South African Nobel laureate JM Coetzee declined an invitation on 28 April 2026 to the 14th International Writers Festival in Jerusalem. He cited Israel's actions in Gaza as his reason. The event is scheduled for 25–28 May.
The invitation came from Julia Fermentto-Tzaisler, director of the festival at Mishkenot Sha’ananim in Jerusalem. According to a report by Ynet News, Coetzee wrote that the State of Israel has conducted a "campaign of genocide in Gaza" over the past two years that is disproportionate to the "murderous provocations" of October 7. He added that no part of Israeli society, including intellectual and artistic communities, could claim exemption from guilt.
Coetzee received the Jerusalem Prize in 1987, Israel's most prestigious literary award. In his acceptance speech, he discussed art's role and described South African literature as a "literature in bondage." He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003.
The festival director responded in a letter to Coetzee: "You left me in despair. We do not know each other, but I do not believe despair was ever your way." The refusal is seen as significant given Coetzee's prior engagement with Jerusalem.
