Nobel Prize-winning author J. M. Coetzee has refused to attend the Jerusalem International Writers Festival, citing Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip and describing it as a “genocidal campaign,” according to a letter reported by The Guardian.

The festival, scheduled to take place from May 25 to 28 in Jerusalem, has previously hosted prominent international writers including Margaret Atwood, and Joyce Carol Oates.

In a letter sent to the festival’s artistic director Julia Fermentto-Tzaisler, Coetzee said he could not participate due to Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.

“For the past two years the state of Israel has been conducting a genocidal campaign in Gaza that has been vastly disproportionate to the murderous provocation of 7 October 2023,” he wrote, as cited by The Guardian.

He further argued that responsibility for the situation extended beyond the military, saying the campaign appeared to have broad societal backing within Israel, and that cultural and intellectual institutions could not be separated from the consequences of state actions.

“This campaign, conducted by the IDF, appears to have had the enthusiastic support of the vast majority of Israel’s population,” he wrote.

Coetzee, 86, said that it could take years for Israel to restore its international standing following its actions in Gaza. The author, who was born in apartheid-era South Africa and now lives in Australia, has long been known for his criticism of state violence and colonial systems.

He also reflected on his earlier support for Israel, noting that his position had shifted over time. Coetzee previously visited Jerusalem in 1987 to receive the Jerusalem Prize for literature, awarded to writers promoting freedom in society.

However, he said Israel’s current military campaign in Gaza had fundamentally changed his perspective, describing it as a “campaign of annihilation.”

“I kept telling myself that surely the day was coming when the Israeli people would have a change of heart and deliver some form of justice to the Palestinian people whose land they had taken over,” he said.

Festival artistic director Julia Fermentto-Tzaisler, responding in comments to Israeli media outlet Ynet, said she was deeply affected by the tone of Coetzee’s letter. She expressed disappointment, saying she had hoped for dialogue rather than refusal.

Coetzee’s decision comes amid a growing wave of cultural boycotts and withdrawals from Israeli-linked institutions.

Authors such as Sally Rooney have previously declined to work with Israeli publishers, while writers including Naomi Klein have withdrawn from events in protest of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

In the film industry, figures such as Ken Loach, Tilda Swinton, and Olivia Colman have signed pledges to boycott Israeli film institutions they describe as complicit in the conflict.

These actions are increasingly linked to the broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for international pressure on Israel over its policies toward Palestinians. (ILKHA)