Almost 400 writers in Ireland have signed an Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict, the release of all hostages and the protection of the lives and human rights of writers, journalists and all innocent people affected by the ongoing conflict.
Since October 7th, 2023, at least 181 journalists, 120 academics and 23 writers have been killed. According to PEN International, this has now been the deadliest war for writers since the second World War.
Signatories include well-known figures such as Roddy Doyle, Marian Keyes, Colum McCann, Donal Ryan, Lisa McInerney, Kevin Barry, Mary Costello, Paul Lynch, Sinéad Gleeson, Jan Carson, Glenn Patterson, Paula Meehan, Carlo Gébler, Theo Dorgan and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin among a total of 388 writers.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict.
Arundhati Roy stated in last year’s PEN Pinter Prize speech: “Not all the power and money, not all the weapons and propaganda on earth, can any longer hide the wound that is Palestine. The wound through which the whole world, including Israel, bleeds.”
The PEN community has repeatedly called for an “immediate end of all hostilities, the protection of civilians, and a just resolution to the conflict”, and urged the United Nations and its member states “to take all necessary steps to broker an immediate ceasefire”.
“Together with colleagues from across the globe,” the letter went on, “Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the protection of lives and human rights of writers, journalists, and all innocent people affected by the ongoing conflict in Palestine.”
It quotes Amnesty International, which has stated: “Israel must immediately end its devastating siege on the occupied Gaza Strip which constitutes a genocidal act, a blatant form of unlawful collective punishment, and the war crime of using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.”
The letter pledged that alongside amplifying the voices of writers of Palestine, “we must also do all we can to help bring an end to the unimaginably difficult situation they are facing on the ground daily”.
“As in the PEN Charter, literature knows no frontiers and must remain common currency among people in spite of political or international upheavals; PEN stands for the principle of unhampered transmission of thought within each nation and between all nations, and members pledge themselves to oppose any form of suppression of freedom of expression, condemning any racist, antisemitic, or Islamophobic commentary that has been used in relation to the conflict.
“We stand in solidarity with Palestinian, Jewish, and Israeli people who are opposing the genocide perpetuated by the current Israeli government.
“We ask that the international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, be respected at all times. And we ask all nations to join our call for the immediate distribution of food and medical aid in Gaza by the UN and an immediate ceasefire guaranteeing safety for all Palestinians, Israeli hostages, and Palestinians arbitrarily held in Israeli jails.”
