MOSCOW, 17 Oct. Indonesia, following Malaysia, has canceled its participation in the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair in response to the organizers' support for Israel at the height of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Indonesian reports Portal Detik.
Earlier, organizers of the world's largest book fair said they would postpone the awards ceremony for a novel by a Palestinian author featured at the event amid the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. This forced Malaysia to decide not to participate in the event.
A representative of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture Supriyatno said about Indonesia’s non-participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair.
“Given current geopolitical events, we cannot close the chapter on the position of the fair organizers, who clearly support Israel, and will not open a stand or take part in the activities of the event,” the official stressed.
The Frankfurt Book Fair is a worldwide international book fair. This annual event brings together authors, publishers and copyright agents from around the world.
On the morning of October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. In addition, after massive rocket attacks, the organization’s fighters penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel. In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within days of the attack, the Israeli military took control of all settlements near the Gaza border and began conducting air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was suspended.
The number of civilian deaths on each side exceeded a thousand, and several thousand Israelis and Palestinians were injured. Including, it was reported about several dead and missing Russians, as well as citizens of other countries. According to various sources, about 150 Israelis may be held captive by Hamas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created. Israel, while declaring agreement with the two-state principle, did not completely liberate the Palestinian territories.