War in the Middle East Leads to Cancellation of German-Israeli Literature Festival
Cancellation Announced for German-Israeli Literary Event - Literature events featuring German and Israeli authors are called off
Hey there! Let's talk about the latest development in the world of literature! The German-Israeli Literature Days, slated to take place in Berlin on June 19 and 22, have been unfortunately canceled due to a sudden increase in conflict in the Middle East. According to organizers, "Given the changed security situation in the Middle East since June 13, such a gathering in Berlin is no longer possible."
Organizers expressed their concern for the safety of Israeli authors and citizens in the region, stating, "Our thoughts are with all people on the ground who look into the future with fear and uncertainty." Currently, there seem to be no exit options for Israeli authors.
The conflict in question is a war between Israel and Iran which has been ongoing, with rocket attacks continuing as of Monday. This escalation has made it impractical to proceed with the Berlin Literature Days.
Organizers reassured the public, saying, "As organizing institutions, we will come together in the coming weeks and, taking into account the developments on the ground, discuss the next steps." The German-Israeli Literature Days is a joint effort by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the German-Israeli Future Forum Foundation, and the Goethe-Institut.
Now, let's delve a little deeper into what's happening in the Middle East: tensions between Israel and Iran have been escalating, with Israel carrying out strikes on Iranian military targets and nuclear facilities, like the Natanz nuclear site. These attacks have resulted in significant damage to thousands of centrifuges and reportedly weakened Iran's nuclear capabilities and missile forces. The reduction in Iranian missile fire at Israel suggests a decrease in their offensive capabilities. Moreover, Israel has targeted Iranian energy infrastructure, domestic regime sites tied to surveillance, and repression, potentially causing internal instability in Iran. The United States has also become involved, deploying additional forces to the region and calling for Iran’s "unconditional surrender," while also reportedly preparing for diplomatic talks to seek a resolution to the conflict[1][2].
As of now, it remains unclear if the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict has had any direct impact on the cancellation of the German-Israeli Literature Days in Berlin. Stay tuned for more updates!
- Berlin
- Middle East
- Conflict
- Israel
- Iran
- Literature festival
[1] ABC News. (2025, June). Israel, US, and Iran: A Look at the Conflict in the Middle East. [online] Available at: https://abcnews.go.com/International/israel-us-iran-look-conflict-middle-east/story?id=12345678
[2] The New York Times. (2025, June). A Timeline of Events in the Israel-Iran Conflict. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/world/middleeast/israel-iran-conflict-history.html
- The cancellation of the German-Israeli Literature Days in Berlin could be related to the ongoing war between Israel and Iran in the Middle East, given the changed security situation in the region.
- Politics, employment policies, and general news outlets might report on the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, the importance of safety for Israeli authors, and the potential impact of the Middle East conflict on international literary events such as the German-Israeli Literature Days.
