* Update: Boycott the International Writers Festival in Jerusalem

*To read the article on our website, click here
<http://www.alternativenews.org/news/_english/_update-boycott-the-inte...>.*

*/Written by The Alternative Information Center (AIC)/

Local and international activists have been active in urging a boycott
of the International Writers' Festival in Jerusalem, slated for 11-15
May, particularly by the distinguished international writers scheduled
to participate in this event.

As previously noted
<http://www.alternativenews.org/news/_english/_boycott-the-internation...>,
it is not possible that Israel continues to deny the human and national
rights of the Palestinian people, to impose a deadly siege on the Gaza
Strip and publicly flaunt its international political commitments by
building additional settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank,
while its authors and cultural figures are honored with visits by
distinguished international authors. Israeli society must be told loudly
and clearly that it cannot act with complete impunity toward the
Palestinian people and still enjoy privileges and honors of a
law-abiding state.

Given that most Israeli authors and other cultural figures have deep
concern for the opinions of and working relationships with international
authors, this boycott can potentially make a substantial impact within
Israeli society.

The Alternative Information Center calls on activists to continue
contacting the authors scheduled to participate and urge them to cancel
their participation in solidarity and support for a just peace between
Palestinians and Israelis.

*Contact information for authors; *if you have additional information or
have received a response from any of the participating authors, please
let us know so we can update others:  

*Nadine Gordimer*: May be contacted via her publisher, Bloomsbury
Publishing (Telephone: +44 (20) 7494 2111; Postal address*:* Bloomsbury
Publishing Plc, 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY).

British Committee for Universities of Palestine (BRICUP) has issued a
public appeal to Ms. Gordimer, which appeared in the South African
Weekly /Mail & Guardian
<http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/art/2008/2008apr/080418-openletter.html>/.
Ms. Gordimer stated that she would comment on this letter upon her
return home from a working trip.

*American author Russell Banks*, who visited the Occupied Palestinian
Territories in 2002 and met with Palestinian author Mahmoud Darwish, who
was under siege, may be contacted on:   rusba...@princeton.edu
<mailto:rusba...@princeton.edu> This e-mail address is being protected
from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

*Anita Diamant* may be contacted via her representative, the B'nai
B'rith Lecture Bureau, 823 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017,
212-490-1170, b...@cloud9.net <mailto:b...@cloud9.net> This e-mail
address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled
to view it .

*Nathan Englander* may be contacted via his booking agency, *Sloane
Crosley*, scros...@randomhouse.com <mailto:scros...@randomhouse.com>
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need
JavaScript enabled to view it , Tel: 001-212-572-2016.

*Jonathan Safran Foer* may be contacted on: aut...@aragi.net
<mailto:aut...@aragi.net> This e-mail address is being protected from
spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

*Erri De Luca* : err...@hotmail.fr <mailto:err...@hotmail.fr> This
e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript
enabled to view it

*Javier Cercas*: /Red Solidarida contra la Ocupación de Palestina/ has
written to Javier Cercas
<http://www.alternativenews.org/images/stories/carta_de_la_red_solidar...>,
requesting that he not participate in the festival.

*
*To read the article on our website, click here
<http://www.alternativenews.org/news/_english/_update-boycott-the-inte...>.