights group Amnesty International in December, Israel's foreign ministry described the group's 295-page report as "entirely false and based on lies", while the Israeli military said the claims were "entirely baseless and fail to account for the operational realities" it authors' letter is entitled Writers Demand Immediate Gaza Ceasefire and organised by writers Horatio Clare, Kapka Kassabova and Monique notes that Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, as well as independent experts appointed by the United Nations human rights council, have, it says, "clearly identified genocide or acts of genocide in Gaza, enacted by the Israel Defence Force and directed by the government of Israel".The authors call for the distribution of food and medical aid in Gaza by the UN, and a ceasefire "which guarantees safety and justice for all Palestinians, the release of all Israeli hostages, and the release of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners arbitrarily held in Israeli jails".Sanctions should be imposed, the letter argues, if the Israeli government does not take taking this stand, the authors also used the letter to "assert without reservation our absolute opposition to and loathing of antisemitism, of anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli prejudice". The letter continued: "We reject and abhor attacks, hate and violence – in writing, speech and action – against Palestinian, Israeli, and Jewish people in all and any form. We stand in solidarity with the resistance of Palestinian, Jewish, and Israeli people to the genocidal policies of the current Israeli government." The authors' letter begins by quoting the poem A Star Said Yesterday by the Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in goes on to say that Palestinians "are not the abstract victims of an abstract war". It continues: "Too often, words have been used to justify the unjustifiable, deny the undeniable, defend the indefensible. Too often, too, the right words - the ones that mattered - have been eradicated, along with those who might have written them."The term genocide "is not a slogan", it states. "It carries legal, political, and moral responsibilities."The 1948 Genocide Convention, enacted following the mass murder of Jews in the Nazi Holocaust, defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".In their letter, the authors emphasised their "absolute opposition to and loathing of antisemitism, of anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli prejudice".The letter continued: "We reject and abhor attacks, hate and violence – in writing, speech and action – against Palestinian, Israeli, and Jewish people in all and any form. We stand in solidarity with the resistance of Palestinian, Jewish, and Israeli people to the genocidal policies of the current Israeli government."
