Nathan Thrall was scheduled to visit several cities this fall to promote his new book, “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama,” a report on Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. But days after the book was published this month, readings in London, New York, Los Angeles and Washington were postponed or canceled after Hamas launched deadly attacks on Israeli civilians.
These are among a growing number of events focusing on Palestinian culture, society and politics that have been canceled or postponed since the war began. A concert in London by young Palestinian musicians has been postponed indefinitely. The Boston Palestine Film Festival has canceled live screenings and switched to online screenings. And in one of the most high-profile cancellations, a German literary organization canceled its Frankfurt Book Fair awards ceremony honoring Palestinian novelist Adania Shibli.
Some organizers said they would cancel Palestinian-themed events, citing safety concerns. Some cited sensitivity, saying canceling or postponing the event was a disappointing but understandable reaction at a time when emotions are so raw. At least 1,400 Israelis were killed in Hamas attacks on what President Biden called “the worst day for Jews since the Holocaust,” and since then Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 1,400 Israelis, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. More than 4,100 people were killed in the Gaza Strip.
But some fear its ultimate effect will be to silence events and voices that might have promoted understanding at a key moment in the region’s history.
“This is obviously a very sensitive issue,” said Aaron Tell, director of public advocacy at the Individual Rights Expression Foundation, which monitors free speech. “This is precisely when freedom of speech is so valuable. We should all want to have maximum expression on such thorny and controversial issues. We should encourage each other through dialogue and criticism. We should try to resolve the differences.”
London’s Southwark Cathedral cited safety concerns when it canceled an October 11 concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pal Music UK, a London-based charity supporting young Palestinian musicians. I mentioned it. The event was scheduled to feature three young Palestinians who play the piano, the oud, and the wind instrument ney.
“We were obviously disappointed that we did not have the opportunity to hold a concert that would celebrate peace and be a ray of hope for Palestinian musicians,” Sal Sherat, director of Palmusic, said in an interview. “But we completely respect that safety comes first and, frankly, at the time it was just days after the outbreak of war and there was quite a lot of tension in London.”
The Hilton Hotel in Houston has canceled the annual conference of the United States Campaign for Palestine Rights, scheduled for later this month, citing “increased safety concerns in the current environment.” The group’s executive director, Ahmad Abuznaid, said the group had also become aware of a concerted online effort to block the event, adding: “Racist rhetoric echoed calls for Hilton to cancel.” “I saw people on social media posting things,” he said.
Freedom of expression group Tell warned that postponements or cancellations, even out of safety concerns, could have a chilling effect.
“This allows for a heckler’s veto, where a speaker can be stopped simply by threatening to cause a disturbance,” he said.
“We strive to create spaces for our community to come together, and those spaces are needed today more than ever,” the Boston Palestine Film Festival said in a statement when it canceled live screenings this month.
“However, we remain committed to putting the safety of our viewers first and paying close attention to all affected community members.”
In Germany, the decision to cancel Shibli’s award ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair caused controversy. She won the award for her novel Minor Detail, which includes her account of the gang rape and murder of Bedouin girls by Israeli military units, beginning in 1949. The cancellation of the ceremony was condemned in an open letter signed by hundreds of writers and editors, including Nobel laureates Annie Ernaux, Abdulrazak Gourna and Olga Tokarczuk, and the book fair said: “We have a responsibility to create a space for Palestinian writers to share,” he said. It did not close them off to reflection on their thoughts, feelings, and literature throughout this horribly cruel period. ”
Author Thrall, whose reading was postponed, is visiting several other cities from his home base of Jerusalem to discuss his new work. He planned several events with Abed Salama, a Palestinian man who is the main subject of the book. He went looking for his 5-year-old son who had been in a bus accident, all the while traveling as a Palestinian through the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.